January 22
Gen 44:1-45 | PS 18:37-50 | Prov 4:11-13 | Matt 14:13-36
C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity, “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms.” This sounds so good, so easy, and is emotionally stated by many when they first encounter Jesus, but, in reality this is a difficult process as we relinquish the reins of our life and hand them over to Jesus completely. Many state they trust Jesus completely, but if one reflects on their lives often they hand over morsels being unwilling to hand over control over the more important aspects of our day to day lives: our relationships, our jobs, our finances, our time, etc. The Christian must match his walk with his talk. It’s easy to speak forth what you want to do, what other Christians would expect you to do, it is another thing to live it when we are in the trenches of life, when we are pushed, when we are treated unfairly, when we are misrepresented, when others are not looking, etc. The Christian life hinges on what Jesus did for us on the cross which is once and done, the acceptance of which grants you freedom from sin and death, and then our learning to trust Him which is a lifelong process as we learn to align our thoughts and actions to Christ, allowing less of ourselves and more of the Holy Spirit to direct our lives.
The disciples had already committed to following Jesus. They believed who He was and gave up their professions, their reputations, everything, to follow Him, but, they still were learning to trust Him. We read in Matthew 14:15-17, “ That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.” “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered.“. Jesus then took the items and fed the 5000 men in addition to women and children. They were reluctant to fully trust Him. We then come to the event when the apostles were struggling on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus walked on the water, in 14:26-27, “When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!“ We fail to realize that Peter was the only one of the twelve willing to step out in faith, but when he saw the storm and the waves, placing his eyes on what was around Him rather than on Jesus he began to sink, and we read the rescue and the realization of those in the boat in 14:31-33, “Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.”
What will it take for us to realize and live like those who said, “You really are the Son of God!” David called God his shelter, his rock, his savior, etc. in Psalm 18. David was stretched. In the events surrounding Joseph, he was stretched. Joseph went through so much and it all began with the evil actions of his brothers, but these years of refining led Joseph to say in Genesis 45:5, “But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.” May we all learn that God is worthy of our full trust. May we realize that He is bigger than our circumstances. As we read in Hebrews 4:14-16, we have a High Priest, Jesus, who fully understands what we are going through having experienced it Himself when He walked the earth. Again, it is not a slight improvement which is needed, but a full surrender.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: