In disarming Peter, Christ disarmed all Christians. Tertullion 2nd Century AD.
The disciple Peter was a hothead. He was boisterous, arrogant, proud, and stubborn. He was the unspoken leader of the twelve disciples. He was the first to jump into a situation, first to defend Jesus, and subsequently, he would often times, be the first to fail. Peter was the prototypical fundamental evangelical Christian. Like all Christians, Peter had his trials, and his failures. It is through his life, that we can learn how to get up when we fall.
Many times, Christians will say they put all their trust and faith in Jesus to guide them in the direction that they need to go. But, do they really? How many times have you prayed, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, without putting your own conditions on the prayer. One day, Peter was tested in his faith.
“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. 'It's a ghost,' they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.' 'Lord, if it's you,' Peter replied, 'tell me to come to you on the water.'
'Come,' he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'” (Matthew 14:22-31 NIV)
Peter did what many Christians do, he took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on his own understanding. He knew it is impossible to walk on water, yet, being focused on Jesus, he knew anything was possible. Then, he became aware of his surroundings, and lost his focus on Jesus. It was at that point, that he began to sink. The good thing, when he began to go down, he had the sense to call out to Jesus to save him.
How many are like Peter? Focusing on Jesus, then something comes along and removes your focus on him and onto the other things. Many times, we wait until we are sinking to seek Jesus. It was that action, the action of little faith, that prompted Jesus to step in, save him, and rebuke him.
When Peter was focused on Jesus, everything was going perfectly for him. He was walking on the water just like Jesus was doing. The wind then struck his face, and Peter's faith diminished, and what was possible, became impossible. Peter took his eyes off Jesus and failed.
When we are facing impossible tasks, we need to realize that Jesus needs to be our focus. When we are faced with impossible tasks, then how do we keep our eyes on Jesus.
The first step is to surround yourself with Christians who will help you keep your focus on Jesus. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1,2) By surrounding yourself with Christian people, they can help you keep your focus on Jesus. Good accountability partners can keep your focus on Jesus, and warn you when you begin to take your eyes of of Jesus.
The second step is to turn everything over to him. Whether it is marital problems, work problems, school problems, or any problem that you are facing, turn it over to Jesus. He wants to be the one to carry our problems, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” ( Matthew 11:28,29 NIV). Don't be afraid to ask for help, before you need it. Pride has a way of getting in the way and preventing people from asking for help. If you know it's going to be a daunting task, ask for help before you get started. Don't try to do it on your own. Go to Jesus first, and get the guidance that you need.
The third step is to ask before it becomes too much of a burden. Peter waited until the last moment to ask for help, don't wait that long. Though patience may be good, it can also be a hindrance to getting things done for God. By incorporating the first two steps, you won't need to use the third step. Peter, if he would have kept focused on Jesus, wouldn't have begun to drown.
During WW II, the Germans were bombing London. One day, a father and daughter were trying to escape the bombings. They came to a hole in the ground and the father jumped in first. The father yelled to his daughter to jump in. She cried back, “Daddy, I can't see you, the smoke is too thick.” The father yelled back, “That's OK, I can see you, go ahead and jump and I will catch you.” No matter how small our faith is, if we remain focused on Jesus, he will take care of us.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
Idle Worship
We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 2 Thessalonians 3:12 (NIV)
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37 (NIV)
Imagine if you will, your bank calls you up and tells you every morning at opening you will be given 86,400 pennies. They give you one stipulation: You must spend it all in one day or lose it. You can not save it for a rainy day, it must be spent or lost. This will be done everyday. Spend the money or lose it. How would you spend that money?
A recent survey once asked: What is the one question you would want God to answer if you are standing in front of him?
34% What is my purpose?
19% Is there life after death?
16% Why do bad things happen?
12% Don't know what to ask
7% Is there life elsewhere?
6% How long will I live?
94% of the answers were shown.
The question that I would ask: How may I serve you better?
To paraphrase President Kennedy, “Ask not what God can do for you, but what you can do for God.” The harvest is plenty but the workers are few. Why are there few workers, because people aren't willing to do the work. We allow various excuses to enter into our minds to prohibit us from doing the work that God has called us to do.
What stops us from serving God?
1. Fear. We are afraid of what other people will think. We're afraid that we'll do it wrong and that we'll be judged harshly by others for it. We apprehensive that it is actually something that we should do. We won't do anything unless we get approval from others. We are afraid that we won't be accepted by others for doing the work that we are doing. We are afraid that we would teach it wrong.
2. Ignorance. We don't know how to do it. We don't understand our own capabilities and what we are capable of doing. We feel that only a Pastor can serve God. Since most Christians aren't Pastors, they don't serve.
3. Shame. We are ashamed of our past sins. We feel that we can not serve God, since we are sinners. We are ashamed of the actions of other “Christians” that we don't want to be known as a Christian, because we don't want to give the appearance of being those “Christians”.
How then do we serve God?
We have to devote time to God. How much time do we spend in the Holy Scriptures on a daily basis? Just like a car, we need to be refueled to be able to go. Just that our refueling is a daily basis. By spending time in God's word, we will be prepared to serve God in the capacity that He wants us to be in.
We need to spend time in prayer with God. I pray five times a day. I'm not boasting, I'm more ashamed of that number. I know that I should spend more time in prayer than I do. I have noticed that when I pray more times than just the eating times, I have a more blessed day. I get more done for God than I do when I only pray at meal times.
Most importantly though, we need to be a better witness for Christ. We need to always be prepared to give an answer for our hope that we have in Christ. By spending more time in God's word and in prayer, we are preparing ourselves to give an answer. We are growing in knowledge of Christ.
