How Big Is Your Frying Pan?

A fisherman had a strange habit. He kept the smaller fish he caught but threw the bigger ones back. One day after having just tossed back a monster fish, his friend couldn’t resist asking. “Why in the world did you throw back that huge fish?” The fisherman replied, “Well, I only have a 12-inch frying pan. If the fish is bigger than that, I have to throw it back.”

Whether it’s with something trivial like fishing, or something essential like our spiritual lives, it’s silly to place unnecessary limitations on ourselves. Tragically, we’ve become very skilled at limiting ourselves when God is involved.

“What could God do with someone like me?”

“I just don’t have the ability.”

“I don’t know enough.”

“_______ could do it better than me.”

There are a whole host of doubts and limitations we place on ourselves when it comes to spiritual achievement. In essence, what we are doing is limiting God. In most cases, the Lord isn’t going to force us to do or become something we don’t want.

So what would happen if we removed all our doubts, all our concerns, and all our self-imposed limitations? What could God do with us? There is no limit — “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen ” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Point To Ponder – Right now, how big is your spiritual frying pan? If you removed all of your doubts and limitations, what could God shape you into? What could God do with you?

Point Of Action: This week, do the following for your personal study:

1) Read about the Bible character (Listed below).

2) Write down what limitations were self-imposed.

3) Write down what God was able to accomplish through them (here and/or later on).

4) Write down how this situation change them.

5) Write down what limitations you have in common.

6) Write down what you can improve in yourself after study through this.

  • Monday– Gideon (Judges 6-7)
  • Tuesday– Moses (Exodus 4)
  • Wednesday– Jonah (Jonah 1)
  • Thursday– Abraham (Genesis 20)
  • Friday– Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1-10)
  • Saturday– Saul & The Soldiers – Contrast With David (1 Samuel 17)

Sunday – The 12 Spies – Contrast With Joshua & Caleb (Numbers 13-14)

Brett Petrillo