Oak Hill Church of Christ 6-23-24 Message: "How's That Working Out For You"

Oak Hill Church of Christ preaching minister, Randy Sterling, delivers a message on the importance of coming to Christ to seek direction in our lives.

For many Americans, the concept of independence and self-reliance is a strong one. Americans revere an independent spirit, someone who is able to make something of themselves through effort and determination.

That can make God's message even more difficult to hear, because what believers learn through Christ's teaching is that God spurns independence. That doesn't mean God wants us to be slovenly layabouts waiting for free stuff. It means God wants us to look outside of ourselves for guidance and direction. He wants us to be dependent, on Him.

Following Jesus' crucifixion, we learn that Peter and his friends have returned to their previous occupation: fishing. It's a reasonable choice, from Peter's perspective. You thought you were following the Messiah, but now he's gone. There's no use in being a follower with no leader, so what do you do? You go back to doing something you can manage on your own.

The problem is, Peter misunderstood the situation. Jesus hadn't abandoned him. Jesus returned to Peter, inviting him to look at things a different way. Peter had spent the whole day fishing, only to have caught nothing. After following Jesus, of course, he caught plenty.

That's the message God has for each of us. When we devote ourselves to listening to Him and following His direction - when we allow God to lead us, we receive our plenty.