Walking on Water

This blog is entitled 'A Life of Purpose'. The question then could be this...are you living a life of purpose? You could then reasonably ask...what is a life of purpose anyway? Or may be you are asking... why should we want a life of purpose anyway? Assuming that it is within us all to desire purpose we could then reasonably ask... what is the source of a life of purpose? Can it be found within us or is its source elsewhere?
I remember years ago I was exposed to an organisation that 'encouraged' the pursuit of ourselves as the source of a life of purpose and they preached slogans such as 'If it's to be, it's up to me' and 'Whatever you think about most will be'. They taught that the mind was the source of success and all we needed to do was to 'focus' our mind on the outcome and it would be. They said that 'I' was the source of my own life of purpose. One thing they never explained was why it was that the more I thought about it the more anxious I got, or the fact that despite intense 'thinking' (and paying I might add) I never found the 'life' that they offered. My own testimony of this is that a 'Life of Purpose' then is not found in me!
So, I hear you ask, where is the purpose and what or who is the source?
Now if you have clicked on this blog I have to assume that the 'hook' of a 'life of purpose' somehow caught your attention...forgive me if I'm wrong but I am going to assume that you have at least the spark of a desire for purpose in your life.
Now there are many 'ideas' out there as to the answers to the questions we have posed. Money, religion, power, prestige, fame, notoriety, success in one field or another, plus a myriad of other things are promoted as the source of a life of purpose.
Today I am going to replace the title 'A Life of Purpose' with the title 'Walking on Water'.
In the Bible there is an interesting story... don't spin out here, I am not offering you religion (I am not at all religious and often I am exceedingly irreligious), in fact I'm not offering you anything. I am in no position to influence you in any way and have no desire to, all I can do is share where I am and hope that it maybe helps you.
So in the Bible there is a story, it goes like this...it is found in the book of Matthew chapter 14 verses 22 - 31... 'Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away.  After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “ Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “ You of little faith, why did you doubt?'
Now it is an amazing story. Peter walked on water. He was an ordinary guy. A fisherman, full of brag and bravado but not a lot of backbone but he walked on water. Now please don't receive that I am suggesting that walking on water equals a life of purpose but please do receive this for I am certainly saying that doing the extraordinary (which walking on water is) is certainly a life of purpose.
Most of us would accept that we are ordinary but can you accept that you can do the extraordinary?
Now consider the following...

1. The disciples (the followers of Jesus) were in the boat and Jesus came walking on the sea. Jesus came doing the extraordinary and they were afraid. Jesus spoke to their fear and said 'Don't be afraid, take courage, it is I'. If life causes you fear, if anxiety racks your every step, if you feel paralysed to proceed Jesus Christ is saying to you right now 'Do not be afraid, take courage, it is I.'
2. Peter said to Jesus 'If it is You command me to come to You on the water'. Please note that Peter pointed to Jesus. I could paraphrase what Peter said this way...'If it is You Jesus, You can obviously walk on water and You can enable me to do the same so call me to come to You on the water'. Peter was a fishermen, he had probably fallen out of his boat many times and he knew that water was not for walking on but he, in that moment, recognised that in this One, Jesus, the extraordinary was possible. He had 'faith' in Jesus. In Jesus Peter stepped from the natural into the supernatural.
3. Now I want to say something about faith. Faith has nothing to do with how we feel, our experience or any past track record that we can draw upon. If faith was those things Peter would never have got out of the boat. If Peter had referred to his feelings, his experience, his track record he would have stayed in the boat. Consider this...the extraordinary is before you, if you now consult your feelings, emotions, experience, track record do you think you will get out of the boat? Peter trusted in Jesus and he got out of the boat...listen very carefully 'Faith is our response of trust to the revelation God has given us of Himself'. Read that again...then stop and let it sink into you. Maybe you have no 'revelation of God' or only just a little; it does not matter because God is revealing Himself to you right now in this story of Peter. Peter saw in Jesus the source of the extraordinary, the source of the supernatural. JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO MOVE OUR LIVES FROM THE NATURAL TO THE SUPERNATURAL.
4. Peter got out and walked towards Jesus. His eyes were fixed on Him. And then...he took his eyes off Him and looked at the circumstances, his feelings, his experience and he thought this is not possible and he began to sink. What happened next?
5. He said 'Lord, save me' and Jesus put out His hand and saved him. Jesus then made a remarkable statement 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?'

The point is this...we can all walk on water; we can all have a life of purpose, we can all do and be the extraordinary - supernatural. What is the key, who is the source? Jesus is the source.
Listen to me please, this is not about our looking. If you now start looking at the capacity of your look, if you start analysing the intensity of your look then you are applying your feelings, your emotions, your experience, your past track record and you can't look at that and Jesus at the same time. It isn't about your capacity to look it is about the capacity and desire of Jesus to bless. How much does He desire you? He gave Himself for you, surely this give some indication of the scale of His desire toward you. Don't doubt, Jesus says, look at me. Don't look at the voracity of your look, look at Me, I am the source of all Life,... I am the Way, the Truth, the Life...I am EVERYTHING...look at me and if you do I will increasingly reveal Myself to you and you will do even greater things than you have seen Me do (John 14: 12).
One last thought...many times you will fail and take your eyes off Him but even when you do all you need is 'Lord save me' and He will reach out His hand and lift you up again. Jesus did it for dear old Peter more than once...a day came when Peter denied Jesus but even then Jesus reached out his hand and lifted him up. That is the nature of the love of God in Jesus Christ.
You want a Life of Purpose? It is found in taking hold of the life Jesus has for you. Look to Him and you will be astounded by what He will do.
I am exceedingly astounded; read through my story as I have recorded it and I am sure you will be astounded too. It isn't about me, it is about Jesus in me and I in Him. It is His story and God's covenant with Jesus makes it mine through His representation of me within the terms of the covenant...but that is another post for another day. Maybe you will come again? Why not become a follower and we can experience God's revelation of Himself together.

