Mark 6:45-51

"Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished." Mark 6:45-51

Kari Beougher

My Dad preached on this passage this past Sunday morning and I have been thinking about what he said ever since. This passage shows the disciples in the midst of a storm that seemed unrelenting, and how when the Lord came, they "supposed that it was a ghost" and "were utterly astonished." My Dad made the point that the disciples were not really expecting to see Jesus; they were not expecting His deliverance.
  
This realization was extremely convicting for me. How often do we, when experiencing what we feel is an unrelenting storm, confidently expect the Lord's presence and deliverance?  The disciples had just seen the Lord perform miracle after miracle; surely they would have believed in and recognized His power to do all things. They had already experienced the fact that "even the winds and the seas obey him."  And yet, how easy it is to be so caught in the midst of our circumstances that our perspective and focus are on the storm and not on the One in control of the storm.

Throughout life, when we feel we are "straining at the oars," may this passage remind us that the Lord always knows and always arrives at just the right time. May we be convinced of His power to deliver us and His faithfulness to provide what we need.

Power Source

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8, New American Standard Bible).

Recently, I have seen advertisements for power outlets that charge standard electric plugs and USB plugs. I thought that was brilliant. Of course, what is even more powerful is God's power. He is able to not only to forgive sins and to work within us, but also to work through us to share our faith in Him and to draw others around the world to Christ. He has the power to change us and others.

Where does our source of power, energy, and courage come from? How do we trust in God when life gets tough? Have you shared your power source with someone else this week?

God can draw others to Him through us. Once we are believers, we are given the Holy Spirit. By the Holy Spirit's power, He can work through us to share Him with a world in need of Him (see more verses on sharing Christ with the world here).

Lord, thank You for being our Savior King. Thank You, Father God, for sending Jesus to earth to live here among us, to sympathize with our temptations and yet live in purity, and to overcome sin by His sacrifice. Transform our hearts and lives, and help us share Your power with others this week. Amen.

Suggested extra reading: Ephesians 2:1-10

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).
Photo from www.geekalerts.com

The Holy Spirit gives us God's power to witness

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8, New American Standard Bible). 

The witness. Jars and vessels, like the basket jars pictured, are usually made to have something inside them. What is inside you? As believers, God has forgiven us of our sins and as He is transforming us from the inside out. The same God who transforms us also has the power to tell His story through us.

The power. In 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Paul explained his message was based on things He learned from God. We are saved by God's power, and the body of believers that have come to Him are a result of that power. We can praise God that others can be saved by God's power rather than our own wisdom.

The vessels. What is your story of God working in you? As followers of Christ we have a story, a testimony of what God has done in our life through His Son. 2 Corinthians 4:7 explains how we are like vessels and jars, since God works through us to bring others to Him. The origin and power of saving grace is from the Lord.

Lord, help us remember to share what You have done in our life with someone else. Help us depend on the power of the Holy Spirit to help us share our faith with others. Amen.

Above study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).
Photo of Williams Sonoma Vessel Jars found on seasidestyle.blogspot.com.

We ask for power

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you will be My witnesses both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria,
and even to the remotest part of the earth."
-Acts 1:8, New American Standard Bible

As Jesus was leaving the earth, He told His disciples to share the good news of His sovereign grace. He told the disciples they would not be alone in this. We may not physically see Jesus, God in flesh,  but we know that God sends the Holy Spirit to believers to guide us. The Holy Spirit has power, because the Spirit is a part of who God is. The thing about our own power is that it is not perfect or strong when we compare it to God's holy and almighty power.

Luke continues in Acts to explain how the Holy Spirit worked in the lives of disciples committed to sharing Jesus' message. In Acts 8:1b we can read, "And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." Acts 8:4-5 explains how Philip began sharing His faith, "Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them." In Acts 8:26-39, we can read how God led Philip to share who He was with a eunuch from Ethiopia. You see, God was making things happen. Word of Him and the power of His salvation was being spread across different peoples and communities. What He had instructed the apostles to do, to share His message with the world, was happening before their eyes as they trusted in His power to lead them and speak through them.

Lord, thanks for being there for us, and thank You for the transformation You make in people. Give us faith and power to reach out and share, to share who You are and Your love, to a world in need. Amen.

Devotion based on a guided prayer in the workbook, HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999)

Clip art "Dove in Glasswindow" by Stefanvon Halenbach (openclipart.com)

from a need to a change

"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us"  (1 John 1:5-10, ESV).

Lately, I have seen how I am not as strong as I would like to be - mentally, physically, and spiritually.  I can have trouble focusing, and the last mile that I try to add every two weeks to my runs, to train for a half-marathon, is my toughest.  Spiritually, my friends have been teaching me more about confession.  The thing is, is that I think confession really opens us up for growth in our relationship with God and with everyone you meet.  I think it helps to at least share how we have this deep need for a relationship with God.

It is a process, I think, to mature in our faith.  When we speak with others, we can know that we are neither perfect nor worthy to be in God's family, but that we are able to be a part of it because of Jesus' sacrifice for us.  We are weak by ourselves, but we are strong with God.  The Holy Spirit sanctifies us. 

My challenge for myself, and to any others, is to take time to remember how much we need God in our lives.  If we explain this need to others, then we could help each other grow closer to Him.  It is an everyday need that we all have, and we can praise God that He is strong enough for anything.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV). 

An old music video about change - "May Your Power Rest on Me"

Who cut in on you?

“You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the trust? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.” Galatians 5:7-8 (NIV)

I just love this verse. It always speaks to me. Sometimes I am great at accomplishing my goals but at other times, I just stop mid-stream. This verse hits the problem head on...what stopped me from running my race? Whoever or whatever it was, it wasn't the Lord. If He called me to do something, then I need to finish what I started.

I have to admit that I have a long list of things that need to be finished. I'm a good starter - sort of an apostle if you will - but I fall short of the completion part.

Right now, I admit that I blew it.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV

God is there for you and me when we blow it. He knows we are weak and cannot follow through on our own. He wants to be our strength and our power. Today, I'm focused on that. No matter who or what cut in on me, it wasn't as strong as God's power that is available.

Lord, help me to run the race that you have given me with your power.

the sound of music

My eyes were half open as I lunged with the bar. Halfway through a morning strength training class, I began to wonder why I had come. My instructor's words were encouraging, but her long intervals were definitely a challenge.

As I began to think about changing to a lower weight resistance, a familiar song on her playlist began to play. It is "Give Me Your Eyes," performed by Christian artist Brandon Heath.

As I listened, I began to pray to God, asking why this class was hard for me. I was reminded of the perseverance God loves to see in us. James explains it this way:

"As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered.
You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy."
-James 5:11 (New International Version)

Music can have great power. It can attract, inspire a feeling, and send a message. I think, in life, what message do I show when I play music with friends in the car? How does it move me? How could it move others?

My new instructor has painted a picture of how we can inspire others. I pray that I can use music for God's glory to tell of His love. King David expressed his love for God this way:

"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothe me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!"
-Psalm 30:11-12 (New Living Translation)