In Mark 6 we read about the time when Jesus walked on water. His disciples were in a boat, straining at the oars, when they saw him walking on the lake. Thinking they saw a ghost, they were terrified and they cried out.
Verse 50 says, “…Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’”
Jesus didn’t want them to continue to be terrified, so he spoke out immediately. In exhorting them to be brave, he made two short statements–one in the positive, the other in the negative—that basically said the same thing. First, they should take courage. Second, they shouldn’t be afraid. The Bible, Old Testament and New, often urges us to put aside our fears and act courageously.
How do we do this? I think the key is that short, but important, sentence in between the two statements on bravery—“It is I.”
When we realize that Jesus is in our midst, fear quickly dissipates and courage springs forth! Any time you feel scared, put your trust in Jesus. He is the key to being brave.
The above photograph shows Buffalo Bills players kneeling to pray for an injured teammate. People all over the world are continuing to pray for Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who collapsed on the football field after making a tackle in last night’s NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest, and his heartbeat was restored on the field by medical personnel at the game. Then he was taken by ambulance to UC Medical Center, where, at this writing, he is sedated and in critical condition.
The crowd fell silent as Hamlin was receiving treatment on the field. Players for both teams were visibly distraught, some of them openly weeping and many sharing hugs. The game, which all of a sudden didn’t seem so important, was postponed by the NFL.
We occasionally get these blunt reminders that life is precious, and that, for any of us, it could end at any moment. We are awakened to the fact that we all have an appointment with the hereafter.
Then, with the passing of time, the crisis passes and life gets back to normal, at least for most people. In this case, the prayers will eventually subside and the kickoffs will resume. Most people will go back to the way they had been living before, pretending that life will go on indefinitely.
However, for a select few, this tragic event will have a lasting impression. No more will they take life for granted. They will give careful consideration to the fact that their days are numbered, and they will live their lives with more passion and purpose. They will look ahead to the time when they will face the hereafter. And, if they are wise, they will be ready to stand before God.
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”—Psalm 90:12.
“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”—Hebrews 9:27-28.
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”—John 14:6.
The arrival of a new year often leads people to examine their lives to see what changes they might like to see take place. Many people make resolutions about what they will do differently, whether it be eliminating a bad habit, adding something positive to their routine or accomplishing some worthwhile task. Some decisions may be relatively small, while others could bring major life-changes.
In Revelation 2, Jesus sent a message to the church in Ephesus, challenging them to make a change. He commended them for their hard work, their perseverance, their strong stand against wicked people and the fact that they had endured hardships for his name and had not grown weary.
However, the message Jesus had for the church was not entirely positive. In Rev.2:4-5 he says, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first…”
Jesus was not specific in what he meant by the first love that they had forsaken. Was it their love for God? Their love for each other? Their love for the poor? Their love for lost people? The church at Ephesus probably knew exactly what Jesus was talking about, but the Bible does not give us that detail. Perhaps Jesus was being intentionally vague here so that we future readers would consider all the possibilities of how Christian love should be expressed.
Are you loving God as much as you once did? If so, it will show in your actions. Do you love God enough to attend his church, or to talk to him in prayer or to read his Word? Do you love God enough to obey his commands and work toward building his kingdom?
Are you loving people as much as you once did? Are you deeply involved in the fellowship of your local congregation? Are you generous with your time and money? Do you make it a point to put yourself in situations where you can be a blessing to others? Are you quick to share your testimony or offer a much-needed word of encouragement?
All of these are important questions to ask, because there is a danger that our love will start to wane, just as it did in the church at Ephesus in the first century. Jesus said that they needed to love like they had in earlier times. They needed to repent and do the things they had done at first.
There are some Christians today who need to do the same. In the words of Waylon Jennings, “Maybe it’s time we got back to the basics of love!”
H. Cosman baptizes Grace Allen on December 25, 1898
Christmas is a time when many people who consider themselves Christians sing carols, exchange blessings with others and maybe even make a rare effort to attend a worship service. They seem to think that it’s an easy thing to follow Jesus. They couldn’t be more wrong!
Jesus certainly never said anything to make us think that following him would be easy. In Luke 9:23-24 we read—“Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.’”
