spiritualsnippets.com

Seeing life's events in the light of God's Word.

Step Out (Of the Boat)

Matthew 14: 26-31 “And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”

Now that the Olympics is over, little children everywhere are asking their parents to sign them up for golf lessons, gymnastics—any and all sports represented for the last two weeks.

As someone who has at times tried to walk on curb or low wall, and fallen consistently, I wondered how these gymnasts learned to master walking on a balance beam. I was told they are taught to feel the beam with their feet and not to look down, but focus on something straight ahead. 

This reminded me of the Biblical story of Peter walking on the water. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to do it. 

I’m sure we could all tell stories of times we focused on Jesus and scripture—and times when we tried to do things on our own and things didn’t turn out so well.

When we are confused, discouraged, sad, or angry, we need to remember the story of Peter.

Step out (of the boat) in faith and keep our focus on Jesus.

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Aim for This

2 Corinthians 5:9- “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”

I visited with a friend, yesterday. Our conversation, in part, focused on our grandchildren. 

My friend told me that her grandsons continued to be as different as night and day. One is mischievous; the other always trying to be obedient and helpful.

I thought of the verse in second Corinthians. And then I remembered something similar that I heard on an Intentional Living broadcast—that being intentional (having that mindset at the beginning of each day) assures the results we want.

So, let’s make it our aim—just like my friend’s second grandson–to consciously ask Him to lead us in our daily walk. Let’s be intentional in focusing all day on actions, speech, and Godly principles that will please our Lord.

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Bringing Things Into Focus

2 Corinthians 5:7- “for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

 

For months my vision had become progressively worse until my world had taken on a hazy glow. Nothing was clear anymore. I consulted my ophthalmologist. Cataract surgery was in order.

I actually looked forward to it. The thought of a brighter world—maybe even a world free of the glasses I had worn since the sixth grade—was very appealing.

The process was streamlined, painless, and went off without complications. Within a few minutes, I was released from my foggy world. I was amazed—and thankful.

I think about the times when I fail to see clearly the actions I should take, the decisions I should make, when I wrestle with the “whys”. Those are the times I know that I must go to God’s Word. I need His healing for my “spiritual eyes”, bringing purpose and direction—a clear focus on what is important.

Some day, God has promised to reveal all things to us. But, in the present time, it is His Word that encourages and gives us insight into the future. Based on it, we can come before God with confidence in prayer, knowing that what we ask for aligns with His will as outlined in scripture.

So, go to His Word when you are having trouble seeing the path ahead, when you need someone to lead the way, when you are willing to surrender your own will to His, and just follow—when you’re willing to “…walk by faith, not by sight.”

Brenda

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