Friday 17th July - This is the life!

DAILY BYTE

This week we’ve been reflecting on the broad theme of responding to God’s word without delay. As we bring this week’s devotions to a close, let me pose some pointed questions to you:

As you look around at your life right now, in what ways have you hardened your heart in turning away in deliberate disobedience from what you know God is saying to you? And in what ways have you failed to hear God’s call to live a fuller, freer life, or act upon the call that you have heard?

Think about it - what higher, nobler purpose is God calling you to right now?

In your role as a child or parent or grandparent?

In your role as a husband or wife?

In your role as a friend, colleague, worker or employee?

What is God asking of you, right now?

What surprising gift of generosity could you offer?

What act of reconciliation might you initiate?

What example of integrity and faithfulness might you leave behind?

What sacrifices of love might you be offering to the lost and the lonely within your life?

What higher, nobler purpose is God calling you to right now?

These are just some of the exciting waters we get to explore when we commit ourselves to the life of radical discipleship. But of course, exciting as it is, it isn’t always plain sailing.

The reading from Matthew 8 that we started looking at yesterday goes on to talk about how Jesus got into a boat in order to cross over to the other side and his disciples followed him. Without warning a furious storm broke out that threatened to sink the boat. And the disciples thought they were finished. But what they had forgotten was that their very act of obedience in following Jesus meant that they were not alone. Their very act of obedience in doing what he said and going where he went, meant that they were with him and he was with them in this time and place of crisis and need.

As it turned out it was a time and place of grace – of seeing and experiencing for themselves the power and authority of Christ over the chaos all around them, as he calmed the wind and the waves.

What a powerful story that reminds us of what the life of radical discipleship entails – boldly following Jesus to places (on ‘the other side’) where others normally would not go; facing threatening storms that seem so overwhelming; experiencing the higher authority of Christ before whom no other principality or power can stand.

This is the kind of life that can be yours and mine. Today!

PRAY AS YOU GO

Our prayer today comes from a song by Dan Wilt:

This is the life, this is our dream
This is the place we want to be
This is your love, this is the healing of our souls
This is the time, this is the place
This is the season of your mercy
This is the hour, this is the day we’ve waited for
This is the life!

Yes, this is the life you have given to us O God. What a gift of abundant and breathtaking grace, that is available to us all right now. Help us Lord to take hold of this gift, through our obedience and trust, and to live to the glory of your name. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

Matthew 8:23-27

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"

He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

The disciples were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"