Post details: More fish then I can haul to shore ...

03/31/08

Permalink 07:14:18 pm, Categories: Background, GraceHead teaching, By Trent, GraceHead counseling, 549 words   English (US)

More fish then I can haul to shore ...

by Trent - from Feb 2006

Sometimes the Holy Spirit quickens me to just shut up and listen to someone, wait on Him, abide in Him. Then maybe a word or two will come to mind, but not by the mere activity of my reason. I did not calculate that this person "needs" to hear these words. I was just sitting there listening and this simple thing echoes with insistence, landing upon my thoughts like a feather, and then ... well, sometimes I say it, even though I didn't think of it to begin with. I am instructed even by my own words because they are not my own words. They are what God has placed in my mouth to say, beyond my organic autocratic thought. Then I see, how sublime it is to simply be still and wait and abide, and obey whenever He calls.

I contrast this to coming up with a campaign against some doctrinal ignorance and organizing and delivering our solution to the world, motivated by our 'concern' for their 'need.' We figure that they 'need' to know what God has shown us, and we tell them whether or not they are ready to hear it. Often we cram doctrine down people's throats in the most un-gracious of ways. This is how NOT to build the Kingdom ... it is NOT to be our work according to our efforts and conceived our imaginations. For it is "not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord."

John 21:4-7b
4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?"
"No," they answered.
6He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!"

I don't want to say that Jesus is my Lord and then live like I'm on my own. I don't want to fish all day and not catch a single fish. I just want to be restful and available, and just hear from Him. Just a single word will be fine, when it is from the Lord Jesus. And that little word from Him will be all that I need, to catch more then I can haul to the shore.

That is what I like about volunteering to answer questions. I can just wait. I don't have to worry if I don't get a single question to answer. That is none of my business anyway. Then again, someone might have a question that the Lord Jesus, by the Spirit, has made me suitable to answer. I'll be happy to be put to use by the Lord for His glory.

May my answer then be by the Holy Spirit, and not from my own mind, nor my own thoughts. Perhaps when I hear what the Lord would have me say, then I'll learn from it as well ... it will impact my mind just as it impacts the person who asked the question. And we will both want to shout (like in the passage above) ... "It is the Lord Jesus!"

Trackback address for this post:

http://gracehead.com/junk/trackback.php/247

Comments, Trackbacks, Pingbacks:

Comment from: Pam [Member]
Hi Trent,

This is something that believers experience that is so hard to explain; even to one another. We tend to applaud insight in one another as having human origin when I think all of us would probably recognize that any particular insight or spiritual discernment is a gift recieved. To receive such applauding is difficult for acceptance of it feels like robbery but to say "it was given to me," I think is often received as false humility by believers and insanity by nonbelievers. I will remember now to say, "It is of Jesus." :0)

Pam
Permalink 02/22/06 @ 20:02
Comment from: Trent [Member] · http://www.GraceHead.com
You have it, Pam!
Permalink 02/22/06 @ 22:06
Comment from: Ike [Visitor]
A concept that is not often followed by well intending believers of God and His Son. May the Lord bless you to be an instrument in His hands, and bring you further light and understanding of His words. I am grateful for your words here which I have read, they are spoken with seemingly true humilty. Thanks.
Permalink 05/10/06 @ 15:24
Comment from: pam [Visitor]
These answers that you receive to give can only come from a heart made new in Christ in which the Holy Spirit now dwells. Would that we always turned to the Holy Spirit for answers to give that the truth we wish to impart would be spoken in love in the measure needed for each situation. Sadly, I don't always turn here but instead to my own knowlege which puffs me up and the truth I want to give is drowned out by the clanging. That is also true of a truth that I need to hear from a brother or sister who is puffed in their own understanding and all I can hear is the clanging and not the truth that I so desperately need to hear.

It isn't what we know that makes us Christian but Who we know. Sadly, there is generally so much doctrinal knowlege clanging in Christian circles that no one notices Jesus sitting in the room. We all need to put our cymbals down and celebrate Jesus' presense among us.

Forgive me of my noisey clanging as I also forgive you of yours.

Pam
Permalink 04/01/08 @ 11:00

Leave a comment:

Your email address will not be displayed on this site.
Your URL will be displayed.
Allowed XHTML tags: <p, ul, ol, li, dl, dt, dd, address, blockquote, ins, del, span, bdo, br, em, strong, dfn, code, samp, kdb, var, cite, abbr, acronym, q, sub, sup, tt, i, b, big, small>
Options:
 
(Line breaks become <br />)
(Set cookies for name, email & url)

I serve , the Lord.

Please enter the name of the Lord (the Risen One) into the entry area BEFORE clicking on the Send comment button.

Hint: the version of the name is the English version, not the Hebrew way to say His name. All letters are uppercase. Rhymes with "freeze us."

Blog All

Automatically aggregates all posts from all other blogs. This allows you to easily track everything that is posted on this system. You can hide this blog from the public by unchecking 'Include in public blog list' in the blogs admin.

July 2013
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
<<  <   >  >>
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31        

Search


this site  web    

Linkblog

Misc

Syndicate this blog XML

What is RSS?

powered by
b2evolution