Jesus’ Ministry
February 10, 2019
Scripture Reading: Luke 5:1-11
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him. –Luke 5:8-11
I coordinated planning for a human service agency for over 20 years spending much time pushing executives to set measurable goals and track their progress. Seeing what works and what does not can make work more productive. After I retired, I went through spiritual direction training and became enamored with the whole process of self-examination in our faith journey. Greeting each day with a review of my previous day and identifying ways to grow and improve for the current day became meaningful to me. Of course, no day rarely goes the way we plan. Being flexible toward goal attainment is part of the definition of planning. The important thing to examine is are we moving toward the desired outcome. The side effect is being amazed at what can be accomplished with God’s help and it is those blessings that give us the motive to keep going forward.
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God has done*.
Prayer: Lord, thank grant us the flexibility to work toward the full fruition of your kingdom ruled by love. Amen.
*First verse an refrain from the hymn Count Your Blessings by Johnson Oatman, Jr. see at https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Count_Your_Blessings/