Look to Jesus

Matthew 14 recounts Jesus’ disciples in a boat on the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus came to them walking on the water.  But, perhaps even more astonishing is the fact that at Jesus’ invitation, Peter walked on the water as well.  Jesus demonstrated His power over natural circumstances, and He invited Peter to benefit from His power over the waves.  As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was walking above what he could do in the natural.  But, as soon as Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on the natural realm, he began to sink.

Life is full of circumstances, problems, and fears that can overwhelm us.  But, if we look to Jesus, and if we are attentive to His word, we can rise above the natural circumstances and walk in a place where God’s power is lifting us up.  As we fix our gaze on Jesus, as we focus on Him and not the problems and fears of this life, we find ourselves rising above the circumstances.  But, as soon as we give in to the temptation to doubt Jesus, to doubt the Father’s love, to doubt that His word is true, if we see the circumstances as greater than God’s promises, we begin to sink.

Thankfully, this account of Peter walking on the water does not end with Peter sinking.  Peter called to the Lord, “Lord, save me.”  Not the world's longest prayer, but the scripture says, “Immediately Jesus stretched out His hands and caught him, and said to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  Jesus was there to save Peter, and He is available to help us also.  The important thing is to keep looking to Jesus and not doubt His love, His care and His goodness.  

Godspeed!

Who is Jesus to you?

Who do you say that I am? That is a question posed by our Lord Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 16:15.  Peter responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” If we, like Peter, proclaim Jesus to be our Lord, the Christ, do our actions bear witness to that truth working in our lives? A short time after Peter made this bold confession of his faith, he found himself denying he even knew Jesus (Mt.26:69-75).

That is a problem we all face. We profess our faith in the Lord Jesus, but at times, our actions and our words do not line up with our confession of faith.

In Luke 22:32 Jesus tells Peter, “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Peter did experience a temporary lapse of faith in Jesus, but Jesus never gave up on Peter. As we read the book of Acts and the books of 1st and 2^nd Peter, we see Peter being used mightily by the Lord for His Kingdom and His glory.

This should give us hope for our lives. If we will return to Jesus, He will by no means cast us out (John 6:37). Come to Him now and receive His forgiveness for all your sins. If you have known the Lord, but have not been walking with Him, repent and receive His mercy and love. Peter was used mightily by the Lord, and I believe Jesus wants to use you to help others, to strengthen your brethren. I believe Jesus is still asking this question, “Who do you say that I am?” What is your reply?

The Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” What does it mean to have “the fear of the Lord?” The word “fear” in this verse means “to have reverence and awe for God.” Having this kind of fear is a good thing, it is the beginning of wisdom, and the book of Proverbs has much to say regarding the benefits of Godly wisdom.

In the church today, some have such a casual attitude toward God and His name. There is no fear, no reverence, no acknowledgement that God deserves our highest honor, respect, and awe. 

The fear of God starts with recognizing that God is God, and I am not. In Isaiah 14 we see that Lucifer decides, “he will exalt his throne above the stars of God.” He did not recognize God as Supreme. We may not like to admit it, but when we “do our own thing” against what God says, we are following after the devil. I wonder if a popular song in hell might be, “I Did It My Way.”

Secondly, the fear of God is doing what James 4:10 says to do, “humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”  We all want God to “lift us up,” but how many of us are willing to do the first part, humble ourselves?

And finally, 1 Chronicles 16 tells us to exalt the Lord, and to give Him the glory due His name. When we give God the praise, when we give God His due, we are demonstrating that we hold Him in reverence and high esteem. Proverbs 3:7 says, “Fear the Lord and depart from evil, it will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones.”

It is a good thing to fear the Lord. It is health and life to all who hold Him and His word in extreme reverence and awe.

The Alabaster Jar

Have you ever given something away that was precious to you? Mark 14:3 tells of a woman coming to Jesus and breaking an alabaster jar of precious ointment and pouring it on Him. This was her gift to the Lord, and He received her worship. This jar was filled with spikenard, very fragrant oil that cost about a year’s wages. It was probably part of her dowry, but she was willing to give all as an offering to Him. Ministering to Jesus that day was more important to her than the prospect of marriage some day. It could not be used with a dab here or a dab there, it was all or nothing as the jar had to be broken to release its contents. This speaks of the full commitment required on our part to enter the Kingdom of God . Jesus said, “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Mt. 10:38).

This account is also an example of expressing great love. But this woman was not the first to show great love. You see, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him will not perish but have everlasting life (Jn.3:16). In a sense, Father God broke His alabaster jar first when He gave His most precious gift (Jesus) to the world as an offering for my sins and the whole world’s sins. A dab here or there would not do as it required an “all out” sacrifice of Jesus’ life for my redemption. Jesus’ body was broken for me so I could be made whole. When the woman’s alabaster jar was broken, everyone in the room knew it, and Jesus received this gift. Will you receive the gift Almighty God has given to you through Jesus? Receive His love and forgiveness and you will know the beautiful fragrance of God’s love manifest in Jesus Christ.