Focus on Jesus: Part 1

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Matthew 14:22-33. Let's pick up the passage in verse 28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Let's break this down and see what God is telling us through His Word. I want to do this in 3 parts since the passase is full of great truth for life application.

First you have to understand that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and is without error. We won't get into all of the different types of writings in the Bible, but this passage is an account of an actual event. So put away your fairy tales thoughts, if you had any, and realize that Peter, a mere man, walked on water, but only through the power given to him by Jesus Christ.

Peter first asks in verse 28, "Lord, if it is you". The reason he does not know it is Jesus is because Jesus sent the disciples ahead of Him as seen in Matthew 14:22-27. After he dismissed them, Jesus went on the mountain to pray, so the disciples were well on their journey when Jesus approached them on the water. I feel this is a very important point in the passage. We don't know the exact amount of time that went by, but we see that it had passed from evening to night and they were in their 4th watch. Roman military night watch was divided into four 3 hour shifts. The 4th shift would have been between 3:00 and 6:00 AM, meaning they could have been at sea for almost 9 hours. In John 6:19, we are given mileage instead of a timeframe. Knowing what we know about the Sea of Galilee, 13 miles long & 8 miles wide, they were probably right in the middle of the sea.

You are probaly asking why is he giving me a geography lesson. It's very important to know the diciples location because it shows the great power of God. First is the obvious, He is walking on water. But it's facinating to me that He knew right were to find them. Let me draw you to a couple key points: it's dark since we have found it was between 3:00 and 6:00 AM and there was a storm with high winds and big waves. So what? Ok, here's my point, YOU COULD NOT SEE A THING. It's not like it was clear blue skys in the middle of the day and could see for miles. Jesus, being God in the flesh knew because of His omniscience or all-knowing power. That is our great God. He always knows right where we are. No matter our circumstances or storms we are going through, God knows right where we are and He is always there. I pray that you will seek Him during these times.

Next time we will look more closely at Peter and his faith to walk on water.

CHRISTmas Challenge

I'm a couple of days behind on this challenge, but better late than never. Christmas is just around the corner, 40 days as of Monday until we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This challenge is actually from our Youth Director, but figured why not pass it along to everyone.

If you read my first blog then you may have noticed that I stated Jesus has only been Lord of my life for the past couple years. Well you may be wondering what changed. What changed was a multitude of things, but one of the most prominent was that I began to be in the Word on a regular basis. In 2009 I can say that I've read my Bible every day. Now with that said, it's not about me. It's about seeking God through His Word, yearning to know Him more. The Word of God is so inspiring, so captivating that it keeps you wanting to come back for more. I know most of you are thinking, are you kidding me, how can the Bible be that exciting. Well, that is part of the challenge. I challenge you to be in the Word for the next 38 days, seeking God during this CHRISTmas season instead of the material holiday season we have all come to know.

Ok then, where would I start? I recommend starting with one of the Gospels, but Luke would be great since it's the Christmas story. As you read, take your time, soak in what God is trying to tell you. If you really seek Him, he will speak to you, but you have to be listening.

1 Kings 19:11-12 And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

Guys, most of the time God speaks to us in this "low whisper" and if we aren't listening, we will miss it. If we take time to slow down this CHRISTmas season, focus on God and listen for His "low whisper" then we will find Him. Psalm 119:10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wnder from your commandments! Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. As you read, ask God to speak to you, to change you, and to motivate you. Psalm 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

Just one final thought. If you are currently in a relationship or married, what would happen if you never talked? How would you learn about each other? How do you think that relationship or marriage would be? The answer is simple, it wouldn't be very good. Most people think of Christianity as a "religion", but it's not, it's a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If we don't take the time to talk with Him, how can we expect the relatioship to grow.

So I ask you, WHY NOT NOW?

In His Holy Name,

Hutch

This past weekend I had the distinct privilege to speak at our church's youth group retreat. The topic of my message was on eternity and the inevitability of it. Sharing this truth is what prompted me to start a blog and since blogging is something I never thought I would do, I'm as surprised to be doing it as most of my friends would be to know that I was "preaching" this past Sunday.

If you knew me in high school or in college you are probably floored right now, so I'll briefly share how this came to pass. In 2002 I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and have been changed ever since. Now I've had my ups and downs since then and probably haven't been the greatest example of a Christian, but hope to share my passion for the Gospel that I've come to know over the past couple years. You see, accepting Jesus as your Savior is only the beginning. He wants to have a personal relationship with everyone and you get that through being in the Word and in Prayer, among other things that I will share in upcoming blogs. Once I grasped this amazing Truth, my life was radically transformed. You see he has been my Savior for the past 7 years, but has only been Lord of my life for the past couple. As mentioned before, he wants to be intimately involved in our lives so he can mold and shape us.

My hope and prayer for this blog is 3 things:

1) To encourage and challenge my fellow believers to be passionate about the Gospel.

2) To instill the importance and excitement of being in the Word daily.

3) To share the love of Jesus Christ to those that have yet to hear about him or accept Him as their personal Savior.

So let's saddle up and get ready for what I hope will be an amazing ride.

Until next time...

In Christ's Love,

Hutch