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At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. Hebrews 2:8 It is one thing to have faith in Jesus when the sky is blue, but it is another to have faith in Jesus during a storm. What does that look like? Matthew shows us in the story of two men walking on the water (Mat. 14:22-33). There were two miracles here. Jesus walked on the water to reach the disciples, and Peter walked on th...

And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:11 It took two large boats and their crews to haul in the nets filled with fish. The weight of the fish was so great that the boats barely made it back to the shore. Never in their lives had they pulled in such a catch of fish. Peter might have looked at Jesus and said, “Lord, we could really use you in th...

And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Luke 5:10 Jesus did not give up on Peter, and He will not give up on you. Jesus knows you and what He can make of you. This is why Jesus moves toward sinners. Jesus called him Simon, which was Peter’s old name. Most likely, Jesus called him by his old name, because Simon was behaving like the person he used to be. T...

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 Jesus was saying, “Peter, the great project of your life will be to throw the net of the gospel into the sea of the world and draw people into the shores of God’s kingdom.” What kind of person can do this? Only some kind of saint. But Peter knew that he was no saint. So, he said to Jesus: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” Peter s...

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Luke 5:8 Peter was happy to lend his boat to Jesus. He called Him “Master” (5:5). When Jesus told him to throw out the net, he was ready to do what Jesus said. Peter probably would have described himself as a good person, a hard worker, a man devoted to his family—a man who believed...

And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Luke 5:4 Peter had worked an entire night on his own and he caught nothing. Now, with Jesus in the boat, there are so many fish, he cannot pull them in. So, “they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they b...

Getting into one of the boats, which was [Peter’s], he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. Luke 5:3 The crowd was pressing in, and Jesus was in danger of being pushed into the water. So He called Peter, who rowed him out from the shore, and Jesus spoke from the boat. After Jesus was done, He said to Peter, “Put out into the deep and let...

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Luke 5:1-2 Picture the scene: Jesus stood on the shore with his back to the water. A crowd had gathered and was anxious to hear what He had to say. Many were pressing in—eage...

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations." Matthew 28:19 “How many members are in your church?” he asked. The pastor gave a ballpark answer. The man replied, “Yes, but how many of them are disciples?” A whole world of programmes, practices, courses, and ministries have sprung up around this theme of discipleship. These programmes lay out what you must do— and some of them are helpful. But t...

This is the sign of genuineness in every letter of mine... 2 Thessalonians 3:17 These words did not come from Paul, they came to him: “All Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Tim. 3:16). Peter says, “No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by human will, but people spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:2...

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Why doesn’t the apostle end the letter right here? Because we need to ask for peace, but we also need to know how to receive it. The folks in Thessalonica were facing great difficulties and an uncertain future. They had many fears, and they needed to know how to face them....

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Question: How is it possible to have peace “at all times in every way”? Answer: Because Jesus Christ is “the Lord of peace.” Yes, but what does that mean? Christ has peace. That is why He was able to say to His disciples, “My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). Jesus Christ has peace in Himself and that...

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace… in every way. 2 Thessalonians 3:16 You might find it helpful to think of God’s peace as resting on three pillars—getting right with God, showing gentleness to others, and having peace with yourself. Peace with “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Christ died for your sins and rose for...

May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times... 2 Thessalonians 3:16 “At all times” means in all circumstances, and in every season of life. You arrive at secondary school —your body is coming to life and you wonder Who likes me? May God give you His peace. You begin your school exams —you feel pressure, maybe for the first time. And you wonder Who am I? Does anybody care? May God giv...

Do not grow weary in doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:13   One year at Wimbledon, tennis legend Jimmy Connors was playing Mikael Pernfors. Connors lost the first two sets 6 games to 1. And he was losing in the third set 4 games to 1. Connors was nursing a leg injury, yet incredibly, he came back to win the match. Afterwards, an interviewer said to him, “You’re 34 years old, and you’re carrying a leg...

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Hebrews 12:3 You’re climbing the ladder at work, in marriage, or at church, with all the stimulus of getting to the top, but now you’ve hit a ceiling. And you’re tempted to respond in one of these ways: You give You throw up your hands in frustration, “I’m done… I’m done with this...

Do not grow weary in doing good. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 Here are people who are doing what is right. They are on the right track. The problem is that they are getting tired. There are circumstances that can cause us to grow weary in doing good. When doing good brings trouble. You reach out to someone and they cause you trouble in It feels like a slap in the face. You know how discouraging this can b...

You yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because… we worked night and day. 2 Thessalonians   3:7- 8   The apostle Paul worked incredibly hard. He was a brilliant scholar, but he also had a trade that he earned money from while he was serving the church. Sometimes there was money to support him, and sometimes there was not. When there was no money, Paul made and sold tents, and then he gave...

For you yourselves know… with toil and labour we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 2  Thessalonians 3:7-8 People often look at pastors and missionaries, like the apostle Paul, and say, “God has given them a special work to do.” That’s true, but God has also given you a special work to do. Whatever you do, your work is a gift and a calling from God. At the beginning...

If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 If you knew that Jesus Christ would return in seven days, would you go to work this week? It’s a fascinating question because it gets to the root of what we really think about our daily work. A secular view of work says that it is simply a means of getting money. How much money do I need to make before I’m done with work and o...

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 If whenever you think about God, your first instinct is to picture Him with a frown on His face, you need this prayer. Richard Sibbes said, “Present God to yourself as He is presented in the Gospels. The devil will put other colours upon God. He presents Him as a tyrant, as a judge, and as a revenger. Remember, the devil does...

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 The person who prays this prayer is looking for something more than he or she already has: “Lord, direct my heart into your love.” He knows that there is more to God’s love than he has experienced. She is not content to remain at a distance from God. We live in a “been there, done that” cultu...

May the Lord direct your hearts. 2 Thessalonians 3:5 It is possible to endure persecution and not feel the love of Christ, or to worship for years in a church and not feel the love of Christ. You do not want this to be your story. People who aren’t Christians endure great pain and carry great sorrows, too. They do it by “gritting their teeth,” or in Britain, “with a stiff upper lip.” But Paul is s...

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. 2 THESSALONIANS 3:5 The Isthmus of Suez in Egypt is a stretch of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, and marks where the vast continents of Africa and Asia meet. It is also where the Suez Canal was built, to connect the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. It is a place where worlds connect. This...

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. 2 THESSALONIANS 3:5 This letter was written to Christians who were experiencing the draining effect of the difficulties of life. You may be thinking, “That’s me! I’m constantly drained by difficulties in my home, tensions at work, endless visits to the doctor, ongoing pain, difficulties in my marriage, a wayward...