Be the Change - It Begins Again as it Began Before

It Begins Again as it Began Before

Luke 5:1-11

John 21:15-19

Peter is a well known disciple. His conversations, his faith, and his denial are all renown through the Bible. I’m sure the other apostles had conversations with Jesus, but for some reason, Peter’s are the most recorded. He questioned to learn. He went with John and James to literally see Jesus transform, and there was Moses and Elijah right there for them to see. Peter walked on the water when no one else would. When Jesus asked “Who do you say I am?” Peter was first to speak, “You are the Christ.”

Peter’s new day with Jesus started as it began when he was first called to follow and become a fisher of men. While out fishing, and having a bad day of empty nets, Jesus came to shore and hollers out, “Have you caught anything?”

The answer is a resounding, and a very imaginable irritated, “No!”

“Throw your nets on the other side.”

At work, don’t we just love people looking over our shoulder? Asking us how it’s going? Giving unsolicited advice on a problem we have stared at over and over and can’t find the solution? Imagine Peter, who is probably in a long legacy of fisherman, looking back at the shore and being snarky, “Throw them on the other side.” Like a teenager who you tell to do their chores and then ask them to do them again a little better. That under-the-breath mumble that is does not represent any gratitude for the help offered. Yet, to get people off our backs, we do it grudgingly.

Peter listened and did as he was asked. Whether it was with gratitude or not, he did it, and the catch almost sunk his boat. Like a teenager, he was so excited, he left the heavy haul for others to bring in and swam ashore to greet Jesus who tells him to follow Him.

 Three years of the most unimaginable adventure happened; they created a family. There were even disputes. “Who is the greatest among us?” Or in other words, who’s your favorite. “If you have me do this, what about him?”  

Peter was the one to question and wanted to know more. He saw people healed of lameness, blindness, and leprosy. He saw people rise from the dead, tasted water that was turned to wine. He saw the storms that threatened their lives hushed with a whisper. He was there. And yet, his faith faltered time and again.

 After Peter denied Christ three times, he walked away from it all. All he had done, all that he saw. Jesus was dead, and he more than likely blamed himself that he did not do enough. He probably could not believe that the one man who had saved so many did not save himself, but allowed the soldiers to take him, beat him, spit on him, mock him, and then hang him on a cross. Peter was devastated to see it all crash down, and in the end, lose his best friend.

Peter returned to fishing. Again, he was out on the sea, as that very first day, catching nothing. Again, Christ appeared and said to throw the nets in one more time on the other side, and the nets were so over flowing with fish, it took both boats out on the water to pull them in. Peter did as he did before, and swam to shore to greet the Christ. That’s when Christ reinstated the man He predicted would deny Him three times. And three times Christ asked Peter, “Do you love Me?” and each time Peter said “Lord, You know I love You,” Jesus answered, “Feed My sheep.”

Three times of denial, Peter must have thought his days of Jesus trusting him were gone. He must have thought he had no place with The Messiah. Wasn’t Peter the one who took the soldier’s ear off to defend Jesus when they arrested Him? Yet those denials, as the cock crowed with the break of day just as Jesus said he would to save his own life, all because he was scared, still rang in his hears. But Christ reinstated him, and as it began before, it began again. Peter went into the world fervent and on fire for the Lord.

Every day we make mistakes. Some days we too mess up so bad; yelling at the kids and our anger getting our out of control, getting a speeding ticket when we know there’s a school zone, getting into a wreck when we knew in our mind that light was red. Having a wrong, tempting thought, a wrong, hateful word, just as Jesus knew we would before we were even a thought to our parents, and yet God says to us, “Do you love Me? Right here, right now, do you still love Me? Because no matter what, no matter the conditions, the consequences of the time, or the events that happen, I still love you, and I only have one request. Feed My sheep.”

Can you reach back into the day when you first saw Christ walk into your life and call you to follow Him?

Or is today the first?

What was it like?

What is it like today?
Where were you?

Where are you now?
Were you alone or with someone (even then you can still feel alone)?

Are you alone?

Can you let it begin again as it began before, and in your heart find Peter’s fire to go and do as God has called you to do?

Or let it begin today and let it continue on with one foot in front of the other, and become one to feed the sheep?

What the next thing you know?

Be The Change - The Same Language

There are different ideas that are thought of as the universal language. Music, math, love, 'and the greatest of these are love.' (I Corinthians 13:13). 

In Genesis 11 is the story of the Tower of Babel. The people were all together, and had one language and a common speech (vs 1). They were working together to build a tower to the heavens and be recognized. In verse 6 God says, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan do will be impossible for them." God then sent the whole project into chaos by giving different languages.

No one could take the joke.

This is proof that God has a sense of humor, and humans have a hard time thinking outside of the box and dealing with change. They gave up because they no longer had their common speech. No one tried to communicate to make it work. At least no one mentioned.

Have you ever been at work, at the store, walking down the street, and heard someone speaking a language you didn't understand? Have you seen someone in need of help and felt awkward trying to do something, but unsure because of a language, cultural, lifestyle barrier? Don't want to offend anyone. They'll sue. That's Satan's game. If he divides us, we will destroy ourselves, all out of fear of offending someone and having our hand bit off.

Another game that Satan plays is trying to convince people he doesn't exist. That he has no hand in what is going on, and all blame belongs to God. If God exists, why doesn't he stop all this pain and suffering? Where was He when these people were killed, hurt, the child that was kidnapped never came home?

The answer is freewill. Our greatest gift and our greatest curse. It is our choices of who to listen to and how to handle situations that gives power. It's up to us who we give power to. God has given us the path and instructions. We just need to take the leap of faith and follow. John 3:16,17 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

We were meant to be united. All of us from all walks of life.

"Nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them." Can you imagine if we all spoke the language of love and came together to build unity, stop fighting, stop using people as commodities and benefit, and love them with value and worth? What if instead of raising a hand in anger, we reach out in love? Instead shouting about being offended, stand in the gap for the defenseless? Instead of using our children as pawns for benefits, raise them to be better than our previous generations so that they are empowered to be the change? What if we were the ones take the first step and be the example?

All around us are groups that encourage acts of kindness. All around us are opportunities to be aware, be educated, and lend a helping hand.

Money can help organizations reach out with their ministry and missions. But money is made every day. It is used to hurt and to help. Sometimes, it is an empty gesture. The best way to be the change is to be involved. A true sacrifice. A step out of our comfort zone, and then another. A leap of faith that what we do will make the world a better place. Maybe not the whole world, but the world of one person at a time.

Helping a runaway with listening to them about why they don't want to go home, and then giving them an opportunity to grow. Reaching out to a family in need. Bringing over a dinner, sitting down to tea, talking and helping them find a way out. Building relationships, empowering people to follow their dreams, even holding a scared hand when a new adventure begins.

Sometimes we think that people should just grow up, thicken their skin, straighten their spine, do it themselves so that they'll learn. How can they learn if they are not taught? God knows what we can accomplish if we work together. 

Then the world will know us By Our Love,