Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a video of the lyrics sung by Phillips, Craig and Dean, singing the popular Christian song… All Is Well, declaring the truth that in our relationship with Christ, most certainly all is well!
Highlight Passage Matthew 8: 23-24 [NKJV] …
23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
… The disciples just didn’t get it yet … that they were in the storm with Messiah in their boat. [Story also found in Mark 4: 35-41 and Luke 8: 22-25]
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Highlight Context - Matthew, Chapter 8 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Disciples had seen Jesus cleanse a leper [v. 1-4], heal a Centurion’s servant [v. 5-13] and Peter’s mother-in-law [v. 14-15], as well as many demon-possessed [v. 16-17]; and yet they needed to see Jesus calm the storm to begin to see that Jesus was truly the Son of God [v. 23-27].
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Reference Passage #1 - Proverbs 3: 5-6 [NKJV] …
5 Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on our own understanding. 6 In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
… Solomon knew the truth, … yet even he had trouble living it out.
Reference Passage #2 - Matthew 14: 22-33 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Another lesson in faith on the sea for the Disciples … Jesus walks on the waters of the storm.
Reference Passage #3 - Romans 8: 28 [NKJV] …
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
… We, born-again Christians, profess to know this truth. Yet, do we live it?!!
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Cindy Hess Kasper, referred her readers (me) to the story, from Matthew, Chapter 8, of Jesus taking the Disciples out on a boat, which encountered a horrible storm (see attached image); and then Jesus was awakened from a nap in the storm by the frightened Disciples; and He, their unrecognized Messiah, calmed the storm.
Yet, … even hearing their Lord preach the sermon on the mount (see Matthew 5-7) and then seeing Him perform cleansing and healing miracles (see link to Matthew 8 above) as well as to calm the storm with a wave of His hand, in disbelief they said, “Who can this be?” And we know from the rest of the Gospels that the Disciples, even after many, many other lessons of faith, like the feeding of the thousands with a few fishes/loaves, Jesus walking on the waters of another storm, and many others, … they still had trouble “getting it,” until after they saw Him alive after His death at Calvary.
And aren’t we the same way?
Yes, … even those of us who’ve had enough faith to surrender, repent of our sins, and believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, when we’re faced with a bad storm in life, many of us have trouble believing AND LIVING in God’s truth - for example Proverbs 3: 5-6 and Romans 8: 28, copied above.
When are we going to get it? And when are we going live in faith, knowing that God is always in our boat of life with us; and He can calm any storm with our faith in Him as LORD and MESSIAH? I pray soon; because from where I see the world going, we’re going to need that kind of faith.
My Prayer Today: Oh Lord, calm our storms; and give us the faith to trust in You … no matter what storm we face. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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