May 24, 2005 This is :cooly: and :real:

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch."

Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.
(Luke 5:4-6 NIV)

Last week I had the privilege of going fishing with my dad. We had a wonderful day on Lake Shasta north of where we live in Redding, California. My dad is an awesome fisherman and is often sought after for advice on how to fish for bass on Lake Shasta. So, with confidence, I went with my dad. I knew that if anyone could catch fish, he could. And since I was with him, my chances were pretty good that I would catch a few too.

Sure enough, we caught lots of fish. It was fun reeling them in and putting them in the live well on the boat to take home for dinner. As we fished, I kept thinking about the passage of scripture I've listed here. Jesus had given the disciples specific intructions on what to do in order to fill their nets with fish.

As I read this scritpure again this morning, I couldn't help but think about often I am trying to accomplish something, but then fail repeatedly. Sometimes my failure is due to a lack of genuine effort and sometimes it's because I'm stubborn and I'm not willing to try something different. However, I'm hoping for different results even though I keep doing the same thing. That's actually a definition for insanity.

The number one thing for all of us is that we listen to the Lord's direction. If what we're doing isn't working, then it's time to try something different. But I don't want to just "try" something. I want to know that what I am doing is going to work. When I was with my dad, I had reasonable confidence that we would be successful because of his knowledge and ability. I listened to him carefully on what lure to use, how to cast it out, how fast to reel it in, and the best way to hook a bass.

Many times, we know what the Lord wants us to do, but we're stubborn and we do our own thing anway. Then we wonder why things aren't working out the way we'd like. Maybe I'm hoping for different results even though I keep doing the same thing.

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I have been thinking alot these past couple of weeks,about Paul's saying about wanting to do the good thing but instead, doing the wrong things. Then in rereading some of Tim's posts I saw this 'Word from the Trail'......It impressed me and I wanted to reshare it with everyone here.....If it's meant for you, take it to heart......

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:cooly: :feed: :only: :be: :out: :tune:

Absolutely excellent and timely!