“Follow me, and I will make you fish for people” (Matthew 4:19).

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13).

I will make you…

Work out your own salvation…

Interesting.

Jesus tells us that when we follow him, he will make us into fishers of men and women. That means, right now, in the midst of this smoke filled, corona virus global pandemic that God is at work in you to make you into fishers of men and women. God is making us the type of people that God will use to draw people into God’s eternity.

How is he doing that? What does that look like?

It is when we work out our salvation with fear and trembling that God is at work in us to enable to will and to work for his good pleasure. The phrase work out your salvation doesn’t refer to justification. Only the work of Christ on the cross can make us right with God. This phrase is referring to sanctification – the process of becoming more like Christ. Sanctification is the ongoing process after being made right with God where the Holy Spirit begins changing us. This change occurs in us as we participate with the Spirit of God to change our old ways by taking on new ways as the Holy Spirit leads.

What’s amazing about this is that God is telling us that these smoke filled pandemic days are the very mechanism by which God is shaping us to be fishers of men and women.

Do you realize what that means? You are in training right now! This is God at work. You don’t have to look any further. Every day you wake up, with every challenge you face, God is at work to make you more able to fish for men and women. God is at work to make you to be the instruments of grace and blessing to the people around you.

That’s great news! You’re in training.

Train hard! Give your best! Let’s do this thing!!!

“This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise,
in the Lord, whose word I praise,
In God, I trust; I am not afraid.
What can a mere mortal do to me?

My vows to you I must perform, O God;
I will render thank-offerings to you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
and my feet from falling,
so that I may walk before God
in the light of life.”
(Psalm 56:9b-13)

I write these daily reflections as much for me as I do for you. These days are tough. With all that keeps happening this year, we can’t help but wonder what else can go wrong.

It is easy to lose sight of God’s goodness in the midst of the chaos of our world. That’s why it’s so important to spend time in God’s word to be reminded of God’s promises for us. We are not alone in this world. We are not left to our own wits and abilities to make our way through this world.

I love verses like this because it reminds us that we have nothing to fear in this world because God is with us and is for us.

This does not mean we do not go through difficult times. It’s that we are never alone through our difficult times. God has already delivered us from death and our feet from falling so that we might walk before God in the light of life.

Why? We can live life without fear not because we will not die a physical death, but because death can no longer defeat us. Christ has defeated death.

Take courage. Remember all that God has already done for us in Jesus Christ.

This day, take a moment to write down at least ten things that God has already done for you.

“This I know, that God is for me. In God, I trust; I am not afraid. What can mere mortal do to me?”

“I keep my eyes always on the LORD,
with him at my right hand,
I will not be shaken”
– (Psalm 16:8)

“So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him” (Matthew 14:29-31)

Strong wind….Fear….Shaking….Sinking….

Ever have those feelings?

Life can do that to us sometimes.

Thank God, life is not always that way. Thank God we have our good days and good seasons too!

But when life gets hard, when the storms hit….hmmm….life is unbearable.

But you see, we were never meant to bear the unbearableness of life alone. We will never make it alone. Peter walked on water!!! Just picture that. But he began sinking when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the storm. That’s what happens to us too, when we lose sight of Jesus.

That’s why the psalmist reminds us to keep our eyes on Jesus and we will not be shaken.

You are not alone. You are never alone. God is with you at your right hand. With God, you will not be shaken.