"For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of
flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not
understand, for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the
very thing I hate" (Rom. 7:14-15).
Hey Gang: Is that not the truth? I don't like Paul's words
here worth a hoot. I have often wondered what I could have been in my
life, if I had been totally sold out to God and been obedient to His every
precept, statute, commandment and will for my life.
But, you see, I have
a problem, I am a sinner saved only by God's grace and there is a constant war
going inside me between what God wants me to be and the flesh that continually
gets in the way.
Does that mean that I am in a losing mode in the sin route for
the rest of my earthly days? Yes, if I choose to be. But the good
news is I don't have to be. Does that mean that I could reach the point
where I am totally obedient to God? Probably, not so. I think
adding "probably" to that statement does not make it a truthful
statement.
Many years ago I was privileged to meet a pastor that I felt was
very close to perfect in all ways. I was preparing for a year tenure in
the garden spot of the world of the world, Taegu, Korea, and wasn't quite sure
how I felt about it. What I had heard about Korea was like watching a
horror story with me as the main target.
Pastor Stoll, a wonderfully gentle man, introduced me to a message
he has shared with many people who were heading into harm’s way. He
titled it Contrary Winds. It was based on Matthew 14:22-27,33. The story
is titled "Jesus Walks on Water” in my Bible but, as I read it, I
found that it was so much more than His walking on water to meet the disciples
in the midst of the Sea of Galilee.
First I identified with the disciples because they were ordered,
as I was ordered to go into harm’s way. We know from the first 21 verses
of Matthew 14 that Jesus was having a very bad day. He had learned about
the death of John the Baptist. He tried
to go into the mountain to be alone and mourn the loss of His friend but the
crowds would have no part of that, and the disciples bombed when Jesus
told them to feed the five thousand.
Do you think He placed too much
faith in their ability to pull that off? If you go back to chapter ten you find, "They
had been equipped for ministry by giving authority over unclean spirits, to
cast out demons, to raise the dead, and to heal every kind of disease and
every kind of sickness" (10:1-2).
Now I ask you, if they could cast out demons and heal the sick
would not feeding five thousand be a piece of cake? Did Jesus know
they would blow it? Yes, in verse 16 Jesus said, "You give
them something to eat". But we note in John 6:6 "This He
was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do".
I wonder how many times Jesus whispered in my ear "You feed them" and
I retreated into excuse-ville.
I sense the feeding of the five thousand sets the stage for a
far different end to the story than the disciples anticipated. The day was
over, the dishes had been done and camp ground cleaned up, time to build a fire
and roll out the bedrolls and review the excitement of seeing Jesus do the very
impossible once again.
Soooo, we will close the story and pick it up in the next gramps
after Veterans Day. As Paul Harvey would say, "Stay tuned for the rest of
the story" and it is indeed a marvelous message for us in this day
when all that can be shaken is being shaken.
Blessings,
Gramps
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