Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX

In Matthew 16:13-20 we hear Jesus ask two very important questions. First Jesus asks His disciples who people say He is and of course the answers varied. They said John the Baptist, Jeremiah, Elijah or one of the prophets. Did you know that when that question is asked today there are still very varied answers? People will say a very kind person, a good person, a prophet and some will say a charlatan. Other religions will acknowledge Jesus as a prophet but not the Son of God. No divinity for Jesus there.

While we cannot disagree with answers like a good man or prophet we cannot stop there and neither could the disciples. Our experience with Jesus should lead us to confirming His Divinity and acknowledging His part of the God Head just as His disciples did when they were asked “Who do you say I am.” Because the disciples lived with Jesus and experienced His Ministry they were very sure of Who Jesus was.

Does your experience with Jesus confirm His Divinity? Have you claimed Him as “the Christ, the Son of the living God?” Have you claimed Him as your Savior? I believe the most important question we can ask ourselves is “do we claim Him through the interactions we have each and every day?” Do you claim Him at work, at your home, to your spouse, to your friends, at your social clubs, during your meetings, on the golf course, in the pool hall, at the bowling lanes? Well I think you get the message. This question “who do you say that I am” is the most important question that Jesus asks of His disciples. We are His disciples and if we are listening to Him we must claim Him as our God and our Savior. Everything about our lives must example to the best of our spiritual growths ability His Spirit living within us.

A worthy challenge because His Way is the Way of peace for the world. If we live by the teachings of Jesus Christ we will make the world a better place for others as well as ourselves.

Have a blessed, peace filled day and may your spirit grow in the knowledge of Jesus the Christ,

Randy

Have you ever felt like the Caananite woman who was willing to accept the crumbs from others lives. We all at one time or the other can feel left out and forgotten. We can learn a lesson from the woman in Matthew 15:21-28. There are many other stories in the Bible about being persistent in our seeking help from the Lord. Her need and her wisdom were reinforced by her belief in Jesus Christ, His healing power and the demonstration of that power He gave to the world. We have a story of a woman who was at the end of her experience in using the things of this world to heal her daughter and when she reached out to Jesus she was rebuked by the disciples and ignored by Jesus. Yet she came back again until she got His attention and He felt compassion for her. His words to her “Great is your faith” are the only time in the New Testament Jesus uses these words and He uses them on a Caananite woman. There are all kinds of cultural taboos for Jesus even talking to this woman, yet Jesus reaches out to her because of her faith. Jesus will reach out to you too. Be persistent, faithful and keep love for your God and your neighbor in your heart. Life can be better and trusting in Jesus will guide you into making it better.

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I have posted the above pictures because they are of our granddaughter’s birthday. Emilee is 14 now and a cheerleader. Some of her friends went out to eat with us and spent the night with her. As I looked at the pictures of her birthday, I realized that time is flying by. We are here on this earth for just a little while in comparison to how long the earth has been here. Emilee’s 14 years has flown by but as I looked at those pictures of all those beautiful teenage girls I remembered the picture of those beautiful flowers and remembered how fleeting the days we have here on earth truly are. Our granddaughter was born 14 years ago and it seems like yesterday. Those flowers were born just a few days ago and will be gone all to soon. By the way, Our lives are very fleeting but can be full of joy and happiness. Enjoying our lives to the fullest is very important for us and for our Christian witness. When we look at the life of Jesus, we see Him enjoying life to the fullest. Whether He was at a wedding or feeding five thousand, He was sharing with and caring for others in a way that showed them He loved them. Our lives may be fleeting but we are still called to share our faith with others and care for others. Sharing and caring is much more effective when we have joy in our hearts, smiles on our faces and the teachings of Jesus on our minds. A little effort on our part helps us to be prepared for those times when we have a real opportunity to bring people to a saving knowledge of our Savior. Take the time to experience the joy of fruitful witness.

God’s blessings, peace and joy to all,

Randy

What a beautiful picture of a flower in bloom and one getting there. I don’t know which I like the best the flower in full bloom or the one that looks like a perfect five pointed star. These flowers are out in front of our church and Rickey Johnson was out in front watering the flowers for me and he said look at the star. We again stood in awe of the beauty that God has built into nature for us.

In our Matthew Scripture from Chapter 14:22-33 we see just how God can use the weather to give us beauty in the scriptures. A storm blows up while the disciples are crossing the Sea of Galilee. They become afraid and rightly they should. Jesus knows their dilemma and comes to them, tells them not to be afraid and invites Peter to go for a walk on the water with Him. Peter is inspired and steps out of the boat and for a few moments he actually walks on the water. Peter then allows the turmoil going on around him to distract him and begins to sink into the water. His focus on Jesus is moved to the world around him and off of Jesus. Jesus reaches out to him and pulls him up out of the water and they climb into the boat. The storm is calmed and they complete their journey to the other side of the sea.

Fear, anguish, insecurity and perhaps other emotions were plaguing the disciples. It doesn’t have to be on a boat in a storm for us as disciples to feel such emotions. This world can bring us many trials and tribulations that we can be fearful about. If we listen to and look for Jesus during these storms He will lift us up and calm those storms. He will remove the fear and anxiety if we will just call on Him. His heart is peace and tranquility. He will share those traits with us if we let Him. The troubles may or may not go away but our travel through those troubles with Jesus will be much easier when we allow Him to share His peace and tranquility. He calms the storms by giving us the strength to face them with an inner peace that can only come from God. His way is the way of truth and life. It is the good life.

Have a great week filled with peace,

Randy