Makes Very Little Sense But….

My sons are now in their 20’s and early 30’s. I can remember when they were in their teens and trying to give them some tidbit of Dad wisdom, usually wrapped in a couple of dad jokes for good measure. The response was almost always the same (If you have raised teens, you know what I’m talking about). They roll their eyes and respond in some variation of “I know what I’m doing.” The intent was to arm them with knowledge that would protect them or help them through a difficult time, but it was received as if it was in a foreign language or pretty much the dumbest thing they had ever heard. Jesus asks Simon (Peter) to go out fishing and let down his nets one more time. Peter was probably thinking in his head, “Jesus you are a great teacher, but I am the fisherman here.” Peter’s response is respectful but skeptical. All of us at one time or another felt just like Peter here. When God challenges us, our response often is: “I see what you are asking of me God but are you sure that’s what you need?” There is that initial skepticism and resistance to God’s leading, all of us feel it. The key is your response to God’s leading. Notice Peter tried to get out of having to go fishing again, “We fished all night and got nothing.” Peter wants Jesus to reevaluate His request so he can continue to do what he wants. There is initial resistance but then Peter relents and follows Jesus’ request.

Maybe God has a standing request for some of your time, money, or talents. You feel God’s leading and you have been resistant to it. You don’t want to give up control of those things and are stalling because your needs are more important than God’s plans for your life. In Colossians 3:23 it says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for man.” The focus is always effort and priorities. Do you follow God’s leading? Making that a priority in your life rather than justifying why you can’t do God’s leading? Here is an action plan for this week:

1. Take some time to meditate and pray on how God wants you involved in His Kingdom. Think about your skill set and how that can be used here at Emmanuel. Evaluate your weekly activities and change the ones that are not producing good things in your life. Think about what is good for your marriage, relationships, and what is just wasted time.
2. Engage your new priorities into productive relationships and service for the Kingdom. Check out serving opportunities on Emmanuel’s app.
3. Be bold, have fun serving the Lord. Peter, after he engaged with Jesus’ priorities, found his nets overflowing with fish. Don’t underestimate what you can bring for God’s service and how He can use you in a powerful way. God will bless your efforts.

Sometimes God’s leading may not make sense, but….