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The Apostle Peter is a man I have been drawn to in Scripture. I think, in some ways, who I am relates to who he was. I am by no means the zealous witness that he became (yet), but deep down I desire the same thing he did... to be close to Jesus.
One of my favorite portions of Scripture is the end of the gospel of John. It is the final account that John gives of Jesus appearing to his disciples before ascending to heaven. They had been out all night fishing and had caught nothing. Then Jesus suddenly appeared and called out from the shore telling them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. When they followed His instruction, the net was so full that it was too heavy to haul. Here again, Jesus was showing His “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19) that “apart from Him they could do nothing” (John 15:5). Here is what I love the most about this story. John writes that as soon as Peter heard that it was Jesus on shore he jumped off of the boat and swam. Fully clothed! One hundred yards! John MacArthur describes Peter's train of thought quite simply in his book Found: God's Will. In it he writes:
"Jesus is over there. I am over here. That is not good. I must go over there."
It's as simple as that! Whenever I read that story I think of that one scene in the movie Forrest Gump when Forrest gets a call saying his mom is sick. Not a second passes before he jumps off the boat and starts swimming.
We can find Peter’s same desire in Matthew 14. Once Jesus called out to him, Peter began walking on water. He wanted to be near Jesus. The Bible says that once Peter “saw the wind, he was afraid" and began to sink into the water (v. 29). He “saw the wind” because all of this took place in the middle of a storm. Earlier in the story
Matthew writes how the boat they were in was “buffeted” by waves, so much that it carried them away from the shore (v. 24). Once Peter felt the wind affecting his balance, and saw the waves crashing into each other he began to fear. Well, if it wasn’t until Peter saw the wind that he feared, what was he looking at before then? Jesus! In the middle of the storm he had the hope that it was Jesus! He knew that Jesus would protect him. He knew what Jesus was capable of, and all he wanted was to be near Him. Forget about the storm... forget about the fact he would have to walk on water... Peter was ready to endure anything because of the hope that he would be closer to Jesus. Even when he forgot that hope and began to sink Jesus still reached out and picked him up out of the water. What peace we have in knowing that even in those moments when we are not reaching out to Him, He will still reach down to us (Romans 5:8).
Friends, we have been given a hope that will endure anything. Remember that.
Chris
Throughout my life as a Christian, the idea of hope has been somewhat elusive. It is a concept that I never really wrapped my head around because I had never given it much thought. One reason for this is the fact that hope has been adapted by culture to mean something different from the hope that is found in Scripture. This post is here to share where my search for understanding has led me so far.
A couple portions of Scripture that I have been using as a guide are Hebrews 11:1 and 1 Peter 1:3-9. Here we can see that hope requires confidence (Heb 11:1) and that it is directed towards our eternal inheritance (1 Pet 1:3-4). The hope these New Testament authors speak about is nothing like the hope that I live with. Often, the hope I show seems to be directed toward my own self-interest rather than towards the inheritance I have received through the blood of Christ. Once again my perspective is completely off. In a way, I defy the authority and sovereignty of God when I “hope” for a certain outcome or opportunity.
“If my son were healed, that would be so much better.”
“Lord, if You could just give me a job I would have less worry.”
I find my own “thoughts” and my own “ways” during day to day life nudging out any room for hope in the authority of the eternal God.
And why is it that my hope only seems to emerge in the midst of trials? And even then, the “hope” that I have is just to make it through. Yet the Bible says that our hope should be directed towards eternity and not the end of hardship! Later, Peter says, “set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming” (1:13). This hope should never change. Jesus will be revealed when He returns. We will be taken into His arms and receive an inheritance greater than gold. I want to direct my hope towards that! And in doing so, it won’t diminish or eliminate the trials that I face in life, but it will place emphasis on their purpose: God’s glory!
Come join us on March 10th and celebrate this great and living hope!
Chris
Thanks for the video Jason!
In those moments where it’s “hard to find God”, it’s not because God has made Himself hard to see... it’s because I’m not looking in the right place or with the right perspective. I was listening to Hillsong’s Desert Song this morning and was really struck by the bridge:
That’s perspective right there. This is what I want my life to be about. No matter what happens, I find joy in knowing that I’m a child of God. My worship shouldn’t hinge on my attitude but solely on the fact that “You are still God” no matter what happens. I want to know God in a way that minimizes myself and my life’s struggles so that He can be glorified though it all... in EVERY season. I don’t just want to “be still and know” for the sake of making myself feel better but for the sake of His Kingdom. I want to know that eternity is worth sacrificing everything for because it is! THAT is our reason to sing. THAT is our reason to worship.
Chris
Some 1worship footage shot from the perspective of my 6 year old son. :)
Hopefully we'll have more videos of our last even posted shortly. Check back soon as some updates to our website are just around the corner.
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