SippingFromWithin

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a situation or task, but are suddenly excited when you see someone you know that can handle it? I guess most people can relate to this. Well, that sense of excitement arises because you are confident in the abilities of that individual, and you are aware that the challenge is not something alien to him. Also, you can be rest assured that once the person intervenes you can finally make progress on the task or move past that situation that initially got you stuck.   The disciples found themselves in a similar situation in Matthew 14: 24 - 26. Their “ boat was a considerable distance away from land, and was buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. ” They were terrified by the turbulence that surrounded them and that fear left them at the mercy of the situation. But thank God for his mercy, Jesus immediately said to them, “ Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid ” - Matthew 14: 27. For as these words reached these terrified...

A preacher once gave an illustration of two friends, the first was struggling to make ends meet, while the second was a man who was respected in his field and had things going good for him, but whenever these two friends met each other in professional circles or in some social gathering, the first always pride himself when talking of the second by saying, “we’ve been buddies a long time, I know everything about him.” And to raise a few laughs, he’d say some loud remark, because he felt familiar with him. However, the people in such gatherings generally honoured the second. And though it seemed the comment of the first drew people to him, they only got to know him in order to connect with the second and move ahead, while the first remained where he was. The first was caught in this fixed scenario because he could not see past the cloud of familiarity between himself and the second. And this situation is similar to that which weighed down on the people in Jesus’ hometown. Co...