Disneyland - you drive the car, you have the feeling of being in control, but actually the car is beingcontrolled by a track that determines exactly where you travel. Let’s talk about control. OswaldChambers, commenting on the apostle Paul, wrote: Paul was not given a message or a doctrine toproclaim, he was brought into a vivid, personal, overmastering relationship to Jesus Christ…He wasabsolutely Jesus Christ’s, he saw nothing else, he lived for nothing else.Who do you belong to? What or who controls you? Your time? Emotions? Resources? Energy? ..your thought life? One frequent struggle people face in following Jesus, is deciding who or what isin control of our lives… who or what is the determining factor in our decision-making process.
Maybe it is your job, you work hard because you want to please your boss and one day getpromoted your career. So you put all of your time and energy into being your best at work. Or perhaps it is family, the most importantthings in life to you are your loved ones – spouse, children, parents, friends. You would do anything for these people and you put themon the top of your list of priorities in life.
Although there are many important things in life, I believe the most significant crossroads in our Christian life, happens that day webegin the journey of surrendering control of “us” to our God. Isn’t it interesting how our culture tends to measure our worth by howmany people or personal assets we control …while Jesus measures our worth by how many people we serve and by how much of “us”he controls? Let’s look a scripture.
James 4:13-17
13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and thenvanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast and brag. All suchboasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
We are NOT in control …BUT GOD IS! Think of all the plans for tomorrow we make for ourselves and for those we love. Most of us are“take charge” people…seeking to control tomorrow, by being on top of things today. This scripture reminds us that to believe wedetermine the course of our lives, or the lives of anyone else…is a myth.
As Christians we are in process of learning that only God is in control…of everything …work, family, weather, health, life, ourpossessions, our future, our achievements. Because He is God, He refuses to be put into a position of being side by side with ourplans. God is God! What’s more…God has a way of leading us into circumstances that awaken us to this fact of life.
Think about it. Our lives are a mist…fragile, vulnerable. How easily all of our plans for tomorrow can be shattered by a shadow on an X-ray, a family member in trouble, a financial loss, a death… transforming into a cry of the soul: “God help me!”
So next time you think you are in control, think again.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
“Doing the Impossible”
Matt 14:25-32
25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26Whenthe disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and criedout in fear.27But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”28″Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come29″Come,” he said.Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But whenhe saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you arethe Son of God.”
The branch of the service called the “Seabees” had as their slogan during World War II, “If it’s difficult, it will take a day or two. If it’simpossible, it will take a little longer.”
When was the last time you attempted something that seemed humanly impossible? If you’re going to try to do the impossible, there willbe many who will tell you how you can’t do it. They know why you shouldn’t attempt the impossible and almost always they can giveadvice whether they know what they’re talking about or not.
Einstein could not speak until he was four years old and did not read until he was seven. Beethoven’s music teacher said about him, “Asa composer, he is hopeless.” When Thomas Edison was a young boy, his teachers said he was so stupid he could never learn anything.Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor because he was thought to have “no good ideas.” Caruso was told by one musicteacher, “You can’t sing. You have no voice at all.”
These are a few examples of people who have achieved great success in their lives despite the criticism of others. They refused to say, “Ican’t.” Those of us who follow Jesus need to always attempt the impossible no matter who opposes us.
Napoleon Hill said, “a burning desire is the starting point of all achievement.” If you and I have a burning desire to do the impossible, wehave begun to accomplish it. But since it’s spiritual we should not think we can do it in our strength or power. Peter says, “Lord, if it’s you,tell me to come to you on the water.” Simon didn’t start walking on the water until Jesus commanded him to “come.” Therefore, theimpossible was attempted only after Jesus gave the command and the strength to do so. But why did Peter decide to do somethingimpossible? Maybe Peter said, “I would rather be in the midst of a stormy sea walking with the Lord than in a boat without Him.” Are youwaiting to do something great for God? Waiting until it doesn’t take faith? Don’t stay in the boat. Verse 29 says “Come,” he said. ThenPeter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. Peter got out of the boat. Perhaps this is the hardest part.If you don’t get out of the boat, you can never walk on water. Doing what seems to be impossible can never be a reality unless we beginto move. Most of us haven’t gotten out of the boat to do something great for God. Why? Because we are already comfortable on stayinginside our boats.
So the lesson for us is that if you want to do something great for God, you need to get out of the boat and do something when God callsyou. In the tri-valley we need to be the one’s that will act and do something, not waiting in the boat with an excuse as to why we could not.
25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26Whenthe disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and criedout in fear.27But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”28″Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come29″Come,” he said.Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But whenhe saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you arethe Son of God.”
The branch of the service called the “Seabees” had as their slogan during World War II, “If it’s difficult, it will take a day or two. If it’simpossible, it will take a little longer.”
When was the last time you attempted something that seemed humanly impossible? If you’re going to try to do the impossible, there willbe many who will tell you how you can’t do it. They know why you shouldn’t attempt the impossible and almost always they can giveadvice whether they know what they’re talking about or not.
Einstein could not speak until he was four years old and did not read until he was seven. Beethoven’s music teacher said about him, “Asa composer, he is hopeless.” When Thomas Edison was a young boy, his teachers said he was so stupid he could never learn anything.Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor because he was thought to have “no good ideas.” Caruso was told by one musicteacher, “You can’t sing. You have no voice at all.”
These are a few examples of people who have achieved great success in their lives despite the criticism of others. They refused to say, “Ican’t.” Those of us who follow Jesus need to always attempt the impossible no matter who opposes us.
Napoleon Hill said, “a burning desire is the starting point of all achievement.” If you and I have a burning desire to do the impossible, wehave begun to accomplish it. But since it’s spiritual we should not think we can do it in our strength or power. Peter says, “Lord, if it’s you,tell me to come to you on the water.” Simon didn’t start walking on the water until Jesus commanded him to “come.” Therefore, theimpossible was attempted only after Jesus gave the command and the strength to do so. But why did Peter decide to do somethingimpossible? Maybe Peter said, “I would rather be in the midst of a stormy sea walking with the Lord than in a boat without Him.” Are youwaiting to do something great for God? Waiting until it doesn’t take faith? Don’t stay in the boat. Verse 29 says “Come,” he said. ThenPeter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. Peter got out of the boat. Perhaps this is the hardest part.If you don’t get out of the boat, you can never walk on water. Doing what seems to be impossible can never be a reality unless we beginto move. Most of us haven’t gotten out of the boat to do something great for God. Why? Because we are already comfortable on stayinginside our boats.
So the lesson for us is that if you want to do something great for God, you need to get out of the boat and do something when God callsyou. In the tri-valley we need to be the one’s that will act and do something, not waiting in the boat with an excuse as to why we could not.
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