Mar

12

Lord, Pass Me By?

By Julie B Cosgrove | 1 Comment


Mark 6:47-48  And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.  And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night (about 3 AM) he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, . . . 

Why would Jesus mean to pass by his disciples?  Wouldn’t He want them to see Him so they would know He hadn’t abandoned them in their time of need? Perhaps because He knew what their reaction would be – they would be afraid instead of trusting in Him. That is exactly how they reacted.

” . . but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out,  for they all saw him and were terrified.” (vs 49)

It wasn’t “Thank you, Lord, for hearing our cries and coming to our rescue.”  The disciples were already in an anxious state trying to battle the sea and the waves that were defeating them. It was three in the morning. They were worn out, tired, probably cranky. In other words, they were not in the mindset to receive peace. 

Have you ever been in a stew like that? I have. It seems like a magnetic tornado of bad is swirling around me. Everything else that could go wrong seems attracted to me and sucked into the situation. The stress grows and grows. It is “Really? What could possibly happen next?”  In my struggle, I am relying on my own strengths, and not God’s. Frustration sets in.

Perhaps it is those times that God chooses to come to my rescue even if I don’t ask Him to do that.  He goes ahead while my head is bent to the pressures and calms the situation. He knows I just can’t ask Him to help me with whatever storm I am facing because of my mindset, but He also knows I can’t deal with it on my own (even though I, like the disciples, do not yet realize it).  Instead He handles it, then reveals He was right there all along.

But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded. (vs 50-51)

Would I, like the disciples, be afraid and astounded by His mighty power if He revealed it to me? No. not so much now, because He has come to my rescue, over and over again. But early on in my walk with Christ, probably. God knows our hearts and the amount of faith we can muster. He is always finding ways to increase that faith in Him. He meets us where we are. Often, it is only after the storm that I can see the part He played in calming it down, or calming me down. Then, and only then, can I look up and see His mighty Hand was in it after all. That’s when I stop and fall to my knees in relieved thanks and praise.  Several years back, there was a Christian song that spoke to that – “Sometimes He calms the storm - other times, He calms His child.”

Trust and letting go of control is a learning curve. Perhaps, someday, I’ll ace that test.

Mar

11

Just Feed ‘em

By Julie B Cosgrove | Leave a Comment


When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”  But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.”   Mark 6:34-37

The Feeding of the 5,000 is a familiar Bible story. With a peasant boy’s meager lunch, a multitude of people are fed with plenty left over.  Hundreds of thousands of sermons have been written on this miracle and thousands more have speculated how it happened. Some think that the boy was an example and that everyone began to follow his lead, producing food to share instead of horde from under their cloaks  – sort of a Biblical pay it forward. Whatever.

The point that struck me is what happened just before this miracle of the fish and loaves. Jesus had sent the disciples out two by two to do miraculous things. They cast out demons and healed people, spread the Gospel and probably baptized. That is why they attracted the multitude. Word got around. Now the people all converge upon them and after that wonderful series of sermons in Matthew’s recording, it is getting late.  What was the theme of a lot of those sermons? Serve and trust in God to provide because He loves each and every one of us. The disciples obviously were not listening. 

Aren’t we the same? Christ guides us, uses our hands and feet, and showers us with His grace. We absorb it all like a sponge. We can feel so useful and thankful to be used. We can even feel humbly empowered – for a while.  Then, another situation comes up and we run to Him. How can I handle this?His answer? “I have given you what you need. Don’t you think I will again. Just get out there and do it and trust in my provision. You feed them.”

I have to ask myself how many missed opportunities have I passed up while I questioned if I was capable of doing that for God?  How many times have I prayed for the strength, or the wisdom or the endurance that Christ has already given me?  I just need to tap into it again, realize He is the provider and get out there and serve, knowing He will never give me more than I can do with Him by my side.   I shouldn’t worry about where the fish and loaves will come from, or all the baskets to hold all of His abundance.  All I need to do is obey. Yes, easier said than done. 

Perhaps when Jesus told Peter before He ascended into Heaven to “feed my sheep”, Peter realized that He was alluding to that day on the mount when Christ provided for a multitude who were like sheep without a shepherd.  Maybe He was telling Peter, “I will provide all you need. You just get out there and do it.” And so Jesus would again, and again, and again for Peter.  Just as He will for you and for me.

