We’re having a 3-day, 4 session Bible-study time in my local assembly next month April 4th, 5th and 7th 2019 with the theme; ‘the righteous shall live by faith’. I am usually excited any time Word conferences come up (micro or macro), especially when I sense it’s going to be good stuff, ….always great time for me. Somehow, for some reason, my imaginative mind raced ahead of this conference as I caught myself thinking on the theme. Yes the righteous should deal in faith as a lifestyle but that wasn’t my thought line, my brain was reading; if the Holy Bible says ‘the righteous shall live by faith‘ (Romans 1:17, Hebrews 10:38, Galatians 3:11, Habakkuk 2:4), shall the righteous without faith die? 🙂
As funny as that question may sound (and scary too), it is a pretty serious one and a wake up call to Christians. The story that comes to mind as I think on this is recorded in Mark 4:36-40.
As someone who grew up in a coastal community, take my advice when I tell you that except you can swim like a fish (in the real sense of it), resist the temptation to embark on a journey (short or long) across a sea with small boats….do not tempt The Lord Thy God 🙂
But hey! here was Jesus in a boat, probably smaller than the little ones that taggged along him, definitely a small boat all the same, crossing a sea! When the boat began to fill up and sinking as the waves beat water into it, the disciples panicked (understandably so), threw up their hands in the air and yelled..”JESUS! JESUS!! JESUS!!! Surely, whosoever calls upon the name of The Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21, Joel 2:32), even more so when The Lord is just a tap away. Jesus quietened the sea alright, but he was disappointed that the disciples didn’t apply their faith.
Questions: What would have happened if the disciples didn’t wake Jesus up? Would the boat have become totally submerged? If the boat sank completely, would the disciples have perished as they feared? Could the disciples really speak calmness to the sea? Did they have such powers as Jesus suggested?
To answer these questions, consider them from the perspective of your own ‘little sinking boat’ right now (if any). Will you ‘wake Jesus up from sleep’ or will you spare Him another disappoint by speaking ‘peace be still’?
My experience with my faith walk? ….. dead untapped faith is useless/dead and can result to spiritual stagnancy or death. James 2;20.