Jesus Calls Simon, Andrew, James And John

God wants us to recognize our sins. Even those who have not murdered or committed adultery will find themselves convicted of lying, or of worshipping false idols like wealth or power ahead of God. Tragically, sin in any amount, will distance us from God. In 1 John 1:8-10 it says "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives". But the good news in all of this is that, once we recognize ourselves as sinners, we need only to repent and embrace Jesus to be forgiven. Jesus can forgive us because he died and rose again three days later in victory over all sin and death and all of that was for you and me.

We cannot save our self. As humans we are very good at struggling along on our own trying to get through and making the best of things. We say to ourselves I know what I want to do with my life so I will follow this path I have chosen. I have mapped out my way in life so I’m going to get on with it. Well I need to tell you my friends that this is not the case God has a plan for you and also for me. What we have to do is take a leap of faith! '...faith is...the conviction of things not seen'(Hebrews 11:1 NAS). Glynnis Whitwer says, 'God calls us to obedience without showing us the end result. We have to trust in him. It is not a feeling we like when we step outside of the familiar. There are days when I don’t like getting called out of my comfort zone. I try to resist and to serve God from the safety of my own world that I have established. But that's not God's way. He doesn't want us limited by our desire for security and control. Something inside is revealed to us when we are pressured from outside. God shines light on the truth about our faith. To grow, faith must be stretched, and that's uncomfortable. Unlike some, I haven't learned to trust God the easy way. Some can do it by reading a book or listening to a sermon or hearing how our friends trust Him. I'm learning by stepping out into the adventure of obedience and discovering that He's trustworthy. This happened when my marriage broke down. I decided to rent a house. I was very hard up for money. I was paying a mortgage and did not think that I could also afford a rental too. But I needed somewhere of my own after I separated from my wife. I needed it so that my son could come and stay with me. After a lot of praying I took that house on and I did afford it. I just managed to pay the bills and I watched God meet my needs and more. God opened doors of opportunity. He is still opening them to me. I am walking by faith at this moment, as I prepare to test my calling to the ordained ministry. But when we walk by faith it glorifies God. It enriches us and we can be assured that we are in the exact place that God has chosen for us, and none of it would have been possible without our Lord and Saviour. When Jesus was surrounded by 5,000 hungry people, Jesus told his disciples, 'You give them something to eat.' It seemed impossible, but when they obeyed they witnessed a miracle. One writer says, 'Christ will lead you into seemingly impossible situations...don't avoid them. That's where you'll experience God. If you attempt only things you know are possible with the resources you possess, you'll receive the credit and God will have no part in it. Have you received a word that awaits your next step of faith? Proceed, no matter how incredible it seems. You'll experience the joy of seeing God perform a miracle, and so will those around you.' So I urge you to take a leap of faith today and put all your trust in God.