Just give Jesus a chance

Precious memories of my youth pastor and his dear wife, Billy and Janice Cruce. When I was a teenager, Web and Betty Carroll were missionaries to Uganda from our church. Web’s influence led our youth and education pastor Billy Cruce and his young pregnant wife, Janice, to join them on the mission field in Africa. 

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In 1998, when Web and Betty were returning from the mission field, he came back home and spoke at our church one evening, and I took these notes…

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Web described the awful years under the dictatorship of Idi Amin, how Christians feared for their lives, and church meetings had to be very hidden and underground. Web had gone way out in the bush with a Ugandan pastor to meet with a group of African pastors who had walked for many miles to meet with him. 

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As Web approached them in the bush, they began to come out and praise Jesus out loud with great joy. Web tried to keep them quiet because their lives were at risk until they were behind closed doors. The African pastor exclaimed, "How can I hide this Joy that is in my heart?"  

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Once they were indoors, Web was so moved to see 15 or 16 African pastors gathered to hear him.  He looked at the gentleman on the front row who had expressed this great joy in his heart, and Web asked him, "Who led you to the Lord Jesus Christ?"  

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He turned around and pointed to one of the pastors on the row behind him.  So Web continued, and asked that pastor who had led him to the Lord, and he also turned and pointed to one of the pastors behind him. Web continued with each pastor, and in turn, they would point to another pastor in that room.  

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When he came to the last pastor, and asked him, "Who led you to the Lord?"  He replied, "Bill Cruce."  Tears immediately sprang to Web's eyes as he re-told this story because Billy and Janice Cruce had been called to the foreign mission field, to Uganda, to serve with Web and Betty Carroll from our church. 

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What a good and gracious God we serve, that he would let Web see the fruit of those seeds of God's Word planted so many years before! Web asked us to open our Bibles to John 21:1-6... 

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Later Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there--Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples. Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing." "We'll come, too," they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night. At dawn the disciples saw Jesus standing on the beach, but they couldn't see who he was. He called out, "Friends, have you caught any fish?" "No," they replied. Then he said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get plenty of fish!" So they did, and they couldn't draw in the net because there were so many fish in it. 

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Web said:  "I" is not the most profound company or secure future.  It is dangerous for the ego to become the foundation for your tomorrows. If "I" is undependable, "we" is that much more undependable.  That "night"--physical night is bad enough, but spiritual night is worse--"ushinde" (ends with an "e") which means "defeat" in Ugandan. 

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Jesus asks, "Do you have any fish?"  Sooner or later somebody has to speak and say, "No, Sir, we don't."  Sooner or later we face Jesus Christ, whether we recognize Him or not.  "What do you have to show for the last 8 hours you've spent in the water?"  

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He covers us with His compassion.  Just like he did that early morning--to talk to the fish that were there in the water that night.  In Ugandan, the word for "victory" is, "ushindi" (ends with an "i") ... 

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The difference between spiritual victory and spiritual defeat is the Presence of the Lord Jesus. He closed with another African word, "basi"...it means, "it will be alright, it will be okay" ... it is used by mothers nursing their babies,  it means "peace, healing" ..."that's alright, that's alright" ... then he closed the service by reading John 3:16 and he said, "Just give Jesus a chance, He will give "basi.”

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Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your peace today. You are our Peace. I ask you to help me to do these things: to lean on you, to meditate on your character and attributes, and to trust you with all my heart. Thank You for Your promise that Your perfect peace will guard my heart and mind. In Christ, I am relaxed and at peace in the midst of the confusions, bewilderments, and perplexities of this life, because I trust in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. 

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 Look Up—meditate on John 21:1-6 pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

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 Look In—as you meditate on John 21:1-6 pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________." 

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Look Out—as you meditate on John 21:1-6 pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.