12
Feb '19
Jesus Reached Out
12
Feb '19
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (Matthew 14:31)
Sometimes life gets busy—classes are hard, work is exhausting, the bathroom needs to be cleaned, and a coffee date is on the day’s schedule. It gets to the point where I force myself to read the Bible for a few minutes a day and tell myself I’ll spend more time with God next week. But it doesn’t take long before I’m distracted, drowning in the day’s tasks, and forget to ask God for help of any kind.
When Peter was walking on water toward Jesus, he quickly became distracted by the wind and waves. Like me, he began to sink (Matthew 14:29–30). But as soon as Peter cried out, “immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him” (vv. 30–31).
I often feel as if I have to make it up to God after being so busy and distracted that I lose sight of Him. But that’s not how God works. As soon as we turn to Him for help, Jesus reaches out without hesitation.
When we’re unsettled by the chaos of life, it’s easy to forget that God is standing in the middle of the storm with us. Jesus asked Peter, “Why did you doubt?” (v. 31). No matter what we’re going through, He is there. He is here. Next to us at that moment, in this moment, ready to reach out and rescue us.
Lord, help me to turn to You in the midst of my busyness and life’s distractions. Thank You for always being here, ready to catch me. Amen.
Today I am reminded that God is waiting for us to turn to Him so He can reach out and help. It’s not about “having” time it’s about making time, make time for what truly matters.
Have a beautiful and uplifting day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is 1 John 3:18
26
Jun '18
Telling Time
26
Jun '18
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:16)
“Westerners have watches. Africans have time.” So said Os Guinness, quoting an African proverb in his book Impossible People. That caused me to ponder the times I have responded to a request with, “I don’t have time.” I thought about the tyranny of the urgent and how schedules and deadlines dominate my life.
Moses prayed in Psalm 90, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (v. 12). And Paul wrote, “See then that ye walk circumspectly . . . Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15–16).
I suspect that Paul and Moses would agree that our wise use of time isn’t just a matter of clock-watching. The situation may call for us to keep a tight schedule—or it may compel us to give someone an extended gift of our time.
We have but a brief moment to make a difference for Christ in our world, and we need to maximize that opportunity. That may mean ignoring our watches and planners for a while as we show Christ’s patient love to those He brings into our lives.
As we live in the strength and grace of the timeless Christ, we impact our time for eternity.
Father, You have given us all the time we need to accomplish what You have given us to do. May we use our time in ways that honor You. Amen.
When I read this it blessed me. So often we miss opportunities God places in our lives because we “don’t have time”. Today, let’s take a moment and maximize an opportunity to make time for someone in need. Time management is not about clock-watching, it’s about making the most of the time we have. I know I needed this reminder today, Thank You Lord!
Have a beautiful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is James 1:5