Who are you trusting? That's a question I had to ask a pastor friend who called me this morning. He's going through a really difficult time in his life and at his church.
...It's easy to lose focus when you are in the middle of difficult days. It's easy to take your eyes off of God when men around you don't do what they should. It's easy to get discouraged when you feel things are out of control.
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When the leadership of your church or company doesn't do what they should it affects you. It causes fear, anxiety and confusion. When leadership of any organization is not doing what they should those in that organization lose focus and direction. They are focused on the problem and not God. They are focused on the leader and not God. When you take your eyes off of God and focus on man you WILL be fearful. Whenever I find myself losing focus, looking at the wrong things and not trusting God, I go back to Matthew 14. In this passage is a short story of an encounter with Jesus and Peter. What's crystal clear from the passage is that when we take our eyes off of God and focus on the problems around us we will get in trouble. Here's Peter's story and our story as well:
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Matthew 14:25-31- During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
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When I take my eyes off of the Lord I will be afraid of the things around me....the people around me and I will "begin to sink." It's a story that has real applications for us. No, we won't walk on water, but we will have to trust God when the storms around us are brewing. If you focus on the storm and not on God be aware....you are about to get wet.
2 comments:
Great post and great reminder... I needed that. Interestingly, I'm preaching on this passage this Sunday.
Kris, this is one of my favorite pictures of losing focus. I love these words, "but seeing the wind (who can do that?) he became afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out." Just that visual of losing his focus, letting fear come in caused him to sink. The really awesome thing to me were these words....Jesus reached out and caught him. He was that close and yet Peter was fearful. I wonder how often we do that?
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