Welcome!
Today: They stepped out of the boat!
Passage: Gen 12
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. (Gen 12:1, NIV)
Abraham was living with his father Terah in the city of Ur when Terah decided to leave Ur of the ChaldeansUr was a great city which is in today’s Iraq
Terah left Ur after the death of his son Haran
They came and settled in Haran, where Terah died
Now God is telling Abraham to leave Harran and also his kith and kin
It was not an easy thing, especially when he didn’t know where he was going to
When Jesus left all that was familiar to Him and came down to the earth, it was not easy, even though he was coming to his own
Abraham, Jacob and many other people used by God had to make a sacrifice of choosing the “less comfortable”, before God could bless them and use them
Jacob was very comfortable in his parent’s home until he had to get out and “run”, after the “blessing” event
Moses also had to go through something similar, running away from Egypt and the Palace of Pharaoh
These people “stepped outside of their boats” and walked on “water”!
Jesus did not sit in heaven and command things down here; he literally came down
And suffered, more than Abraham, Moses or Jacob
Jesus became the true savior, through suffering
5 “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,”[a] bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.(Heb 3:5-6, NIV)
10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Heb 2:10, NKJV)
Jesus was perfect, as God, even as he came down to us; but through his sufferings, he became the perfect savior for us
- saving us through suffering and sacrifice If we want to take the salvation to others, there’s a cost We can’t do it without stepping out of our comfort zone
Our best friends may ridicule us; we may be isolated
But there are many out there, looking for someone to help them
You can’t walk on the water without stepping out of the boat
When Peter stepped out of the boat, Jesus was probably saying: “This is what I did Peter, when I stepped out of heaven to come to you- so that you and many others could come to me”
We want to walk on water without stepping out of the boat?
Not possible!
God bless you, as you make a conscious effort to witness to someone about Jesus and your experience with Jesus, during this season
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to bear your witness, as you came down to my level and saved me. Help me to have that unique, personal experience with you that will transform me and then others, to whom I witness. Amen