Are You Ready To Take The Next Step?

Are You Ready To Take The Next Step?

Good Morning Friends,

Sometimes life can be confusing and knowing the right thing to do can baffle us. Often it takes encouragement and faith and courage and desire as well as obedience but the one thing we often miss is a dependence on Jesus. Are You Ready To Take The Next Step?

Scripture: Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Matthew 14:22-14:33 (NRSV)

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O Lord! Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

Psalm 25:4-10 (NRSV)

The human mind plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.

Proverbs 16:9 (NRSV)

Message: After the Holy Spirit comes and indwells in us we become a new creation, but what happens after that varies from person to person. There is a next step for everyone, but I cannot tell you exactly what it will be for you except to say that it will bring you new experiences in life that may surprise you. There are lots of ways to grow. There are lots of next step options. What is clear is that despite our next steps being different there are some things that will help us to make that next step that we will likely share in common. If we encourage each other with truth regularly and take the next step and then another and then another, each with the LORD, even through our exhaustion, we will find a path that honors God. In today’s Psalm, David asks God to simply show the next step. David desired to be obedient to God’s desire. Indeed His way is as close as our next step in spiritual obedience. Of course our spiritual journey will have some interesting twists and turns. Sometimes we look out over majestic vistas where seeing the cross and the hands of Christ and believe. At other times we can barely see the ground in front of us… a place where spiritual discernment is the only way for us to face the decision of our next step. Sometimes we have to live into the answers with faith maybe not even believing but still praying for faith and grace and love. And then we have the story of Peter walking on water. And if this is the model then it becomes clear that the next step is going to take courage to ask Jesus for confirmation and then to obey even when it seems risky. But then there has to be persistence in faith otherwise we sink. We all surely will osculate between strengths and weaknesses. The thing we need to realize is that self and success are really nothing to hang onto when walking on the waves.

Pray that
God will take care of us, each step along the journey, calling us to lean on Him, calling us to the next step to lean on each other. Pray we realize that obeying God is really the only safe way to go. Pray that on the journey we not get lost but that if we do we take the next step with Jesus. Pray we realize that it is good to make plans but that it is God who determines where those plans take us. Pray our steps creatively brings us to acts of redemption sustained in community. Pray we develop mastery of the tasks we have been assigned and connect in a synergy with Jesus and others in a way that helps us preserver in the face of the challenges before us.

Blessings,

John Lawson