#1 Into The Storm

Immediately after feeding five thousand men, plus women and children,
with five loaves of bread and two fish, "Jesus made the disciples get
into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side" (Matthew 14:22).
The disciples began to cross the Sea of Galilee when a storm arose which
caused them to "strain against the oars" (Mark 6:48). It was the middle
of the night and after already rowing about three and a half miles they
found themselves fighting against the wind and waves.

Why had this happened? The disciples had done exactly what Jesus told
them to do and now they were facing a major struggle. They had clearly
heard and obeyed; but they were still confronting a very difficult
situation. The story continued as Jesus walked on the water, called
Peter out of the boat to join Him, and then miraculously calmed the
storm. But couldn't the struggles have been avoided by telling the
disciples to simply wait until morning to travel?

This wasn't the first time the disciples faced a storm with Jesus.
During a prior boat ride, Jesus had been asleep when the storm arose:
"The disciples went and woke Him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We're going to
drown!'" (Matthew 8:25). When Jesus calmed the wind and waves of this
first storm, the disciples asked each other "What kind of man is this?"
(Matthew 8:27). During the first crisis, the disciples saw Jesus as an
amazing man. But now, in the middle of the night, when Jesus again
calmed the storm, the disciples began to understand.

Matthew 14:33
"Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, 'Truly You are
the Son of God.'"

As was the case with the disciples, Jesus often sends us into a storm
for the purpose of revealing Himself and drawing us closer to His side.
For it's in the storms where we see God's love and witness His ability
to protect, strengthen, and guide. "These {storms} have come so that
your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though
refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory
and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:7).

Our Father loves us very much. He loves us enough to give us His Son as
a sacrifice for our sin; enough to give us His Spirit as our guide;
enough to never leave us, and enough to finish the good work He began in
our lives. Let's receive His love and learn to rejoice in ALL things.
Let's learn to look with new eyes and see His hand working around us
each and every day. Let's praise Him and look for new revelations of
His love, even as we are sent into the storm.

Have a Great Day!

Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries

#2 Loving Hands of Discipline

In the message "Into The Storm" we saw that God sometimes sends us into
difficult situations to get our attention and draw us closer to Himself.
These storms may be used to teach us basic truths or gently nudge us
back onto His path; but the storms may also be used to make major
corrections in our course or adjustments in our character. Each is a
form of discipline. Each is given with His perfect love. And each
should be viewed as a wonderful opportunity for growth.

Hebrews 12:6-7
"The Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He
accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as
sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?"

The discipline we endure while in the storm teaches us who we really
are, who God really is, and the importance of our eternal relationship
with Him. When we receive the gift of Salvation through faith in Jesus,
we are adopted as a child of God; "heirs of God and co-heirs with
Christ" (Romans 8:17). Our Heavenly Father loves us simply because
we're His child, not because of what we do or accomplish. He desires
nothing more than for His children to say, "I love You, Daddy!"

But He also loves us enough to shape and mold us until we are "conformed
to the likeness of His Son" (Romans 8:29). We are all flawed vessels
with many rough edges (I hope this isn't a big surprise!). None of us
have yet been perfected, and the process of being conformed to the
likeness of Jesus can be, at times, quite uncomfortable: "No discipline
seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces
a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by
it" (Hebrews 12:11).

We have so much "self" that gets in the way of our relationship with God
- so many hindrances to truly loving Him and following where He leads.
We must desire a closeness with God above all else. So much so, that we
are willing to pray: "Heavenly Father, do NOT withhold Your hand of
disciple from my life. I ???? to Your molding and shaping and ask
that You remove anything which stands between You and I."

His hands of discipline are always purposeful and precise, and
administered with great love. They are never out of control like so
many angry hands of the world. His hands welcomed us into His Kingdom
by grace and are now there to guide us on a wonderful journey. Our
values and goals will begin to change as we draw closer to God and keep
our eyes focused on Jesus. But along the way, as our rough edges are
smoothed, we must learn a joyful submission to His loving hands of discipline.

Have a Great Day!

Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries