How big is your frying pan?

Interesting title? Yes, I'm inspired and challenged as I heard this.

Sat in the leaders conference "Planting the Kingdom", and was listening to Ps. Obaja (a pastor of the largest church in Solo - 20,000 in size and a friend of the hope movement.

One day, a man was fishing, and every fish he catches, he'll measure it against this particular ruler that he brings with him every time. Any fish that is longer than the ruler, he will throw it back into the river, and any fish that is of the same length as the ruler, or smaller, he'll put it into his basket.

After watching this man for a while, the man standing next to this man asked. Usually when people catches a big fish, they will be so happy and take it home, but instead he does the opposite and throws all the big fish back into the river. While when others catches the small fish they throws it back into the river, but yet he keeps them. What is his reason for doing so?

The man replied, bringing up his ruler at the same time. "The ruler is measured to his frying pan, anything that is bigger or longer than his ruler is bigger than the frying pan, and hence he will not be able to cook it.

Well.........I don't know what is your response to this man. But this story basically illustrates that sometimes in life, we tend to just look at it like a frying pan, we limit what we can do for God, according to our own abilities. I thought for a long time after listening to this story. The pastor who was sharing this said that we should never limit God in what He can do. Rather than asking the question, how big is your frying pan? which is equivalent to "how much can we do according to our abilities?"; It should be, "HOW BIG IS THE FISH". We should never limit the size of the "fish" to the size of the frying pan. Same, we should never limit the size of the things that God has called us to, to the size of our abilities.

God commanded in Gen 1:28, to be fruitful and multiply. God did not give us a limit as to how much we should be fruitful and how much to multiply. There is no end to the fruitfulness if we would have faith to believe that God will provide.

As well, the size of your pan will limit you to the size of the fish. Which is also saying that the amount of vision you receive from God will be limited if you only look according to your abilities. We need to ask God for his vision, not ask God according to our abilities.

Isa 54:2
2 "Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide,
do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
strengthen your stakes."

It says to lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes........... lengthen your cords - extend your capabilities to beyond; and strengthen your faith in the foundations of God, so that you will not be shaken. Do not hold back today, because God wants to spread you. Don't keep focusing on your frying pan, focus on God and the vision that He wants to give to you.