Have you ever done all you knew to do and still came up short? It wasn’t a lack of effort that put you in the position. We were trying to raise money once for a mission trip. We decided to sell BBQ plates. After all the plates had sold and people quit coming by, I started calling car dealerships to sell more because we had several briskets left over. We couldn’t sell them no matter what we did. While in church the next day, I had the idea to cut them in 1-3 pound chunks, wrap them up and sell for donations after church. As we were wrapping, we realized how much we truly had leftover. As people left church, they grabbed chunks and dropped off checks. We made more on those chunks than from the plates we had sold.
In Luke 5, Jesus was teaching a crowd on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. There were fishermen nearby cleaning their nets from fishing all night. Jesus asked if they could take the boat out a bit so He could teach from it. When He finished teaching, He told Peter, the boat owner, to go out to deeper water. Then He told him to let his nets down. Peter explained how he was an expert fisherman, how they had fished all night long and caught nothing. I’m sure he was a bit frustrated with the request because he was the expert and had done all he knew to do, but still came up empty. What he was about to find out is when you combine obedience with God’s timing, provision follows.
Luke 5:5 says, “‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again’” (NLT). Even though it didn’t make sense, and he was exhausted, he still obeyed. His empty nets weren’t the failure he thought they were. They were an invitation for a divine appointment of God’s intervention. I want to encourage you today if you pushed through the night and still come up empty, ask God what you need to do to fill your net. Peter obeyed because it was Jesus who said to do if. God then turned the supernatural provision into a pivot point in Peter’s life. That act of obedience positioned him for the life he was created to live.
Photo by Shakib Uzzaman on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 
Test Day
I’ve never really liked tests before even though I’m pretty good at them. Any time the word “test” comes up, I think of one of my high school teachers, Mr. Hart. He loved giving tests. He would wear a red contact lens, the ugliest tie he could find and eat a bag of chips while you were taking it. He’d ask, “Is this bothering you,” and then give an evil laugh. He’d ask questions that would earn you a Nobel Prize if you could answer them. His “bonus” questions came from movies like “Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail”. Maybe my memory has added to his legend, but that’s how I remember taking tests in his class.
I remember doing a lot of studying for tests to make sure I passed. I read back through the chapter, looked at my notes, made flash cards and quizzed other classmates to prepare. You knew the subject matter, but not what to expect on the test. As a person who played sports, there was extra pressure to pass since the “No Pass No Play” law had gone into effect. I wouldn’t have let myself down by failing, but my team too. So I put a lot of time and energy into making sure I knew the material.
All those memories came flooding back when I read what Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in II Corinthians 13:5-9. He said, “Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. (MSG)”. Paul was saying to do with our faith what I did for tests in school. Read the book (Bible), look at notes (commentaries), make flash cards (memorize scripture) and quiz other classmates (have accountability partners to help you learn and grow).
Just like we had to prepare for what Mr. Hart might throw at us, we need to be prepared for what might challenge our faith. Times of testing shouldn’t come as a surprise to us. They shouldn’t scare us either if we’ve prepared beforehand. If you can read this, you’ve lived enough life to know that you’re going to be tested. If you’re a Christian, you should know your faith will be tested. It’s not so that you will fail, but to make sure you know what you believe. When I give tests at work, I jokingly call them “celebrations of knowledge” to relieve the stress. I’m not trying to get you to fail, I’m trying to showcase how much you’ve learned.
God does that with us too. He’s not up there trying to see if you’ll fail when He tests you. He’s wanting to show you how much you’ve learned and what you need to work on. Paul understood this and encouraged us to test ourselves ahead of time so we could pass with flying colors. When we do that, we won’t take our faith for granted or drift along. We’ll know what we believe, be able to confidently speak God’s Word when the enemy comes against us and live out our faith with a purpose and a passion. What will you do today to prepare for the testing of your faith?
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