Matthew 14:30 NLT But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

Drowning can take on several forms depending on the situation.  Most commonly people identify drowning when a person has been overtaken by water.

The word drowning is also used when a person has a deadline or a responsibility that is overwhelming.

Peter walks on water as long as he was looking at Jesus.  When he focused his attention on the wind and waves he begins to sink.

A lesson that we can learn from Peter is to keep our eyes on Jesus, and not on the situation. With Jesus help we can accomplish things that appear to be difficult or even impossible.

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. ⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The game of football has four quarters in the game. Sometimes there is a need for overtime, but very seldom. “What quarter is it?”  This is the question that many ask if they walk in a room where the television is showing a football game. There may  be some unexpected things that happen in each quarter.

If you would consider life as a football team, then everyone living is on the team, Those who are   between the ages of 1-25 years old  are in the 1^st quarter, 26-50 the 2nd quarter, 51-75 the  3rd quarter, 76-100 the  4^th quarter, and 100 and over are experiencing overtime.

God almighty knows who we are, and the plans that he has for each of us.   We might think that we should be doing one thing based on the quarter of life that we are in.  Yet God’s thoughts are far above ours and he knows what is best for us.  Every day our lives should be glorifying God. I was told about a man who was celebrating his 100 year old birthday with family.  When given the opportunity to say a few words, he chose to evangelize.  The 100 year old man invited everyone at the celebration to consider getting saved if they had not surrendered their life to Christ.

What quarter is this?

Luke 13:10-13 (NIV)  ¹⁰ On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, ¹¹ and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” ¹³ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

Bent is when something is positioned or changed out of its original position.  The physical condition is something that you can see when someone is bent out of shape.  The spiritual condition may not be easily able to detect.  Some of the things that may cause you to be bent out of shape are: fear, rejection, low-self esteem, and disappointments.

We can look to Jesus the Christ to deliver us from whatever it is that  has us bent  out of shape. Galatians 3:26-29 says:  So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor are there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

If you know who you are you can receive the deliverance from whatever it is that has you bent out of shape.

Galatians 5:16-17 NLT  ¹⁶ So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

Tug of war was a game I enjoyed playing when I was younger.   There were two teams that pulled a rope opposite on each side of the rope. This was a game of strength to determine which side was stronger.   It was my intentions to be on the team that was stronger, yet sometimes that did not always happen. The members of my team would pull the rope with enough force that the other team would fall down, or at least stumble.

As born again believers in Christ, we have this tug of war (conflict) between living our lives guided by the Holy Spirit or the works of the flesh. We have a choice of what side we want to be on.     As long as we stay on the side of the Holy Spirit we will not be defeated.  It is only when we decide to be on the side of the flesh that we stumble or fall.

Which side are you on?

Romans 8:9-10 NIV ⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.

Growing up the adults knew who I belong to based on my physical appearance and the way I conducted myself in the community.  My parents often reminded my siblings and me that we belong to them, and we could not do some of the things that other children did.

Just as we may be identified by our natural parents by some unique characteristics, we should also be identified by our heavenly father because of the new life that we now live in the Spirit that dwells in us.

There should be no doubt to others who we belong to. Since the Spirit of Christ lives in those who are saved, we may not do some of the things that others do.

Who do you belong to?

 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18: 1-4).

There are those who spend several years conditioning themselves to meet the qualifications to be considered the greatest. To be considered the greatest in the world’s standards is excelling in a skill above everyone else.

Many feel that they would never be considered great in anything.    Yet in the kingdom the one who wants to be great must be humble.   Those who demonstrate humility stands out above the others because of the character they process in the kingdom.  There are many who can meet the qualification to be the greatest if they are willing to become lowly.

Psalm 107:29 (NIV) He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.

Loud thunder, wind, and rain are what we experience when there is a severe storm.   Sometimes the storms will come by surprise, and we are awakening from our peaceful sleep.  We get up and may even look out the window to see if there is any damage from the storm.

There are also the storms of life that we experience such as unexpected sickness, death, pandemic, and divorce.  Many times these storms of life will come when we least expect them.   As we see and hear about the storm we may get overwhelmed.

During these times of storms we need to be reminded that we can stay calm, because the God who created the universe can calm any storm.  It does not matter whether it is a storm of nature or of life.  God is able to just speak to our storms and they will become calm.  You may not be able to handle the storm with your strength, but God can.  The storms will eventually cease.

Stay calm!

Psalm 25:4 NIV  Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.

Robert Frost wrote the poem, “The road not taken”.  The last two line to the poem says,” I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”.

As humans the path that we choose in life can make all the difference in where we spend eternality. There is a path that leads to eternal life in heaven, and another path that leads to eternal damnation. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.   As humans we have a choice to follow the path that the Lord leads us, or follow the path of the world.

What path will you take?

Proverbs 3:5-7 New Living Translation  ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. ⁶ Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. ⁷ Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Talent is defined as a natural ability, to be good at something, especially without being taught.  Talent is something that you can do effortlessly, and may consider fun.  There are those who have many talents. Talent is not enough to be sure that you are following the right path. Talent is not enough to have the favor of God to open the door of opportunity that God has for you. Talent is not enough to guarantee that you will die and spend eternity in heaven.

Trust, dependency, and acknowledgement of God should be the components with your talent.  God knows the plans for you.

John 8:33 NIV  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

The word “Free” meant a lot for those who heard they were free on June 19, 1865. Freedom finally came when troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas to announce to slaves that they were free as an executive decree.  It has been told that many after receiving the message of freedom immediately left the place where they lived as a slave.

The word “free” has an even powerful meaning to those who were bound by the shackles of sin, and now are free.  Many people today do not realize that they do not have to continue being bound by sin, but can be free.   After believing in the message of freedom through the redeeming power of Jesus Christ you can receive freedom.  God has made it possible that you can declare by faith, “I am Free”. You do not have to continue living a life that had  you bound.