Wednesday, February 16, 2011

What's the state of the water you're walking on? If so...

Matthew 14:28-30. Of course you know the three states of water: Solid, liquid and gas. Figuratively speaking, walking on water means walking by faith. So when I'm asking what state of the water you're walking on (if you are), I mean, how deep is your faith, because even if you're walking on water (the vast majority of christians are not), you can still be walking on solid water (ice). I remember, about 9 years ago, me and my wife went to Michigan to our friends house and her boyfriend took us to a "ride on the lake" (his car was not amphibious), of course the lake was frozen. It was amazing to me that the ice was so thick that even a car could ride on it. He had some friends ice-fishing in the middle of the lake, really cool, it was an unforgettable experience. So, comparing our walking by faith to walking on water, I could say that when we're born again, we start walking on a very thick ice (it's already water), but as we progress in our journey, the ice starts to get thinner. So, the thinner the ice the bigger the faith. Of course, as it was for Peter it is for us, the purpose is not to keep walking on thick ice, but to progress to a point that we would be able to walk on liquid water, as Peter did in the beginning (also after the Pentecost). I'm sure that Jesus already knew what was going to happened: The storm, Peter walking on water, Peter sinking, etc., and the purpose was to teach His disciples how to walk by faith, that even when it goes against all odds, against the law of nature, laws of physics, etc., still the Word of God, which is Jesus Himself, (in our text: So He (Jesus) said, “Come”), is above any other law. So, when God tells us to walk on water, if we obey, He will give us enough faith to do it. In the beginning of our walk by faith, we don't have enough faith to walk, but, as we obey, we start seeing the results, then our faith will (should) grow to a point where our faith will lead us to obedience. God only asked Abraham do sacrifice Isaac when Abraham was able (had enough faith) to do it. We should stop giving Cain's excuse (when sacrificing): I'm not Abel (got it?). Of course, even when we are able to walk by faith, sometimes we are not willing to do it. So why did Peter began to sink? Because when he (Peter) saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid! So, fear is probably the biggest giant we have to defeat (it's our personal goliath). Just like Jesus' disciples, We are in the same boat, the difference among Jesus' disciples (ourselves) is the willingness and courage to step out of the boat. Remember what the Bible says in 1 John 4:18.

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