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    • Come and Discover

      Posted at 7:00 am by sneuhofer, on January 25, 2021

      Then Jesus turned around and saw they were following him and asked, “What do you want?” They responded, “Rabbi (which means, Master Teacher), where are you staying?” Jesus answered, “Come and discover for yourselves.” So they went with him and saw where he was staying, and since it was late in the afternoon, they spent the rest of the day with Jesus. (John 1:38 – 39 TPT)

      In the devotion I read this morning, the author refers to the passage in John 1:38 -39 where two of John the Baptist’s disciples saw Jesus walking by and began to follow him. In these two verses, Jesus wants to reveal the condition of their heart so he turns to them and gets straight to the “heart” of the matter and asks “What do you want?”

      Now, I’m not sure about you, but…how do you think you would have reacted here? Can you imagine yourself at the scene? This was just after you were standing on the banks of the Jordan River the day John baptized Jesus. You were in the crowd with these two men when you saw a dove descend from heaven and land on Jesus’ shoulder and then, you heard the voice of God say “this is my son whom I love.” Now, this man turns to you and says “what do you want?”

      Whoa… “what do you want?” These men could have asked for anything. But scripture says they wanted to know where Jesus was staying. There was something about Jesus that drew people to him. These men wanted to hang out with Jesus and get to know him better, perhaps even be one of his close friends. In other words… they wanted more than just “religion” they wanted “relationship.”

      Jesus saw past these two men and what they “needed” in their “moment” and saw into their hearts.

      The same is true today. In this same passage, he is inviting us to come and hang out with him each morning over a cup of coffee or tea and get to know him on a deeper more intimate level. How do we get to know him? By reading the Bible, by praying, and by journaling what we believe He is saying to us through our reading. This will allow us to discover for ourselves what Jesus is all about and who He is; not who other people say He is.  The only way we can have a deeper relationship with someone is by spending time with them. The same is true of our relationship with Christ.

      The invitation is open, Jesus has invited us all to “come and discover” who he really is. The question becomes, will we decide to set some quality time aside to spend with him.

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      Posted in Christian walk; Christian growth, daily devotionals, encounter with Jesus, following Christ | 0 Comments

    • Leave “the catch” behind

      Posted at 7:00 am by sneuhofer, on February 20, 2018

      Luke 5:4 – 11 (NCV) When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Take the boat into deep water, and put your nets in the water to catch some fish.”  Simon answered, “Master, we worked hard all night trying to catch fish, and we caught nothing. But you say to put the nets in the water, so I will.” When the fishermen did as Jesus told them, they caught so many fish that the nets began to break. They called to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so full that they were almost sinking. When Simon Peter saw what had happened, he bowed down before Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man!” He and the other fishermen were amazed at the many fish they caught, as were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will fish for people.” When the men brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.

      Each year I try to read through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in a different translation of the Bible and as I read through, my eyes are fascinated by what I find there. I try to imagine myself at the scene… what do I see happening around me, how do I feel about what is going on, how do I react to the events taking place? These are just some of the questions that come to mind.

      In the fifth chapter of Luke, the story is told of Jesus calling his first disciples. Ok are you ready? Let’s go to the scene. A mass of people are gathered around Jesus ready to listen to whatever he has to say. As he prepares to teach, Jesus noticed two boats on the shore of the lake of Galilee.  These boats had been left by fishermen while they went off to clean their nets from their work the night before.  Seeing the boats and the lake as an opportunity for voice projection, Jesus saw Peter and asked him to push him off from the land so he could continue his teaching.

      Have you ever stopped to wonder what was going through Peter’s mind at this point? Think about it, he’s been out fishing all night. Peter has got to be tired. He’s probably in desperate need of a shower and something to eat. But how does Peter respond? Does he say something like “Dude, I just want to finish my work and go home.” No. Peter did as Jesus asked. He didn’t complain, grumble, or ask Jesus to get someone else to do it. He just did it, no questions asked.

      After Jesus finished talking to the crowd, he returns to shore and has a second experience with Peter.

      “Take the boat into the deep water, and put your nets into the water and catch some fish.”

      Now I don’t know about you, but I know what I would probably be thinking here. if I were Peter. It would probably sound something like “Is this guy for real? He has got to be crazy. I’ve been at this all night long and I’m tired. Every bone in my body hurts and all I want to do is go home and go to bed.”

      But what does Peter say?

      “Master.”

      What? Master? Peter recognized that there was something different about Jesus. Jesus had some type of authority. Peter continues “we’ve worked hard all night trying to catch fish, and we caught nothing.  But if you say to put the nets in the water, so I will. (v. 5)” (Emphasis mine)

      WOW!  Did you catch that?  Peter bumped into Jesus that morning on the shore yet there was something about him and again Peter did as he asked. In went the nets and out came the biggest catch of Peter’s life.  Can you just imagine the look on Peter’s face? This was by far going to be a big pay day for him, perhaps his biggest ever. Yet, the story doesn’t end there.  Jesus said to Peter “from now on you will fish for people.  Come follow me. (v. 10)”

      Peter dropped everything, even the biggest catch of his life, and followed Christ… without question and without hesitation.

      Picture yourself on the shore that morning. Would you have been like Peter and left the most lucrative catch of your life to follow Jesus?

      Let’s bring it back to present day…what will you leave to follow where Christ is leading?

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      Posted in following Christ, Peter | 1 Comment

    • It’s “what’s best for me”

      Posted at 8:45 am by sneuhofer, on September 22, 2017

      Proverbs 30:5 “Every promise of God proves true; he protects everyone who runs to him for help.”

      Have you ever heard someone say “I have to do what’s best for me?” Maybe you’ve even said it yourself a time or too…I know I have. The truth is, if what’s “best for me” goes against or doesn’t align with what God’s word says we fall into sin’s trap.

      The world would have us believe that times have changed and the word of God is simply a “guideline” for how to live a moral and just life. Furthermore, we are inundated with ideas that we should also “believe” that there is “no way” in today’s society we could even follow such “out of date” practices. I personally, would BEG to differ. I think about this and it breaks my heart.

      The word of God is as true today as it was over 2,000 thousands of years ago. The Bible has stood the test of time and is our guiding light in the uncharted waters of this journey we call life. Through it, God shows us His unconditional love, how to live and how to love. He has also given us armor we can put on every day to stand up and fight against Satan’s schemes (Ephesians 6:10 – 18). He even promises peace to people who follow him (Psalms 85:5 and Isaiah 26:3-4).

      Finally, did you catch the second part of Proverbs 30:5? “He protects everyone who runs to him for help.” According to Noah Webster’s (1828) dictionary the word “protect” means:

      To cover or shield from danger or injury; to defend; to guard.

      Imagine that for just a moment. When we “run” and seek the truth from God’s word instead of this world, God will “protect” or “shield” us from the dangers of it (this world). I for one would rather be shielded by God than led astray by the lies.

      So “what’s best for me” is to listen and obey God’s word no matter what this “world” may think of me.

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      Posted in Biblical world view, following Christ, God's will | 0 Comments

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