Lk 5:1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the
people crowding around him and listening to the word of God,
Lk 5:2 he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the
fishermen, who were washing their nets.
Lk 5:3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and
asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught
the people from the boat.
Lk 5:4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into
deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
Lk 5:5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t
caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
Lk 5:6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish
that their nets began to break.
Lk 5:7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and
help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began
to sink.
Lk 5:8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go
away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
Lk 5:9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of
fish they had taken,
Lk 5:10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s
partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch
men.”
Lk 5:11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and
followed him.
How Can A Human Being Become Friends With God?
How
Do We Get There From Here?
Webster's Dictionary defines friendship as "a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard."
The keyword here seems to be personal. If God even exists, He is invisible. If Jesus Christ did walk the earth, he died two thousand years ago. How can we have a close, loving relationship with an invisible God?
I submit that God is alive and well, and Jesus Christ "is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word." (Hebrews 1:3 NIV) In other words, Jesus puts a face on God and explains Himself in the Bible. He says He will never leave us (Deuteronomy 31:6, Matthew 28:20); He will always be interceding for us with the Father (Romans 8:34); and that once we invite Him in, the Holy Spirit will always be alongside us, speaking God's truth and comfort into our lives (John 16:13-15).
I'm not a scholar or a minister. I write because this is the best news I've ever heard, and it saved my life. Read my personal story to understand why I believe the Bible is true. If you decide you want to invite Jesus into your heart, you can pray this simple prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Up until now, I've been my own boss, governed by self-centered thoughts and actions. I confess I've broken your laws as well as your heart, and I thank you for dying in my place to pay the penalty for my sin. Please come into my soul and spirit today and become my new boss- the Lord of my life- on the throne of my heart. From here on out, I ask that you direct my steps and show me how to live a life that's pleasing to you. Thank you for loving me and forgiving me. Amen.
Welcome to the family!
A Present-Day Disciple Rescued From the
Wreckage
"Shipwrecked" is a term seldom used anymore. In our fast-paced world, even train wrecks are almost a thing of the past. Now plane crashes- those we understand. If we fly, we fear them. If we read about them, we imagine the horror. But the one thing all these disasters have in common is the brokenness, the waste, the hurt, the suffering, and the fear.
Being a writer, the shipwreck metaphor gets my attention because it paints a picture. Films frequently depict beautiful people on deserted, pristine beaches, backed by swaying palm trees. The reality of the shipwreck looks more like this: cold, rough seas, lightning, blinding rain, jagged rocks, broken bones, gulping down icy saltwater in a frantic attempt to reach shore.
Sounds a lot like addiction. The dreamy high of escaping reality becomes the horror of losing control, losing your money, losing your loved ones, then losing your mind. Your job, your home, your self-respect, your friends. Your life breaks into pieces when it washes up on the rocks.
What a comfort to find a friend on the beach! One who can bind the wounds, light a signal fire, and launch a rescue. That's probably why, of all the stories in the Bible, I'm most drawn to the account of Jesus calling Peter on the shore. Peter is a man after my own heart, and Jesus is the Savior who came after my soul.
I wish I could start at the beginning, but we'll actually start with today and travel backwards. Visit my blog for what's happening now. Eventually we'll blow this pop stand and head back to sands of South Florida, land of my childhood. As far as I could tell Jesus was nowhere near Miami, but someone like God must have had His eye on the flotsam and jetsam of my broken life. Maybe that's the reason I've always felt an affinity for Simon Peter. Together we suffer the knowledge of who we really are as we surrender at Jesus' feet. "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" Yet Jesus refused to leave Peter alone, just as He has refused to leave me in my disasters. He told Peter, "Don't be afraid; from now on, you will catch men." He told me, "Don't be afraid. Share your experience, strength, and hope. Share what you are learning about me."
So welcome to my world! We have a lot of ground to cover- child abuse, alcoholism, drug addiction, recovery, marriage, parenting, birth, death, grief, joy, confusion, faith, lack of faith, anger at God, love of God, doubt, fear, peace, and hope. Not necessarily in that order. Please bear with me as the story unfolds.
You can visit my Statement of Faith for perspective on where I am coming from. I assure you that I dragged these beliefs through fire before I dared adopt them as truth. Now I cling to them like barnacles on a rock. They hold me fast even when the waves crash over me, keeping me clean and sober, reasonably sane, and allowing me to live in freedom and peace.
My mission statement is:
To illuminate the amazing love of God in the person of Jesus Christ through the truth of His Word, and to illustrate how a personal relationship with God is not only possible but the only fulfilling answer to the challenges of life;
To tell the stories of how God has proven to me that His Word is powerful and true, in the face of sorrow, joy, hardship, recovery, grief, and all perils common to humanity;
To communicate my deepest gratitude to God for His mercy by sharing the reason for the hope that I have.
My ongoing commitment to my readers is to be faithful to the Truth, share my experience, grow my website, write my book, and blog on keeping it real. Keep coming back to visit, and feel free to contact me at rachel@friendshipwithjesus.com. Thanks for coming by!