A number of years ago a friend and I were in his small boat on the Isle of Wight Bay at Ocean City, Maryland, when the boat’s engine sputtered and quit working just as a storm rolled across the waters. There we were, stranded on the water as the rain and wind began to make things quite interesting. Can I just say, a pretty terrifying moment, and it was a very comforting sight to see the Coast Guard coming to rescue us before we became fish bait.

In the Bible there is a story told in three of the four Gospels (the word gospel is the translation of the Greek noun euangelion which means “good news”) that is not unlike my story just told.

After a long and exciting day in which Jesus miraculously fed a very large crowd of people with five barley loaves and two small fish, He needed to get away to be alone to pray. He told to the disciples, who had just witnessed and participated in the mass feeding, to get into their boat and go to the other side of the lake, presumably to rest and pray as well. While crossing the lake they got caught in a bad storm, one that caused waves to crash onto their boat. In the darkness they saw what looked like a ghost walking on the water toward them. They were gripped with fear until this “ghost” spoke and told them that it was he, Jesus, who was coming toward them. In Matthew’s version of this story, Peter asks Jesus to confirm His identity and is then invited to get out of the boat and walk on the water toward Jesus.

Somehow, he musters up courage and steps out of the boat, takes a few steps on the water, then sees the wind and becomes afraid and begins to sink. Jesus reaches His hand to rescue Peter, questions him on his lack of faith, then they both get back into the boat. As soon as they did, the winds died down. Each of the stories gets a little divergent at this point – In Matthew, they “worshipped him;” in Mark, they were “completely amazed;” and John’s version, we will look at that below.

To read each of these stories; Matthew 14:22-36, Mark 6:45-56, and John 6:16-24.  

I believe that there are so many nuggets in this story, but I want us to look at just a few. First, even when we are being obedient to Jesus, we encounter hardships. The disciples obeyed Jesus by crossing the lake and they still encountered a storm. Second, Peter did what is humanly impossible, walking on water, when he kept his eyes on Jesus. Once he looked away, he began to sink. And lastly, I want to look at how this story ends in John’s version. In John 6:20-21 we read these words, “But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” Do you see that? When the disciples recognized Jesus’ voice and willingly surrendered to Him, their fear went away, and the boat reached its destination.

So, today, I hope the takeaway for you is… The disciples could have questioned Jesus as to why He allowed the storm in the first place or why He allowed Peter to sink, but instead they recognized that without the storm there would have been no walking on water, no faith to be tested, no faith to be trusted. A faith not tested is a faith not trusted!

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Think for a minute about the last time you went to your favorite clothing store to buy some new clothes. It might have been a long time ago, since with the pandemic, most stores have closed their dressing rooms. But, think back to that last time!

Let’s say you were looking for some new blue jeans. You picked out a few from the store shelves and headed to the dressing room. What was the first thing you did once you got into the dressing room? You put on the new jeans, right? Of course not. First you took off the jeans you were wearing and then you tried on the new ones. Simply pulling the new ones over the old ones, now that would be crazy, they just aren’t going to fit properly.

It would be foolish to try on new jeans simply by pulling them on over the old ones. You might be thinking, “Of course I would never do that.” But those of us that are followers of Jesus often try to fit the new life Jesus calls us to over our old life. And just like those new jeans, it will not fit, no matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you wiggle your hips.

In Ephesians 4:22-24 the apostle Paul is encouraging his readers (and us today) to be renewed in mind and to live according to the new nature that God us making, an image in God’s likeness. This renewing comes by the power of the Holy Spirit when we submit our will to His. Here is what we read – “You were taught, with regard to your former self, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitudes of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

I think these verses tell us three things about this new self, this new nature. First, we are to completely discard the old self; put off the old self. The Greek word used here means “to lay aside.” He calls us to lay aside those old jeans, no matter how much we like them. Second, Paul calls us to a radical reorientation in both mind and spirit (made new in attitude). And lastly, this nature we have in Christ is completely new, not refurnished. Our old jeans are not to be patched or sewn; instead, they are thrown away and replaced by a brand new pair. Paul says that righteousness and holiness, which are qualities of God, are reproduced in his genuine worshippers. (In this context, “holiness” is free from contamination. This particular meaning is only found two places in the NT; here and Luke 1:75.)

This new self can only come under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We play a part in laying aside the old self, but without the Spirit’s transforming power, we are unable to change ourselves. David knew this — after being confronted by the prophet Nathan calling David to repentance after his adulteress affair and coverup, David cried out to God: “Create in me a clean (pure; as in not dirty) heart, O God, and renew a right spirit (new self) in me” (Psalm 51:10).

