tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015147464184225573.post7576826942147840599..comments2023-06-07T08:22:13.268-05:00Comments on Savvy Sheep: Have Faith to Cast the Net One More TimeRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18289899048471322587noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015147464184225573.post-33819320884994825052010-10-18T22:39:28.235-05:002010-10-18T22:39:28.235-05:00Thank you, Kamal! I actually read your comment twi...Thank you, Kamal! I actually read your comment twice just now. I think you brought out the issues I had only hinted at in this post. You summed it up well. Sometimes no amount of hard work will fix the problem, and no amount of sincerity can overcome God's purposes in the situation. Now it's just up to us to hold on. "He who stands firm to the end will be saved," (Matthew 24: 13 NIV).Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18289899048471322587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5015147464184225573.post-49185226771261634152010-10-18T21:21:00.455-05:002010-10-18T21:21:00.455-05:00Rachel, thank you. Your post today is amazing. It...Rachel, thank you. Your post today is amazing. It encouraged me. You have chosen the portion of the scripture that is so close to my heart as it shows the state of us all and also tells us how God uses our circumstances and our weaknesses to speak to us and to tell us that He loves us. <br />It is popular thinking that if you have a good work ethic and if you are disciplined, then there is nothing that you cannot achieve. I believe that this is so not true. When God wants to get our attention and wants to speak to us then good work ethic, a disciplined life and many other things simply fail. I am not qualifying that good work ethic or a disciplined life is bad but I am only saying that even these will fail us in our lives. You have put it so plainly. <br />“I see that on a deeper level, the fishermen were upset because they couldn't, by their own power, change their circumstances, and they felt trapped. They saw their own hands as their salvation, and this was out of their hands.”<br />There is another popular belief - “be sincere in what you believe.” It is almost seen with a sense of appreciation that if someone is sincere in what they believe then it’s great. The question of morality, God, motives and outcomes come secondary to the “sincerity” and I think here is where we forget that even if we do something very sincerely and if God is not in it then it is in vain. And I believe you have said this so clearly -<br />“Our efforts are meaningless if God is not in the work.”<br />You have brought a wonderful insight in this passage by sharing with us what Peter might be guilty of. <br />“When the men had hauled in their miraculous catch, I think Simon Peter realized that he had been guilty of accusing God in his heart of abandoning him.”<br />It is amazing. We too have dreams and desires and we use some methods to achieve them and when we are not getting close to where we want, we get frustrated and finally it comes out even though not heard by any ear but we can hear it and the voice within our hearts cries out – accusations against God. At such times we tend to find meaning in our pursuits and when we experience a chaos, we blame God, ourselves, family etc. This is a natural reaction by us all and we know God know about this and that He also cares what we say. The Bible says “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us [Romans 5:8].” God comes to show us who He is. And when He shows us Himself, we see ourselves and we too will cry out “Oh what a wretched sinner I am.” I heard it long ago what Ravi Zacharias said about God’s purity – “when we see God, we are not seeing the absence of impurity but the very presence of purity.” He is pure not because in Him there is no sin but He is pure to begin with. <br />Couple of more amazing words that you put together and here they are - <br />“Jesus didn't take Peter on a road to financial prosperity and worldly success, either, but He did restore the broken fellowship between them--not just this once, either!” <br />Finally what a wonderful thought – <br />“Can we hold on until the morning? More importantly, will we still recognize God when He shows up?”<br />Are we able to recognize Him when He shows up? Or are we so preoccupied with our own troubles that we are not recognizing our savior who came to rescue us from those same troubles. <br />As always I enjoyed your post. God bless.Kamal Singarapuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10609499950015160648noreply@blogger.com