Boats

My Little Boat

/ pastorpete51 / 12 Comments

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” Mark 4:35

Once a year my wife and I pack our bags and prepare for vacation. In the weeks leading up to our trip we buy a few things, get our suitcases out and make arrangements for everything we can think of. Our excitement builds as we imagine weeks of unfettered schedules and new experiences. Jesus is inviting each of us to prepare, and to be ready for new things. But His challenge contains a phrase we may have missed, Jesus said “Let’s!”  That single word makes all the difference in our lives when we launch out to points unknown.

The “Let’s,” invitation of Jesus reminds me of a song we used to sing in Portuguese at our Brazilian church called, “Meu Barquinho,”. That title means “My Little Boat”, and my favorite part of the lyrics say, “Sail away with faith in Jesus, because this is the way we will see what beautiful things He will do, because with Him we will be secure.”

So, if your horizon seems forbidding and your boat seems so very small, remember that in your little boat travels the King of kings and the Captain of all ships. No matter the distance we have to travel or what storms we have to face, Jesus say’s “Let’s go!” because He plans to travel with us! Our Lord will never abandon our little boat and with Him we will be secure, and He will show us what beautiful things He can do!

Getting Back in the Boat With Jesus

/ pastorpete51 / 5 Comments

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Matthew 14:32 NKJV

This seemingly insignificant verse from Matthew’s gospel held a promise for me that I had overlooked till I desperately needed it. My mother was just 62 when she died of breast cancer and her passing left me feeling like I had been run over by a truck. The years struggling to rebuild our relationship, the prayers and the conversations were suddenly over. I felt as if I were locked in a room with barely enough air to breathe. I sleep walked through months of guilt and regret for what had never been. I had often thought about God challenging me as He had challenged Peter to get out of the boat. At other times I had been comforted knowing that just as Jesus had reached out his hand to save Peter He would take my hand in the middle of a crisis. But it was just as important for me to learn that Jesus wanted to help me back into the boat and restore calm when this storm had passed. I do not know how it happened but gradually light began shining in the dark places of my heart. I woke up to find that though I might never understand the why behind the pain, just knowing that God knew had become enough. Do you struggle to see God as more than just challenging or rescuing you? It is a wonderful surprise that waits when you realize that He is also delighted to help you back in the boat and calm the wind to a hush.

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Today is Not a Dry Run!

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Redeeming the time, because the days are evil       Ephesians 5:16 KJV

Quite a few years ago I had a friend whose favorite saying was, “Today is not a dry run.” It reminded me of when we visited Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. There we walked through the old shipyard where whaling ships were once built. We were shown how piece by piece the ancient ships were built; mostly by hand. In our Christian walk we sometimes think of ourselves as being in God’s shipyard; where He is slowly fashioning us and preparing us for the day when He will launch us on our maiden voyage. But in his letter to the Ephesian church Paul the apostle tells us something very different:

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil       Ephesians 5:16 KJV

Or as Toula’s mother tells her in the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding; “I gave you life so you could live!”

God has created us to live! In fact Jesus gave His own life so that we could live forever and forever includes today! Our moments and hours today are not just valuable because they are preparing us for the future. The greatest treasure we have is the moment we are living right now! Nothing will ever taste better than today’s Daily Bread. God’s plan for us isn’t that we would be safely locked inside a glass case for others to admire us, but that we would launch out into unknown seas, with our eyes on the North Star of His will. Today is not a dry run, We were made for more than the shipyard. God himself has built us to sail through both calm seas and storms. If Jesus is our pilot then He will guide us home.

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