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Thursday, April 23, 2015

Inspired by . . . Thoughts on Faith Vol. II

 

Now it came to pass on a certain day, that He went into a ship with His disciples: and He said unto them,

Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.

But as they sailed He fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake;

and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.

And they came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Master, Master, we perish.

Then He arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water:

and they ceased, and there was a calm.

And He said unto them, Where is your faith?  Luk 8:22-25

 

Ship_Wheel

 

It was a gentle rebuke, I think, that Jesus gave the disciples here, “Where is your faith?”

After all, He had just displayed His power and authority over the wind and the sea. Surely He knew that that would terrify them more than the storm itself.

 

And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another,

What manner of Man is this!

for He commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey Him.  Luk 8:25

 

Ships_Rigging

 

Can you imagine this scene? Many of the disciples were fishermen. They had fished this lake all their lives. For them to say, “we perish!” it must have been quite a storm indeed! Why shouldn’t they have been afraid? What did Jesus expect them to do?

I think He expected them to do the same thing He expects us to do when the storms rage, and the boat fills with water, and we feel like we’re perishing. When we feel like we can’t take one more trial, one more hurtful comment, one more failure, one more mistake.

He expects us to:

 

Believe.

 

In Him.

In His promises.

In His Power.

In His Provision.

How do we do this?

 

Rigging_Stars

 

To begin with, you may want to ask yourself: Is Jesus is even on my boat? Do I believe in Him?

And if He is curled up at the stern, sleeping peacefully as you look around at the chaos of your life, ask yourself, do you trust Him to do what He says He will do? Have you read His word, so that you know what He said He would do? And do you believe He has the power to do it?

If so, how will you act on that belief? Do we wake Jesus, like His disciples did, in a panic. Whining about the circumstances, screaming for Him to do something to fix it? {I confess, I do this often}

Or do we trust that He Himself is our portion. Our Provision.

Instead of panic, what if we curled up beside Him, under the shelter of His wing, and waited for Him to act?

 

Ships_Rope

 

Would He rebuke us then? Or might He say, "My daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your trouble." Mark 5:34

Yes, He might say that, but He could also say, "My grace is all you need, for My power is greatest when you are weak." 2Co 12:9

And if that is the case, may we, like Paul respond, “I am most happy, then, to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me.”

 

Ships_Rope_Rigging

 

Lord, we pray, increase our faith!

Going deeper,

June

 

Sharing inspiration here:

#TellHisStory

#GiveMeGrace

GraceTruth_Friday   Thought-Provoking-Thursday-Button

39 comments:

  1. It is nice to see the flowers in bloom and the birds and other animals fluttering about! Gorgeous photos!

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  2. Such a wonderful quote! And the book sounds really good. I need to do more inspirational reading. Not sure which view of the first rose I like better...they are both so good. Love your amazing bird captures! Listening to the Carolina Wren this morning, too, was such a treat! God bless!

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  3. I'm guilty of my flesh reacting before my spirit. It takes focusing on God to regain control of our senses and the strongest one is our mind that is connected to our soul. Our gift of free will has more to do than make one decision for Him, it is a lifetime of decisions in this flesh. I have to remind myself in prayer daily that He either causes or allows all things. And even if it is a consequence of my actions, He'll be there to see me through "the Valley of the Shadow of Death".


    Excellent reminder. Gracias.

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  4. Oh, how I want to believe more and more and more. Yes, Lord, increase our faith! I pray that with you, June. Thanks, friend.

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  5. Experimenting with your camera is so essential to learning. I'm partial to the image of the roses on the right. Part due to composition and part to the creamier background. Wonderful job all around!

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  6. Hey June,


    I found your site through "Grace and Truth" links, and I'm glad I did.


    I love the mix of scripture and pictures that you use.


    Thanks for a wonderful reminder to keep on trusting in our Savior. I was right there on the boat!


    Blessings to you,
    Melanie

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  7. Amen, Floyd. We take up our cross daily. Thank you for joining the conversation. Your comments are always received with JOY.

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  8. I'm so happy to connect with you, Melanie! I really enjoyed your humor post! Perfect for a Friday! Have a blessed weekend!

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  9. I definitely need to work on learning my manual settings! I like the one on left, too, but technically speaking, I think the one on the right has a "creamier" background. No worries, though, I'm enJOYing the journey :)

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  10. Thanks, Abrianna! I was being, slightly, sarcastic about Kitty, lol! She hates having her picture taken, but doesn't mind getting in front of the camera when I'm focused on other things, lol :) Have a great weekend!

