Saturday Morning with My Boys…

“Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.”  Matthew 4:19

Been fishing lately?

Caught anything?

Who are you teaching to fish?

How good is good?

Jonathan, my 10 year old informed me when I got home today that if he was good he would get to go with a friend to a local amusement park next week.  His statement implies an understood expectation, standard, and reward.

This made me think of a verse in the Bibe.

“And a ruler asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good?  No one is good except God alone.’”   Luke 18:18-19

I hear people talk all the time about what or who they think are good.  When you ask some people about following Christ they point to the fact that “they are a good person.”  Whether they realize it or not, this statement implies a known standard that establishes their goodness – even if it is only known by them.  The question is, “Good compared to what?”  

“Of course we would not dare clasify ourselves or compare ourselves with those who rate themselves so highly.  How stupid they are!  They make up their own standards to measure themselves by, and they judge themselves by their own standards!”   II Corinthians 10:12  (GNB)

Jesus says something in Luke 18:18-19 that indicates what our standard of goodness is.  When asked “Good Teacher, what must I do?”, He gives a response that tell us what the standard of our goodness is and who it is we must look to for that standard – GOD alone.

We most often think of ourselves as good people, but by what standard.  What is the measuring stick?  What standard do we use to determine the goodness of others?  Do we measure ourselves on the same scale that we do other people?

The truth is, if we fall short of God’s goodness, then it’s not really goodness at all?  Jesus said there is only one who is good.

We normally complain about anything that is substandard.  Don’t settle for anything less.  Raise the bar.  Raise the standard.

“for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:13

Great faith…

As is my custom, I tucked my two boys into bed an prayed with them.  My sons have gotten into a habbit of thanking God for all of our family and then one by one every animal we have ever had dead and alive.  No, this is not going to be a theological discussion on “prayers for the dead.”

I am always looking for teachable moments.  Jonathan (10yrs) begings his prayer and gets to the pets – “…and thank you Jesus for Charlie, Wishbone, Tucker, Sinbad, Waves 1, and Waves 2.”  At this point I stopped his prayer (maybe I’m going to hell for that one) and said “Jonathan we don’t need to pray for our dead pets.”  If your curious, we don’t have a petting zoo, most of the list above is deceased and Waves 1 and Waves 2 are fish that belonged to their sister which died due to the boys helping assist in their suicide via the toilet.

It was Nathan’s (8yrs) turn to pray.  Keep in mind the picture above of the baby shark in formaldehyde.  Nathan begins to pray in the same manner as his brother – “Jesus, thank you for Mom, Dad, Jordan, our two dead cats and…. the poor dead baby shark (as he stretches his hand forth toward the shark – maybe too much TBN – kidding) Lord please make him alive.”

Oh ye of little faith – that shark began to swim around.  OK, maybe not.  But, do we believed like children and do we have the audasity to step out on faith and ask for the ridiculous.

Jesus told his disciples “Until now you have asked nothing in my name.  Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”   John 16:24

How BIG is your GOD?