Our theme for the 2016 South Carolina Baptist Convention is Launch Out! This is based on Luke 5, where Jesus told Peter to launch out into the deep.
When Christ saw a need, He acted. He was willing not only to condescend, to come to Earth, but also to interact with sinful, flawed humanity.
John 1:14 says: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Tom Tucker
Peter’s boat wasn’t freshly scoured. It was slimy and smelly. Peter himself had been working with filthy fishing equipment all night as well. But Jesus cared about people more than He cared about comfort.
No real ministry will take place in your life or mine until we, too, are willing to humble ourselves before the Lord!
We must obey the instruction of Philippians 2:3-5: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
The greatest opportunities for ministry often are, humanly speaking, the most distasteful. Serving in inner cities, helping our flood victims, seeking out wounded souls, and ministering to shattered lives isn’t always easy, nor is it comfortable. But it is fruitful.
James writes in James 4:10: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
Jesus condescended to our low estate so every person might have an opportunity to be saved.
South Carolina Baptists, may gratitude for His unspeakable gift compel us to likewise serve with humility!
— Tom Tucker is pastor of Sisk Memorial Baptist Church in Fort Mill and president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.