Chasing Solomon

John 1 “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

What better way to begin a new year than by being centered on reality. Yesterday we were reminded that “In the beginning, God….” . That is how we should begin not only every new year, but every new day with the strong assurance that God created. What a comfort to know that we were created by God for His glory and that He gives our lives meaning and purpose. So now, as we endeavor to embark on a new year (or a new day), we can do so with the reality of knowing where to find the meaning of our life.

In the gospel of John, we see the truth that Jesus, the Word, was in the beginning, and was with God, and was God. Let it be also known that in the beginning of our new year (and new day) that Jesus, the Word, is with us. Through him all things were made; without Him nothing was made. As we make our new year’s resolutions, let us make this our new life’s resolution; to live in the reality that our vocations are a creative expression of His sharing His life in us and through us in service to others.

We all enter into a new year (and new day) seeking life, even seeking what is called “the good life”. Let us live in the reality that life is found in Jesus. “In Him was life” is the gospel truth. We have been saved from trying to find life in any other. That brings hope for a new year (and new day). Let us all live the words found in one of my favorite hymns… “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand”.

Jesus came to bring light and life to a dark world which did not understand it. Let us too resolve this new year (and new day) to let His light shine through us before men.

PRAYER: Jesus, you are the living word of God. You are the truth, you are way, and you are the life. In you, we find life. We find the meaning and purpose of our life as we resolve, not just at the beginning of a new year , but at the beginning of every new day, to abide in you. Thank you for giving this new year and new day a glorious meaning. Thank you for sharing your life with us.

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, GOD……”

Happy New Year! 365 days from now, you will look back on another year and evaluate it whether it was a “happy” year for you.

Before the creation, there existed a perfect Triune relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then God created Paradise and created man to live in His Paradise in a perfect relationship. Man truly lived in Paradise with all his desires met in God. But man made a choice to desire more. We thought we could find life apart from God. We wanted to do things our way. We wanted to be God. What a mess we made with that. Since the fall, God has been at work to restore and redeem all things to that perfect Paradise.

As you make your NewYear’s Resolutions, see if they all start with God. We are created with deep desires. Often, the object of our desires can be misguided.  “I want to lose weight so I will look better.”  “I want to make more money.” “I want to get that position in the company.” “ I want another relationship.” Whatever and however we attempt to chase with all our being, the reality is that what we are looking for can only be found in God. So think about your New Years’ Resolutions and see if they start with “In the beginning, God wills that…..”

The good news is that the Lord Jesus can and wants to fulfill you with deepest joy that the human heart can fathom. If you want this to be a “Happy New Year”, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Happy New Year!

Scot

In the 21st chapter of John, we find the story of Simon Peter and his friends going fishing. I have noticed something intriguing about this story. Simon Peter was a fisherman by trade. What fishermen love more than anything is a good day on the lake. That’s where they find the “good life.” Jesus knew that very well I think and He desired to show Simon Peter and his friends that the “good life” can be found in Him. I believe Jesus want to show us how to have the “good life” too.

After a long night of fishing, the Bible tells us, “they caught nothing.” Have you ever come up empty after a quest for something? A new car that lost that new car smell sooner than you wanted? A house that you had desired for so long and once you finally got it, you felt empty? A promotion? A relationship? After hearing they had caught nothing, Jesus told them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat and that they would catch some fish there. They did as instructed and the Bible indicates that they were not able to haul it in for the quantity of fish. Several verses later it states that they caught 153 fish, and not just fish but what is described as large fish.

Anyone who has every fished knows that a catch of 153 fish equates to a most memorable day. In all my years of fishing, I have never caught 153 large fish, and especially not on one single fishing trip. I couldn’t imagine what that would be like. One thing I do know though is that if I ever caught 153 large fish in one day, I wouldn’t forget about it the rest of my life. I would tell everybody I knew. I would tell my kids and grandkids, co-workers and anybody else who would listen. And I would especially tell them about the guide who turned me on to such a great catch. I’d refer everybody I knew to this guide. Why? Because I had found an experience in life that was almost too good to be true and would want them to experience it, too. So what do we learn here? Well I think a couple of lessons.

One, we learn that obeying Jesus reaps rewards or “catches” that are simply unbelievable. How many times do we “fish” on one side of the boat, thinking that our way is the way? We think we have life all figured out. We have done things our ways for many years and are very comfortable in our perceived self sufficiency. If we need Jesus’ help, we know where to find him. But we’ll be the ones who do the calling.

So often we come up empty doing things our way. Like Solomon, we will always come up empty in a pursuit of accumulating possessions. We think they will somehow fill our nets but they don’t. Once we listen to the Master’s voice (the voice of truth), life radically changes. He tells us to throw our nets on the other side of the boat. In other words, try it Jesus’ way. It is interesting that the Bible doesn’t say that maybe you will catch something if you try it Jesus’ way. It says that Jesus said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you WILL find some.”

He doesn’t want us to try it another way just for the sake of trying something different. He wants us to find the “catch of our lives”. He wants to fill our nets to the point they can’t hold any more. He wants to give us joy in life. He doesn’t want us to merely find life, he tells us how to find abundant life. Not only do we catch fish, we catch 153 of them, and they are all large fish too.

The other intriguing thing about this story is that Jesus invites Simon Peter and his friends to the table. Even when we are stubborn and prideful, and do things our way, He still calls out to us to “cast our nets on the other side.” That’s the good news of the gospel. He doesn’t punish us or deprive us of a net full of fish. Just the opposite. He invites us to the dinner table and supplies us with a “net full of the abundant life” that only He can give. He knows where we should cast our nets. Will you listen to the Master and cast your net on the other side of the boat where you will find what you are really looking for?

Thought of the day: If you are coming up empty trying to find fish (abundant life) on your own, the Chasing Solomon conference on Feb 8th and 9th is meant to help you find and experience the abundant life that is found in Jesus.