The pressure of service !

Monday January 2, 2023

The pressure of service !

Matthew 14.22 - Immediately afterwards, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side while he dismissed the crowd.

Let's put ourselves in the context of this story. The disciples have just had a busy day. The “conference” lasted a long time and it ended with a great feast. The crowd, bellies full, returns home but for the disciples it is not over. The Lord obliges them, forces them to go to sea and this without Him.

Perhaps the disciples thought : he exaggerates the Master, when do we sleep ? To make matters worse, they have great difficulty moving forward because the wind is against them. When they leave the coast, it is not yet dark (verse 23) and the Lord joins them at the end of the night (verse 25). During all these hours, they only go 5 kilometers (John 6.19).

The reflection I wish to give us this morning is this : in my walk with the Lord, do I have the temperament of the crowd or that of the disciple ? The crowd let themselves be served ! She makes little or no effort, on the contrary she allows herself to be served and benefits from the service of another. Disciples push their limits in obedience.

There is also a remarkable fact in this story. Mark 6:48 tells us that Jesus SAW that they had difficulty rowing ! It is night, they are 5 kilometers away, Jesus can only SEE in “the spirit” their difficulties. Can we still doubt that Christ is with us in the difficulties of life even if we think that He is not there. When we are on the path of obedience, help will never fail because the Lord sees us !

This time of pressure that the disciples experienced had at least two purposes. They have accessed a new knowledge of Christ : He is the One who can walk on the roughest waters. Then, when the test of the patience of faith is over, the solution is always miraculous. When Jesus got into the boat with them, they IMMEDIATELY arrived on the other side of the lake (John 6:21). We could also talk about Pierre's experience, but that will be for another day.

Beloved, there are revelations about the person of Christ that are only for the disciples. There are miracles that are only for disciples. What do we prefer ? A good meal "to the eye" or to be "teleported" with the Lord of lords.

Good reflection.

Pastor Claude

Source (Apostolic Center EZ37M) https://ez37m.com