A friend of mine says that she is dreaming of a white Christmas. However, if they run out of white she will drink the red!
Sadly, a lot of people turn to alcohol or other drugs during the holidays. Too often we hear of one type of tragedy or another that is connected to someone’s drunkenness. Make a wise decision this Christmas and stay sober!
“Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.”—Proverbs 23:31-32.
A cartoon showed two angels looking down at the earth from their position in heaven. One of them says, “I wonder why God pays so much attention to that particular planet?” The other angel answers, “I think it’s because he visited there once.”
John’s gospel begins with the account of God’s visit to earth. It says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (1:1).
The phrase “in the beginning” reminds us of how the Bible begins, with God creating the heavens and the earth. John connects the arrival of Jesus to God’s continuing creative work. Through Jesus God will bring spiritually dead people to life. Through Jesus God will create a family of believers. Through Jesus God will create a church where these believers can live in fellowship with each other and with God.
The “Word” obviously refers to Jesus. Jesus never had a beginning. He was always with God, and he indeed was God. Many cults, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons, try to deny the deity of Christ. Scripture, however, will not allow us to take that position. Jesus insisted that he and the Father were one. He said that if you have seen the Father, you have seen him. Verse 2 of this text says that Jesus made everything. If you made everything, that makes you God!
Verse 14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his swelling among us…” Jesus was to be called “Immanuel”, which means “God with us”. God chose to come to this earth so that he could identify with us. While he walked this earth, he got hot and cold, hungry and thirsty, tired and weary. He was tempted just as we are, but he never sinned. He willingly laid down his sinless life to pay the price for our sinful ones. Then he rose from the dead, proving that all his claims to divinity were true. And everyone who believes in the crucified and resurrected Jesus will not have to perish, but will have eternal life.
This passage from John 1 points out that we have a choice to make concerning Jesus. It says in vv.11-12, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Our choice is to either receive Jesus or not receive him. When Jesus first arrived on earth, some received him and some didn’t. The Jewish religious leaders, who should have been the first to receive Jesus, did not. King Herod certainly did not receive Jesus! But the shepherds who heard the good news did receive him. So did the wise men who travelled from far away to worship the newborn king.
The choice remains for us today to either receive Jesus or reject him. There is no third option. Those who receive him are allowed to become children of God. They enjoy the blessings of living in God’s family, not only in this life, but forever! Those who don’t receive him spend their entire lives, including eternity, outside of God’s family, and they suffer the awful consequences of their decision.
The most important decision you will ever make is to receive Jesus, God in the flesh, as your Lord and Savior. Believe in him! Confess that he is Lord! Turn from your sins! Be united with him in baptism! And continue to live for Jesus for the rest of your life! You will never regret your decision to receive Jesus!
As I write this, almost everyone I know is doing something to get ready for Christmas. They are buying gifts, shopping for food, planning family gatherings, and preparing for church and community events. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting ready for Christmas, but let’s also remember to get ready for Jesus.
The gospels point out that John the Baptist was sent to prepare people for the arrival of Jesus. John was the one that Isaiah predicted would come and prepare the way for the Lord so that all the people could see God’s salvation (Isaiah 40:3-5).
Chapter five of Luke’s gospel tells us how John prepared the way for Jesus. He began by preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (v.3). Those who wanted to get right with God must repent, which is always a prerequisite for baptism. And please take note of the fact that John’s baptism had to do with the forgiveness of sins. How could we say anything less about the baptism that Jesus would later preach!?
Not everyone who came to John to be baptized had the right motive. He called them a “brood of vipers”! It takes a lot of courage to begin your sermon by calling your audience a bunch of snakes! But he got their attention and pointed out to them that they needed to show by their actions that they truly had repented. It seems that they thought that they were in good standing with God because they were Abraham’s descendants (vv.7-9). Our spiritual heritage can be a good thing, but we must stand before God on the basis of our own faith. John’s teaching about repentance would serve to prepare people for Jesus, who also had quite a lot to say about that subject.
