Thought for Wednesdsy, 16 November

           Colossians 3:1-4

                Living as Those Made Alive in Christ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,

set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

                When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

 

“Peter did not get out of the boat until he was ordered. God will not bless you in any adventure that He has not ordered. Faith is rooted in the Word of God and the will of God, not your feelings and emotions. It is stepping out on the promises and commands of God. You don’t name and claim it, or You may think and sink. Faith is venturing everything upon God's faithfulness!”              - Adrian Rogers

When Caryl was holding Bible Studies in Holytown before she retired, I remember us doing a study on Peter. One of the questions asked was if we would get out of the boat, like Peter did when Jesus called him. My answer at the time was, “I wouldn’t even be in the boat.” (I am afraid of deep water).

I have since read Matthew 14 a number of times and have concluded that if I am going to obey God’s orders, I will have to include things that I don’t feel comfortable with.

We all have things outside our comfort zone but when we are obedient to our Father we must grasp the nettle and do as we are told. We are not all expected to be grasping the same nettle, it may be more painful for some than for others, but we can be sure about our safety when we leave the imagined danger of what we are about to do in obedience to God.

After all none of us has been asked to do what Jesus Himself was asked to do. He put Himself on the cross when His Father asked Him. I possibly missed the day when someone else, without sin, bled on a cross for my sins.

It doesn’t matter what kind of day we are having, when God calls, we must be able to say, like Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:6  “Here I am, You called me.”

Every day of our lives we should be swift to obey Almighty God. We owe Him our allegiance.

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help us to be obedient to Your call, no matter when it comes. We may need Your help to carry out Your order, but we are willing to listen to Your words and ask for help. No matter how strange it may seem make us realise that You will never ask us to do anything without equipping us with the knowledge necessary to fulfill the task. In Jesus wonderful name we pray, amen.