His peace, which passes all human understanding, He gives to us. His mercy and compassion never cease to amaze me.
Fear not our God is in control!
Any person that preaches salvation by any other means than the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a false teacher.
Mark 4:39–41
39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. 40 But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” The New King James Version
2 Peter 2:9 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed.
We need to be careful to search Scripture so that we can recognize false teachings. Holy Spirit is always near to guide us to the truth but we need to listen. The only difference between the lost and the saved is Jesus! God keeps those who trust in Him. We should always judge according to the mercy and grace that Jesus gave us. There will be those who speak evil of others but we need to be careful not to call evil, good, nor good, evil. God does not show favoritism. He is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow.
We are to be wise to the evil in our world but as loving and forgiving to individuals as God was to us. God’s love for His creation, and given to us in Christ Jesus, covers a multitude of sins. Keep the faith!
2 Peter 2:3By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words;
Through their coveting of wealth, control and power false teachers make merchandise of God’s people.
Acts 8:9 9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” 11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.
Acts 8:18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
Simon wanted to buy the power of God to use it for his own purposes. Holy Spirit cannot be bought with unrighteous manna. Using Him to control others is the ultimate sin. Blasphemy is the only sin that will not be forgiven. Calling the power of God for good… evil. Carla
Jesus’ words mirror His response to the unclean spirit at Capernaum in Mark 1:25. Jesus shows Himself to have power over both spiritual and elemental forces, demonstrating His divinity. Jesus has made clear that He is God’s chosen agent. He expects the disciples to recognize this and have faith in His ability to act with divine power. Jesus’ command of the raging sea demonstrates His unique authority and power. Faithlife Study Bible
Jesus’ command over the wind and the sea demonstrates His full and complete deity. Only God the Creator can calm wind and sea. Mark uses the disciples’ question “Who can this be?” to evoke a similar response in the minds of his readers. Mark relates the works and words of the one he calls “Jesus Christ, the Son of God”. The NKJV Study Bible
When without are fightings, and within are fears, and the spirits are in a tumult, if he say, “Peace, be still,” there is a great calm at once. Why are ye so fearful? Though there may be cause for some fear, yet not for such fear as this. Those may suspect their faith, who can have such a thought as that Jesus careth not though his people perish. How imperfect are the best of saints! Faith and fear take their turns while we are in this world; but ere long, fear will be overcome, and faith will be lost in sight. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Matthew 8:26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
Matthew 14:31–32 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Psalm 65:7
You who still the noise of the seas,
The noise of their waves,
And the tumult of the peoples.
Psalm 89:9
You rule the raging of the sea;
When its waves rise,
You still them.
Luke 8:24–25 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, “Where is your faith?”And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!”
I do want to live deliberately. To care, to grieve, to love, to begin again, to give birth to passion. To open our heart, accept loss, be overcome by beauty, sustain friendship. To sit in stillness, wrestle with prayer and faith. To speak the truth, and offer sanctuary to joy, sadness or injustice.
And yes, this does come with risk and caution tape, knowing that broken wide open, we will face parts of our self and world that feel disorienting. Gratefully, now, I’ve been more comfortable with those parts of me... the life-giving vulnerable parts. To not be afraid of those parts, that seem soft or unprotected (or whatever we label as weak or fragile).
Yes. At home in our own skin, there is freedom to deliberately know that life (wonder, savoring, awe, gratitude, connection, gooseflesh) is not what happens only after all is unblemished and picture perfect. Sabbath Moments
As we pray, may we also remember that none of us can meet God's perfect standard, and we all need His grace. Therefore, "we do not present our pleas before [God] because of our righteousness, but because of [His] great mercy" (Daniel 9:18). First5
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