Come to Jesus
Last week, we saw COViD numbers soar as the pandemic roared across our country. No matter where you live, it's part of life now, and it still impacts our finances, our ability to see one another, to go to church or to pay our rent or mortgage. We witnessed chaos and unrest not just in the world, but right here in our nation. The noise from the outside is still loud.
But in spite of all of that, we can be optimistic and expectant. We are resilient and we are survivors! We’ve had our trials and problems, but Jesus has escorted us right through every one.. As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus and only Jesus, we can climb any mountain, ride any gigantic wave, or jump out of flying airplanes and be okay.
Now we can’t ignore sickness, loneliness, fears or doubts that chase us. But even in the midst of our problems, there are lessons to learn and blessings to be gained. Why? Because we have Jesus and His promises and blessings never fail no matter our situation.
Remember the story of Peter who saw Jesus walking on the water in the middle of the storm? The disciples thought they were going to die, but Peter saw Jesus and wanted to be with Him. He asked if he could come out on the water and Jesus said, “Come.” One single, beautiful word, especially when uttered by the King. Peter stepped out on the water, his eyes locked on Jesus, and he began to walk.
The wind began to blow harder and the waves crashed, but Peter kept walking until…he stopped focusing on Jesus and began to listen to the wind and look at the waves. Just at that moment, Peter went tumbling into the water, and cried out for help to Jesus.
Isn’t that just like us? Peter allowed fear and doubt to overcome him. Instead of keeping his eyes on Jesus, he allowed the trial he was in to overtake him. We experienced some of that last year with the political unrest and division along with the pandemic. We took our eyes off of Jesus and we focused instead on what was happening in the world. We put our trust in men, philosophies, opinions, social media and every fly by night untruth.
Like Peter, we sank deep into our problems and many of us felt like we were drowning. But Jesus was there. He threw out His lifeline and said “Come.” It was up to us to hear His voice and reach out for His hand. Jesus never left us.
We claim that as a lesson learned. We know that if we take our eyes off of Jesus, we allow the enemy to capture our thoughts and toss us from one side of darkness to the other. Well, it stops here, right now! We focus only on Jesus and no one or nothing else. He is our priority and He is who we go to for our answers and guidance. He is our Rock and on Him we stand. We give Him authority over our lives and take back the authority He gave us as He died on that cross.
You are powerful in Christ; a child of God with His protection and His love. Let’s join together and make this a year of transformation where we focus on Jesus and we do a better job of lifting up our neighbors. A glass can only spill what it contains. So let’s ask Jesus to fill us to overflowing so that we can spill out His love. That’s what He made us for. Keep David’s prayer close to you as a reminder.
“Let me hear of Your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to You. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I run to You to hide me. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. For the glory of Your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of Your faithfulness, bring me out of this darkness.” Psalm 143:8-11
Prayer
Lord,
Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but I will trust in the name of the Lord my God. You are my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in You, and You help me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise You. I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.You hear me when I call on Your name and You renew my strength. I give You all the praise and glory. Amen!
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
Google Doc
But in spite of all of that, we can be optimistic and expectant. We are resilient and we are survivors! We’ve had our trials and problems, but Jesus has escorted us right through every one.. As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus and only Jesus, we can climb any mountain, ride any gigantic wave, or jump out of flying airplanes and be okay.
Now we can’t ignore sickness, loneliness, fears or doubts that chase us. But even in the midst of our problems, there are lessons to learn and blessings to be gained. Why? Because we have Jesus and His promises and blessings never fail no matter our situation.
Remember the story of Peter who saw Jesus walking on the water in the middle of the storm? The disciples thought they were going to die, but Peter saw Jesus and wanted to be with Him. He asked if he could come out on the water and Jesus said, “Come.” One single, beautiful word, especially when uttered by the King. Peter stepped out on the water, his eyes locked on Jesus, and he began to walk.
The wind began to blow harder and the waves crashed, but Peter kept walking until…he stopped focusing on Jesus and began to listen to the wind and look at the waves. Just at that moment, Peter went tumbling into the water, and cried out for help to Jesus.
Isn’t that just like us? Peter allowed fear and doubt to overcome him. Instead of keeping his eyes on Jesus, he allowed the trial he was in to overtake him. We experienced some of that last year with the political unrest and division along with the pandemic. We took our eyes off of Jesus and we focused instead on what was happening in the world. We put our trust in men, philosophies, opinions, social media and every fly by night untruth.
Like Peter, we sank deep into our problems and many of us felt like we were drowning. But Jesus was there. He threw out His lifeline and said “Come.” It was up to us to hear His voice and reach out for His hand. Jesus never left us.
We claim that as a lesson learned. We know that if we take our eyes off of Jesus, we allow the enemy to capture our thoughts and toss us from one side of darkness to the other. Well, it stops here, right now! We focus only on Jesus and no one or nothing else. He is our priority and He is who we go to for our answers and guidance. He is our Rock and on Him we stand. We give Him authority over our lives and take back the authority He gave us as He died on that cross.
You are powerful in Christ; a child of God with His protection and His love. Let’s join together and make this a year of transformation where we focus on Jesus and we do a better job of lifting up our neighbors. A glass can only spill what it contains. So let’s ask Jesus to fill us to overflowing so that we can spill out His love. That’s what He made us for. Keep David’s prayer close to you as a reminder.
“Let me hear of Your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to You. Rescue me from my enemies, Lord; I run to You to hide me. Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. For the glory of Your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of Your faithfulness, bring me out of this darkness.” Psalm 143:8-11
Prayer
Lord,
Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but I will trust in the name of the Lord my God. You are my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in You, and You help me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise You. I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.You hear me when I call on Your name and You renew my strength. I give You all the praise and glory. Amen!
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
Google Doc
Posted in Walking In Grace
Tagged with Jesus, Sickness, Loneliness, Fear, Doubt, Peter, Authority, Transformation, Protection, Prayer
Tagged with Jesus, Sickness, Loneliness, Fear, Doubt, Peter, Authority, Transformation, Protection, Prayer
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