You should have seen the ones that got away!

 

Oh, could I tell you a few great stories about the ones that got away! No, I am not talking about fish, I am talking about people. 

Stephanie and I have been focused on disciple-making for 15 years. Recently, we have been very focused on our full-time ministry, starting Discovery Bible Groups (discipleship groups). We love the people we meet with regularly and are working on planning/organizing our fourth group. We have personally discipled, prayed with, or witnessed to over 100 people. I keep track of these people through my prayer log on my phone. I don't keep track for purposes of taking a census or measurement of our work as much as a constant reminder to pray for the people I encounter in ministry. 

As I was reading in Zechariah today, I felt encouraged. Even though we have encountered many people in this past year, we only regularly meet with a dozen people or so. If I try to measure success by my measuring stick, I don't feel very successful. In my fleshly thinking, I really want more! 

There were two verses that spoke to me:

"Then he said to me, 'This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies." (Zechariah 4:6)

"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel's hand." (Zechariah 4:10)

What does the Lord really want from us? The answer: He wants us to GO and make disciples. (Matthew 28:19) Regardless of our successes or failures (my own thoughts), we need to GO! We cannot make disciples through force, coercion, or other heavy-handed means. I need to constantly remind myself this work is not completed through my power but through the power of the Holy Spirit. The second thing I need to remember is not to dwell on the ones that got away. I am called to go. Sometimes the seed falls on hard ground. Sometimes the seed falls in the thorns, and the plants get choked out. But, the seed that falls on good ground needs to be tended. I need to focus on the harvest that I have, not the harvest I wish I had. 

I really am not much of a fisherman. I do know that I will not save everyone and that some of my "catch" will get away. That should not keep me from fishing. It should not keep me from rejoicing over the souls that have been saved and the seeds that have been planted. It is through His power that lives are changed, and souls are saved.

Praise God for his patience with me!