This Is
The Bible tells us in the Book of 2nd Corinthians 5:6-11,
So we are always of good courage; we know that while we are at home in
the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith and not by sight.
We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and
at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it
our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat
of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what
he has done in the body. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we
persuade men; but what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known
also to your conscience.
But what happens when we are faced with trials and tribulations in our
lives? Do we have good courage walking by faith and not by sight? Are we
trying to please the Lord knowing we are known to God? It’s easy to go
along for the ride, it gets tough when the going gets rough.
Mark 4:35-38
On that day when evening had come Jesus said to them, “Let
us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they
took Jesus with them, just as he was, in the boat. And other
boats were with Jesus. And a great storm of wind arose, and
the waves beat into the boat so that it was filling. But Jesus
was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke him
to say, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?”
In the newspaper it reads that more American military have been killed in
Iraq. Families will be waiting to see if it is their loved one they have read
about in the paper and if they will have to be planning a funeral for their
child they raised whose life may have ended defending the freedom of the
United States Of America. People are robbing people, there is death that
occurs and God only knows why it has to be this way? At times it is as if
the world is falling apart and nobody cares any further than the end of
their noses. The headlines read, “Issue of gay clergy puts focus on
church.” What issue is there?
I wonder what would we would feel like if all listened and obeyed the word
of God in our lives?
2nd Corinthians Chapter 5: 12-15
We are not commending ourselves to you, so that you may
be able to answer to those who pride themselves on a man’s
position and not on his heart. For if we are beside ourselves,
it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the
love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one
has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all,
that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for
him who for their sake died and was raised.
Sadly in life many take so much for granted and until they have been put on
their knees to look up and see God.
From the words of evangelist Billy Graham and his book titled “Life”,
Wisdom:
The Lord has arranged my life that I have had to keep dependent on Him.
Over and over again, I went to my knees and asked the Spirit of Wisdom
for guidance and direction. There were times when I was tempted to flee
from problems and pressures and my inability to cope with them; but
somehow, even in moments of confusion and indecision, it seemed I could
trace the steady hand of God’s sovereignty leading me on.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things
of earth will grow strangely dim in the midst of his glory and grace. For it
is only when we let go of our ego, our need to be in control that we are set
free and find we have an enormous amount of time and energy to serve
God. In my life when I have gone through trials and tribulations the hand
of God has always been there guiding me and I thank God daily that I
listened and paid attention to God in my life. I shutter to think what my life
could have been if I had not. To think as I take my last breath it is over, but
to know in my heart that the best is yet to come, for Jesus Christ is my
Lord and Savior.
Mark 4: 39-41
And Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,
“Peace! Be Still” And the wind ceased and there was a great
calm. Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no
faith?” And they were filled with awe, and said to one another,
“Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?”
There are four lessons we can learn from this morning’s scripture lesson:
1.) Storms came into Jesus life as storms have and shall continue to
come into our lives.
2.) We all have been there at some point in our lives. In the middle of a
crisis and we feel that God is taking a nap when we need Him the most.
God doesn’t appear to be very responsive to your need at the moment.
3.) The storm and the high winds will be stopped at the perfect time of the
storm when Jesus intervenes in God’s timing, not our timing.
Romans 5:6,
While we were yet helpless, at the right time Christ died for
the ungodly.
1 Peter 3:12,
For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears
are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against
those who do evil.
4.) It is only through the storm that we truly understand who Jesus is in
our life. The most amazing part of this morning’s scripture lesson is the
disciples reaction to Jesus as they went from wondering if Jesus even
cared about them to being filled with awe and wondering who is this that
the wind and the sea obeys His command? In Greek it literally says
ephobethesan phobon megan: “they feared with great fear.” They were
afraid of the wind and the high water before. It is one thing to be in the
rowboat of life facing fear but it is another thing to be in a jail cell with no
way out and be faced with the presence of God for all of a sudden your
knees become weak, you begin to tremble becoming short of breathe as
sweat beads upon you and all you can say is, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD
IT IS YOU.
It is at this moment in a person’s life when they have been literally scared
to death and don’t want to keep living the life style they are living, when
they truly see God in their presence that they proclaim the words of the
Psalmist,
Psalm 9:1-2
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of
all thy wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in thee; I will
sing praise to thy name O Most High.
For it is at that moment that you come to realize what has happened to
the demons in your life,
Psalm 9:3-6,
When thy enemies turned back, they stumbled and
perished before thee. For thou hast maintained my just
cause; thou hast sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
Thou hast rebuked the nations, thou hast destroyed the
wicked; thou hast blotted out their name forever and ever.
The year is 1995, in the words of Mother Teresa,
Be not afraid. God loves you and wants us to love one another as He loves
us. As miserable, weak and shameful as we are, He loves us with an
infinitely faithful love.
Psalm 9:7-9
But the Lord sits enthroned forever, he has established
his throne for judgment: and he judges the world with
righteousness, he judges the peoples with equity. The
Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in
time of trouble.
Our lives are spent on a journey crossing the lake and our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ calls us to forsake the security of the known shore, and saves
us from the fearsome storms that we will encounter along the way.
This is the day, this is the day that the Lord hath made, that the Lord hath
made. Let us rejoice, let us rejoice and be glad it, and be glad in it. This is
the day that the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. This is
the day; this is the day that the Lord hath made.
Let us pray,
Father God, this is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be
glad in it. And along the journey may we see your face, feel
your presence and know that wherever we may
be in the boat of life we need not fear
for you are with us and will
protect us in our
hour of need.
Amen
Image courtesy: Christians Unite
06252006JWM
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