Extraordinary Adventure

He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Luke 5:4

They hunt, they conquer, and they eat like real men. Don’t mess with Will, Oli, and Aiden when they are on a mission. Those 8- to 11-year-old boys patrol our neighborhood with the prowess of prehistoric hunters. Their thirst for adventure, especially in the murky woods at the end of our cul-de-sac, led them to a discovery.

The previous Friday night thieves vandalized Will and Oli’s dad’s truck. His backpack, containing critical medical equipment, and his cell phone was stolen. It was terrible. Their dad, an Air Force officer, and a Christian experienced several setbacks in his life. I saw him surrender his heavy heart to the Lord at the altar that Sunday.

On Monday, the boys were on the prowl in the woods searching for adventure and randomly discovered the stolen items. The conquering heroes not only found the backpack with all its contents, but they also recovered the cell phone. More importantly, that development lifted their dad’s heart and encouraged his faith. The boys strutted around the neighborhood like peacocks for days until they moved on in their hunger for another escapade.

This same sense of hunger in the hunt is key to Christian living. Discovering the truth for your life feeds your soul in immense ways. When a believer searches for the truth they will find it and their confidence in their faith grows.

Hebrews 5:12-13 shows:

Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Bodybuilder/actor Arnold Schwarzenegger echoed this scripture when he said, “Milk is for babies.” Milk can nourish infants of mammals. Meat, on the other hand, must be hunted, gutted, butchered, and broiled. Meat feeds adults, people who want to grow strong.

Christians need spiritual protein to grow up and become everything God created them to be. They want to hunt for the meat of the Word of God, chew it, and digest it by thinking about the depths of God’s Word rather than settling for milk.

Like Will, Oli, and Aiden believers must have the courage to venture forth despite a lack of knowledge. Christians have the mission to seek spiritual food.

Extraordinary Jesus is a guidebook for meat-hunters. Those who hunger to know Jesus every day need to track Christ’s journeys, miracles, and teachings. They need to digest those truths to feed themselves and grow into mature believers. 

The quest begins with reading the Gospel of Luke each day, paragraph by paragraph. Luke wrote the gospel for us who live under the influence of the Greco-Roman western world. Unique among Bible writers, Luke was a Gentile like us. Educated as a physician, but acting more like a historian, Luke researched every facet of Christ’s life. He wrote for the benefit of his Gentile readers and his Greek mentor, Theophilus, whose name means lover of God.

This study focuses on Luke 5-9, which recounts the height of Christ’s miracle-working period. Set in the region of Galilee, his popularity soars as he heals the sick, raises the dead, and delivers the oppressed. Those remarkable displays of God’s presence among people stirred the heart of a nation and will stimulate yours.

Extraordinary Jesus adds some explanations and stories to help believers relate its ancient truths to our contemporary culture. Each chapter ends with a short prayer. The daily reflection requires less than fifteen minutes for the average reader.

Join Luke as he excavates truths that will set you free and unlocks principles that will transform you into a world-changer. Luke 5-9 begins with Jesus pushing Peter out into deeper water. There are miracles out there. Jesus urges Peter to fish where the big fish are abundant. I believe the Lord is calling us to impact the world in a big way through our lives and our witness.

I don’t want to settle for little fish. And I sure don’t want to live off milk. Join me on a hunting expedition for the Jesus that turned the world upside down. Capture the meat of God’s Word by wrestling with it, doing what it says, and engaging the power of its message. Recapture your childhood sense of adventure like Will, Oli, and Aiden. You will discover truths that empower your life. Knowing Jesus is an adventure that you need to hunt down and grapple with until it becomes part of you.

Dear Lord, I have played it safe for far too long. Push me out into the deep, Lord, where the big fish are. It may be dangerous, but I want the thrill of seeing you do the impossible. Use this devotional to challenge me to chew the scriptures. I want to digest these truths for my life. Bless this meat I am about to partake. Help me explore the grounds of your grace, the vastness of your love, and the potential of your power. In Christ’s name, I pray, amen.