Living & Learning: In Our Storms

2008/11/11

In Our Storms

Sometimes life is like being on a rocky boat in a big storm. Here is an example of that.

Matthew 8:23-27

23And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
24And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
25And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
26And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
27But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Jesus could have prevented the storm from ever coming, but He didn't . He allowed the storm to come and and it showed His disciples their need for Him.

Our rocky boats show our need for Jesus as well. Often we only call out to Him when He is the only one who can help us.

It is also a time of testing to see if we will really trust Him. Can we depend on Him even when we do not understand what He is doing?

This came to me today because, it seems like we are in the middle of a storm. God is showing me to trust Him alone in these times, to rely on Him alone above all else or anyone else. So often I relied on people instead of going straight to my savior. Though He calls us to encourage one another and weep together and laugh together, and these things are wonderful; only He is always there, always faithful, always trustworthy. Noone should come above Him. He is my best friend.

He had to take me through some aches to engrave that on my heart. I must say it is a relief to not have expectations from people anymore. (that was always very selfish of me)

I am so blessed in my relationship with Jesus. With Him being such a good friend, I also want to be a good friend to Him. ( we love Him because He first loved us) It's not all about me, it's about Him....

Romans 12
1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In saying these things, I know I will also be tested in them yet again!

3 comments:

Margaret said...: Nancy ,
I don't know what your struggle is but I hope this will encourage you. I have this devotional and in it I read ...We must remember that when God seems to say no there is still a lot left, a lot to be thankful for, and a lot to do for Him. We should learn to say, "I don't understand why my dream hasn't come true, but thank God for all He's done for me any way."
Its a booklet called"Trusting God In All Seasons of Life."; 11/15/2008
Nancy said...: The storms I was talking about are in many areas around us... I have many people on my heart and this is where I need to keep trusting . If I pray for someone, I need to trust that it is now in God's hands and I don't have to fix it all myself. If people speak badly of me because of our faith in God, it may sometimes feel like a storm, but it isn't about me.; 11/16/2008
Nancy said...: Oh I would be interested in that book, thanks!; 11/16/2008

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Life saving Verses

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,—Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 6:23

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,—John 1:12

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.—John 3:16-17

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.—Ephesians 2:8-9

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”—Romans 10:9-13

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.—1 Peter 1:8-9

Saved By Grace

All of us are born sinful. People might do good things but we are not born good....because to be good would mean to be perfect, never breaking God's commands, always doing God's will. So first we have to acknowledge that we have all sinned. Then we can cry out to God for mercy and forgiveness and repentance. God has paid the price of sin through Jesus who died on the cross for our sins. If we believe in Jesus, confess our sins and turn from it, He will forgive us.The bible says to seek God and search for Him with your whole heart. If we do this and ask Him to fill us with the holy Spirit, He will and that gives us a new life. This is what it means to be born again. There is no other gift as great as the gift of the holy Spirit! We then will want the things of God. We will love God and He will become the most important thing.This does not mean now you will be perfect. This just means that God will teach you and show you day by day what he wants or does not want you to do. It will not make life easy, and there will still be temptations and mistakes. So we just have to continually pray and ask for His guidance.When a baby is born they need time to grow and learn . It does not happen all at once. The same thing when we are born again, we will grow each day, and become more like Jesus. God will show us bit by bit. Only God is able to do all this in our lives. .It is not the things we do that make us Christian, it is faith. We can not make ourselves Christians no matter how hard we try. By faith though he will bring us to Himself and we will want to live the way God wants us to and the things we are doing will often show that we are Christians. God will make us a light in the dark because of what he has done in our lives.

2008/11/11

In Our Storms

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