I’ve heard people say, “God will not give you more than you can handle.” That’s a nice sentiment, but I don’t think it’s true. It’s meant to be reassuring, and it sounds that way, but if it’s not true, it’s worthless.
The sentiment misquotes 1 Cor 10:13, which says, God “will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.” The mistake is to conflate temptations and burdens when we should keep the two distinct. Temptations can certainly weigh a man down, and burdens can certainly birth temptations, but while they may be connected, they are not identical. In the case of temptations, I think God promises to guard us from them because failure in the face of temptation is sin. Failing to resist temptation damages our relationship with him. This is not always so with burdens.
No, I believe, God will give you more than you can handle. Sometime burdens will be heavier than you can carry.
I think Paul would agree. In 2 Cor 12:7-8 he wrote, “I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me. . . . Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.” That burden—that thorn—was too much for Paul. So how can I believe that God won’t give me more than I can handle? I get the impression that God’s not necessarily interested in proving that I’ve got what it takes to make it in this world. No, I think God’s interested in giving us opportunities to screw it up trying.
How can God be glorified by a bunch of failures? It doesn’t make much sense. But that seems to be how it is. Plenty of others have faced more than they could handle too: Joseph got stuck in a prison, the Israelites got stuck between a river and an army, Ezekiel wasn’t allowed to weep for his dead wife—the disciples bailing a sinking ship, Stephen stoned to death, Peter stuck in prison. They couldn’t hack it. They needed a God who could.
I find that a whole lot more comforting. I like knowing that God will give me more than I can manage. Why? Because it will force me to depend on him more. Instead of pushing me away from God the way sin does, burdens can pull me closer. That’s what I think God is more interested in—more than making life easy. And honestly, you have to work really hard to make life easy. Even then, there’s no guarantee.
Like I said, there’s an important difference between temptations and burdens. Now, burdens certainly do sometimes tempt me to abandon God. And even if God gives me the burden, that doesn’t mean he’s tempting me. “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” The burden is not the source of temptation, it’s how my heart responds to the burden. That’s why James can say, “When you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ . . . He never tempts anyone.” My heart’s the problem. It’s just bent on making burdens into temptations.
As for burdens, when God gives us more than we can stand, he doesn’t leave us to struggle. God offers us his strength—not our own—to bear it. Instead of transforming the burden into a temptation, my heart can draw near to God for strength. Drawing near. That sounds like something God would want.
It’s not necessarily about escaping the burden but about relying on God more for strength, and knowing him better (loving him, even) in the process. Burdens can pull us into deeper dependence on him, allowing us to discover that “God is faithful.” That’s 1 Cor 10:13. We get a chance to see God in action—a personal sort of knowledge. The God who can hack it. Paul saw it too. After all his begging, God assured him, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
If I had to pick between hearing those words and having burdens I could manage on my own, give me those words any day. Give me that assurance. Those words describe, I think, how God can be glorified by a bunch of failures, hearts bent in the wrong direction, and clinging to God for all they’re worth.
Believing that God won’t give me more than I can bear is a dangerous thing to believe because when that burden has me pinned to the ground, I will begin questioning God and maybe even give up on him—let go. All because I don’t have the right expectations of God, believing he’s promised something he never did.
As burdens go, Jesus himself said a few words about them. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
You don’t have to carry your burdens alone. And hopefully you don’t think that you can. You can’t make it in the world, and Jesus is ready for you to stop trying and get some rest. God will give you more than you can stand. But Jesus came along to take the load off your shoulders, to carry the weight, and pull you along toward God. Oh sure, you may be holding on to God for all your worth, but don’t think you’re really the one with the good grip.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Thoughts to ponder...
What is beauty? Is it merely defined as something that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye? I think this is probably the easiest and quickest definition. There is also the saying ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’.
What about a newborn baby? Or an elderly couple who still have eyes only for each other after 50 years of marriage? The person who stops to serve a complete stranger? Or a Savior willingly giving His life for His creation? These are all demonstrations of true beauty in action. Not the aesthetically pleasing kind, but the innocent, selfless, and truly magnificent kind. Some people strive their entire lives to become beautiful. It can even be paid for. This beauty, however, is temporary.
