I may not see in front of me, But I can see for miles around when I look over my shoulder, and Lord, it`s clear. You`ve brought me here, So faithful every step of the way. What can I do but follow you, For You are the Way, the Truth, the Life, And You`ve promised never to leave me, My Savior, my friend, From beginning to end.
I Am Found In You
by
Steven Curtis Chapman
With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when He was alone with His own disciples, He explained everything. Mark 4:33-34 NIV
Before you begin reading this series, will you do me a favor? Actually this wouldn’t be a bad practice everyday, but especially now. God has really spoken to me through the study of His Word preparing for this series. Will you pray that He will do the same for you? Will you ask God to open your heart to the Truth of His Word and what He may want to do in your life as a result of that truth?
Jesus knew that His ministry was going to be short on earth. I believe, because of this foreknowledge, that Jesus was very calculated in everything He did. Jesus always attracted a crowd wherever He went, but Jesus had a special purpose in His ministry. Besides going to the Cross, Jesus wanted to build the principles of the Gospel into twelve men He called His disciples. Jesus reached thousands of people, but He pointedly invested His life into these twelve men.
Jesus looked for opportunities to step away from the crowd and spend time alone with these future “fishers of men”. We are going to look in detail at the story which follows today’s verses, the “calming of the sea”. Please keep the fact of Jesus’ purposeful ministry to the disciples in mind as we begin to look closely at this story.
This truth reminds me of a principle I need to keep in mind in my own life. Through Mustard Seed Ministry, God has allowed me the privilege of speaking with thousands of people around the world everyday. As important as this ministry is, I have an even higher calling and that is to make disciples out of a fifteen and a twelve year old boy who both happen to live under my roof. God has first given me the assignment of reaching my children for Christ, and growing them in the knowledge of the Lord. I will be honest and say there isn’t near the glamour in this part of my ministry as in reaching the masses, yet I firmly believe I will be held more accountable for my spiritual success in this area than in all the others.
God, help me to follow the example of Jesus and remember to step away from the crowds at times and invest my life into the lives of these precious children you have entrusted to me.
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