Week 7 - Day 4

DAY 4

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone
through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to
the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is
unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who
has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time
of need. Heb 4:14-16

I (Sheri) cannot tell you how much of my Christian walk I spent
going to the throne of condemnation (or so I thought). I just
couldn’t seem to get control of my mouth or my behavior. I
would just drag myself to the throne so full of guilt and pain in
my heart for my lack of ability to walk in the truth. I never felt
like I was worthy to ask for anything of magnitude. I didn’t
realize that it was the THRONE OF GRACE. You and I can
approach God in prayer with CONFIDENCE – like a son or
daughter of a loving Father and the King of Kings!

Now, grab your SOAR notebook and take notes while you read
these amazing verses.

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on
ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by
himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the
boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by
the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth
watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were
terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus
immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the
water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat,
walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the
wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save
me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
"You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when
they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who
were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of
God." Matt 14:22-33

Has looking at our circumstances been a fire-extinguisher to our
faith? Faith is not a feeling and we have to keep our eyes on
Jesus!

Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their
synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this
wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. "Isn't this the
carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his
brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters
with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" And they
took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "Only in his
hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor." And
he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Matt 13:54-58

Well-meaning Christian cultures can become faithless. Sometimes
church and religious disciplines become too common, the “norm”
and just no big deal. That’s when we have substituted a dynamic
faith relationship with God for religion. Pray this with me (Amy):
Father, I pray that we will know and want nothing but you.
Imagine what it felt like to Jesus not being able to fully minister in
His hometown. He came and laid down His life for all of us –
even those that rejected Him.

Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve
years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. She
said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." Jesus
turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith
has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.
When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players
and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but
asleep." But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put
outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.
News of this spread through all that region. As Jesus went on
from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy
on us, Son of David!" When he had gone indoors, the blind men
came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able
to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then he touched their eyes
and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; and
their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no
one knows about this." But they went out and spread the news
about him all over that region. Matt. 9:20-31

If you had to develop a statement for what the essence of all these
verses mean in 10 words or less, what would that statement be?
Write it down in your SOAR notebook. What verse has impacted
your life the most this week?