As I am preparing to lead worship for a women’s retreat with the soul topic being beauty it has made me think about what the world really see's beauty as. We live in a fallen world, one that tells us that beauty lies in the size pants that you wear or if you are wearing the hippest clothes, or if you look in the mirror and have a flawless complexion... However those lies could not be farther from the truth. Gods Grace is a perfect example of what true beauty really is. It has nothing to do with what size pants you wear or if you have a flawless complexion. True beauty can only be attained when we allow the grace of God to work itself in our lives. When we surrender all control we think we have and give it all to God, we truly become a beautiful masterpiece. A masterpiece created and someday finished by the One who started it all, the one and only Creator of the universe.
“And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” (Psalm 90:17)
Beauty is far more then what meets eye. It’s not about what appears to look good on the outside it is a matter of the heart. And the heart of the matter is that we will never be a fair judge of what true beauty is because we don't have the ability to search the heart. So when you are having moments of self doubt and you feel that you are not beautiful remember beauty is not what you see when you look into a mirror beauty is formed from the inside out.
What about a newborn baby? Or an elderly couple who still have eyes only for each other after 50 years of marriage? The person who stops to serve a complete stranger? Or a Savior willingly giving His life for His creation? These are all demonstrations of true beauty in action. Not the aesthetically pleasing kind, but the innocent, selfless, and truly magnificent kind. Some people strive their entire lives to become beautiful. It can even be paid for. This beauty, however, is temporary.
As I am preparing to lead worship for a women’s retreat with the soul topic being beauty it has made me think about what the world really see's beauty as. We live in a fallen world, one that tells us that beauty lies in the size pants that you wear or if you are wearing the hippest clothes, or if you look in the mirror and have a flawless complexion... However those lies could not be farther from the truth. Gods Grace is a perfect example of what true beauty really is. It has nothing to do with what size pants you wear or if you have a flawless complexion. True beauty can only be attained when we allow the grace of God to work itself in our lives. When we surrender all control we think we have and give it all to God, we truly become a beautiful masterpiece. A masterpiece created and someday finished by the One who started it all, the one and only Creator of the universe.
“And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” (Psalm 90:17)
Beauty is far more then what meets eye. It’s not about what appears to look good on the outside it is a matter of the heart. And the heart of the matter is that we will never be a fair judge of what true beauty is because we don't have the ability to search the heart. So when you are having moments of self doubt and you feel that you are not beautiful remember beauty is not what you see when you look into a mirror beauty is formed from the inside out.
Monday, March 16, 2009
What are you thankful for today?
The other day I heard this joke:
A woman woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and saw she had 3 hairs on her head. She said, “Praise the Lord! I think I’ll braid my hair today”. She braided her hairs and went about her day.
She woke up the next morning, looked in the mirror and saw she had 2 hairs on her head. She said, “Praise the Lord! I think I’ll part my hair today”. She parted her hairs and went about her day.
She woke up the next morning, looked in the mirror and saw she had 1 hair on her head. She said, “Praise the Lord! I think I’ll put my hair in a pony tail today. She put her hair in a pony tail and went about her day.
She woke up the next morning, looked in the mirror and saw that she was bald. She said. “Praise the Lord! I was running out of things to do with my hair!”
Oh my goodness, I thought that was so funny! And what a wonderful reminder that we can be thankful, and should be thankful, in every and all situations. God has blessed me with so much. Little things. Big things. And I’m sure He’s blessed you too.
Often there’s something in our life that we don’t have - that we long and pray for.
…a loved one to come to Christ
…to find a spouse to love and cherish
…to have a child
…to find a job you love
…reconciliation with a loved one
…peace
And it’s often the things we don’t have - although good things - that cause us to forget what we do have.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 instructs us:
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Being thankful doesn’t mean that we don’t mourn or pray for things. But we also must be careful to not lose sight of all that we already have. All that we are blessed with.
Today I’m reminded to be thankful for:
Kindred Spirit
My jobs
My home and the ability to pay the heat bill as winter comes along
A reliable vehicle
The Sun set
Getting together with old friends
Doctors and health care available any time of the day
Water
Cell phones and the ability to talk to anyone at anytime no matter where I am
God’s Word and the freedom to read it and worship when and where I want and share my faith and thoughts when and where I want
What are you thankful for today?...
A woman woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and saw she had 3 hairs on her head. She said, “Praise the Lord! I think I’ll braid my hair today”. She braided her hairs and went about her day.
She woke up the next morning, looked in the mirror and saw she had 2 hairs on her head. She said, “Praise the Lord! I think I’ll part my hair today”. She parted her hairs and went about her day.
