The FaithOfJesus2 Daily Devotional

Focus:

kjv@Revelation:14:12 @ Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

( FaithOfJesus thread begun by rRandyP )

Today's Verse:

kjv@Luke:8:22-25

kjv@Luke:8:22 @ 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.

kjv@Luke:8:23 @ 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.

kjv@Luke:8:24 @ 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.

kjv@Luke:8:25 @ And he said unto them, Where is your faith? 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.

Today's notes:

Context:

Before - Luke:8:19-21 Jesus ' Mother and Brothers
After - Luke:8:26-39 The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man

(also recounted in kjv@Matthew:8:23-27 and kjv@Mark:4:35-41)

Study Resources:

dict:tcr METEOROLOGY

G622 perish, be destroyed - note sense of judgment in many uses

dict:tcr faith

Notes:

Where is there faith? There are many passages that put God big enough to be in charge of all things (examples kjv@Psalms:65:5-8 kjv@Psalms:104:6-9 kjv@Isaiah:50:2 kjv@Jeremiah:5:22 kjv@Nahum:1:3-6). Not even a sparrow falls without HIM knowing. In whose hands is this present situation in?

To understand these men better, I think we need to better understand the world that they were in. These are all Jews raised in the scriptures; a people much acquainted and reliant upon the deliverance of God and the miracle in impossible situations. God is known to be fearful and wondrous. Meteorological events are known to happen around and to their holy figures. Even among the heathen sudden calamity is seen as judgment from God; especially by seamen well versed with the sea, such as these four fishermen likely in lead of the others aboard and in the entourage of other smaller vessels. Their faith is that they (or else Jesus) are being judged.

In our day and age our faith is much the same. Not so much any more in the forces of the sea in which we are not as familiar/superstitious with, but in the sudden and overwhelming calamities come upon us. Our faith is wantingly of course in God, except it is largely in HIS judgment and our inability against it. Our inability against judgment can be in fact an important and healthy consideration of faith. At the same time, faith that stops at that and does not consider the fuller faith as to where the object of productive faith should be better placed is rather little or crippled faith instead.

Judgment for the sake of judgment is an odd but common notion. Judgment for the sake of proving one's self above others even for God is an angry notion if such judgment is unwarranted or unannounced. That is not to say that all calamity however is judgment, it can be of a most natural origin, in this case the rebuke of the storm may be the show of judgment and not the storm itself. The fear of death often masquerades as the faith in God until called out.

Key Messages:

Declaring Certainty

kjv@Psalms:142:5 @ I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.

kjv@2Corinthians:1:9 @ But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:

kjv@2Corinthians:1:10 @ Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

Further Resources:

Comment Board:Luke:8:22-25
index:FAITHOFJESUSDEVOTION - Devotional Index
strkjv@Luke:8:22-25 rwp@Luke:8:22-25 mhcc@Luke:8:22-25
FaithOfJesus2 - Devotion Index