Pastor Bob’s Blog

My family and I took vacation a couple of weeks ago. Charleston, South Carolina, was the destination.

While we were there, my daughter wanted to go fishing, so we booked a half-day charter on St. John Island for some inshore fishing.

We hooked some little fish. Reeling them in didn’t take much effort. But after a bit, our guide, Brian, took us to deeper water with bigger bait to fish for bigger fish. My daughter caught a 50 pound shark, and fought for five minutes to bring it in.

Jesus picked his closest ministry team from everyday occupations. One day He found Peter and Andrew returning from their daily job as fishermen. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus told them they were going to start fishing for people.

He’s given us the same task. Some will come in easily. Others will require some effort. The bottom line, though, is that He loves people, and is counting on us to haul them into His boat.

So bait your line with love and scripture, cast it out boldly, and bring in the catch for Jesus. Be a fisher of people!

I was blessed with the opportunity to share today with the amazing, committed, passionate staff of an awesome local ministry in Athens. While I talked way too much, and probably got over-excited, I knew I had an assignment from the Lord – a challenge for them and for myself.

The challenge was something the Lord has been prodding me with lately. It’s this: No matter what issue I face, “Jesus is Lord” is the central issue. “Jesus is Lord” is the key that unlocks even the most difficult problem.

To many Jesus is Savior. That’s awesome! He is the Savior. Every Christian knows that He saves from sin and paves the way to heaven. Some know He still saves from sickness, financial ruin, addiction, bondage, and any other thing we need saving from.

Jesus is our Savior. But is He really our Lord?

A lord is someone to be obeyed. And it’s just “human nature” to chafe at obeying someone else. Just ask Adam and Eve.

Even if we want to obey someone, it’s tough to obey a lord who doesn’t adequately tell us what we should do, or who crushes us if we misunderstand and mess up.

Our Lord isn’t that way. He’s given us a Bible to instruct us, the Holy Spirit to comfort and lead us, and the Church to come around and disciple us. And He’s not a hard taskmaster; Jesus is a Lord who IS love.

I’ve noticed in my own life that when I do things the Bible way, and let Jesus be Lord, it opens the door for Him to be Savior. When I do what He says, things eventually turn out right. But when I do things my own way, things start to tank, and I need to run sheepishly back to him for mercy. Thankfully, He always wants to fix the stuff I mess up – to be the Savior – but He expects me to repent and come back to Him as Lord.

One of my goals is to remember in every circumstance that “Jesus is Lord” – in my finances, in my health, in my marriage and family, in my job, in the ministry He’s given me, in my relationship with the people I bump into every day. My heart’s cry is to do things His way. And I know that because Jesus is my Lord, He’ll always be my ready and ever-vigilant Savior.

Thank you Lord!