Do We Need a New Fishing Hole?

Luke 5:4-7

⁴ When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”  ⁵ “Master,” Simon (Peter) replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” ⁶ And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! ⁷ A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

The disciples fished all night and caught nothing.  They were tired and frustrated.  Have you ever been tired and frustrated after you tried everything you knew to do and nothing worked.  That is how the disciples felt.  They were tired of fishing and not catching anything. 

Then, Jesus told them to go out deeper, fish in a different place.  Jesus wanted them to go in deeper waters.  Deeper water is scarier.  Is God telling you to do something that is scaring you? We may not feel like we can into deeper water.  We may think we can barely keep our head above water where we are.

So although they had fished all night and were tired & hungry, Peter was willing to try again just because Jesus said to.  Peter said, “if you say so…we’ll try again”.  They trusted Jesus and went into deeper waters.  Deeper water - where they didn’t feel so safe, deeper water - where they had to trust God. 

Can we say, "If you say to do it, I will do it."?  The result for the disciples was the blessing and reward was so great they had to call for help, and both were on the verge of sinking.  Moving to the deeper water not only blessed the disciples, other fishermen got in on the blessing! 

Who else could you bless if you move to a deeper fishing hole??  Is God directing you to a deeper fishing hole??

devotion provided by Freddie Killough

Easter Services

We welcome you to celebrate with us our Risen Lord and Savior on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012.

• Sunrise Service @ 7:30 am
• Breakfast @ 8:00 am
• Worship @ 9:30 am

This day will include communion, singing, a message, and the "Decorating of the Cross."

A Lesson from McGregor

This is Mr. McGregor. Last November we adopted two dogs. When they arrived home, they both jumped out of the truck. As Maude ran to me eager to be petted, McGregor took off running. We chased him and tried repeatedly to catch him with no success. People from the church spotted him 1/2 mile down the road and tried to help us get him. Yet, he eluded us.

McGregor eventually came home and took up residence in the dog house. He eats from the feeder on the porch and hangs around the house. When we let Maude out, he is there ready to play. When we take Maude for a walk, McGregor is always a step or two behind us, staying with us the entire way. When the walk is over he comes onto the porch waiting for a treat. He is interested in being part of our family yet has not committed himself to accepting our love and affection.

One night as I was walking Maude it dawned on me how often we act like McGregor. God so wants to show us His love and yet we hold back. We get close but hesitate to get too close. God's love has been made known to us and now He stands at the door and knocks. It's up to every individual to either pursue a personal relationship with God or else reject Him outright. The only barrier between us and God's love is our own freewill and Jesus Christ is the door. In John 14:6, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

I hope for the day when McGregor will let me pet him and he walks through the open door to enjoy fellowship with our family. As we wait patiently for McGregor I can only think that God also waits for us to join Him. He wants us to fellowship with Him and commit to being part of His family.

devotion provided by Karen McPherson

Beginnings

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  John 1:1-3 (NIV)

Beginnings are very important and yet do we seek God in the beginning? Guilty of being one who jumps in, it is often only when I have messed things up that I turn to God and seek His guidance. I am reminded of the passage in Jeremiah 29:11 in which we learn that God has plans for us. God does have plans. In John 1 it is revealed that God's plan for our redemption was with Him from the beginning. God knew the sacrifice before starting and He still chose to begin; to create us.

So if I want to involve God in the beginnings I must seek out His plan. Go to Him in prayer and ask for the first steps. He is very wise and knows that if He gives me the full plan at once I might just take off with it and neglect to take Him with me. I have a propensity to mess up the plan when left on my own and then seek His help. God wants us to walk in obedience to Him, to love Him, and to serve Him (Deuteronomy 10:12). This should be in every step of the way. God does not have to be just a God of intervention. He is really good at being a God of beginnings too.

Take care and God bless.
devotion provided by Karen McPherson

Purpose of the blog

We would like to be able to share the Lord with others. Through this blog we hope to share the happenings of the church, prayer requests, sermons, and outreach. As we begin to develop this blog we would appreciate your input. Please let us know what would make this site useful to you and your walk with God. Leave a comment or email us at mounthebronwesleyan@gmail.com.