My Daddy taught us lots of things and as the oldest child, I learned first. I learned how to pound nails, line up tools by fractions, skin rabbits, and tie up tomatoes. Daddy loved playing ball. He wanted us to excel in all we did whether it was school, or gardening, or playing ball, so he taught me first how to pitch. The first and most important lesson was to keep my eye on the ball. Never look away. The ball would always follow my eye. I think the player in the picture pitched a strike. Look how focused she is on the target.
In Matthew 14:24-32 the disciples were in a boat crossing the sea at night. A wind blew up. If you've ever been on the water at night when the wind gets up you know the fear and the apparitions you might see. The disciples thought they saw a ghost coming toward them. Jesus knew their fear and called out to them. Peter said, " Lord, if it be you, bid me come to you on the water."
Jesus told Peter to come. Peter got down out of the boat and started walking toward Jesus. He knew the wind was blowing. He knew he was on top of the water, walking, but, BUT, he looked away. Never look away. Never take you eye off the target. Peter began to sink. "Lord, save me!" Jesus put out his hand and put Peter back in the boat.
Peter was a saved man. He trusted that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior of the world, no doubts. But when he took his eyes off Jesus, he lost focus and began to sink.
Even we as Christians can find ourselves in crisis situations and instead of walking on through, keeping our eyes on the only One who can help, we lose focus. We allow ourselves to be distracted, to focus on the problem instead of focusing on the One who can walk us through the situation.
Father God, help me keep my eyes on You. Help we walk with you, paying no attention to the distractions of this world. In Jesus' name. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment