Friday; November 7

Years ago, it was a compliment to tell people that a minister could preach up a storm.  While I don’t want to overthink anything, I get the impression that people liked it when preachers could create some inertia by firing people up.  Now, while I think there can be value in this, I wonder if what we need today are more ministers who “who can preach up some peace”.  As I thought about this, I was taken back to a time when Jesus was with His disciples on the Sea of Galilee and a storm came up.  Mark describes the situation in this way, “Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Hush, be still.’ And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?’” (Mark 4:38-40).  The best preacher of all time literally preached up a peace!

We live in a time that is filled will conflict and confusion.  It doesn’t take many words to generate a reaction, but what could happen if we listened to people who wanted to calm the chaos?  I find it interesting that Jesus challenged His disciples for having no faith.  Is that something that might be said about us?  Are we full of enough faith to be able to trust that the principles of love, hope and encouragement will deliver us?  Who will you be listening to this weekend?  Are they generating a tempest or peace?

          Think About It!


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