The crowd seemed to accept John’s message and asked specific questions about how they might show true repentance. He answered that they should share with those in need, avoid being greedy and be content with what they had (vv.10-14). Since Christmas has been so greatly commercialized, this time of year really puts our level of contentment to the test, doesn’t it?! Jesus would teach a lot about our attitude toward material possessions, so John’s teaching on these matters would help people get ready for Jesus.
People were quite impressed with John, and started wondering if he might be the Messiah that the Jewish people were expecting. He assured them that he was not. The power of Jesus’ message and ministry would be far beyond anything they had seen or heard from John! V.18 says, “And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.”
John did what he could to get people ready for Jesus. His message is still relevant today. We need to examine our lives see what we might need to do to prepare the way for Jesus to truly be the Lord of our lives. And we must try to prepare the way for others to get ready for Jesus also. Let’s get ready for Christmas, but let’s especially get ready for Jesus!
I walked out of a hospital recently and noticed that a helicopter was coming in for a rooftop landing, so I stopped to watch. I noticed that the pilot was being extremely cautious in his approach, and I remembered that there were strong winds blowing through the area that day. The pilot took note of the weather conditions and slowed down to ensure a safe landing.
Jesus was in a boat with his disciples when a storm came up. The disciples woke the sleeping Jesus and expressed concern for their lives. Luke 8:24-25 says, “…He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked his disciples…”
When the storms of life blow fiercely through our lives, it is easy to become fearful. In those times, we need to just slow down and put our faith in Jesus.
Arnold Billie was a rural mail carrier in southern New Jersey. For more than a quarter century his daily route took him sixty-three miles through two counties and five municipalities. Mr. Billie not only delivered the mail, he also brought personal service. Anything you could get at the post office you could get from Mr. Billie—stamps, money orders, and pickup service. All the customer had to do was to leave the flag up on the mailbox. One elderly woman had trouble starting her lawn mower, so when she wanted to use it, she left it by her mailbox and Mr. Billie would start it up when he arrived. Now that’s what I call service!
We Christians are called to serve our fellow humans in many and various ways. In doing so, we follow the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, who says in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Two men were once shoveling snow and ice off a concrete ramp at the entrance to a church building. One man almost fell on the slippery surface, prompting the other one to say, “Sinners stand on slippery ground, don’t they?” To which the first man replied, “Yes, and I don’t know how in the world they do it!”
It is indeed difficult to stand firm for the Lord in this sinful world in which we live, but it can be done. Rom. 5:1-2 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand…”
We can stand before God because we have been justified. What does the word “justified” mean? It has been said that it means “just as if I’d never sinned”. God looks at Christians as if they had never sinned. How can he do that? Because of our faith in the crucified and resurrected Jesus! Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins and the sins of the whole world. His resurrection proved that he was exactly who he said he was—the Savior of the world who has power over death itself! Rom. 4:25 says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
The fact that we have been justified through our faith in Jesus brings a tremendous change in our lives. For one thing, we Christians have a hope that others don’t have (Rom. 5:2). The word “hope” in the English language contains a degree of uncertainty. For example, when you were younger you might have hoped to receive a pony for a Christmas present, but you didn’t really think you would get it!
However, in the Greek language in which the New Testament was written, the word “hope” carries with it a certainty that what is hoped for will indeed be attained! We who place our hope in Jesus have an assurance that God’s promises to us will most certainly be fulfilled.
Furthermore, the hope that we have because we have been justified gives us the ability to glory, even in our sufferings (Rom.5:3). We know that God will see us through any and every difficult situation that life brings our way, and we understand that our passing through these trials will help us to become even stronger in our faith. A woman who had recently lost her husband was encouraged by her friends to attend a church dinner. She was reluctant to come, thinking that her sadness would put a damper on the occasion. But she came, and before long she was joining in the conversation and even joked with her friends, exclaiming at one point, “Two weeks ago I thought I would never laugh again!”
Finally, those who have been justified and are standing in grace are in a position to be filled with the love of God (Rom.5:5). The love that God pours into our hearts allows us to love him back in a way that non-believers could never do. That love also enables us to love other people with a supernatural, God-given love. Wouldn’t the world be a much better place if more people stood in the grace of God, showing the hope and joy and love that we all need to see?
Let’s stand firm in the grace that God has given us through his Son Jesus!
Jesustrek 