The Devotional - 122 - Fishers

Thought for the Day – 122 – Fishers

Proverbs 27:18 – This year we were not able to keep the garden, we had good hopes but since being ill and such the garden became over ridden with weeds and bugs. We did manage a small crop and these are a blessing, also God knows our circumstance and we wait for Him. Wait on the LORD and He will direct your path. Proverbs 3:1-10

 

Comments and challenges

It is not easy to start a new system to redesign something that has worked so well for a number of years and what I am talking about is the devotional. Yes there has been some erosion along the way, the earlier search tools and Bible verse “pop ups” have fallen away, but daily I seek to find new ways to regain these abilities. So far I have ran into unsuccessful walls but I am not giving up so if you feel led, please pray that God will direct my path in seeking to resolve this and make the reading of the devotional easier.

Another thing I notice is that my desire to go through a whole book may not be in the best interest for everyone. It seems that as I proceed to study verse by verse which is not really a problem for me (I enjoy it) but it is time consuming to search out various available or not so available commentaries and other biblical references that by the time it takes me to finish a normal topical look at the Book that I am well past the time that I can allot to these mornings. People wait too long for the devotional to come out and I get a late start on my day.

The gospel of Mark; that is as much as I have looked into it is a blessing and I know that to continue a topical study would be just as full of blessings and this is the root of the matter, is it not? Full of blessings and life which is another pursuit of living in Christ; let me explain! One look around in this world of ours will point the casual observer to SIN and DEATH. Pick up any newspaper, read any secular book, open any magazine at the doctor’s office, read any secular pamphlet, watch any commercial, news program or television show and you are immediately surrounded by death and despair of LIFE.

Yet and again, pick up any of these same articles of information that are spiritually motivated and biblically correct and you are immediately surrounded by the joy of living, of mercy and grace, of peace and goodness. All focused on the Living God who in eternity plans for LIFE. As Mark 1:14 says that: Jesus cane “Preaching the gospel of God” we live in the fullness of these times and we as believers of this TRUTH should be so excited. You and I have the ONLY message of LIFE. I do not know if you can wrap the fingers of your soul around this TRUTH or not, but I do know this! On the day you were saved your SOUL did rejoice because you BELIEVED.

Now in these days our salvation is NEARER than when we first believed; for one we are OLDER, for two we should be WISER and as I seek to cling to Mark’s gospel I am reminded of a few interesting thoughts I have about Marks observations of the selection of those who will follow Jesus. Mark 1:17 – Come after me and I will make you become fishers of men. Wow ~ Are you a fisher of those who do not know that the kingdom of God is at hand? If we are “believers in Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God, then YOU are.

Now of course some of us say things like; “I can’t talk to people about faith!” or “No one listens to me” or “In today’s world? Are you kidding me!” well let’s back up a little! What about the day you “believed” yes that moment when joy entered your soul like nothing ever did before? “I know, some of you are saying also.” Well, yes I remember but I do not have that joy now! “Oh but contraire my brother or sister” you may not be experiencing that joy, but you do have it. Galatians 5:22 a passage you no doubt have committed to memory says.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is; love, JOY, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”. Now don’t say “well I can’t have that all the time… I am human you know?” Yes but the attributes of the Spirit filled life are supernatural… not natural! Of course some will want to say that I am talking about perfection in the Spirit or some sort of mystical nonsense but I am not. Mark’s gospel is in harmony with the other gospels as we readily note that Jesus Christ and coinciding with His baptism is filled with the Spirit of God. John 1:29-34.

During the ministry of Jesus at that moment in time until Acts 2:1-4 when the Spirit of God returned to earth after the ascension of Jesus; Jesus was the only ONE who had the indwelling Holy Spirit. If you search in the gospels you will not find another; only Jesus. When we are in church we are among the brethren and until the church ascends into heaven we are walking about in the world; we are often the only Spirit filled and alive individual in the midst of an unspiritual and dead community. So this is the way that I perceive things. By being human (and guess what we are) we interact with friends, neighbors and relatives all day long.

 

If these folks are going to lay down their nets of sin and death, then they need to see a reason to lay these things down. They need to see what a real Spirit filled believer looks like. Mark 1:16-20. These men knew Jesus the man before that day, some say and I agree that they were already had some knowledge of his claims, but now they see Him in the light of the fulfillment of prophesy and Good News. Knowing that Jesus is a descendent of Jesse and believing that He is the Messiah and now seeing that the Spirit of the LORD is with Him, these new disciples of Jesus lay down their worldly possessions and follow Him. The BRANCH in whom the Spirit of LORD rests; the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and fear, Isaiah 11:1-2.

If faith is to grow and it will, then we need to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for the JOY that was placed before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. This is the only way to become His disciples, how is that? Through the disciplines of hearing and learning to live in the Spirit. Hebrews 12:1-11. The joy of living in Christ is set before us, all we need to do is to pick up the cross and follow after Him, Mark 8:34.