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| Raphael, The Miraculous Draught of Fishes (1515) |
When Peter fell down at the feet of Jesus, in his fishing boat, he saw into who he was in the moment. Not who he would become. In that moment, Jesus told him who he would become.
"Don't be afraid: from now on you will fish for people." Luke 5:10
Why was Peter afraid?
Why do we get afraid when we encounter Jesus?
Is it more that we encounter our real self.
In the face of Jesus our real fallen self gets confronted.
We stand at the door and have to choose.
We see ourselves before him.
We see ourselves in light of his face, justice, mercy, love, holiness, joy and we see that we fall short of his glory.
This is the door to the new life.
It stands wide open in front of us and we see that we will be different.
We just don't know quite how.
This is where Jesus pours in a new vision.
He speaks a word of love that shapes our future.
He wraps us up in and roots us in love.
He pours healing and forgiveness directly into us.
We become new right then.
This pattern goes on until we see him face to face.
The old is presented in encounter with the Lord Jesus and then we go through the whole pattern of responses and feelings.
We see the old and it stands as a door for us to enter in and let Christ Jesus transform us and everything it leads to.
Peter's world changed in an instant.
It got new.
In fact the door opened to complete newness.
Peter didn't know it at the time but he started walking in new life.
We see it unfold in his life of following Jesus.
Peter's world blew up.
And it was a good thing.
Jesus lead him into new life and into the best human Peter could be.
His life became worship. Testimony.
So is the path for each of us who chose to walk after the Christ.
Everything about life changed in an instant.
But nothing changed for those outside the encounter.
It all looked the same.
Not from the eyes of Peter.
With sight.
Seeing the Lord Jesus.
Seeing himself in light of the Lord.
A new way opened up. A way for everything to become new.
Everything in Peter's life found a new way.
The same happens for us when we encounter the Lord Jesus and come
into his saving grace.
1. Jesus' "all things new" is literally all things.
Ephesians 1:10 says " ...to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth." The earth seems to be screaming that these words are not true and will never finish. Look around, take in the news, watch all the heart ache of one day and we can be swept up in the voice of defeat or at least of "little effect".
But our lives in Christ, the daily grace of following Jesus speaks a better word. A way has opened up that is full of joy, peace and freedom. It is a way that starts and ends in the forgiveness of Christ for all those things we see when we see him. Don't forget. Your life is part of "making all things new." Jesus has new life every morning for you.
2. If we follow him, we will become like him.
He is able to keep you for the day. He is able to bring you along to him. No one can snatch you out of his hand.
Trust is such a vital part of walking after Jesus. The most basic trust is to trust that he will and is leading us to deeper knowledge of him and his ways. At the core of our understanding of who Jesus is and what he is leading us to we swim in waters of trust. 3. Jesus never seems to be put off by our shortcomings, the reality of who we are.
He already has perfect knowledge of who we are. He knows us completely. Good, Bad, Ugly, it is all clearly visible to him. He is no longer concerned with our brokenness. He sees our new life and the new man emerging. He calls out the new life in us each day. He speaks to the new man. He calls the new woman into fellowship with him and abiding each day.
He knows us as we are....
The real twist in life is we do not yet know him as he is....
"For
now we see through a glass, darkly;
but then face to face:
now I know
in part;
but then shall I know
even as also I am known." I Cor 13:12
Each day as we walk in the Spirit we will be invited into the new. We will ultimately be
invited into seeing Jesus new and knowing his love more deeply. We will be invited into a vision of ourselves that lifts us up and out and into new life and love. We will find a way to walk with him that takes our breath away.
Let his love find a new place in your life today.
Ephesians 3:17 - 19
"...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Comments?
Ideas? Testimonies?
Send those to me.
Thanks for +1's and re-shares.
Send those to me.
Thanks for +1's and re-shares.
Other
posts that may interest you:
Thanks for reading.
The
dialogue is awesome. Thank you.
Testimonies? Share em with me.
Re-Shares lov em. Thank you!
With much love in Jesus
Testimonies? Share em with me.
Re-Shares lov em. Thank you!
With much love in Jesus
You
can do this thing! He's got you.
Jeff
Reynolds ---
Brother
Jeff
jeff@jeffreynoldsministries.com
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