Lifeline Evangelistic Ministry: 2/26/12

Monday, February 27, 2012

Getting Above it All

Matthew 14:27-29

King James Version (KJV)

²⁷But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

²⁸And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

²⁹And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

Getting Above It All

The passage above was the guiding scripture for our Fellowship Evangelistic Conference last Friday and Saturday. I am grateful for those who attended, participated and shared in all aspects of the event.

One of the many key thoughts that came out of this encouragement experience was the idea of rising above. Jesus called Peter out into the storm to walk on the water. Not to calm the water, not to stop the storm, but in the midst of it all, walk on the water.

Our Pastor spoke yesterday about how Jesus can hide us in the eye of the storm. If you're unfamiliar with hurricanes, it's both frightening and awe inspiring to experience the passing of the eye of the storm. Battling winds rage all around, but in the eye, it's peaceful, sunny, quiet.

But, unlike those natural monsters, where the eye only lingers for moments, Jesus can hide us in a eye that lasts as long as the storm rages. All the while, encouraging us to come up above the storm and walk right on top of it.

It boggles the mind to think that in the middle of drowning in debt, or being battered and bruised by unemployment, or the siphoning affects of a wayward spouse, child, a dying parent, or some otherunconscionable situation, we can walk on our storm.

And yet, we can.

Jesus was (and is) the master of speaking to us where we are, but He never comes down to our level. He always calls us up. That was His challenge 2000 years ago, and it is His challenge to us now. Rise above the mundane, the unimaginable, the unbearable. Rise above the waves. Don't worry about the winds, but instead, look to Jesus and follow Him. In His presence is peace, joy, and comfort. A wise man once said that peace isn't the absence of war, but it is the presence of God. Let the war rage. Follow Jesus.

There is peace, even in our storms, but it requires trust. No matter what the situation is, look to Jesus and follow Him. When He says 'Come.' don't hesitate. He never calls us to anything that He is not willing to go through with us, and where He hasn't already been. The only one who has gone to actual Hell and back isn't afraid of the personal Hell's we face as we walk through life. He has a hand outstretched and He's saying, Come.

Whether to salvation for the first time, or to a calling for an umpteenth time, the time is now to Come.

And at Fellowship, we'll walk with you as you walk in obedience. We're going the same way.

Isaiah 40:27-31

²⁷Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

²⁸Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

²⁹He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

³⁰Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

³¹But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.