Close the Door!

Last week I finished another regular season of baseball. Once again, it was a great joy to coach my son and his teammates. We lost our first game of the season 19-4, and won our last game 24-3. Needless to say, we made a huge improvement as a team by the end of the year. However, it took what seemed like forever to get our first win. Our tendency throughout the year was to get ahead early in the game and then lose in the last inning. After our third final inning defeat in a row, our exasperated head coach looked at me as we were walking off the field and said, “Dude, we can’t close the door.” In other words, no matter how we started, we could not finish well.

One of the keys to success in life is learning how to finish well. In order to finish strong, you have to make the necessary adjustments as you learn from your mistakes in the past. Once you have learned your lesson, it is important to not let your past transgressions torment you. If you live in the fear of the past, you will be more likely to make the same mistakes over and over again. This was the characteristic of our baseball team until we got our first breakthrough win. We could not close the door. After our first win, we were never the same again.

The person I most admire for his ability to shut the door on the past is Jesus Christ. While hanging on the cross for our sins, he breathed his last breath uttering the words, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Once and for all, by the sacrifice of his body and the shedding of his blood, he removed the sins of our past as far as the east is from the west. There is nothing left to do to cleanse us from our past sins, give us a new nature and illuminate us with the will of God as we are filled with His Spirit. Now, all who call upon the name of Jesus become a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come.”

After an encounter with Jesus Christ, Saul had a life changing experience. As Saul of Tarsus, he was one of the most feared persecutors of the Christian church. After receiving Jesus as his Lord and Savior, he became the Apostle Paul, one the greatest Christian church planters in history. Apostle Paul was a man who learned to “close the door” on his past and finish well in life. While facing death in prison for testifying about his Lord, he writes in 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Remember, when you face temptation, or when you hear that little voice in your head trying to remind you of your past sins, be strong and courageous and let the peace of Christ rule in your heart because Jesus has forever “closed the door” to your old way of living. Stand secure being convinced that Jesus has made a way for you to live a victorious life, and has a reward waiting for all who serve Him well.

Don’t let your past keep you from embracing God’s future for your life!

Close the door and finish strong!

Gone Fishing!

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

After returning from a very productive day on the lake, I began to think about Jesus’ statement that he would turn his devoted followers into fishers of people. I find it interesting that Jesus used the occupation of fishing to illustrate how he wanted his ministry to manifest on earth through his people.

As an avid fisherman, it is easy for me to comprehend what Jesus was communicating to his disciples about fishing for people. Every time I go fishing, I remember that three things are crucial to being a successful fisherman.

The first is that you have to keep your line in the water. My nine-year-old son will often get frustrated when he is not catching fish. As he sits in the boat watching me catch fish with his line out of the water complaining that the fish aren’t biting, I remind him sternly that you can’t catch fish unless you have your line in the water. Similarly, you can’t reach people for Jesus unless you engage them in conversation and build a relationship with them. You have to be intentional about relationship building so you can communicate the truth of the gospel of Christ to people.

Second, a good fisherman has to be patient. I have fished for hours without catching a fish. Then, all of a sudden, the fish start biting ferociously. When fishing for people, you can’t expect them to get converted in an instant. It takes time to build a friendship and establish trust, which is vital when sharing Christ with others.

The last key to being a good fisherman is changing baits until you find out what the fish are biting. Sometimes they bite flukes, sometimes they bite crank baits, sometimes they bite top water lures, and sometimes they bite worms. Being familiar with the lake is essential to possessing a better understanding of what the fish like to bite. Similarly, when fishing for people you must continue to pray for them and communicate to them in order to find out more about them. Once you establish common ground with a person, then you can tell them something they know to be true while relating it in a gospel of Christ context.

As you obey the call and command of Jesus to fish for people, take it from a pastor who loves to fish and remember to keep your line in the water (engage people and build a relationship with them), be patient (embrace God’s timing to convert people), and change your bait (keep communicating and praying for people) until you find out what they are biting.

Let’s go fishing!