Jan 24 - Luke 8:16-25

A Lamp on a Stand

16"No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."

Jesus' Mother and Brothers

19Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." 21He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."

Jesus Calms the Storm

22One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. 23As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25"Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

Boy I love QT's!!!

Throughout my life I've always considered life a "Great Adventure". I say this because as we live our lives, we cannot be tamed and fall into our comfort zones. This means in our spiritual walk as well. Sometimes we just get too comfortable at where we are at, especially once we can call ourselves Christians. Yes, we are saved, but does it just end there?

God has called us as Christians to go out and reach out to those who don't know him, to "[cross] to the other side of the lake" (Luke 8:22). This is why we go out and reach out to our friends, family, and even go to mission trips. That's why I want my life to be an "adventure". I don't want to be tamed to this world, I want to go out and reach out to those who don't know God. Yeah this adventure will take me through mountain peaks and valleys, but this is where the next part comes in about what the disciples experienced when crossing the lake.

Just simply crossing the lake seems simple. But of course there will be hardships along the way just as the disciples experienced when the storm hit. And through this storm, revealed their true nature and where their faith stood. I've gone through this numerous times when things got difficult and instead of having faith in God, I would blame God or even forget about God and try to fix it myself.

We have to continue to have faith in God no matter what the circumstances whether we are on a spiritual high or a spiritual low. Even if we fail or succeed in anything we do, we have to continue to have faith in him. What did God do when they were in trouble? God calmed the storm just like he will do with us during our hardships if we just trust him and put everything in his hands. God has the power to do that, we just have to stay faithful.

In conclusion, let's take this huge step and do what God is calling us to do and go out of our comfort zones. It may be difficult, but God will not let us down as long as we trust in him and let him lead the way. With God on our side, we will succeed! Let's live our life as an adventure, just as Jesus did during his ministry!