This new self is a new identity; one given to us by Jesus.

So, today I ask you – What “old jeans” do you need take off that are holding you back from being the person God is desiring to make you into?

Dear Father, please put Your finger on those areas in our lives that are old and need to be made new. Help us throw off those things and in the process make us more like You. Amen

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“You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.” Winston S. Churchill

If you are like me, your well-intentioned and well-planned daily schedule often gets sidetracked. Your child wakes up at 3 a.m. with a stomach ache. You get up in the morning and walk into the bathroom barefooted only to step in water that has leaked from the toilet. You get to work with a busy day ahead, only to find it just got busier after finding out that the boss has made commitments of your time that were never communicated to you.

Some of the people and things that cause a change in plans are important and need tended to while others are really just distractions that will keep you from accomplishing what you set out to do. And let’s be honest, some are nothing more than procrastinations; things you really do not want to do, so you push them off.

We so often, at least me, get sidetracked, and then wonder why we never get to our destination. It is really no different when we are doing the work of the Lord. Satan often puts people, things, or events in our path to trip us up, slow us down, distract us, sidetrack us, keep us from accomplishing His goal of sharing the Good News. It doesn’t take much imagination to come up with a list of “distractions” from the past weeks and months.

Let’s look at one such incident, one that tells a story of opposition to God’s plan and the repeated efforts to distract the person who was doing the work of God.

In Nehemiah Chapter 6, we see an interaction between Nehemiah and outsiders as they tried to distract him from building the protective wall around Jerusalem. The city wall had been destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 25) and Jerusalem remained wall-less for almost a century and a half. Without a wall, the Jews in Jerusalem were defenseless against their enemies. Without the ways you show people Jesus, they too are defenseless against Satan’s lies and attacks. 

Verses 1 and 2 tell us the enemy knew Nehemiah was building a rock solid wall around the city and tried to entice him to pause that work for a short time and meet two men for coffee in a neutral location, no strings attached, just some friendly chatter. Sound familiar? The enemy doesn’t always come looking like the grim reaper; he often comes looking harmless.

Or maybe even as family, friends, or co-workers. Doing God’s work is often lonely. But in that work, we have a Friend who helps us, guides us, instructs us, and loves us. We all come down off the wall from time to time, it is inevitable. So, don’t beat yourself up. Repent and ask for strength, and climb back up the ladder, grab your hammer again and get back to building.

Here is how Nehemiah responded when Sanballar and his buddy Geshem (two of Nehemiah’s biggest antagonists) invited him to a coffee and blueberry muffin break. In v.3 we read- “And I sent messengers to them saying, ‘I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?’”

They kept at it. The text tells us the two dudes were relentless, asking Nehemiah five times. Undoubtedly Nehemiah was probably worn down but each time, he rebuked their request (temptation). We have to be intentional in our unwillingness to “come down off the wall” and be sidetracked by the crafty serpent, often dressed in pretty clothes and smelling of sweet fragrance.

I encourage you to read story this in context, all of Nehemiah 6.

Don’t come down off the wall, and certainly, don’t throw stones at every dog that barks.

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Our lives are guided by what is and is not acceptable behavior. These cultural norms are the standards we live by. They are the shared expectations that guide the behavior of people within social groups. How you interact with a co-worker of the opposite sex is different from how you interact with your spouse, or at least it should be. Americans view eye contact during conversation as polite and appropriate whereas in some cultures eye contact is seen as disrespectful and inappropriate. Shaking hands and hugging, things that have generally been viewed in this country as acceptable, are right now, with social distancing, no longer seen as an acceptable way to interact with someone.    

In the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5-7, Jesus lays out what is expected of those who follow Him; the recipe if you will for Christian behavior. At the beginning of this discourse, Jesus offers eight blessings, known as the Beatitudes. Each one contains both a condition and a result.

The theological concept of being blessed goes back to the beginning. God created us to be blessed, to be the recipients of His favor and steadfast love, and to live in that attitude as we participate in the care and cultivation of His creation. We know from the creation story that after God created mankind in His own image, He blessed them. (see Genesis 1:27-28) But in the Fall, mankind forfeited this blessing. The storyline of redemption involves the re-establishment of God’s blessing upon those who put their faith in Him, through His son Jesus.

Let’s look at the first beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

In my opinion, being “poor in spirit” is a fundamental condition for being a follower of Jesus. Those who are poor in terms of material wealth are deeply aware of what they are lacking. Poor people know they are poor. Similarly, those who are truly poor in spirit are aware of what they are lacking spiritually. The poor in spirit are aware of their utter need for God. And once we are aware, and acknowledge our need for God, we are willing to open ourselves up to Him.  

