Day By Day Delighting

 I was reading in the book of Luke the other day, and when I got to the story of the miraculous catch of fish in chapter 5, I caught myself smiling.   You know the story and probably the song.  It is in the beginning of Jesus ministry.  He is by the Sea of Galilee. The crowds are large and so He climbs into a fishing boat and instructs the fisherman to put the boat out into the water a ways.  He tells the fishermen to cast their nets on the right side of the boat.  They advise that they had worked hard all night and hadn't caught anything.  Then Simon says to Jesus, "But because you say so  I will let down the nets".  Imagine their surprise and joy when their nets became so full of fish that they began to break---and then their boat was filled with so many fish that it began to sink--and not only their boat but the boat of their partners too!!!!! Incredible!! I love this story.  I remember teaching it in children's Sunday school....

 It has long been a frustration of mine that we, both as Christians and as a society, have "dumbed down" the word "Christian".  We have robbed it of its very essence.  Christian by very simple definition is one who follows Christ.  One who has made the biblical commitment (baptism) to belong to Him, to obey Him, to love Him, and to follow Him for the rest of their days.  We do this, accessing His blood, not just to avoid the penalty of sin, but to be able to live with Him in Heaven for all eternity!  It is a commitment! And that commitment is both commanded and necessary.  I hear people, even some in the church, call every nice person they meet "Christian".  I have a good Christian neighbor....the coach is a good Christian..my son is dating a good Christian girl.  If this is indeed accurate, and they are indeed Christ followers, bless you. But so often the description is used interchangeably with the word nice or kind or well behaved.  T...