Waves

The Power of the Gospel

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For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16 ESV 

We often look at the telling of the story of Jesus’ life as if it were simply recounting one adventure after another. But when we look a bit deeper we discover that most of the Gospel is actually about the word of God revealed either through the teaching or ministry of Jesus.

John reminds us of this at the beginning of His account;  -In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God and The Word was God.   John 1:1

For example think of how the parable of the sower teaches us to be careful how we listen to God’s word. Jesus tells us that its transforming power only works when if enters our hearts in a way that changes our behavior and attitudes. Then directly afterward Jesus heads off in a boat with his disciples and He falls asleep after a long day. But as they begin to sail away into the sunset a terrible storm comes up and in desperation His disciples shake him awake crying out in fear. Then Jesus gets up and commands the wind and waves and – what do they do? – They immediately obey His word.

grayscale photo of body of waves

Photo by Matt Hardy on Pexels.com

Today it is no different. God’s power in our lives occurs not by our reading, listening to or even watching films about the Bible. It only takes root when it comes in power; so that our believing and receiving forms a living connection with Him. When we get truly connected to Him then proclaiming His word to others will become more and more a natural outflow. Maybe one part of God’s purpose in this moment when we are shut in has been to give us opportunity to connect in a deeper way with the true Gospel. If we will treasure this time, then both in the middle of the storm and when it is over; His Gospel will work in power both in our hearts and around us on little patch of earth.

Winning Over Anxiety

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I confess that in spite of my faith and many decades of experience that my biggest battle has been against anxiety. But I give thanks – though not at all for the stress – that during my lowest points I have put down my roots the deepest into my relationship with Jesus. I readily identify with Peter stepping out of the boat onto the waves. It seems that getting closer to Jesus always involves facing the storm. He is close by but to walk by His side requires trusting in practical terms His care in what appears to be impossible circumstance.

I have found that the secret is not just knowing about trusting Him at those moments but to truly and totally trust in His care. That is when His hand takes hold of mine and together we walk over the wave tops and back into the boat! Maybe that is why it was Peter who gives us the promise that in the very middle of our battle we can know the most that God really cares for us.

From Hope to Praise

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Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. Psalm 43:5

Have you ever been so down that you just couldn’t even sing even in church? You don’t need to feel alone because even King David the writer of the song book of the Bible, came to that place; and said so not once, not twice but three different times. David had bravely faced had Goliath and defeated him, but when he found himself hunted by his father-in-law and some of the same soldiers with whom he had fought beside in battle he became discouraged. Then his wife was taken from him and given to another man and he was separated from his best friend Jonathan and was forced to hide in the countryside. That was when he reminded himself that he would again praise God because all his hope came from Him. Yes, there are times when we as believers struggle to praise God. But God’s word gives us hope so that at those exact moments we can say, “Hold on! This is not the end! There is still hope! I will praise Him again!

Hope for the Soul