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  11. He is that for sure, Betty! Thanks for visiting!

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  12. I need to take better notes, but I get caught up in what I'm photographing, and forget what I'm doing, lol! It's all good! I'm pretty sure the one on the right was the manual setting and the left was the auto camera setting. Looking forward to playing more this weekend! Thanks for commenting, I really do appreciate the feedback on my photos!

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  13. The word pictures and photos have a beautiful message. I wonder if the Lord is waiting for us to say, "We believe!" as the world seems chaotic and confusing. I have been thinking about David's assertion of his faith in God when the army of Israel was being taunted by Goliath.

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  14. You shared some beauties today!!! From the roses to the deer...and what wonderful bird images!! Each and all are fabulous.

    Anni @ http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.com

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  15. I love how simple yet straight to the point this post is. Oh, us with little faith. God understands though I must presume He's getting a little frustrated already. :P

    Still He loves us deeply. What an amazing God we have. :)

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  16. I love the roses and the deer The little wren is so cute.

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  17. I like all the photos...the cat is so cute. I have two orange tabby brothers that were rescued from a park as kittens.. So happy to welcome spring... Michelle from Nature Notes..

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  18. I have a friend who love knockout roses... I am not a huge rose fan but they are pretty. I have been trying to capture the elusive red cardinal, in my neighbors year. I really just need to set my camera up full time to capture him.

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  19. super!!!! That wren and it's pose is awesome.

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  20. http://id-rather-b-birdin.blogspot.com

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  21. Wonderful shots...I really like your kitty gardener!

    For me, chickadees are easy, because I can set the camera up on a tripod with a remote near the suet feeder. On the other hand, Cardinals are tough...they always see me with my camera, and fly away!
    ~

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  22. When we are overwhelmed or are tempted to panic, it's so easy to just worry or demand answers, but God expects us to believe Him, to trust Him, to talk to Him about our fears and worries. He loves us even when we doubt and we would be more at peace if we would just go to Him in childlike faith and wait for His leading and protection. I'm visiting from #GiveMeGrace.

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  23. Finally, right ? Happy Spring and thank you visiting!

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  24. Thanks, Mitzi, I appreciate you stopping by!

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  25. I remember the cactus wrens from when I lived in AZ, the behavior is very similar. They pretty much act like they own the place, lol, and I'm happy to let them think they do :)

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  26. Thanks for stopping by again, Eileen! Your blog and linky are one of my favorites! Have a great week!

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  27. Kitty is a sweetheart. She was a "dump cat," dumped on our property, nearly starved to death. She has a mild form of CH which was aggravated by her condition and she could barely walk when we found her. We thought she'd been run over by a car. Now that she's being fed regularly and given love and care she can run and even jump. She is an inspiration to me :)

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  28. Thank you for visiting, Gunilla! Have a lovely week!

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  29. Cardinals are ground feeders, although they can also be seen at feeders. Mine like to feed early and late. Usually, if you're already in place before they arrive, they will still come and feed. But if you arrive while they're feeding and startle them, they usually won't come back. That's been my experience, at least. Good luck!

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  30. I had some shots of him singing, but they weren't as clear. The wind was blowing his feathers. He looks very dark underneath, doesn't he? I wonder if his skin is black, like a very few species of birds. They are such characters, one of my favorite birds. Have a great week, happy birding!

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  31. I've been blessed with some great Cardinal shots. You may read my comment to Lisa below for some tips of what has worked for me. We have a breeding pair here that stick around all year. I wrote about their love story here: http://www.inspiredbyjune.com/2015/02/inspired-by-natural-love.html if you're interested. A tripod is my next big purchase! Would love to hear your recommendations, if you have any. Thanks so much for joining the conversation!

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  32. A perfect example of why it's so important for us to remember God's faithfulness and "work out" our faith, don't you think, Carol? David was sure because God had been with him before against the bear, etc. He never doubted that God would be with him against Goliath. If we can learn to trust God in the little things (rather than always handling them ourselves) we'll be ready and able to trust Him during the larger storms of life, which are surely coming. Thanks so much for joining the conversation!

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  33. Truly, Lux, His mercies are new every morning! Have a great week ahead!

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  34. Thank you for joining the conversation, Gayl, and welcome! Your insights are wise, more peace indeed.

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  35. Fab shots - I like both of the rose ones though and not sure I could choose. And what lovely roses to stop and smell, hope things have slowed down for you now #lttl

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If you read something here that inspired you, I’d love to hear about it. Please know I appreciate every comment! Thanks so much for stopping by! Blessings, June