What you, I and Caitlyn Jenner are seeking

Posted on June 25, 2015 by jwfisch

th-53Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

I am continually amazed when I realize that God threw out an open invitation to all to come closer to Him by asking, seeking and knocking. This is proof of the fact that in God’s desire for a relationship with us, He desires our participation. He created us with a need for Him and then turned us loose to find our way back to Him. And even though I believe that God is in charge of this journey (God’s sovereignty), I also believe that from our perspective, He has made it so that, for all we know, we initiate our responses to Him (Free will). Otherwise He would not have issued us an invitation. This is indeed part of the mystery of this unique and wonderful relationship we can have with God — it involves our choices and our desires as well as His. Continue reading →

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When you don’t get what you asked for

Posted on June 24, 2015 by jwfisch

th-52Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

There are ways in which writers and preachers can say things that sound good, but that fail to touch life where we live it. It’s not that what we say is wrong; it’s just that it’s safe. We found the part we can say that is always true, but we avoided the more difficult questions. That’s what I realized I did with yesterday’s Catch. I chose the safe explanation. I interpreted “Ask” as living in a constant state of dependence on the Lord. And since I know that you can never go wrong depending on the Lord, I solved the problem, but not quite, and certainly not for some people. Continue reading →

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Live palms-up

Posted on June 23, 2015 by jwfisch

th-51Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

Knowing God is based on an awareness of our own need. No one enters into a relationship with God from a position of strength. We come to God in our weakness and our sin. We have tried at life and failed. We don’t meet God at the level of our success; we meet Him out of our failure. Continue reading →

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The Gospel According to the Discovery Channel

Posted on June 22, 2015 by jwfisch

th-50Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

It is one of the strongest arguments I know of to support the credibility of the gospel and the authenticity of Christ. There is a self-evidence built into the gospel story that makes it inviting and also shows us how to share the gospel with others. It’s not some brand new teaching or insight that just came along in the last few years; it’s always been a part of the story because it is part of the words of Jesus. Continue reading →

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What about the warriors who went home?

Posted on June 19, 2015 by jwfisch

th-1A few days ago I received a message from David, one of our readers, who asked a question that has been haunting me ever since. The essence of his question was this: Gideon and his 300 are great, but what about the other 99% — the 22,000 warriors who were afraid and were able to admit it, and the 9,700 who were battle-ready but sent home anyway?

Excellent question. That’s the kind of question everyone thinks about but rarely asks.

The answer is relatively simple, but the ramifications are huge. Continue reading →

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What scares me most about the #CharlestonShooting

Posted on June 19, 2015 by jwfisch

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Mighty hero

Posted on June 18, 2015 by jwfisch

th-48The angel of the Lord appeared to [Gideon] and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” (Judges 6:12)

As we get set to close out our study on Gideon, I want to go back to the beginning. Remember where this all started? Gideon was hiding from his enemies in a winepress when the angel of the Lord came to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you.”

God has a good view of us, and it is always much better than our view. Continue reading →

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When the thing you give is the thing you need

Posted on June 17, 2015 by jwfisch

th-47Gideon was a vulnerable leader. He was weak; he was a nobody from the smallest tribe; he was scared; he was hiding; he was a failure; and his faith needed four miraculous signs, including the live appearance of an angel of the Lord, to give him the courage to trust God and go forward into what appeared to be an impossible situation. God practically led him by the hand. Continue reading →

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Yes you can!

Posted on June 16, 2015 by jwfisch

th-46Two little words that do not belong in the vocabulary of one of Gideon’s 300: “I can’t.”

Peter actually walked on water for a few steps because he had his eye on Jesus and believed that he could step out of the boat and walk, because Jesus had invited him out. But it was when he suddenly realized, “Wait a minute; I’m walking on water; I’m not supposed to be able to do this,” that he went down. In a few simple steps, he went from “I can,” to “I can’t,” and, sure enough, he couldn’t. Continue reading →

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Nobodies and somebodies

Posted on June 15, 2015 by jwfisch

th-45Once a nobody, always a nobody. Gideon would have done well to have remembered that. Instead, thinking he was somebody after his great victories (with which he had nothing to do), is what got him into trouble. He didn’t finish well. Continue reading →

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