Putout Into The Deep! Deeper, Close.

PUT OUT INTO THE DEEP? LOOKING FOR THE CURE? COME DEEPER…

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes) (TWO PART)

FINDING DEEPER MEANING… SHALLOW V. DEEPER.

I was in the 7TH grade and we lived in Oliver Springs, Tennessee. My mom wanted us to learn how to swim out of the water. I was afraid of water. We would ride the Greyhound bus to Oak Ridge’s Olympic size pool. Seems everyone was swimming but me. I sat at the kiddy pool with my feet in the water in fear of the water. I watched as a lady brought her baby to the side of the pool. She took the little boys diaper off and put swimming trunks on him. She then threw him into the deep part pool and he swam out into the deep to the diving board. This put me to shame.

I prayed and decided I was going to swim that day. I confessed my sins just in case I drown. I build up my nerve. I walked away from the pool and turned and faced the water. I prayed again and ran to dive in the pool. To my amazement I hit the cool water. I didn’t just hit the water, my face and chest hit the concrete bottom of the pool. The impact with the concrete tore me up. My face was deeply scratched, blood started pouring out. My chest was bleeding. To this day I still have no hair on my chest. See, you can’t learn to swim in the ankle deep part of the kiddy pool. The life guards blew their whistles and made everyone get out of the pool while they painted my face and chest several bottles of with red methylate and Mercurochrome. I was so embarrassed, this just made me more afraid of the water.

WELL, I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT SAME YEAR I LEARNED HOW TO SWIM IN DEEP WATERS. A church friend had a boat. He took my brother and me out on the lake fishing. My brother told him I could not swim. The man asked could I swim. I said, NO! He got me by the seat of my pants and threw me in the middle of the lake. The boat never stopped.

I came up and watch the boat get smaller and smaller as it distanced itself from me. I heard the man yell: SWIM or DROWN. I panicked for a while and I started swimming. The man taught me a lesson that day: IF YOU ARE IN DEEP WATER YOU BETTER SWIM FOR YOUR LIFE.

MY SOUL CRIES OUT: LORD, I KNOW THERE IS MORE. THANK YOU FOR THIS, BUT I YEARN FOR MORE, DEEPER.

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

PUT OUT INTO THE DEEP? JESUS FINISHES TEACHING HIS SERMON. THEN JESUS TURNS TO PETER TO GIVE PETER SOME FISHING INSTRUCTIONS.

Peter knows Jesus is a carpenter. Peter had James and John as partners in his fishing business. They used every fishing trick they knew and had TAKEN NOTHING. Peter makes a FRUSTRATING STATEMENT: WE HAVE FISHED ALL NIGHT --- AND TAKEN NOTHING. JESUS HAD CLEAR INSTRUCTION: GO OUT INTO DEEPER WATERS. YOU HAVE TO PUT OUT INTO DEEPER WATERS…

Luke 5:4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

Talk about dumb? Peter does not like the carpenter’s advice. Peter knew that the best fishing on the Sea of Galilee was at night near the shore. Jesus tells the 3 fishermen to fish during the day light hours out in the deep, not near the shore. DEEP FISHING IN THE DAY? NO WAY. DEEPER? THERE IS MORE! THERE IS ENOUGH TO FILL TWO BOATS.

HAVE WE OPENED OUR HEARTS TO OBEY AND PUT OUT INTO THE DEEP? THIS WAS NOT LOGICAL. SEEMS THERE ARE NO FISH? FRUITLESS EFFORTS? WE HAVE FISHED ALL NIGHT. The fishermen were done fishing for the night. Now the duty is clean the nets and get ready for tomorrow. We must take a chance? Go deeper in knowing God.

*SHALLOW: lacking in depth of thought or emotions, wrong priorities, apathetic,

*DEEPER: extending far below the surface, intense, extreme, profound, significance, thoughtful, more than knowing ---doing, rooted, well applied,

*MORE: a greater amount, additional, extra, abundant, surplus,

SOMETHING CHANGED MY LIFE!

I was a member of the “YOUNG AND RESTLESS” in the “GENERAL HOSPITAL” in the city of “DALLAS.” I was waiting to see “THE DOCTORS.” They told me I was at “THE EDGE OF NIGHT.” My illness was serious. Suddenly I realized I had just “ONE LIFE TO LIVE.” I wanted to see “ALL MY CHILDREN” before I entered into “ANOTHER WORLD.” In my “SEARCH FOR TOMORROW” I was frustrated. But “AS THE WORLD TURNS” something happened. “THE GUIDING LIGHT” appeared. God changed my life. I have been born again. Now my wife and I are enjoying “THE DAYS OF OUR LIFE serving God.