Fear in the storm

Matthew 8:23-27

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him.  Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.  The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

As we continue through Lent, I am continuing to talk about the extraordinary things that Jesus did while on earth as an ordinary man.  If you have ever been on a boat during a big storm, you would naturally have a bit of fear.  I remember a time that my dad, sister and I went fishing on our boat, I was about 10 at the time.  It was rough, we got wet and I know that I experienced fear.

Imagine being in the middle of a large body of water, in a small boat.  The waves sweeping over the boat.  No doubt, each of us would likely be like the disciples, a bit scared.  There here is one person in the boat just taking a nap.  He wakes up and basically laughs at you for being afraid. 

And just like that, Jesus rebuked the winds and the waves and all was calm.  I can hardly get my son to listen to me at times and here is Jesus, controlling the winds and the waves.  Again, we see how Christ came to earth as an ordinary man yet lived an extraordinary life.  What a mighty God we serve!

Thursday Devotional - Peace and Perseverance

Last week I mentioned our basement flooded. That day and week was anything but peaceful. The same day our basement flooded, James was very ill and could barely breathe. We didn’t know if we were going to have to take him to the ER. In the midst of trying to care for James is when I found the flood. My first thought was “I can’t handle all this at the same time!!!!” However, God reminded me that He has been there through all my other overwhelming situations. That’s when I was able to stop and praise Him. He also reminded me that the most important thing is to have peace with God and I knew James had peace with God through his faith in Jesus! 

Romans 5:1-5     “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Peace with God doesn’t mean life will be easy here on earth, but it helps us put everything in perspective and lean on Him as we persevere.

How have past sufferings developed perseverance and character in your life?

What current situation can you and I let God use to develop greater perseverance and character? 

Let’s give God the glory through all these circumstances, remembering our peace with Him is the most important!

Alice

P.S. – James isn’t back to normal, but we’re so thankful he’s doing much better.

Bless And Be Blessed

For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.  Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.  So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.  1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

There is a gentleman at my church who is incredibly gifted and filled with the Holy Spirit. The other day, he gave me a picture.  On it were various thoughts of encouragement.  One of which caught me off guard.  It said, “Lord, bless this man.”  I paused reading it not because I thought something was wrong with him saying it.  It was humbling because it was directed toward me.  To acknowledge that someone thought so much of me that they would ask that God bless me was special.  This gave me strength throughout the day, and I harken back to the gift as a reminder that we all can both bless and be blessed.

Being encouraging of one another strengthens our faith in God. There have been many things in the world that cause sadness, and the sheer volume of them can seemingly steal our joy.  God however reminds us that these times shall pass, and one day we will have eternal life with Him.  Not for a short period of time but forever.  The letter of Paul to the Thessalonians is filled with words of encouragement like today’s verses.  Thus when times seem difficult for others, our role as Christ followers is to be His spirit to those disheartened by the many difficulties in life.  It may be a simple word or a gift.  Perhaps it could be a note just to say you are thinking of them, or a phone call to say you were thinking of them.  “God put you on my mind, and I thought to call and pray for you.”  This may sound minute and trivial in our minds, but for a person hearing it, it speaks volumes.  And for a person who may have been momentarily lost or needing to hear God’s voice, it could be the difference.

God’s powers are limitless. We often will look at things through our own lens, and see only what we can do.  If we change it to God’s view, we realize there is not much we can’t do.  We all need encouragement from time to time.  2 Corinthians 9:7 says, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.””  Giving encouragement cost little, but its value could be immense.  Let us focus on those things which lift others up giving cheerfully to people in any way we can.  Who can you bless today in words or deeds?  How can you be encouraged by the blessing you are to Christ?  My prayer is that we look at ourselves realizing that we can both bless and be blessed.  Amen.