She woke up the next morning, looked in the mirror and saw she had 1 hair on her head. She said, “Praise the Lord! I think I’ll put my hair in a pony tail today. She put her hair in a pony tail and went about her day.
She woke up the next morning, looked in the mirror and saw that she was bald. She said. “Praise the Lord! I was running out of things to do with my hair!”
Oh my goodness, I thought that was so funny! And what a wonderful reminder that we can be thankful, and should be thankful, in every and all situations. God has blessed me with so much. Little things. Big things. And I’m sure He’s blessed you too.
Often there’s something in our life that we don’t have - that we long and pray for.
…a loved one to come to Christ
…to find a spouse to love and cherish
…to have a child
…to find a job you love
…reconciliation with a loved one
…peace
And it’s often the things we don’t have - although good things - that cause us to forget what we do have.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 instructs us:
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Being thankful doesn’t mean that we don’t mourn or pray for things. But we also must be careful to not lose sight of all that we already have. All that we are blessed with.
Today I’m reminded to be thankful for:
Kindred Spirit
My jobs
My home and the ability to pay the heat bill as winter comes along
A reliable vehicle
The Sun set
Getting together with old friends
Doctors and health care available any time of the day
Water
Cell phones and the ability to talk to anyone at anytime no matter where I am
God’s Word and the freedom to read it and worship when and where I want and share my faith and thoughts when and where I want
What are you thankful for today?...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
"What Does Keeping Your Word Say About You?"
1. You can be trusted. When you honor your word and keep your promises, people will trust you; and trust is the basis of all relationships. Your word matters so it should not be given lightly. Others respect you when you hold true to your word. Break it and it will be meaningless.
2. You have integrity. Keeping your word demonstrates quality state of being. It shows that you have a true inner self and you walk the talk. So think twice before you compromise your integrity.
3. You are honest. The words that come out of your mouth reveal a lot about you as a person. By being accountable for your words, you show to others that honesty is your best and most valuable policy.
4. You are responsible. It means you don't go back on your promises even if you have to pay a higher price to keep them.
5. You are generous. A generous person does not alter promises for self fulfillment. When you keep your promises, it shows others that you give unconditionally.
6. You honor your relationships. When you are a person full of honor and self respect, it shows that you care about pleasing others and you take them seriously.
7. You are inspiring. When you do what you say you'll do, you model the behavior for others to follow which will result in you being a courageous leader.
8. You can communicate. By matching your actions with your words, it demonstrates that you know how to communicate effectively.
9. You are a problem solver. When you keep your promise, it means you focus on the solution and not the problem that a broken promise has created. Get in the habit of keeping your word and your life will be balanced, focused, and your goals accomplished.
10. You are successful. Being successful means you don't allow your thoughts, actions, and words control you. Positively speaking, thinking, and visualizing about your goals will result in actions that will lead to success.
Have you ever had someone break a promise or commitment to you?
Have you ever made up excuses just so you could get out of a commitment without thinking how it will affect others?
By not honoring your word you may cause upsets, regrets, disappointments, and disharmony to your life and the peoples lives around you. People loose respect for you and good relationships turn sour. Remember to always say what you mean and mean what you say and you will be rewarded.
Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise...
1. You can be trusted. When you honor your word and keep your promises, people will trust you; and trust is the basis of all relationships. Your word matters so it should not be given lightly. Others respect you when you hold true to your word. Break it and it will be meaningless.
2. You have integrity. Keeping your word demonstrates quality state of being. It shows that you have a true inner self and you walk the talk. So think twice before you compromise your integrity.
3. You are honest. The words that come out of your mouth reveal a lot about you as a person. By being accountable for your words, you show to others that honesty is your best and most valuable policy.
4. You are responsible. It means you don't go back on your promises even if you have to pay a higher price to keep them.
5. You are generous. A generous person does not alter promises for self fulfillment. When you keep your promises, it shows others that you give unconditionally.
6. You honor your relationships. When you are a person full of honor and self respect, it shows that you care about pleasing others and you take them seriously.
7. You are inspiring. When you do what you say you'll do, you model the behavior for others to follow which will result in you being a courageous leader.
8. You can communicate. By matching your actions with your words, it demonstrates that you know how to communicate effectively.
9. You are a problem solver. When you keep your promise, it means you focus on the solution and not the problem that a broken promise has created. Get in the habit of keeping your word and your life will be balanced, focused, and your goals accomplished.
