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Listen while you read: "Am I A Soldier Of The Cross"1 (Lyrics) |
Luke 8:22-25a – One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake." So they started out. As they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. Suddenly a strong wind blew down on the lake, and the boat began to fill with water, so that they were all in great danger. The disciples went to Jesus and woke him up, saying, "Master, Master! We are about to die!" Jesus got up and gave an order to the wind and to the stormy water; they quieted down, and there was a great calm. Then he said to the disciples, "Where is your faith?" (GNT)
Let us compare ourselves with the disciples. The disciples had the great advantage of being with Jesus on the boat. They knew where Jesus was. But they had an inadequate idea of who Jesus was. They asked, "Who is this man? He gives orders to the winds and waves, and they obey him!" (Luke 8:25b GNT)
Christians today have the great advantage of knowing who Jesus is: the God who is in charge of the whole world. We also need to be aware that Jesus is with us all the time, even though we cannot see Him. Being with Jesus in our homes and our places of work, our lives are safe. There is joy in walking together and being together with Jesus.
We are living in a world that is changing, and people have departed from the way of faith. Even Christians can be filled with fear, and Jesus asks us, "Where is your faith?"
We should have faith to overcome difficulties in our daily activities.
This reminds me of what happened years ago when I was serving the Presbyterian Church in Kenya. One day, we went for a church seminar at Lake Nakuru in Kenya. Before the seminar started, a few people were socializing outside the hall, when a lion came out from thick grasses, roaring and charging towards the parishioners. People were running and scattering in different directions, screaming and calling on the name of the Lord. We experienced the power of God when the lion turned back to a hiding place near the hall. Some of our parishioners informed others who were inside the hall, and they closed the door and prayed for the protection of the members who were outside and those who were still on their way. It took four hours for the game lagers (wardens) to chase the lion from the area with their guns. We read in the newspapers the following day that the lion had killed one of the game lagers.
We need to know where Jesus is and who Jesus is all the time.
Many times, we pass through the storms of life, but when we call on Jesus through prayer, Jesus calms either the storm around us, or the storm within us, as He gives us His gift of peace.
Prayer: Almighty God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are humbled to have Jesus in our lives. We thank You for the wonderful gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His life because of our sin. Help us to know who You are and where You are and what You can do through the Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Sunday, December 3, 2023 – IIn the Middle East — We have been walking with a brother, R, from a closed country, who has recently returned with his wife, H. and their older children. We had never met his wife before, but she had shown interest in faith as her husband often shares with her his new beliefs. Praise the Lord, my wife led H to Christ upon her arrival. Please pray for her growth and for them as a couple, that they will have the courage and wisdom to share with their children.
Prayer: "Update December 03, 2023: Please continue to pray for her to put her trust in the Lord and to live..." 
Thanks John. Please write again.
Thanks, John, for the words of encouragement.
John, this is so poignant. Thank you for sharing this important message!
Thank you, John, for a memorable account. Blessings on your faith journey today.
Thank you so much. He is our Fail-Safe! I needed that reminder in this crazy world!
Thanks for sharing your experience, John. It is gratifying to read a new name on a devotional and feel some connection with a fellow Christian miles away.
(Texas)
Dear John,
Thank you for sharing your experience and message with us. It is a reminder which blesses me today: He is greater than the storms outside and inside.
God bless you!
(BC, Canada)
Amen John. I embrace the presence of Jesus every day when l walk the trails with my dogs and little granddaughter and, indeed, He does give me a calm heart as well as a sharp eye in regards to the wild creatures who also walk the trails. How glad l am for His presence!
Blessings.
Hi John,
That must have been quite startling to have a lion so close!
Hopefully the game lager that was killed knew Jesus as his Savior.
Thank you for sharing with us today, It’s so wonderful to know “The Master” of the wind and the waves.
Thank you for sharing this encouraging devotional with us. That event must have been frightening! Thank God for His protection! Around here, we have mostly small critters to concern us… skunks, porcine, rabbits, squirrels, and mice, occasionally we see a snake or turtle. If a black bear comes for the wild blackberry bushes at the edge of the fields, but raids a bird feeder instead, the game warden gets a phone call. Blessings.
Thank you so much for this truth and a different perspective on our world.
Dear John,
Thank you very much for telling of this experience of yours and others with you.
God was certainly present, though it is sad from our point of view. that one man was killed.
Keep writing.