Fishers of Men

I honestly had no clue where to go this blog, until this morning. As I was lying in bed last night, saying my evening prayer, I asked God if He would place Him on my mind and heart as soon as I woke. To my surprise (which I should have been surprised), He did exactly that. Only, two hours before my alarm was set to go off. (If you've ever wondered if God has a sense of humor, your curiosity rest in knowing that He certainly does.)

 I tried and tried to go back to sleep, but couldn't because my brain kept turning its wheels until I had somewhat of an epiphany on what today's post would bring. 

This is the day I(and many of my fellow classmates) have been anticipating for over a year now, and it  is  finally here. I'm leaving for college! We are leaving behind all we have ever known, to embark on the journey of starting life out on our own. I can't even begin to describe what that feels like... besides, well, WEIRD. 

As my thoughts were churning this morning, I was trying to figure out how I could relate my circumstance to a story in the Bible. What came to my mind, was the calling of the disciples. Now, the story of "The Calling of  the First Disciples," can be found in the gospel books of the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.) Each of the books, have a different perspective of the stories. Its like, you have four friends, and you were all at the same place, same time, but each were touched by the circumstance in a different way and absorbed different information.  I encourage you to find your favorite version and dive in! If you're feeling really adventurous, read each, or pick two gospels, and compare. 
Matthew 3:18----
Mark 1:14----
Luke 5----
John 1:35----

I'm going to mostly reference the book of Matthew because some of my favorite verses are found within its pages.
Matthew 3:18-22:
"As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said,"and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there he saw  two other brothers, James son of Zebadee, preparing their nets, Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boats and their father and followed him." 

This same account in Luke is found in chapter 5, where Jesus actually gets in the boats and tells Simon to "put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch", after the men had been fishing all night to no avail. You know the rest... they caught such  large number of fish, that their nets began to break, and both boats became SO full they began to sink.

 The disciples were ordinary men. Jesus came to them on an ordinary day. They left their family's and towns, and their jobs to venture into the unknown, following a man who, they thought could be the true Messiah.
When we accept Jesus into our hearts, we also become disciples. Throughout our faith walk, our different seasons of life, we learn. 

In the gospel of Matthew, you discover many of the (many) lessons Jesus taught his disciples. The Beatitudes(Chapter 5) . "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven..." You also find passages on how we are the salt and light of the earth. (5:13-14) "In this same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (verse 16) 
Do not worry. "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matthew 6:26-27) 
I could go on and on.

My point is, the disciples were scared, nervous, OVERWHELMED. They had no idea what they were getting into when He first said, "Come follow me." 
We are exactly like the disciples. They had trouble trusting a tangible Jesus, who lived and walked and breathed right beside them. 
We are going to have trouble trusting the Jesus who lives inside us, who we feel, and see in God's creation, miracles, or in just our quietness with Him. 

He has called US to be "fishers of men." So, whether you're like me, fixing to start a whole new chapter of life and you're nervous about the unknown, a little sad you have to leave behind your family and friends.... or maybe you're "some place you've always been," remember that you are a disciple of Christ. Our job, is to follow Him to the best of our ability. There are people you will meet, that will either change you or your love of God will change them. Our work is never through. He is always showing us new ways to trust in Him and giving us new perspective. 

He who is in you, is constantly working,healing, and changing your heart, it is not about what you do or what you're afraid of, it is about your faith remaining unshaken through the sunshine and the storms.

Pray With Me.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for this day. Thank you for calling us to be "fishers of men," and for always teaching us something new. Help us to trust you when we cannot see where you are leading us, and to shine your light through us along the way. Thank you for exciting new beginnings, and beautiful endings. You are absolutely amazing. Never could we understand your ways, but you have not called us to understand, but to follow no matter what. We love you Lord.

Amen.

Knowing God's Ever-Presence

So. I'm back!
Needless to say, I haven't written in quite awhile. With that being said, there is no particular reason why. God has really been on my heart lately about writing, and I had just been pushing the thought aside until a couple days ago. A friend of mine told me that she was going to start an encouraging blog, and I knew God was tugging at my heart once again. However, here I was, a week later still not following his commands. What really caught my attention was my "timehop" app. A year ago yesterday, was the very day I started my blog. Yet again, God was speaking to me, finally I said "Alright, God. I understand."
 It is absolutely mind boggling how much my life has changed in a year. 