10. You are successful. Being successful means you don't allow your thoughts, actions, and words control you. Positively speaking, thinking, and visualizing about your goals will result in actions that will lead to success.
Have you ever had someone break a promise or commitment to you?
Have you ever made up excuses just so you could get out of a commitment without thinking how it will affect others?
By not honoring your word you may cause upsets, regrets, disappointments, and disharmony to your life and the peoples lives around you. People loose respect for you and good relationships turn sour. Remember to always say what you mean and mean what you say and you will be rewarded.
Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise...
Monday, February 16, 2009
Random Tidbits...
I can’t even walk without my hand in yours…
While I am waiting for you I often forget the fact that you waited for me...
So many times in life we are so STUCK in the STUFF going on around us that we forget to take the STUFF we are STUCK in to the one ABOVE us...
There are to many times in life where "I" or "me" is really the problem...
I have recently come to the conclusion that a true friend is a treasure from God. Something that should be valued and held very close...
When was the last time you got down on your knees and thanked God instead of only getting on your knees when you are crying out to him...
This is not my saying but it fits where I am at right now..."We are all dealt a hand from the same deck of cards its how we each chose to play our hand that really matters..."
Life is really all about choices…
What are your choices in life saying about who God is to you…
Letting go NEVER gets easy…
When Jesus said, “Love God with all your strength,” he pointed out that worship takes effort and energy. It is not always convenient or comfortable, and sometimes worship is a sheer act of the will – a willing sacrifice… have you made any sacrifices lately…
Just because your hurting does not mean you let the hurt consume the “light” in your life…
So I have not blogged in a while and to be honest there is a reason for that… A lot has been going on… And I have not felt the need to take the time to post bi weekly updates… So the above list of random thoughts are just some thoughts that I have had though out the past couple of months. A lot has changed yet there is one thing that has and will never change (and yes dear friend I am saying NEVER this time :o) ) Gods faithfulness prevails through all of life’s adversity. So hope you enjoyed the random tidbits from my life these past couple of months.
While I am waiting for you I often forget the fact that you waited for me...
So many times in life we are so STUCK in the STUFF going on around us that we forget to take the STUFF we are STUCK in to the one ABOVE us...
There are to many times in life where "I" or "me" is really the problem...
I have recently come to the conclusion that a true friend is a treasure from God. Something that should be valued and held very close...
When was the last time you got down on your knees and thanked God instead of only getting on your knees when you are crying out to him...
This is not my saying but it fits where I am at right now..."We are all dealt a hand from the same deck of cards its how we each chose to play our hand that really matters..."
Life is really all about choices…
What are your choices in life saying about who God is to you…
Letting go NEVER gets easy…
When Jesus said, “Love God with all your strength,” he pointed out that worship takes effort and energy. It is not always convenient or comfortable, and sometimes worship is a sheer act of the will – a willing sacrifice… have you made any sacrifices lately…
Just because your hurting does not mean you let the hurt consume the “light” in your life…
So I have not blogged in a while and to be honest there is a reason for that… A lot has been going on… And I have not felt the need to take the time to post bi weekly updates… So the above list of random thoughts are just some thoughts that I have had though out the past couple of months. A lot has changed yet there is one thing that has and will never change (and yes dear friend I am saying NEVER this time :o) ) Gods faithfulness prevails through all of life’s adversity. So hope you enjoyed the random tidbits from my life these past couple of months.
Monday, December 8, 2008
"It's not about you."
“It’s not about you.”
The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, making a name for yourself, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.” (Rick Warren)
So, right in the middle of Psalm 23, we find a powerful phrase, “for His name’s sake.” Other translations put it like this:
“bringing honor to his name” NLT
“for the sake of his reputation” The NET Bible
“for the good of his name” New Century Version
Even though God made you to love you, and He does enough that He died for you; life is still not about you. Life is all about God.
I have come to this point in my life where I look at people who just DON’T GET IT! They are so stuck on themselves that they can’t put there pride aside and see that God is SOO much bigger then all of the crap going on in their lives. Now I am not saying that life does not get hard in fact I would be the first to admit that I have gone through some pretty rough times. But I can also say that I have NEVER let my pride bring me to a point where I have stopped seek after my Father…
Pride is the only disease that makes everyone sick but the one who has it.
God is to be glorified because He has done awesome things, because He just is awesome, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, creator, giver, sustainer…..and the list goes on. Because you bear His name, because you have benefited from His power, His provision, His forgiveness, you will want above all else to live to the praise and glory of His name.
