Skip to main content

Thursday... How do we handle it?


Thursday... How do we handle it? 

How do we handle advice? Especially if we didn't ask for it? My dad always said, "Advice not asked for stinks." I've tried to live by that when I am thinking about giving advice when the other person hasn't asked for it. But it may be a good thing for us to listen. God speaks to us in so many different ways.

I love the story in the last chapter of John where the disciples after Jesus had been killed and then He had showed Himself to them and it seemed like they didn't know what to do so they went back to what they knew to do, they went fishing. That is what they did before Jesus ask them to follow Him. They did what they knew to do but they were having a difficult time catching fish.

John 21:3b (NLT) says, "So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing."

Verse 4 goes on, "At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn't see who he was." Verse 5, "He called out, 'Fellows, have you caught any fish? 'No', they replied."

Here was this guy on the beach yelling out to them. They didn't know who he was. Then it happened. In verse 6, this unknown guy, "Then he said, "Throw out your nets on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get some." Now how would we handle that?

We can be so proud, can't we? "I'm the pro here. What does he think he is doing."

Bur here is the great thing. Verse 6 continues, "So they did, and they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it."

Verse 7, "Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord!'"

Pride could have gotten in the way of them catching fish. 11b said, "There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn't broken."

Proverbs 11:2 (NIRV) says, "When pride comes, shame follows. But wisdom comes to those who are not proud."

We can have such high opinion of our self and what we can accomplish. Confidence is important but so is humility.

King David said in Psalm 71:1-3, "Lord, I have gone to you for safety. Let me never be put to shame, You do what is right, so save me and help me." Now that is humility. He goes on, "Be my rock of safety that I can always go to. Give the command to save me. You are my rock and my fort." 

But the key is, we need to listen. And they did even though they didn't know it was Jesus. 

So let's not let pride get in the way. Remember, "But wisdom comes to whose who are not proud."  Listen, it might be the Lord who is speaking to you through that person. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning  


  


Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do

Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT), "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you set in place - what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do. No, not the fact that I can go out my front door and look out at night at the marvels of the sky. I can do that and it is amazing and it takes my breath away each time I see it. Yes, that is a fact but the reality of who did that and the wisdom and the faith that I have to believe that and to marvel that the one who did that cares about me makes such a difference in how I live my life. Yes, God really does. That is so wonderful for us to believe. And that is why faith and wisdom are so important. Now whatever belief you have at how that marvel happened must also be believed through faith. And the sad thing to me is that more and more people have been taught that there is no God and therefore he did not have a h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together!

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together! They really do. And this is what caught my attention this morning as I was reading Proverbs 2. Verse 1 (NRSVUE) says, "My child, if you accept my words and treasure my commands within you." Verse 3 (NIV), "Indeed i f you call  out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, Verse 4, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, Verse 5, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." And verses 9-11, " Then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you." There will always be some effort we must do, some ifs for the thens to be realized in our lives. So many of us want to understand without the ifs. But the thens are so worth, so very worth the effort. Verses 5-6 in the Ampli...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.  It really can. I have found that unless I give the correct email of my wife then I can't get what I wanted. I put an extra i in her email and I have been working for 5 days to get it changed. Unless has been useless. The writer of Psalm 94 uses this word and shows how important it is. Verses 17-19 (NLT) says, "Unless the Lord had helped me, I would have soon settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, 'I'm slipping!' but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." "Unless the Lord had helped me." So many people go on and on and on striving to live their life on their own but they keep slipping and doubting and living without hope and cheer. Yes the Lord has such unfailing love for us, he really does but unless we have a relationship with him and we turn to him and ask him for help then the unless turns in to useless because h...
Post a Comment
Read more