For a graduation gift, I received the daily devotional "Jesus Calling." If you don't have it I strongly suggest picking up a copy. The devotionals that I have come across recently, strongly emphasize the importance of spending time in His Presence. Now, what exactly does that mean?

 Jeremiah 23:23-24 says, " Am I only a God nearby," declares the Lord, "and not a God far away?" "Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?"  declares the Lord. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the Lord."

Our God is a God of ever presence. Never will he leave us, nor will he forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6) He is ALWAYS there. His continual Presence, is a promise, guaranteeing that we never have to face anything alone. How I relish this thought! Somehow, I still fall into feelings of loneliness and dissatisfaction as if His loving omnipresence is not enough. God wants us to hold his hand and fully trust Him, and be conscious of His presence. I am designed, You are designed, We are designed to enjoy God above all other things. The fact of the matter is: the deepest fulfillment of our hearts can only be found in Jesus. That void we try to fill with the world, will never leave us feeling truly satisfied. Satisfaction can only truly be found in Christ. When we begin to turn away from God, we are vulnerable to this world of darkness. Sin and fear come more easily. In the Presence of God, that fear melts away. We find peace, a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Even as Christians, we are constantly pushing ahead, anxious for the future, and often impatient with God to show us where it is He is leading us. Little do we realize, this is to protect us. His grace is sufficient for us, but only for a day at a time. We get in trouble when we try to pile on all the worries of the future onto one day, when each 24 hours brings its own troubles. He wants us to enjoy Him moment by moment and day by day. His job is to lead, ours is to follow, and to spend time daily in His Presence. 

Do you take time away from the world to spend time with the Father? I struggle with being persistent, but the more you make the effort, the more you realize how absolutely precious this time is. I encourage you to take a little time out of your busy, busy days to spend with our God who dwells in timelessness. For He is, was, and always will be (Revelation 1:8).

Pray with Me.

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Thank you for this day. Thank you for being ever present and for the promise to never leave us. Help us to believe that your grace is enough, enough to fill our deepest desires, melt our greatest fears, and discover peace in a world filled with chaos. Day by day, help us to grow in that grace. We love you.

In Jesus's Name,

Amen.

When Searching for Who You Are, Don't Forget Whose You Are

 

In this particular season of life, many of us are trying to figure ourselves out. Who we are, what we're going to do in our lives, where we are going to go, and who we will be come. Through this trivial pursuit of self discovery we often fail to remember WHOSE we are.

 A reoccurring theme in my life right now seems to be that: I am God's. A simple phrase I know, but extremely important. There have been multiple situations during this year, where I have been left wondering: What in the world am I supposed to do with myself? Where am I supposed to go? Who am I to be?

These series of songs have influenced my heart periodically through the last 2 years, and recently I realized God was trying to show me how they all fit together. Here's just a few:

"Love Came Down" by Kari Jobe        

Love came down and rescued me
Love came down and set me free
I am Yours
Lord I'm forever Yours
Mountains high or valley low
I sing out and remind my soul
I am Yours
I am forever Yours

"Oceans" by Hillsong

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

"You are for Me" Kari Jobe
I know that You are for me
I know that You are for me
I know that You will never
Forsake me in my weakness
And I know that You have come now
Even if to write upon my heartTo remind me who You are

"Blameless" by Dara Maclean
Now blameless, You call me Holy
I’ve been forgiven, You call me righteous and free
Now spotless, You call me worthy
I am Your child, You call me chosen
I’m Yours, I am Yours

What do you see in common in all these lyrics? ( I've obviously put words in bold that have developed importance for me and coincide with each other.) In the valleys or in the mountains, when oceans rise, one thing remains the same. We are HIS. In our weakness, our failure, our doubt, all these things are irrelevant to who we are in His eyes. We are forgiven, holy, spotless, free, CHOSEN, we are children of the one true God.


Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Romans 8:35-39 states this: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We are His beloved children. No matter who we are, who the world says we are, or what we have done that is less than pleasing in God's sight.

With all this being said, whatever season of life you're in. Whether your searching for yourself, or have found out exactly who you want to be. It doesn't really who we think we are, it matters who we are in Christ. And above all, always, always, ALWAYS remember. Whose you are.

Let us Pray.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for always pursuing our hearts, and never giving up on us. Thank you for your never ending, never failing, love for us, and the assurance that through the sunshine and the rain your love for us with remain the same. I pray that you will help us to become who you want us to be in you, and guide us in the way we should go. Please help us to always remember that you hold us in the palm of your hand, and we belong to you.

Amen.