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Embracing the Adventure of Faith

“A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.” —Lucius Annaeus Seneca 

 

 Jesus had options.  

 Planning to cross a lake in Matthew 8, He could have ordered up beautiful, mild breezes for a lovely, restful little cruise with His disciples. Or He could have said, Hey boys, storm’s a-brewing, so let’s wait a day … or Hey, let’s go around the lake on land. 

 But no. Jesus “gave orders.” He chose the storm. He knew it would be an adventure in faith — a growth opportunity. 

 When Jesus calls us into the storm, how do we respond? 

 Some of us go along eagerly at first. But the real question isn’t “How eager are you to follow me?” Rather it’s “How faithfully will you keep following when you’re abandoned, broke, unemployed … when everything is going badly?” 

 Some of us say we want to follow Jesus, but there are other priorities in our lives — and we want God to bless them first. Any time left afterward is what we’ll give to God.  

 But Jesus had a different priority: “Follow me.” In other words, I’m going to do a work in you that has more value to you and to the Kingdom than the value of whatever you’re waiting around for. Nothing is worth putting your spiritual life on hold for. There’s too much work to be done in the Kingdom — and, more importantly, there’s too much growth to be accomplished in your life — in the meantime. 

 The disciples — those closest to Jesus — were the ones willing to get in the boat and go. Jesus was calling them to a new adventure, another day of walking with Him — or in this case sailing with Him. It was a “given” for them: they wanted to be with Jesus! 

 If Jesus sees the next inevitable storm in my life as an adventure, how do I feel about getting into His boat? 

 

 My prayer this week: Lord, my instincts are to bail out of “faith adventures” — or put them off — because it’s hard to grow through trials. Please give me the courage to get into the boat with you … and experience the whole adventure with you! Amen.