Devotion for January 3, 2015: And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” - Matthew 14:31 While Peter was literally drowning when Christ saved him, how often do you feel like you are drowning in your own life? When the bills come in at the end of the month, do you feel as though you are drowning? For those bills are, usually, a direct result of decisions we have made. During the month we decided that the new video game was more important than not. During the month we decided that eating out was more important than not. During the month we decided that our hobby was more important than saving. We spent and spent and spent and then at the end of the month we feel as if we are drowning. Instead of trusting in Christ and gaining our satisfaction and fulfillment from Him, we decided that other things were more important and more worthy of our money and our time… O you of little faith, why did you doubt Christ? When the computer and television become your best friends and life apart from them is difficult. When you spend more time watching reality shows than you spend with God, you have made your choice to walk away from Him. When you spend more time ‘surfing the web’ than you do reading your Bible, you have made your decision as to what is more important. When you focus all of your energies on the pleasure and satisfaction that these mind-numbing things provide instead of on Christ and His Word, you have already spoken as to where your heart is… O you of little faith. For you see, we love to get wrapped up in things that are not God. We love to say how boring church is and how dry and old the Bible is and so we try to fill that void within us with things, or with entertainment, or with hobbies. Instead of finding God in His word and in His sacraments, like Peter we take our eyes off of God. When Peter was focused on Jesus and listening to His voice, Peter was able to walk on water. But once he heard the wind and saw the waves, then Jesus was an afterthought and he began to sink. And the same is true with us. When we focus on Christ and do things His way, you would be surprised at the money, fulfillment, and lifestyle you can have. But when we take our eyes off of Christ and begin to focus on the world, and when we find fulfillment in stuff and in pleasure, then we too will be overcome by the ‘wind’ and the ‘waves’ around us and we will begin to sink. Yet, just like with Peter, Jesus stands ready calling out to you and grabbing your hand. Yes, when you begin to sink and you call out to God for help, for mercy, God does indeed help you. In fact, before you called out to Him, God had already worked everything out for your salvation. For God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to live the perfect life for you. Never focusing more on the world than on God. Never losing sight of His Father in heaven. Never giving in to the world and what the world wants. And Jesus came to die the innocent death. He came to die the death that was meant for you. He hung on the cross suffering hell itself so that you would not have to. And Christ came to rise again from the dead. He rose to show that sin, death, and hell have no dominion over Him. He rose to assure us that we too will rise. And now, through faith in all that Jesus has done, we have heaven waiting for us. Through faith in Christ we have the forgiveness of sins. And through faith in Jesus we know that when we follow His plan for us we will have all that we ever need… and then we have no reason to take our eyes off of Him. So the next time you feel as though you are sinking… call out to God. And immediately Jesus will reach out His hand to you. Prayer: Heavenly Father, while I often disobey and abandon You, thank You for sending Your Son to reach out for me so long as I have even a little bit of faith. Amen. Soli Deo Gloria!
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 02:45:14 +0000
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