Where is Jesus? You look in scripture and still find it hard to hear His voice. You ask, but don’t seem to find His answers to your questions. But make no mistake, His voice always comes to His disciples from the shoreline on their sea of trouble to test their faith and give them hope and a greater harvest. John 21 tells us Jesus told His disciples to ‘let down their nets’. It was in the middle of trying times where their faith was being tested. There was great fear, discouragement, and a great wondering about ‘tommorrow’ because Jesus had left them, but then comes His voice skipping off the water, saying, ‘trust me, do as I say and reap the harvest of my blessing and abundance’. I believe He would say that to you, if know Him, ‘Child, let down your net’. You have sought comfort in things of this world and found nothing that lasts. You have, to quote John’s gospel, “no fish”, and there is nothing to show from the labor of your own strength; so why not try His? Come, ‘let down your nets’. I believe He would say, ‘come to the place of surrender; it’s a place marked by My suffering because of the cross.’ It is instant provision in exchange for your strength. Today, He sits at the right hand of God’s redeeming power to display abundant life to those who will hear Him speaking from the shoreline of their weariness to say, ‘let down those nets and take up your cross and I will lead you, and my voice will surely speak saying, come follow me and know the love I have for you.’
Author: Kyle Nees
In Times Like These
Times like these are days marked by uncertainty. There are pressing fears without and fears within. For the believer, there remains only one constant; it will be the insight you draw from the Word of God that keeps you; it will be this truth that gives you a bearing. When Jesus fed the multitude with one small boy’s offering, He makes a point giving insight into times like these. That day, there was not enough money to feed such a crowd, yet the favor of God at Jesus’ blessing was all that was necessary to transform small things into great. The point is we are living in times when your resources will fail, and it will be more important than ever to understand His ability to take the small things and make great impact, not only in your life, but the lives of many others. In times like these, in the coming days ahead, who are you going to trust? Jesus offers the favor and blessing of God that can unlock the wealth of His kingdom. Like that small boy, He desires to use you and that small gift you possess. What will you do? Times like these require decisive action. What about your gift? It’s greater only in His hand producing the blessing of God–in times like these.
Worship at the Well
What does it mean to worship God? I mean, is it great music in some concert like gathering that enables me to find that place for myself? In John 4, the woman at the well had a lot of ideas about the place of worship, but an encounter with the person of Jesus in one day forever changed her thinking in reference to the true place of worship. You remember Jesus offered her living water from a well much deeper than her own. His offer involves a well that never runs dry. I would say that’s a deep well. Like all deep wells one must have the means by which to draw up the life giving resources. While her well required physical tools with which to draw, His well is only accessable by the work of the Spirit. Jesus went on to expand her thinking as to the true meaning of worship there around that well by revealing “God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” What she didn’t realize or even his discples for that matter, was that Jesus, by revealing the true place and attitude for worship was preparing them for a witness that could in fact change the thinking of the community around them. True worship would be the enabling power of His Spirit to do his will by seeing the fields (Jn. 4:35) and working to bring in a harvest of souls. What about you? What about your place of worship? Is it only enhanced by the sparkle of man’s abilty, or is it from a well that springs up from within? Does it lead you to the cross of truth? Further, does it lead you to a life of service? On that day, there was true worship at the well, because of the testimony of a life changed by an encounter with the Spirit of Truth. In your place of worship, pursue the truth and His presence will take you to deep water.
The Kingdom Purpose
Is your life and ministry like fallow ground? Is the soil of your heart laying out, growing cold, getting hard? God says, break it up, tear it down, and sow seeds of righteous behavior–those mustard seeds of faith that can remove the opposition to your life and ministry. Jesus said, faith like a small mustard seed can take away mountains of obstacles that lie before you. Jeremiah 4 says, ‘break up your fallow ground and do not sow among thorns.’ Your fallow ground is the unused portion, the place of great potential; a useful resource if you allow it to be broken up and come under the influence of the plow. I believe the Lord is saying, ‘that part is mine, it’s been redeemed, and I am seeking to place it into my kingdom service. My kindgom is come, it’s here, it’s now! I am calling you, I will empower you, and I want you to serve me not your flesh because my Spirit is upon you for this very purpose, that you might know Me and urge others to my Kingdom. Take an unwaivering approach in which you find your life in the active service of my cause not in the fallow ground.’
GraceLife 