Chaplain's Corner - October 1, 2004

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(25) And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. (26) And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. (27) But straightway Jesus spake unto them saying, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” (28) And Peter answered him and said “ Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” (29) And he said, “ Come.” And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. (30) But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, “ Lord, save me.” (31) And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, ”O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” Matt. 25-31 (KJV)

Greetings in the name of Jesus!

As we look at this passage I think about the times we have troubles in our lives and we become afraid. Sometimes we just have to step out of “the boat” and take that step of faith to get to what we need, or desire. When Peter stepped out of the boat, he had complete faith that it was Jesus out on the water. Peter wanted to be with him so he stepped out & was walking on the water. His faith kept him from sinking. But what happened? Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and began to see the wind causing the waters to become rough, he became afraid and took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at himself. He then began to sink. So do we sometimes when the going gets tough. We have troubles at work, or we get behind on payments, or we have troubles at home, we look to ourselves to fix the problem. The answers to all of our problems lie at Jesus’ feet. When Peter began to sink he called out “Lord, Save me!” Jesus reached out and picked him up.

Jesus does the same thing for his children today. In our darkest hours he will lift us up and set things right again. For him to do that, we need to trust him. Just as Peter did when he stepped out of the boat.

For us to grow and prosper as Christians, we have to get out of the boat and take that step of faith. The boat is a safe haven. In this case, all of the others were safe on the boat. If you’re not saved, you’re on a sinking boat that leads to death and torment. I urge you to take that step of faith out of the boat and let Jesus into your heart and life. It was the best decision I ever made. I can’t promise you an easy journey, but I can promise you that the reward at the end is well worth it all. I’d love to introduce you to this man called Jesus. If I were to try and tell you all of the great things he has done in my life we would be here for days. I can tell you though that Jesus is real and He has worked miracles in my life. I hope this message encourages you today to take that step of faith.

E-mail reaches me at chaplain@andersonspeedway.com. I’d love to hear from you. If you have a prayer request, just need to talk, have questions about God’s Word what ever your need I’m here to listen and to help. I also welcome your comments about our meetings here, good, bad, or otherwise.

RWJM is a faith-based ministry that relies on your generous contributions to keep the Word of God going at racetracks all across the country. Would you consider visiting our web site at www.rwjm.org? Through a secure link you can make a tax-deductible contribution, or see me at the track & I can give you a donation envelope that you can use to mail in your donation.

Go with God for he will always go with you & I’ll see you at the races!

Food for thought: God is like bleach; He removes stains that no one else can!

May God bless each of you!!

Rev. Carlos