Delightsome Land

[Jesus] said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.” — Luke 5:4–5 There’s no reason to think that Simon Peter’s response to Jesus was sarcastic, but you have to wonder if he was thinking, Yeah, right. That carpenter-rabbi thinks He can tell a fisherman how to fish? But what did he have to lose at this point? So as he squinted in the sunlight glinting off the Sea of Galilee, he flung his soaked net overboard one more time. I’m not sure where those fish had been hiding all night, but this time they swarmed into his net as soon as it hit the water. Simon Peter had never had such a wasted night, and now he had never hauled in a catch like this, in broad daylight. What Jesus suggested wasn’t difficult or complicated; it just didn’t make any sense. Practically speaking, it seemed like a waste of time. It went again...

Some babies are born prematurely and enter this world fighting for life. About thirty years ago, doctors found a way to give such children a chance. They asked the mother to hold the preemie under her shirt for a prolonged period so the baby could have skin-to-skin contact. The results were encouraging. The babies’ heart rates and breathing stabilized, their weight increased, and they slept longer and cried less. And very often, mother and child could leave the hospital much earlier than cases without such intervention. The rate and quality of your growth is dependent on love. You need to be nurtured and feel the warmth of other human beings who have a vested interest in your existence. No matter how frail and helpless you may start out, there are those just waiting to love you back to life. I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power... to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ... that you may be filled to...

Did you know that the definition for passion is “an intense desire or enthusiasm for something”? The word enthusiasm comes from two Greek words: en meaning “in or within,” and heos meaning “God.” Yes! Passion means “in God.” Sound familiar? Christ in us! Christ in you! What better understanding of the source of passion could there be than understanding that passion comes from having God’s presence within us? Christ in you means that you alone do not keep your God-passion alive. Have you ever tried to manufacture passion where it doesn’t exist? It’s similar to a cheerleader trying to whip an apathetic crowd into enthusiasm. If the cheerleader works hard enough — and especially if something exciting happens in the game — she might succeed or she might not. But passion for the purposes of God is not something we manufacture within us under our own power. It is supernatural. Passion is the inner spark provided by God’s Holy Spirit that ignites you to your God-given purpose. S...

God has restored our relationship with Him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships. — 2 Corinthians 5:18 (GWT) Relationships are always worth restoring. God has given us the ministry of restoring relationships. For this reason a significant amount of the New Testament is devoted to teaching us how to get along with one another. If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if His love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care — then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. — Philippians 2:1-2 (MSG) Shame on you! Surely there is at least one wise person in your fellowship who can settle a dispute between fellow Christians. — 1 Corinthians 6:5 (TEV) I’ll put it as urgently as I can: You must get along with each other. — 1 Corinthians 1:10 (MSG) Jesus said, “God blesses those who work for peace, ...

The Cattle on a Thousand Hills Shortly after Dallas Theological Seminary opened its doors, their doors almost closed because of bankruptcy. Before their 1929 commencement day, the faculty gathered in the president’s office to pray that God would provide. They formed a prayer circle, and when it was Harry Ironside’s turn, he circled Psalm 50:10 with a simple Honi-like prayer: “Lord, we know you own the cattle on a thousand hills. Please sell some of them, and send us the money.” The time lapse between our requests and God’s answers is often longer than we would like, but occasionally God answers immediately. While the faculty was praying, a $10,000 answer was delivered. One version of the story attributes the gift to a Texas cattle rancher who had sold two carloads of cattle. Another version attributes it to a banker from Illinois. But one way or another, it was God who prompted the gift and answered the prayer. In a moment that is reminiscent of the day Peter...

We Pray Because God Is Changeless God does not change, will not change, and cannot change. In the book of Malachi, He declares: For I am the Lord, I do not change. — Malachi 3:6 God doesn’t change, because if He could change, He could get better. But He can’t get better, because He is already the best. He is perfect and perfection itself. Satan knows that truth, too, and has had thousands of years to practice twisting it to his own ends. Referring to the sovereignty of God, he will say, God will do whatever He wants to do, so it doesn’t matter if you pray. Then switching to God’s changelessness, he will say, You think you can change things through prayer? What a joke. You can’t change God’s mind, because God can’t change. So your prayers are useless. You’re running into a brick wall a thousand miles thick, and you’ll never move it. You’re pushing against Mount Everest, but you’ll never make it sway. When the Bible says that God is unchangeable, however, it isn’t...

Ever felt desperate? Ever been in a situation in life when you were totally and completely helpless and you didn’t know what to do or who to turn to? I have a friend whose son was murdered. The son stood up for a boy who was being picked on by a group of bullies, and the bullies killed him for standing up for the weaker kid. The bullies were from families that were politically well-connected, and no charges were filed against them. It was one of the most difficult funerals I’ve ever had to preach because the room was filled with anger and confusion and pain. Friends and family members were desperate. They didn’t know what to do with what they were feeling. “We trust Jesus,” were the words I heard the mom say over and over again. “Only Jesus can help us get through this.” Jesus was approached by a dad whose daughter was sick and needed help. The dad’s name was Jairus, and like me, he was a preacher. Jairus came and fell down before Jesus, pleading with him...

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God’s] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1Peter 2:9 AMP). Our opening verse says He's called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. This means that you've been called and sent by God to manifest and administer the will, purpose, and character of God to your world; you have become a dispenser of His goodness. Sadly, some think they've been called out of darkness, and are "journeying" into the marvelous light; no! You've been brought out of darkness and translated, transferred into God's marvelous light. In the mind of God, you're not trying to get there; you're there now! Not only are you the recipient of God's blessings, or of His righteousness, you've also become the dispenser of His goodness. This is your job; this...

I used to think I needed to sacrifice for God, but now I know faith is like a game of Bigger and Better. When I was a kid we used to play a game called Bigger and Better. You probably played the same game when you were young too. In this game, everybody starts with something of little value, like a dime, and then everybody heads out into the neighborhood to see what they can it trade for. You knock on people’s doors and ask if they’d be willing to trade something for the dime, and then you go to the next door with whatever they traded you. The goal is to come back with a bigger, better thing than you started out with. The bigger it is, the better it is. My son Richard set out with a dime awhile back. He went to the first door and said, “Hi, we’re playing Bigger and Better. I’ve got a dime, and I’m hoping to trade up to something bigger. Do you have anything you can trade me?” The guy at the door had never heard of this game. Nevertheless, he was immediately in and he shout...

This God is our God. — Psalm 48:14 “God is great in great things, but very great in little things,” says Henry Dyer. A party stood on the Matterhorn admiring the sublimity of the scene, when a gentleman produced a pocket microscope and having caught a fly, placed it under the glass. He reminded us that the legs of the household fly in England are naked, then called attention to the legs of this little fly which were thickly covered with hair; thus showing that the same God who made the lofty Swiss mountain attended to the comfort of His tiniest creatures, even providing socks and mittens for the little fly whose home these mountains were. This God is our God! A doubting soul beheld a robin’s nest in a gigantic elm and heard a still small voice saying, “If God spent a hundred years in creating a tree like that for a bird, He will surely take care of you.” God is so interested that He takes us one by one and arranges for every detail of our life. To Him, there are no ...

Be Influenced By The Word And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15). Day after day, we hear and see things that influence our lives; events that seek to control our joy, happiness, and decisions. But it’s God’s desire that we study and meditate on the Scriptures, be influenced by His Word, and not circumstances. God’s Word is able to make you wise, and deliver to you your inheritance in Christ. Never take your mind away from the Word of God, because your glory is in the Word. The Bible says, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18 ) . If you keep looking at the glory of God in His Word, you’ll be transformed to become what you see. Paul said to Timothy, "Meditate upon these things; give thyself w...

If you have ever moved, you have faced uncertainty. You know the hassle of boxing up all of your belongings and carting them to the new place. But Abram and Sarai had no idea where they were going. Can you imagine leaving your home not knowing your destination? When God sent Abram and Sarai to Canaan, the wanderers went by faith. They could not see where their new home would be located or if they would like it. But they felt safe moving into the unknown because they trusted God, and they were following His instructions. Homes are important to God. You may never have thought of God as a real estate agent; however, the Bible is filled with references to the importance of territory and land and your home, both here on earth and for eternity. Though Abram would travel far to reach his new earthly dwelling, his ultimate goal was far greater: He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. — Hebrews 11:10 God had promised Abram an ...

Jesus fasted for forty days and nights. After this, He was very hungry. The devil came to Jesus to tempt Him, saying, “If You are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.” — Matthew 4:2–3 God loves you too much to leave you undeveloped and immature. God disciplines us for our good that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. — Hebrews 12:10–11 Expect to be tested by the Devil. And watch for his tricks. You can know what to expect. We are not ignorant of his schemes. — 2 Corinthians 2:11 When General George Patton counterattacked Field Marshal Rommel in World War II, Patton is reported to have shouted in the thick of battle, “I read your book, Rommel! I read your book!” Patton had studied Rommel’s Infantry Attacks. He knew the German leader’s strategy and planned his moves accordingly.1 We can know the...