The “kingdom of heaven” means God’s sovereignty; or in other words, His reign and rule on earth. So, the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. It is they who enjoy Messiah’s reign and His blessings when they accept His rule and participate in the life of the kingdom. 

We need to admit that it is more of God we need, not more of us. We need to empty our cup filled of us and re-fill it with God. Robyn likes to say – “We must continually empty ourselves, of ourselves, in order to be filled with God.”

So, I ask you – Who is your cup filled with?  

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Do you ever wake up in the morning feeling like you were in a wrestling match during the night? You laid in bed all night tossing and turning, worrying about the stuff of life. You wake up feeling more tired than when you went to bed. We all face challenges in life, and whether it is financial, physical, relational, vocational, medical, or emotional, not one of us is exempt from the bumps and bruises in life. Sometimes those bumps and bruises only cause a minor sore spot, other times the broken bone is sticking out of your leg.

Many times, both in the little skin bruises and the major bone breaks, we find ourselves in stress overload, and in the darkness of night, those issues often seem worse. Have you ever felt like that? Or maybe you feel as if you simply cannot get away from your hurts and pains, or worries and fears, and there is no place to rest your weary and worn down body and soul. Usually sitting in a quiet place on your porch while reading a good book and listening to the birds calms your spirit, but right now, not even that soothes your soul.

First, let me say that I am in no way diminishing any struggles you might be facing, whether they be big or small. Now let me also say that we have a God who is both interested in your bumps and bruises AND who can also care for those bumps and bruises. In the secular world we often talk of people who have either responsibility but not authority or authority but no responsibility. Well, God has both!

So, I ask you – Are you stressed, worried or burdened? If that is you, then today, and every day, wherever you are, whatever you are facing, Jesus invites you to a place of rest. A place that is immeasurably better than that quirt place on your porch. We find these comforting and inviting words in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” He goes on in verse 29 to promise us that we will “find rest for our souls” when we come to Him. And this is not a one-time offer; it is an offer with no expiration date and one that allows you to use it over and over again.

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I remember growing up listening to my dad, a staunch conservative, discussing politics, religion, sports, life, with our next door neighbor, who tended to be liberal in his views. These two men, who would go on to be lifelong friends, apparently did not see eye to eye on much. I remember overhearing their discussions, their disagreements, often heated, but never personal. There was no name calling, no bullying, no interruptions, no put downs. They dialogued, they listened to one another, they debated, and likely, in the end, they just agreed to disagree. Afterwards, they had a beer together.

It seems that these days, from backyards to national stages, discussion and the differing of opinions has turned from dialogue to diatribe. No longer is it good enough to simply discuss the issues, but rather, what is commonplace these days is to verbally (and yes, sometimes even physically) attack one other rather than discuss and debate both the issues we agree upon and those on which we disagree. No longer do we agree to disagree, instead we infer, sometimes outright stating, “I am right, you are dead wrong, my ears are closed to hearing what you have to say, and until you see it my way, you will continue be wrong.”

Last week I wrote about becoming a bridge builder, being someone who unites what is divided. In that post, I stated that if you are a Jesus-follower (and I am), you are called to be a peacemaker. I encourage you to read that post if you have not already done so (click here).

Today, I want to look at what the Bible instructs regarding the words, the tone, the language, that comes out of our mouths. How are we to talk to one another, both in our loving conversations and our heated debates?

In my opinion, a good place to start is found in Ephesians 4:29 – “Do not let any unwholesome (Greek: rotten, putrid) talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” The KJV puts it this way; to minister grace unto the hearers.

In Colossians 4:6 we find these words – “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.”

Let’s look at Proverbs 15:1 – “A soft (gentle, tender) answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Notice that none of these three verses say that we must agree with one another 100% of the time. But they do all instruct us to talk in such a manner as to never cause harm, to never tear someone down, to never attack another person’s character or insult them in any way. Kindness, even in the heat of battle, is sweeter than honey. “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body” (Proverbs 16:24).

What if we all prayed this before we open our mouths, no matter what the situation, no matter whether the discussion will be easy or hard – “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

If we all did that, just imagine the difference it could have! If we just allow the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to guide our words, even in the midst that next dialogue in which you and someone don’t see eye to eye.

Let’s move from verbally attacking each other to a place of dialogue and discussion, maybe in the end simply agreeing to disagree. Then, let’s go have a beer together! 

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