FAILURE TO SUCCESS

Fishermen on the Sea of Galilee in Jesus' day knew that the best odds for a good catch of fish was at night in shallow water. Still, some nights the odds just weren't with them and their nets stayed empty.

Such was the scene recorded in Luke 5:1-11. They had fished all night and failed to catch a thing. When Jesus told Peter to launch out into the deep and let down his net, Peter didn't think Jesus knew what He was talking about. After all, Jesus was a carpenter, not a fisherman, right?

The good thing is - Peter didn't let what he thought determine his actions. He did what Jesus asked. He trusted Jesus instead of his own logic. As a result, he moved from the failure of the night before into such success he had to call for James and John to come help haul in the fish.

That has me asking myself: When Jesus asks me to do something that defies my logic, am I willing to launch out and do it?

Several years ago our pastor shared a vision with our church of reaching out in ministry to people who were caught in the throes of addiction and offering help, hope and healing through a residential discipleship program. This would require a huge leap of faith for a congregation as small as ours.  I listened in rapt agreement with all he shared and thought to myself: "Yes - this is a ministry I can support - I can pray - Roy and I can contribute financially - but it's not something I'll be PERSONALLY involved in - after all, I'm nearly 70 years old and have ZERO experience with drug or alcohol addiction - I know NOTHING about addiction recovery." Sound logic, right?

But then Jesus told this old gray haired grandmother at seventy years of age to launch out into the deep and logic flew out the window. What a difference following Him makes! For the past three years my nets have overflowed. My arms have held women broken and disenfranchised by society and seen Jesus show them how valuable and precious they are to Him. My heart has been filled with countless sons and grandsons in the spiritual realm whose feet I've been allowed to wash with the water of God's Word. What an awesome privilege to pray for these men and women - to love them deeply - to weep over their failures and to rejoice over their successes.

What a difference following Jesus makes! I still know very little about addiction recovery - but I know JESUS. He hasn't called me to share knowledge. He's called me to share HIM! He is the One who moves an addict from failure to success. And He is the only One who can do that. No 12 step program has that kind of power. Only Jesus! He is the One who moves a 70 year old disciple into a new area of ministry that fills her net with more than she can handle alone. What a difference Jesus makes!