25-04-2005, 06:47 AM
FEAR THAT BECOMES FAITH ---
by Max Lucado
“Lord, if it's you,†Peter says, “tell me to come to you on the water.Ââ€
(Matthew 14:28)
Peter is not testing Jesus; he is pleading with Jesus. Stepping onto a
stormy sea is not a move of logic; it is a move of desperation.
Faith is not born at the negotiating table where we barter our gifts in
exchange for God's goodness. Faith is not an award given to the most
learned. It's not a prize given to the most disciplined. It's not a
title bequeathed to the most religious.
Faith is a desperate dive out of the sinking boat of human effort and a
prayer that God will be there to pull us out of the water. Paul wrote
about this kind of faith in the letter to the Ephesians:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can
boast.†(Ephesians 2:8, 9).
Paul is clear. The supreme force in salvation is God's grace. Not our
works. Not our talents. Not our feelings. Not our strength.
Salvation is God's sudden, calming presence during the stormy seas of
our lives. We hear his voice; we take the step.
We, like Paul, are aware of two things: We are great sinners and we
need a great Savior.
We, like Peter, are aware of two facts: We are going down and God is
standing up. So we scramble out. We leave behind the Titanic of
self-righteousness and stand on the solid path of God's grace.
And, surprisingly, we are able to walk on water. Death is disarmed.
Failures are forgivable. Life has real purpose. And God is not only
within sight, he is within reach.
___________________________
by Max Lucado
“Lord, if it's you,†Peter says, “tell me to come to you on the water.Ââ€
(Matthew 14:28)
Peter is not testing Jesus; he is pleading with Jesus. Stepping onto a
stormy sea is not a move of logic; it is a move of desperation.
Faith is not born at the negotiating table where we barter our gifts in
exchange for God's goodness. Faith is not an award given to the most
learned. It's not a prize given to the most disciplined. It's not a
title bequeathed to the most religious.
Faith is a desperate dive out of the sinking boat of human effort and a
prayer that God will be there to pull us out of the water. Paul wrote
about this kind of faith in the letter to the Ephesians:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can
boast.†(Ephesians 2:8, 9).
Paul is clear. The supreme force in salvation is God's grace. Not our
works. Not our talents. Not our feelings. Not our strength.
Salvation is God's sudden, calming presence during the stormy seas of
our lives. We hear his voice; we take the step.
We, like Paul, are aware of two things: We are great sinners and we
need a great Savior.
We, like Peter, are aware of two facts: We are going down and God is
standing up. So we scramble out. We leave behind the Titanic of
self-righteousness and stand on the solid path of God's grace.
And, surprisingly, we are able to walk on water. Death is disarmed.
Failures are forgivable. Life has real purpose. And God is not only
within sight, he is within reach.
___________________________