Joshua 3:8 (ESV)
"And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, 'When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.""
A couple of weeks ago I took my two sons fishing at a farm pond. I should say that my wife and daughter also came along, but drove separately. They wearied out quickly after not catching any fish. For the first time since having kids, I wasn't fetching bird-nests out of their fishing-reel, or hooks from my cheeks. David is now 11 and Nathan is almost 10. They both have gotten a hang of fishing and really enjoy it, when they catch something. That particular day was sunny and hot. The grass was high, but the fish were biting. I quickly reeled in a bass, and it drew the attention of my two boys from the other side of the pond. They must have felt like it was the only place in the whole lake where the fish were biting. They quickly crowded in next to me to cast their lines in that scummy water.
I remember looking over to my right and hearing an "Ole Man..." I looked and David was pulling himself out of the water. The grass was tall by the ponds edge and he had taken a step a little too close to the edge of the water. He fussed and complained for a few minutes about his shoes being wet, but calmed down after I told him that he was scaring the fish.
It got me thinking about how God's ways are not our ways. He calls us to Live, but in order to accomplish this we must first Die to self. He calls us to abandon the things of this world and follow after Him. He has called us to get our feet wet and come follow Him. There are passages all through the Bible that mention taking a step out into the water. I found this Joshua passage very inspiring. Of course there is the mention in the Gospels about James and John leaping out of the boat in order to follow Jesus. They left their father Zebedee behind. There is also the passage of Peter stepping out of the boat into the water in order to walk to Christ. I find it very interesting that God does not call us to "Safety" either on the shore or in the boat. He calls us to take that step out and into the water.
This might mean something different for each person, but the premise is the same. God is calling us out... No longer are we to live lives of comfort merely looking at the swift current, but we are to jump in with both feet in reckless abandonment to Him. For somebody this might mean a career change. For another it might mean a relationship you are in. Still for another it might mean leaving a church that you have gone to your whole life. I am certain of one thing: If you are following after Jesus through prayer and Bible Study, you will learn to listen to His voice. In doing so, the confusion will be wiped away, and His path made clear.
Remember, you are going to scare the fish a whole lot more making a ruckus from the shore, then you will if you jump in and swim with them...
"And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, 'When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.""
A couple of weeks ago I took my two sons fishing at a farm pond. I should say that my wife and daughter also came along, but drove separately. They wearied out quickly after not catching any fish. For the first time since having kids, I wasn't fetching bird-nests out of their fishing-reel, or hooks from my cheeks. David is now 11 and Nathan is almost 10. They both have gotten a hang of fishing and really enjoy it, when they catch something. That particular day was sunny and hot. The grass was high, but the fish were biting. I quickly reeled in a bass, and it drew the attention of my two boys from the other side of the pond. They must have felt like it was the only place in the whole lake where the fish were biting. They quickly crowded in next to me to cast their lines in that scummy water.
I remember looking over to my right and hearing an "Ole Man..." I looked and David was pulling himself out of the water. The grass was tall by the ponds edge and he had taken a step a little too close to the edge of the water. He fussed and complained for a few minutes about his shoes being wet, but calmed down after I told him that he was scaring the fish.
It got me thinking about how God's ways are not our ways. He calls us to Live, but in order to accomplish this we must first Die to self. He calls us to abandon the things of this world and follow after Him. He has called us to get our feet wet and come follow Him. There are passages all through the Bible that mention taking a step out into the water. I found this Joshua passage very inspiring. Of course there is the mention in the Gospels about James and John leaping out of the boat in order to follow Jesus. They left their father Zebedee behind. There is also the passage of Peter stepping out of the boat into the water in order to walk to Christ. I find it very interesting that God does not call us to "Safety" either on the shore or in the boat. He calls us to take that step out and into the water.
This might mean something different for each person, but the premise is the same. God is calling us out... No longer are we to live lives of comfort merely looking at the swift current, but we are to jump in with both feet in reckless abandonment to Him. For somebody this might mean a career change. For another it might mean a relationship you are in. Still for another it might mean leaving a church that you have gone to your whole life. I am certain of one thing: If you are following after Jesus through prayer and Bible Study, you will learn to listen to His voice. In doing so, the confusion will be wiped away, and His path made clear.
Remember, you are going to scare the fish a whole lot more making a ruckus from the shore, then you will if you jump in and swim with them...
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