So the reason God takes the credit, is because He deserves it, because He knows that His glory brings us satisfaction – because we bear His name. The other reason He takes the glory is because He knows we can’t handle it. We aren’t content with a little bite of praise; we tend to swallow it. It messes with our system. The praise swells our head and shrinks our brains, and pretty soon we think we had something to do with our survival. Pretty soon we forget we were made out of dirt and rescued from sin.
We may be the canvas, the scalpel, the tool, or the instrument, but we are not the ones who deserve the applause. The shepherd leads the sheep, not for our name’s sake, but “for His name’s sake.”
God made you to love you. He gave up everything for you. Yet it is His name, His glory that He is most concerned about. In everything He does, His purpose is to preserve and display His glory. Why does God have anything to do with us? For His name’s sake. So does God have an ego problem? No, but we do.
He is already worthy of all praise and adoration and exaltation. Before He created anything, He lived in complete fulfillment and perfection. Yet He chose to make us and everything we see around us. He takes the credit for the things He does because He is worthy. And He knows that when we live for His praise and glory, we are most satisfied and fulfilled.
So take a moment…YEAH YOU! Take one FRICKIN moment and realize that “IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU” That God knew your name before you were born he understands that your life is going to be filled with hills and valleys and we should be thankful that HE CHOSE US!
During this time of the year where so many of us are stuck in our circumstances that we even forget the reason for the season. We are overwhelmed with where we are in life that we forget “It’s not about us”…It’s about him. And in order for us to really fully comprehend that we need to put our pride aside. He came to this earth to rescue us not the other way around... Remember that when you feel you can handle everything on your own... "It's not about you."
The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, making a name for yourself, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.” (Rick Warren)
So, right in the middle of Psalm 23, we find a powerful phrase, “for His name’s sake.” Other translations put it like this:
“bringing honor to his name” NLT
“for the sake of his reputation” The NET Bible
“for the good of his name” New Century Version
Even though God made you to love you, and He does enough that He died for you; life is still not about you. Life is all about God.
I have come to this point in my life where I look at people who just DON’T GET IT! They are so stuck on themselves that they can’t put there pride aside and see that God is SOO much bigger then all of the crap going on in their lives. Now I am not saying that life does not get hard in fact I would be the first to admit that I have gone through some pretty rough times. But I can also say that I have NEVER let my pride bring me to a point where I have stopped seek after my Father…
Pride is the only disease that makes everyone sick but the one who has it.
God is to be glorified because He has done awesome things, because He just is awesome, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, creator, giver, sustainer…..and the list goes on. Because you bear His name, because you have benefited from His power, His provision, His forgiveness, you will want above all else to live to the praise and glory of His name.
So the reason God takes the credit, is because He deserves it, because He knows that His glory brings us satisfaction – because we bear His name. The other reason He takes the glory is because He knows we can’t handle it. We aren’t content with a little bite of praise; we tend to swallow it. It messes with our system. The praise swells our head and shrinks our brains, and pretty soon we think we had something to do with our survival. Pretty soon we forget we were made out of dirt and rescued from sin.
We may be the canvas, the scalpel, the tool, or the instrument, but we are not the ones who deserve the applause. The shepherd leads the sheep, not for our name’s sake, but “for His name’s sake.”
God made you to love you. He gave up everything for you. Yet it is His name, His glory that He is most concerned about. In everything He does, His purpose is to preserve and display His glory. Why does God have anything to do with us? For His name’s sake. So does God have an ego problem? No, but we do.
He is already worthy of all praise and adoration and exaltation. Before He created anything, He lived in complete fulfillment and perfection. Yet He chose to make us and everything we see around us. He takes the credit for the things He does because He is worthy. And He knows that when we live for His praise and glory, we are most satisfied and fulfilled.
So take a moment…YEAH YOU! Take one FRICKIN moment and realize that “IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU” That God knew your name before you were born he understands that your life is going to be filled with hills and valleys and we should be thankful that HE CHOSE US!
During this time of the year where so many of us are stuck in our circumstances that we even forget the reason for the season. We are overwhelmed with where we are in life that we forget “It’s not about us”…It’s about him. And in order for us to really fully comprehend that we need to put our pride aside. He came to this earth to rescue us not the other way around... Remember that when you feel you can handle everything on your own... "It's not about you."
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
"Master, save me!"
Matthew 14:29-31
He said, "Come ahead."
Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!"
Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, "Faint-heart, what got into you?"
And then in a span of a few minutes a storm changes Peters whole day. And as I look at this passage there are a few things that I can learn. The first thing that I can learn is that we all have tough times in our lives and these tough times hit us like storms!
Even Peter hesitated… I have been walking through the last couple of days with a ton of things on my heart… I feel like the waves are churning beneath my feet…yet there is one thing I am neglecting to do and that is cry out “Master, save me!” I have come to the conclusion that I don’t have time…it hurts to much… I need to have my crap together before I bring it to God… Yeah I know that’s just not going to cut it!!
In the midst of the storm Peter cried out “Master, save me!”... And Jesus DID… NOT… HESITATE… What gives me the right to stand in the middle of churning waves and think that I can take it on myself, and to be honest I don’t even think that but something in my being is keeping me from crying out to my Master. What am I thinking… Why am I so guarded and scared that I will not stand before my Master and admit that I am scared and confused, overwhelmed with the weight of the world weighing down on my spirit. Is holding this all in really making me feel any better or proving something about my character?
I had the opportunity to go for a walk in the woods this weekend and in that brief time in the woods I took the time to look up… Do you know what I saw…I saw the world spinning around me. It did not stop because my friends baby just died…it did not stop because my boy friend was just in a bad motorcycle accident…it did not stop because my mom stopped talking to me…it did not stop because someone in the church has a problem with my leadership…it did not stop because I never get enough sleep…the bottom line here is that the world just keeps on spinning. Even though the weight of the world may be weighing me down to the point where I feel like I can’t move that indeed is not the case, because as I saw in the woods this weekend even though I may have churning waves under my feet the world just keeps spinning. I need to shout out with as much strength as possible “Master, save me!”
Just as Jesus said to Peter "Faint-heart, what got into you?" I feel that in my own way he is saying the same thing to me. “My dear child…what keeps you from entering into my presence?” And I would have to honestly answer “I DON’T KNOW…it could be fear Father…”
So as I finish my thoughts and this blog I think even though Peter was faint-hearted Jesus still reached out to him and I know that in my faint-heartedness I need to cry out “Master, save me!” and let Jesus grab hold of my hand.
He said, "Come ahead."
Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!"
Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, "Faint-heart, what got into you?"
And then in a span of a few minutes a storm changes Peters whole day. And as I look at this passage there are a few things that I can learn. The first thing that I can learn is that we all have tough times in our lives and these tough times hit us like storms!
Even Peter hesitated… I have been walking through the last couple of days with a ton of things on my heart… I feel like the waves are churning beneath my feet…yet there is one thing I am neglecting to do and that is cry out “Master, save me!” I have come to the conclusion that I don’t have time…it hurts to much… I need to have my crap together before I bring it to God… Yeah I know that’s just not going to cut it!!
In the midst of the storm Peter cried out “Master, save me!”... And Jesus DID… NOT… HESITATE… What gives me the right to stand in the middle of churning waves and think that I can take it on myself, and to be honest I don’t even think that but something in my being is keeping me from crying out to my Master. What am I thinking… Why am I so guarded and scared that I will not stand before my Master and admit that I am scared and confused, overwhelmed with the weight of the world weighing down on my spirit. Is holding this all in really making me feel any better or proving something about my character?
I had the opportunity to go for a walk in the woods this weekend and in that brief time in the woods I took the time to look up… Do you know what I saw…I saw the world spinning around me. It did not stop because my friends baby just died…it did not stop because my boy friend was just in a bad motorcycle accident…it did not stop because my mom stopped talking to me…it did not stop because someone in the church has a problem with my leadership…it did not stop because I never get enough sleep…the bottom line here is that the world just keeps on spinning. Even though the weight of the world may be weighing me down to the point where I feel like I can’t move that indeed is not the case, because as I saw in the woods this weekend even though I may have churning waves under my feet the world just keeps spinning. I need to shout out with as much strength as possible “Master, save me!”
Just as Jesus said to Peter "Faint-heart, what got into you?" I feel that in my own way he is saying the same thing to me. “My dear child…what keeps you from entering into my presence?” And I would have to honestly answer “I DON’T KNOW…it could be fear Father…”
So as I finish my thoughts and this blog I think even though Peter was faint-hearted Jesus still reached out to him and I know that in my faint-heartedness I need to cry out “Master, save me!” and let Jesus grab hold of my hand.
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