Fisher of Men

EDITOR’S NOTE: We’re happy to announce that, coming soon, this devotional will be available in audio version as the Your Daily Bible Verse Podcast! Stay tuned for updates… BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “Repent, then, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.” (Acts 3:19) A Call to Return Home By Becca Stevens At Thistle Farms, it is our mission to heal, empower, and employ women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction. Our community believes that in every mistake, there is potential for healing. Nothing a person can do will close the door forever with God and with a loving community- even if that person feels beyond redemption, is put back in prison, or cannot find sobriety in this life. Our practice is simple: take a step back, apologize, make amen...

Angels, spiritual beings, appear in the Bible more than 200 times. They have aided prophets, saints, and God’s people through the Old and New Testament and throughout the history of the church. They have been known to praise God (Luke 2:13-14), fight spiritual battles (Daniel 10:13), and deliver God’s messages to humankind (Luke 2:10). But do these beings have free will? Do angels and fallen angels (demons) have a will to choose to follow God and carry out His commands? Or do they have no choice whatsoever? What is free will? Free will, in essence, allows for a being to make choices without being coerced or forced to do so. If a being does not have free will, an outside force controls his or her actions. Free will makes us accountable to what we say, do, and think. If, for instance, we did...

Noah was an obedient servant of God in the Old Testament who found favor with God amidst a sinful world. He is most well-known for building an ark that preserved himself and his family, as well as representatives of every land animal, from a great flood that God unleashed in judgement upon the earth. What is the meaning of Noah? The name Noah means “rest.” It derives from the Hebrew נוח (nuah), to rest. What is the story of Noah? When God saw how wicked and corrupt man had become, He regretted creating them and decided to destroy all of mankind (Genesis 6:7). However, God gave Noah favor because he saw that he was righteous (Genesis 6:8). God commanded Noah to build an ark to house and preserve his family, as well as every male and female species of land animal, from His punishment of a fl...

Every church longs to grow. That’s the way it should be. “The Great Commission” was not “The Small Suggestion.” But many churches are stuck in neutral. They can’t seem to break through their current plateau to the next level. So what is keeping many of these churches from reaching their full potential?  In many cases, I think it’s something as simple – but decisive – as the Shepherd-Rancher divide. This is based on the premise that these are the two basic kinds of church leaders—Shepherds and Ranchers. Shepherds are oriented toward providing primary care to their sheep. They are the ones in the trenches with coffees and funerals, discipling and weddings, one-on-ones and late-night calls. They are not usually leaders so much as they are chaplains. I cannot begin to tell you how much I ...

“Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ So they called to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.’” Mark 10:49 (NIV) “Action Amy,” a nickname I earned on a mission trip for my constant drive for activity, didn’t begin as a compliment, but I’ve certainly lived up to it. It describes me exactly — I’m always planning what to do next. Because of my “doer” wiring, I’ve often mistaken my highest calling as something I’m supposed to do rather than some place I’m supposed to be. The very word “calling” is fraught, isn’t it? It feels like a word saved only for special people and those paid to do ministry. One dictionary definition of calling is “a profession or occupation,” but the one we most commonly think of is “a strong urge toward a particular way of life or caree...

A Prayer for Strength against Spiritual WarfareBy Jack Graham “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” – Ephesians 6:12 Two brothers came home drunk one night for what must’ve been the 20th time. They had been warned by their parents not to do it again, but the warning didn’t seem like it was deterring them at all. So when the father heard them come in this time, he didn’t confront them but let them go to bed to sleep it off. The next morning when the two brothers awoke, their dad was sitting at the kitchen table with two pistols. He handed one to each of the brothers. They asked him, “Dad, what’s this all about?” The dad re...

The name Josiah in the Bible means “Healed of the Lord” or “The Lord will Support,” according to Easton’s Bible Dictionary. In his day the Lord did indeed bring healing and restoration to the people of Judah. Josiah was only 8 years old when he became king of Judah. His father had been wicked, as had the Jewish kings and culture for generations before him. “In the eighth year of his reign,” Scripture records that Josiah began to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 34:3). In his seeking, he set about restoring the house of the Lord. The workers found the lost and forgotten Torah. When it was brought to Josiah’s attention and the words read aloud, he wept, tore his clothes, and grieved deeply for the ways he and his people had turned away from the Lord. He sought the counsel of the Lord through Huld...

While jogging early this morning, I found myself humming the tune Bob Hope immortalized during several wars. I can still remember his tailor-made lyrics, fitted to each occasion. He sang them to lonely soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines from steamy jungles to frozen reservoirs . . . from the decks of aircraft carriers to makeshift platforms on windswept sand dunes. As guys and gals in uniform laughed and cried, screamed and sipped Coke, they always anticipated Hope’s finale as he took the mike and crooned, “And thanks for the memories . . . .” I remember it well: Christmas of ’58 on Okinawa. I was homesick, missing my wife, and counting the days. So when the veteran entertainer sang his closing song, I sang along with him in a flood of memories. I recall how gra...

I think the Apostle Paul should’ve been worried. In 62 AD (or so), Paul was languishing under “house arrest,” awaiting a trial to determine whether or not he’d be killed for his faith in Christ. The deranged Emperor Nero was to be his judge—a man who’d already executed his own mother and who’d very soon orchestrate the cruelest persecution of Christians in history. (In fact, Nero did indeed order Paul’s death in 67 AD). Imprisoned with heavy chains manacling him to a Roman soldier, Paul wrote to Christians in Philippi where, years prior, that city’s leaders had violently evicted him (see Acts 16:12-38). They’d persecuted Jesus-followers ever since. Into these dire circumstances, Paul gave his friends this absurd advice: “Do not be anxious about anything…” (Philippians 4:6 NIV) How could Pa...

Saturday, June 29, 2019 Why Are You Here? Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever and ever, praising your greatness from generation to generation. (Psalm 79:13) I was speaking with a Christian man who had recently had a surgery done. He could have died in the process of it, and the experience had made an impact on his life. He told me that he worked in sales, but he was beginning to reevaluate his life. He said, “You know, I’m beginning to wonder if I should be doing this anymore. I’m wondering what I should do with my life.” I think sometimes when people have experiences like this, they may think, “I need to quit what I’m doing and go on the mission field or be in full-time ministry.” Maybe the Lord would lead you to do that. Then again, maybe He would have ...

In first-century Israel, Sadducees were a religious faction that wielded societal power in nearly every aspect. These men hated Jesus and were the Jewish aristocrats of their day, known as much for their wealth and corruption as for their religious devotion. Sadducees Definition In first-century Israel, Sadducees were a religious faction that wielded societal power in nearly every aspect except military—and for that they had the backing of their Roman benefactors. These were the Jewish aristocrats of their day, known as much for their wealth and corruption as for their religious devotion. Although we can’t know for certain the origins of their name, a common belief is that it was derived from the name of prominent Old Testament High Priest, Zadok (2 Samuel 15:23-29; 1 Kings 2:35). Role of ...

I can’t remember when I first heard the phrase, “The problem is never in the room.” Here’s the context: You are talking with someone about a problem – a ministry that isn’t growing, a child who isn’t behaving, a wife who isn’t feeling cherished, a pattern where they keep getting fired – … and the problem is never in the room. Meaning, they are never the one to blame. They are never the cause, never the source, never the solution. It’s always something else or someone else. It’s never “them.” When applied to ministry, few things can be more deadly, particularly when coupled (as is often the case) with its kissing cousin—that the solution is never outside the room. Meaning any idea, any suggestion, any new way of thinking, is immediately shot down. Put these two together. If you are complete...