John 21:20-22 (NKJV)
20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved
following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said,
“Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”
21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”
22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
Peter asked Jesus how the apostle John would die. Jesus replied that
Peter shouldn’t concern himself with that by comparing himself with
John. Many times we have a tendency to compare our lives to others,
sometimes to rationalize our own level of devotion to Christ or even to
question God’s justice. But whatever the case, Jesus responds to us as he did to Peter: “What is that to you? You follow Me.”
Don’t worry about what everybody else is doing. Instead, focus on what
God has called you to do. The phrase, “You follow Me,” includes doing
what God has called you to do instead of judging, criticizing, or comparing what
everybody else is doing. Doing what God has called you to do is a success principle in the Kingdom of God.
Because we are "...fearfully and wonderfully made..." Psalm 139:141, there is a uniqueness to each of us. The only concern we should have is what God wants from us! Are we fulfilling our potential from God? Is the track we are on ours?
If we focus on us, we can improve our lives. Doing this would free us from a lot of stress! Go ahead, focus on you for a change!
Blessings,
Dr. Tim
Showing posts with label calm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label calm. Show all posts
Monday, August 4, 2014
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Rough Ride!
Today we were on the boat enjoying the lake. The sun was shining and boaters were everywhere. All of a sudden the sky started to darken, the wind began to get stronger, and the rain was coming across the lake like a curtain being drawn at the end of a Broadway play!
On the other side of the lake, several miles away, the sun was shining. I began to think,"If we go towards the sunshine, we can get out of the way of this storm." But, this storm was moving too fast and widening as it got closer. Whoooosh! Hard rain, huge waves, the boat was tossed to and fro, and worst of all, no visibility!
I slowed the boat and kept trying to move in the direction of the sun. The more we moved, the worse the storm became. Here we were in the middle of a large lake and struggling to find safety in the center of a thunder storm! My family was all huddled together and hanging on! Waiting for me to do something to get them out of this mess!
At this point, I was frustrated. There was literally nothing I could do. I slowed the boat even more and kept a watchful eye towards land. "Lord, we can't take much more of this," I prayed. "Will you ease this storm so that we can get back home?"
Several minutes went by. Then, the rain began to cease and the sun began to shine! "Home! I can see it!" Immediately, I pointed the boat towards home and continued until we were all safe. The trip back was eye opening. Several sailboats had capsized! We stopped to help those along our way to our safe haven.
As we docked the boat, I was reminded of a passage of scripture that I had read. It had just become a reality! That passage was Psalm 107:23-30. NKJV
"23Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, 24They see the works of the Lord, And His wonders in the deep. 25For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. 26They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble. 27They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits' end. 28Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. 29He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. 30Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven."
The storms in our life come upon us sometimes without warning. Sometimes, however, we see them coming but struggle to get out of their way. Either way, they still come! But what do we do when these situations overtake us? Most of the time we fight them or try to out smart them. Only to find ourselves frustrated with no answers or peaceful end in sight.
All the while, the One who can calm the storms in our life is standing by to still the waves and bring us peace and comfort. He is waiting for us to cry out to Him so that He can bring us out of our distresses.
As we walked up the dock toward the house, I watched everyone as they hurried to get inside and "freshen up." We all bore the marks of the storm...soaked, weary, and even somewhat disappointed. But we were safe!
Our life storms will sometimes leave us scarred and battered, and even at times capsize us. Nevertheless, as we place our trust in the Lord, we will arrive at our safe haven!
By the way, the weather will be nice next week. I think I'll go for a boat ride!
On the other side of the lake, several miles away, the sun was shining. I began to think,"If we go towards the sunshine, we can get out of the way of this storm." But, this storm was moving too fast and widening as it got closer. Whoooosh! Hard rain, huge waves, the boat was tossed to and fro, and worst of all, no visibility!
I slowed the boat and kept trying to move in the direction of the sun. The more we moved, the worse the storm became. Here we were in the middle of a large lake and struggling to find safety in the center of a thunder storm! My family was all huddled together and hanging on! Waiting for me to do something to get them out of this mess!
At this point, I was frustrated. There was literally nothing I could do. I slowed the boat even more and kept a watchful eye towards land. "Lord, we can't take much more of this," I prayed. "Will you ease this storm so that we can get back home?"
Several minutes went by. Then, the rain began to cease and the sun began to shine! "Home! I can see it!" Immediately, I pointed the boat towards home and continued until we were all safe. The trip back was eye opening. Several sailboats had capsized! We stopped to help those along our way to our safe haven.
As we docked the boat, I was reminded of a passage of scripture that I had read. It had just become a reality! That passage was Psalm 107:23-30. NKJV
"23Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, 24They see the works of the Lord, And His wonders in the deep. 25For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. 26They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble. 27They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits' end. 28Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. 29He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. 30Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven."
The storms in our life come upon us sometimes without warning. Sometimes, however, we see them coming but struggle to get out of their way. Either way, they still come! But what do we do when these situations overtake us? Most of the time we fight them or try to out smart them. Only to find ourselves frustrated with no answers or peaceful end in sight.
All the while, the One who can calm the storms in our life is standing by to still the waves and bring us peace and comfort. He is waiting for us to cry out to Him so that He can bring us out of our distresses.
As we walked up the dock toward the house, I watched everyone as they hurried to get inside and "freshen up." We all bore the marks of the storm...soaked, weary, and even somewhat disappointed. But we were safe!
Our life storms will sometimes leave us scarred and battered, and even at times capsize us. Nevertheless, as we place our trust in the Lord, we will arrive at our safe haven!
By the way, the weather will be nice next week. I think I'll go for a boat ride!
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