WATCHWORD:
18 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him. 21 A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. 22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind. Matthew 4:18-22
Meditation:
A Faith Thought Reprised
A year ago, in a Watchword, I shared a faith story from India, about a man who rushed up to a Monk who was passing through his village and said to him, Give it to me! The Monk replied, Give you what? What you have in your pack! Last night I had a dream and in the dream God instructed me to ask the first monk I see walking through the village to give me the precious gift he carried. So give it to me!
“Oh, you must mean this”, said the Monk, reaching into his pack. “I found it during a walk in the forest.” He pulled out the largest diamond the man had ever seen. It was huge and sparkled brightly in the morning sun. Well, the man was ecstatic. That diamond represented wealth. He ran home, happy beyond words.
That night he found it impossible to sleep. He tossed and turned. The next day he ran after the Monk. Here, take this back, he said handing him the diamond. Instead give me the precious gift that you have, the one that permits you to give to me so freely. That is the real treasure.
In that meditation, I cited Murray Bodo, author of The Way of St. Francis, who made this observation: “Instead of walking the road to Emmaus, where Christ is revealed in the breaking of the bread that we have become. We turn away from being bread broken and consumed; we look desperately for short cuts…”
I wonder, if in our own individual faith journeys that we look for short cuts. You know, instant piety? Faith in an aerosol can or from a shouting evangelist, prowling the stage. Ask yourself, are you experiencing spiritual growth? Yes? How did that come about? What influenced that growth? A revelation? How has it progressed?
What would you say to a person at the beginning of their faith journey? What advice? How would you communicate spiritual wisdom? How would you share that precious gift? That pearl of great price. Dorothee Soelle, in her book, Death by Bread Alone, speaks on the nature of our personal spiritual journeys. She concludes with this: “Each step of one’s own is worth more than all the knowledge and insight of others.”
I confess, I am a fan of Allen Jackson, Joyce Meyer, Robert Morris, David Jeremiah, and others. But, they, in all their excellent messages, did not lead me to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. As a matter of fact, or maybe just my opinion, all the greatest theologians, all the televangelists, all the wonderful working pastors with great sermons, and best-selling books, have failed to convert one single solitary human being. Great thought and knowledge is valuable but that’s not what changes lives. Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “Each man is called separately and must follow alone.”
Sure, great preaching or writing can inspire us and open our minds to the presence of the Lord, but then the decision is ours. Peter, the fisherman, had to take that first step, away from his nets, in order to become the Apostle Peter. That same choice is ours. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
I was invited to attend the opening of a charitable event for cancer. I sat in the front row and listened to the impressive speeches and had a good meal at the break. When the rest of the program finished and the Donation Box was being passed around, I sheepishly pulled out an old worn, half torn, battered, almost unusable $5 bill from my pocket folded it and secretly slid it in.
Just then, the person behind me tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a $50 bill. I smiled at his generosity. Then majestically, I looked around, took my time and held the note stretched fully open over head level for everyone to see, slowly folded it and put it in the donation box, hoping people would think I’ve donated it.
I then turned around and thanked the guy for being so generous. He replied: “Don’t mention it. Just Be more careful, there’s another $50 bill ready to fall from your pocket!”
A Morning Prayer:
Lord, may nothing separate us from You today. Teach us how to choose only Your way, so that each step will lead us closer to You. Help us to walk by the Word and not by feelings. Help us to keep our hearts pure and undivided. Protect us from our own careless thoughts words, and actions. And keep us from being distracted by our own wants, our own desires, our own thoughts on how things should be. Help us to embrace what comes our way as opportunities…rather than personal inconveniences. Finally, Lord, help us to rest in the truth that you have Great Love for us. You love us, warts and all. That is amazing. But what is most amazing is that the Savior of the world would desire a few minutes with us this morning. Lord, help us to forever remember what a gift it is to sit with You each morning, like this. Amen.