We need to act like a Christian. The best way to be a better witness for Christ is not by what we say, but by what we do. As Francis of Assisi said, “At all times preach the Gospel, when necessary, use words.” We are known by our fruit. If our words and our actions don't measure up, we are called hypocrites by those that don't know us. If our words and our actions do measure up, we are called Christian.
We must refrain from “Idle worship”. Christians get comfortable in their own salvation and fail to tell others about God. We are warned against being idle. The Thessalonians were being idle. They felt that since they had received the gift of salvation, then they don't need to do anything else. Yet, we are commanded by Jesus to spread the Gospel. We must not become complacent in our own salvation, but we must lead others to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior.
We need to set aside our own fears and let God work through us. We must not be comfortable being back row pew sitters. We must move to the front of the sanctuary and raise our hands and say as Isaiah said, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'” Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)
There are many ways of serving God than being an evangelizer. Some people are gifted in mercy and are able to listen to people. Some people are gifted with the ability to write poems, or songs. Some people are good at exhortation. Whatever your gift, use it for the glory of God. Don't get involved in idle worship.
We are given 86,400 pennies on a daily basis. Only it's not in monetary form, but it is in seconds. God has blessed us with time. How are we going to use the time that we have on a daily basis?
This year, we are given an extra day. Who are we going to serve with this extra day? Are we going to serve our own wants, or are we going to serve God's needs.
Have a blessed day
Daniel
Today (Feb. 29th) is my nieces first birthday. Don't let my brother fool you into telling you she's four. Last time I checked, this is the first 29th of February that we've had since she was born, therefore she is 1.
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37 (NIV)
Imagine if you will, your bank calls you up and tells you every morning at opening you will be given 86,400 pennies. They give you one stipulation: You must spend it all in one day or lose it. You can not save it for a rainy day, it must be spent or lost. This will be done everyday. Spend the money or lose it. How would you spend that money?
A recent survey once asked: What is the one question you would want God to answer if you are standing in front of him?
34% What is my purpose?
19% Is there life after death?
16% Why do bad things happen?
12% Don't know what to ask
7% Is there life elsewhere?
6% How long will I live?
94% of the answers were shown.
The question that I would ask: How may I serve you better?
To paraphrase President Kennedy, “Ask not what God can do for you, but what you can do for God.” The harvest is plenty but the workers are few. Why are there few workers, because people aren't willing to do the work. We allow various excuses to enter into our minds to prohibit us from doing the work that God has called us to do.
What stops us from serving God?
1. Fear. We are afraid of what other people will think. We're afraid that we'll do it wrong and that we'll be judged harshly by others for it. We apprehensive that it is actually something that we should do. We won't do anything unless we get approval from others. We are afraid that we won't be accepted by others for doing the work that we are doing. We are afraid that we would teach it wrong.
2. Ignorance. We don't know how to do it. We don't understand our own capabilities and what we are capable of doing. We feel that only a Pastor can serve God. Since most Christians aren't Pastors, they don't serve.
3. Shame. We are ashamed of our past sins. We feel that we can not serve God, since we are sinners. We are ashamed of the actions of other “Christians” that we don't want to be known as a Christian, because we don't want to give the appearance of being those “Christians”.
How then do we serve God?
We have to devote time to God. How much time do we spend in the Holy Scriptures on a daily basis? Just like a car, we need to be refueled to be able to go. Just that our refueling is a daily basis. By spending time in God's word, we will be prepared to serve God in the capacity that He wants us to be in.
We need to spend time in prayer with God. I pray five times a day. I'm not boasting, I'm more ashamed of that number. I know that I should spend more time in prayer than I do. I have noticed that when I pray more times than just the eating times, I have a more blessed day. I get more done for God than I do when I only pray at meal times.
Most importantly though, we need to be a better witness for Christ. We need to always be prepared to give an answer for our hope that we have in Christ. By spending more time in God's word and in prayer, we are preparing ourselves to give an answer. We are growing in knowledge of Christ.
We need to act like a Christian. The best way to be a better witness for Christ is not by what we say, but by what we do. As Francis of Assisi said, “At all times preach the Gospel, when necessary, use words.” We are known by our fruit. If our words and our actions don't measure up, we are called hypocrites by those that don't know us. If our words and our actions do measure up, we are called Christian.
We must refrain from “Idle worship”. Christians get comfortable in their own salvation and fail to tell others about God. We are warned against being idle. The Thessalonians were being idle. They felt that since they had received the gift of salvation, then they don't need to do anything else. Yet, we are commanded by Jesus to spread the Gospel. We must not become complacent in our own salvation, but we must lead others to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior.
We need to set aside our own fears and let God work through us. We must not be comfortable being back row pew sitters. We must move to the front of the sanctuary and raise our hands and say as Isaiah said, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'” Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)
There are many ways of serving God than being an evangelizer. Some people are gifted in mercy and are able to listen to people. Some people are gifted with the ability to write poems, or songs. Some people are good at exhortation. Whatever your gift, use it for the glory of God. Don't get involved in idle worship.
We are given 86,400 pennies on a daily basis. Only it's not in monetary form, but it is in seconds. God has blessed us with time. How are we going to use the time that we have on a daily basis?
This year, we are given an extra day. Who are we going to serve with this extra day? Are we going to serve our own wants, or are we going to serve God's needs.
Have a blessed day
Daniel
Today (Feb. 29th) is my nieces first birthday. Don't let my brother fool you into telling you she's four. Last time I checked, this is the first 29th of February that we've had since she was born, therefore she is 1.
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