November 9th, 2016 - Thoughts for your Week
Scripture Verse
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Matthew 14: 25-32
Are you the catcher?
For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right
hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Isaiah
41:13
The walk with Jesus is not an easy one. Even his disciples who walked
beside Him struggled often, in the little things and in the biggest things. In
our society we are easily distracted and often attempting to walk this path on
our own merits, with everything in “our” control, even when it doesn’t really
work for us all that well.
But God wants us to live each day with Him in our minds, with our eyes on Him for
each step, choice, and thought throughout our day. And if we do this, then we
will be walking in His will; we will be accomplishing what He wants us to
accomplish, we will have relationship with who He wants us to have relationship
with. And when we walk in His will, we will have His joy and peace. We will be
fully satisfied. We will be carried through every situation that arises in our
lives - no matter how joyous or how heartbreaking.
Henri Nouwen shared an analogy he discovered while watching a trapeze artist at
a circus…
“Notice, they said, how the catching is accomplished solely by the catcher. The one who
throws herself into space must not try to catch the catcher, but simply extend
her arms and allow the catcher to grab her by the wrists. Henri felt that
this image captured the essence of our relationship with God. In the spiritual
journey, we must throw ourselves toward God and then trust that God will catch
us. If, out of anxiety, we try to catch God or to control how God should catch
us, we may fall.”
Are you complicating the gospel in your own life? Are you trying to be
the catcher when God calls you to simply reach out your arms and be caught by
Him? There is so much mercy in the simplicity of it. God says; "Be with
me. Look to me. Come to me." Will you relinquish your control to Him and let yourself be caught?
The LORD
directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their
lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them
by the hand.
Psalm
37:23-24
The LORD helps the fallen and lifts those bent
beneath their loads. The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them
their food as they need it. When you open your hand, you satisfy the
hunger and thirst of every living thing.
Psalm 145:14-16
You have made a wide path for my feet to
keep them from slipping.
2 Samuel 22:37
I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in
straight paths. When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you
won’t stumble. Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard
them, for they are the key to life.
Proverbs 4:11-13
We are pressured in every way but not crushed;
we are perplexed but not in despair, we are persecuted but not
abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. We always carry the death
of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our
body.
2 Corinthians 4:8-10
November 9th, 2016 - Thoughts for your Week
Scripture Verse
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Matthew 14: 25-32
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Matthew 14: 25-32
Are you the catcher?
For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right
hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Isaiah
41:13
The walk with Jesus is not an easy one. Even his disciples who walked
beside Him struggled often, in the little things and in the biggest things. In
our society we are easily distracted and often attempting to walk this path on
our own merits, with everything in “our” control, even when it doesn’t really
work for us all that well.
But God wants us to live each day with Him in our minds, with our eyes on Him for
each step, choice, and thought throughout our day. And if we do this, then we
will be walking in His will; we will be accomplishing what He wants us to
accomplish, we will have relationship with who He wants us to have relationship
with. And when we walk in His will, we will have His joy and peace. We will be
fully satisfied. We will be carried through every situation that arises in our
lives - no matter how joyous or how heartbreaking.
Henri Nouwen shared an analogy he discovered while watching a trapeze artist at
a circus…
“Notice, they said, how the catching is accomplished solely by the catcher. The one who
throws herself into space must not try to catch the catcher, but simply extend
her arms and allow the catcher to grab her by the wrists. Henri felt that
this image captured the essence of our relationship with God. In the spiritual
journey, we must throw ourselves toward God and then trust that God will catch
us. If, out of anxiety, we try to catch God or to control how God should catch
us, we may fall.”
Are you complicating the gospel in your own life? Are you trying to be
the catcher when God calls you to simply reach out your arms and be caught by
Him? There is so much mercy in the simplicity of it. God says; "Be with
me. Look to me. Come to me." Will you relinquish your control to Him and let yourself be caught?
The LORD
directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their
lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them
by the hand.
Psalm
37:23-24
The LORD helps the fallen and lifts those bent
beneath their loads. The eyes of all look to you in hope; you give them
their food as they need it. When you open your hand, you satisfy the
hunger and thirst of every living thing.
Psalm 145:14-16
You have made a wide path for my feet to
keep them from slipping.
2 Samuel 22:37
I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in
straight paths. When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you
won’t stumble. Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard
them, for they are the key to life.
Proverbs 4:11-13
We are pressured in every way but not crushed;
we are perplexed but not in despair, we are persecuted but not
abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. We always carry the death
of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our
body.
2 Corinthians 4:8-10
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