LEARNING DAILY

 

Matthew 14:30, But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord save me!”

 

You know the story of Jesus walking on the water and Peter getting out of the boat in order to walk out to where Jesus was. Peter looked around at the waves created by the wind and immediately began to sink into the water. The lesson is pretty clear for Believers – when you take your eyes off of Jesus and focus on your circumstances, you fall under the weight of the situation you are facing. We learn from Peter that when we begin to doubt or do not spend time getting to know who Jesus is, we can call out to Him to save us and help us out of the situation we find ourselves in. For Peter, Jesus saved him in his situation immediately. You might have to go through your situation and circumstances to learn the lesson you need to learn.

 

Peter became distracted by the wind and the waves. I might step on toes today; it is to help you walk on the narrow way as the Lord Jesus Christ wants you to walk. Here is the question only you can answer. Ready? What distracts you from walking with Jesus as He desires? What causes you to take your eyes off Jesus and causes you to look at your circumstances?

 

All of us get distracted; what is the problem? Distracted drivers, for example, are responsible for a large percentage of automobile accidents; I am sure there are statistics to support this statement. I see people of all ages on their cell phones everywhere. Some are talking, most are looking at various forms of social media or texting or playing games. They miss so much of what is happening around them. Most people are busy with life. Work, family, responsibilities around the house, television, exercise – you know living life.

 

My concern is when we use these distractions as an excuse for taking our eyes off Jesus. When do we turn distractions into an excuse for not reading/studying/meditating on God’s Word or for not praying? When we don’t do these things, we begin to have more and more difficult challenges as we walk on the narrow way. When we are faced with the knowledge we have taken our eyes off the Lord Jesus Christ we begin to make excuses for doing so; we try to justify why we put off the things we need to do to walk close to the Lord on a daily basis. What we are doing is shifting our lack of discipline or being too busy or distracted in some other way to a less threatening thought of why I have not done what I know should be most important to us.

 

All of us need to be aware of those things that keep us from spending time with the Lord. I often wonder what I would say to Him if He confronted me with how I spend a lot of my time. I certainly do not fool Him as he is always present. He certainly wants me to spend more time with Him. Consider that person, that child, grandchild (grandchildren), you want to have more time with. Then, consider that God wants you to spend that same time with Him.

 

Here is the takeaway thought. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus. Make Him the most important part of your life and discipline yourself to make Him the center, the priority in your life. Stop making distractions an excuse. This does not mean you have to read chapters in the Bible or spend an hour with Him in prayer each day; it means you put Him first and make Him a part of everything you do during the day. It is being diligent in seeking Him and seeking His presence in everything you do. Doing so will bring His favor as you walk the narrow way into eternity in His kingdom!