Mar

11

Nothing But the Blood

By Jan Ross | Leave a Comment


We are so keen to others faults but oblivious to our own most times. Judging others seems to be a favorite pastime for many of us while we neglect the more needful thing of judging our own motives and actions against the Word of God.

“So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” (John 8:7)

Jesus knew that this woman was guilty, there was no doubt. Yet, her accusers were also guilty, maybe not of the same sin, but of other sinful acts and motives. He alone had the power to judge the intents of her accusers’ hearts, and He alone had the power to free her from the sentence of death dictated by the law.

We all deserve death, yet Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, stills the voice of our accuser and has freed us from our death sentence. The wounds He bore, the bruises He received, the chastisement He endured, the price He paid, the blood He shed, and the death He died have washed away our sin and set us free from the sentence of death of which we are so very deserving. What can wash away our sin? Nothing—nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Dear Lord, nothing but the blood of Jesus can cleanse me and make me  whole; nothing but the blood of Jesus can purify my heart. Oh, how precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know… nothing but the blood of Jesus. I thank you for the cleansing, saving, healing, delivering blood, the blood shed on Calvary for me. Amen.

© Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

Mar

10

I know He knows

By Julie B Cosgrove | Leave a Comment


And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. . . But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”  Mark 6:13, 16

In a way, Herod was right. His sin, lusting after his own niece, now his daughter and promising her anything, even the death of John, had caught up with him. He could no longer ignore it’s consequences in his conscience, try as he might. But, eventually the Truth would smack him in the face. Little did he know that in a few years, he’d make the most important decision of his life. He’d stand before Jesus and decide to acknowledge Him as Lord of All, or to condemn Him to death. Scared of the repercussions either way, he simply asked, “What is Truth?” and tried to wash his hands of the whole thing. But it haunted him. Deep down Herod knew that Jesus knew.

We are more like Herod than we care to admit. We think it is easier to ignore something we have done wrong, or perhaps said in the heat of a moment. We try to put it away in a box, hide it and just go on with our lives.Dealing with it is too painful or embarrassing. It will all smooth over. But it can still gnaw at our conscience. And sure enough, if we don’t confess and make amends, Jesus will bring it full circle and confront us with it.  Why?

For our own good. Like a splinter in our finger, that sin can irritate us.  Every time we tap our finger, it reminds us it is there. If we do not work to get it out, if we try to ignore it, it can fester.  Unconfessed sin blocks us from receiving God’s blessings in our lives. He loves us enough to bring us face to face with that sin and will help us dig it out so we can heal. Sure, it may be painful, but the alternative is more so. 

Let the Healer do His work in your life as we approach Easter. Then, His glorious death and resurrection will have new meaning. Unlke Herod, we will be able to embrace the Truth and be thankful.

Mar

10

Sincere or Insincere?

By Jan Ross | Leave a Comment


Abraham had received the promise from God years before He spoke as recorded in Genesis 17:1:  “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.“  In fact, so many years had passed that his faith was being challenged by the aging process of his own body as well as that of his wife.

Yet, we’re told in Romans 4:20 that Abraham “staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God“.

Abraham, well advanced in years, heard from God who tells him three things:

  • I am God
  • Walk before Me
  • Be thou perfect

If anything would make a man stagger, it would be the third phrase uttered by God . . . “Be thou perfect!” How can we be perfect? What does God really mean when He tells us to be perfect?

The word “perfect” actually speaks of “sincerity.” To be sincere, not to be masked or to present yourself as something you are not. In ancient times, when someone would go to the potter’s house to buy a clay vessel, they would take the vessel they chose and set it in the sun for a short period of time. The sun would soon reveal any cracks the potter may have tried to hide rendering it an “insincere” vessel—one that represents itself as whole when all the while it was a damaged vessel.

God wants us to be sincere, to be absolutely honest before Him. If there is a “crack” in our lives, He wants to be the Master Potter and repair it because any other repair job just won’t do. No other potter’s hands can do the work of the Master Potter.

Do you want to be whole and complete? Let the Master Potter mold you, make you, and repair you; let Him make you a vessel of honor unto Him, pure and blameless, whole and complete.  Sincere.  Perfect in His eyes.

Father, Master Potter, I present myself to you as a broken, crushed, and mutilated vessel, one that has been marred by the enemy. Make me new.  Mold me, reform me, repair me, and make me complete, sincere, and perfect in Your eyes. Father, whatever it takes, take me and do what needs to be done that I may be that perfect vessel of honor unto You. Amen.

© Jan Ross
All Rights Reserved

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