The Path of Purpose - Part 5 - The Journey

If this is your first time to this blog can I suggest that before you read this you read what has gone before?

You know I am not telling this story to massage my own ego...it simply occurs to me that many people are like me in that they are looking for the something in their life that maybe they just can't put a finger on. The reality is that I spent many years of my young life pursuing something and I barely knew what it was. I was on the periphery of it but was never invited into the very core of the story. That statement may sound a little strange but if you continue with me in this journey I am hoping it will become more clear to you...and to me.
Last post I drew the analogy of the prison.
April 2000 was the day I really came out of my cell and I must tell you that as I exited the cell door I found Jesus Christ waiting for me. Now I had met Jesus Christ before but not this one! As I have already explained the Jesus I knew was one who thoroughly disapproved of me because I was unable to meet the standard He set. To my surprise as I poked my head out I found a God, Jesus Christ, who loved me even before I was a twinkle in my father's eye and that love extended to even setting a plan for a life of purpose for me...me!
All I had to do was step into His love and we would go on together.
Now at the time that evidenced itself to me only in the fact that God spoke to me. You see when He spoke I was probably pretty much at the lowest point in my life. If it wasn't the absolute lowest then I wasn't very far away from it. I guess the absolute lowest point was when I contemplated taking my own life and my life had improved somewaht since then but I was still within earshot of those voices that called me to my demise. God spoke and in His words He showed me He cared and it didn't appear to matter to Him what state I was in. I just couldn't have contemplated this in my younger years. So the journey from my cell door in the 'condemned' wing of the prison to the gates began.
This experience brought a conclusion and a question...1. God loved me enough to care and 2. Was there any more?
The second question was answered promptly as I sat in the back of a ute in rural Cambodia and heard God declare His purpose for me...but was that all? Was there more revelation of love? A purpose, was that all? The Prodigal Son had a restored relationship and a party, and joy, and peace, and comfort, prosperity, the cover of his father's house...maybe there was more of God available?
Maybe I could put these bags down?
Bags? I had many bags. I was like the proverbial bag man! I was staggering down the street of life pushing a shopping trolley laden full with bags. I had them hanging off my shoulders and around my neck. The ones I 'valued' the most I kept close to me.
Quite early I was introduced to a passage in the Bible. I think it was my wife who drew my attention to it as she was well down the path ahead of me and was powering on God's fast track and here I was lumbering along behind burdened by my shopping trolley and bags!
The passage goes like this...Jesus speaking, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favourable year of the Lord." Luke 4: 18-19.
Now this sounded very good and my wife was certainly very enthusiastic about it...I was encouraged but in hindsight I have to admit I mis-read it.
Now you may not see the distinction in what I am about to say but hopefully I can explain it. You see as I read these words my interpretation went like this...'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...He has sent Me to proclaim release for the captives, and recovery of sight for the blind, freedom for  the downtrodden...and if you can get through all that successfully then you can arrive at the favourable year of the Lord, but that won't be until you reach heaven.'
Okay, the interpretation of that for me was...He proclaimed recovery, sight, freedom for me, I missed that His ministry was to me and everything in me (that is my baggage) strenuously suggested to me that I had to work hard to achieve it! Oh and by the way it is highly unlikely that you will ever get to a place where you experience the 'favour' so...are you really sure you want to bother? You know God leads us on...He told Adam if he ate the tree he would die and he didn't so are you sure you want to trust Him now? These were the words that I heard.
Now the voices that spoke from so many areas of my 'life' were loud and persistent but pressing through them all there was a quiet voice of love and resolve which said, and continued to say, 'I will restore the years the locusts have eaten' and 'I have given you this country as your mission field'.
I probably should say this here...the first statement was my exit from my condemned cell, door number one of the prison...God loves me enough to talk to me!
The second statement was door number two...there is a purpose in my up-til-now purposeless life!
I was thankful and I began my pursuit for the 'more'.
Sound okay to you? Yep, sounds okay but hear it again, I was thankful and I wanted more and so I began my pursuit...therein lies my first mistake...'I began my pursuit'.
I worked so hard.
I took my family on a holiday to Noosa and while they enjoyed the garden of God I sat on a rock and 'pursued' God. I returned to my home town alone and tried to find an answer but only really found more questions. I pursued a way for me to find God. I found out there was a Holy Spirit and I pursued Him. Jesus said He had brought recovery, sight and freedom to me and so I tried hard to apply myself to their appropriation.
Does this sound okay to you? I was pursuing God! That's a good thing isn't it? Most Christians would tell you that this is essential, we must be God chasers. There is a verse in the Bible that counsels us to "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners..." (James 4: 8) and I put all my effort into 'drawing near' to God when He had already drawn near to me. My 'drawing near' was standing in the way of my 'drawing near'. Make sense to you? The fact is I pursued the hand cleansing effort and missed that Jesus had already done it and had said the the job was 'finished'!
So in all my striving God was close and occasionally He would get through 'me' and He would make some progress. Despite me Jesus took me through a few doors on my journey to the prison gate and FREEDOM.
You know there is a verse in the Bible that says this "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery." Galatians 5: 1
Freedom sounded good to me but I didn't 'see' the rest of the verse, well I did, I saw 'stand firm' and so I tried to 'stand firm' when in truth what God wanted me to see was this... 'Christ set us free'.

Next time...Door no 3...