The Sea of Galilee is only a little over 8 miles across, so the disciples had rowed almost halfway when Jesus appeared out of the darkness, walking on the water. The disciples were terrified. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that they thought it was a ghost gliding across the water. Here were men who had traveled with, ministered along side, and observed miracle after miracle from the hand of Jesus…but still doubted. They could of also remembered Old Testament Scriptures such as Job 9:8 that said, “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.” Or Psalm 77:19, “Your path led through the sea, Your ways through the mighty waters, though Your footprints were not seen.” So the next time you start to beat yourself up for doubting God…remember, the disciples did too.
Category: Barnabus Ministry
Hebrews 6:19-20 “We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, Who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a High Priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
Melchizedek was both…king of Salem (the early name for Jerusalem) and high priest of the Most High God. In these verses Jesus is also being shown to have combined both kingly and priestly duties. For it tells us in Hebrews that Jesus entered the Most Holy Place, once for all, by way of His own blood and for our sake, and made atonement for the sins of all people. And in doing so, we can now have this eternal hope…secure and reliable, that will never fail.
Ezekiel 33:11 ” Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel? “
He is not a sadistic God that takes delight in watching the wicked die, nor is He unjust. But He is the only One that can proclaim with all certainty that His promises and judgement will prevail. So the decision-making becomes ours. Do we continue down the path of unethical and immoral actions and behaviors, or do we change course, shifting our focus from self to Jesus, and yielding up tendencies and propensities to a Savior who can forgive and save us. “Come back to Me,” the Lord is exhorting us…the invitation is there, but ultimately it becomes our responsibility to act on it.
Matthew 9:18-19 ” While He was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before Him and said, ‘My daughter has just died. But come and put Your hand on her, and she will live.’ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did His disciples.”
Jairus was the president of the Jewish synagogue in Capernaum and a very distraught father. He had watched as life ebbed out of his beloved little daughter. Nothing they did had made any difference, and now he felt she was beyond human help. So in desperation, Jairus ran to find Jesus. No longer full of pompous formality, ego, or pride, he was sprinting to find the only person he believed could change his daughter’s hopeless condition. It says he threw himself down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come and lay hands on her…”so she will be healed and live.” What faith came from this unlikely man who had nothing left but to put his trust in Jesus.
Romans 1:6 ” And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.”
You belong to Jesus. “To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1) “And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:6-7) The Holy Spirit extends an invitation…a summons to salvation through the message of the Gospel. We then have to make the decision to either accept or reject that invitation. But if you do reject Jesus, that still doesn’t change His mind about you. He will keep extending His hand of forgiven and love until you draw your last breath…for you belong to Him.
II Corinthians 5:17 ” Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”
The other Sunday I was able to hear a dear friend preach and part of his text came from this Scripture. He asked if we see Jesus when we look in the mirror…or do we just see our old self. That’s because, if Christ is dwelling inside us, we should be growing more and more in His image everyday…not remaining stagnant. He called it a new man season…a time to look at that reflection in the mirror and change what needs changing. But on the other hand, it’s also very easy to get comfortable and nonchalant with our Christian walk and lose sight of Jesus in that mirror altogether.
Mark 4:26-27 ” He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.’ “
A man of folk-lore and legend in the Midwest is John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed. During the 1800’s he wandered the country-side of large parts of Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia planting apple orchards…some of which still stand today. This American pioneer nurseryman spent his lifetime scattering seed in hopes of a harvest someday. In these verses, Jesus is likening the kingdom of God to the mystery of germination and growth and what man’s responsibility is in it all. We are told to plant or scatter seed…the Good News of the Gospel Message, and then to allow God to do the rest. For God’s kingdom grows in His time, in His way…always moving forward. So just like Johnny Appleseed, we are to be sowers of hope and leave the progress up to God.
II Samuel 22:31 ” As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.”
Is God’s word sufficient? Do you believe it is inspired and without error? I just completed 30 hours of classroom instruction in Biblical Counseling where the central objective was, Yes it is! The Bible attests to its sufficiency in that it contains everything we need for salvation, trust, and obedience in God. Within God’s word we can find flawless truth to build our lives upon (John 17:17) and guidance to help us navigate throughout that journey. (Psalm 119:105) But for those who think the Bible doesn’t pertain to modern times and situations…sin started in the Garden of Eden and continues to today. You can go ahead and hang all kinds of new names on it, but sin is sin…it’s rebellion against God.
Luke 2:49-50 ” Why were you searching for Me He asked. Didn’t you know I had to be in My Father’s house? But they did not understand what He was saying to them.”
I can only imagine Mary and Joseph’s confusion when they finally found their young son sitting in the Temple courts listening to the Teachers of the Law…especially when He gave them such an explanation for His disappearance. Here was their sweet, obedient, 12 year old talking about the necessity of being in “My Father’s House.” No wonder they couldn’t comprehend or mentally grasp what He was saying to them. To them, they only saw a boy who had caused them some anxious moments until they found Him…not the Son of God, Who was going about doing His Father’s business.
II Chronicles 20:15 ” This is what the Lord says to you: Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
I don’t know about you, but I need to be reminded of this daily! It’s brought even clearer to me in I Samuel 17:47, when it says, “It is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s.” But how many times have I marched out into battle with a toothpick thinking I was somehow “helping God”? I’ve found one of the greatest Psalms during these times of fear and despair is Psalm 91…it’s a wonderful antidote against that overwhelming feeling of dread, and can help me then refocus my mind where I can – Face Fear with Faith in my heavenly Father.
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