The devotional below is from my pastor friend Greg Dawson. He wrote this devotional this morning and I wanted to share it with you because it is powerful. My friend Greg is a pastor in west Tennessee who lost a child at a very young age. His story and trust in God is so powerful I wanted to share it with you.

And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.—Matthew 14:26

“Lifeguards know there is danger in saving someone who is drowning, because people panic. More than one lifeguard has lost his or her life from being drowned by the person they were trying to save. It’s one of the reasons lifeguards use flotation devices. They’re for drowning people to hold on to.

I think sometimes the Lord waits until we’ve exhausted our resources before He comes through. As the disciples battled a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus came to them at the last moment, but when the time was just right, walking on the sea.

Perhaps Jesus walked to them on the water to show His disciples that the very things they feared—the wind and the waves—were only a staircase for Him to reach them.

The disciples, however, didn’t know it was Jesus, and they cried out in terror. Why didn’t they recognize Him? I believe it’s because they weren’t looking for Him. God is there, but often we don’t see Him because we aren’t looking for Him. And we never will know Jesus as deeply as we can until He comes to us in the midst of a storm in our lives.

Someone once asked me what the most spiritual moment of my life was, the moment when I sensed God’s presence more tangibly than any other time. That moment was right after my son Christopher died. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, but that is when God manifested His presence to me in such a tangible way. My wife and my son Jonathan have told me it was the same for them.

God came to us in a way that was unique, carrying us through. He gave us what we needed when we needed it. And He will do the same for you.”  – Pastor Greg Dawson

Blessings,

Chaplin Rob

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. – Colossians 3:16

We all need two basic things in life. The first is stability to be grounded and secure individuals. Only then can you be relationally healthy. The second is the vision and encouragement to discern and develop your unique gifts and aptitudes. Then you can recognize, pursue, and fulfill your calling. In simple terms, you need roots, and you need wings.

Today I want to focus on the latter—the wings. We all want to be discerning so that we can develop God’s design for our lives. But be prepared . . . it takes time and energy. It takes time to connect with God; to read and study His word, to pray, to talk to God and to listen to God, and connect with other people.

As you connect with God and connect with others, you will see God’s will for your life. It’s when you actively pursue life and pursue God . . . that you’ll see God’s will revealed. Don’t wait for it, move ahead and see it happen.

No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it. For by its very tossing it tightens its grip and plants its roots more securely; the fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley. – Seneca the Younger

Blessings,

Chaplin Rob

Much is required from those to whom much is given. – Luke 12:48b

Sometimes taking responsibility for our lives means completing unfinished business. Some of us may have left a trail of broken laws and relationships–things that need addressing before moving on. Others may be burdened by debts that inhibit spiritual pursuits. Before moving forward spiritually, we’ll need to take responsibility for wrongs done in the past.

A new life in Christ doesn’t excuse past obligations or erase the ongoing consequences of past sins. When the apostle Paul was in prison he led a runaway slave named Onesimus to Christ. But then Paul sent him back to his master–even though Onesimus faced a possible death penalty for his offense! Paul sent a letter back with the fugitive saying that if Onesimus had caused any harm or stolen anything that Paul would pay for it. Paul recognized that even though Onesimus was now a Christian, and forgiven of his sins, he needed to address the wrongs he’s committed in the past.

Likewise, before you can move ahead, you must face the unfinished business of your past. This may include facing up to some cowardly behavior, crooked schemes, or quick-fix solutions to difficult problems that just didn’t work. While you can be certain that God will meet you where you are, He calls you to take responsibility for whatever sins may have brought you to whatever circumstances you’re presently in. Once you accept ownership of your past, God will help you move ahead. But He’ll do it His way, not yours.

Nobody ever did, or ever will escape the consequences of his choices. – Alfred A. Montapert

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10

When Lord Mountbatten, a British naval commander, was five years old, he disliked sleeping in the dark. He confided in his father that his concern wasn’t the dark itself, but rather the wolves inhabiting the darkness. His father tried to assure him that there weren’t wolves in their house, but his boy responded, ‘I daresay there aren’t. But I think there are.’

Aren’t we good at conjuring up beasts? Even though our brains know there aren’t wolves in the attic or monsters under the bed, we still lie awake with our fingers and toes tucked beneath the blankets.

Friend, God doesn’t intend for you to live a life of fear. Like a protective father, He is there to comfort and assure us that we are not alone. Chase the wolves from your darkness. God will help you. It might be as simple as a prayer, or it might entail the help of a pastor or a professional counselor. Take a step toward chasing your wolves away today.

Every morning I spend fifteen minutes filling my mind full of God; and so there’s no room left for worry thoughts. – Howard Chandler Christy

Blessings,

Chaplain Rob

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. —Hebrews 11:1–2

If nothing else were said about you, let it be said, “That is a man of God” or “That is a woman of God.” I can’t think of a higher compliment.

Moses is described in the Bible as “the man of God” (Deuteronomy 33:1 NKJV). He was a flawed man, yes. But he also was a man of God.

Initially, Moses didn’t want to do what God called him to do. He was reluctant. But God had put His hand on Moses from the time he was a baby. His story is almost like a fairy tale, except it’s true. We know how God providentially protected baby Moses in his waterproof basket as he floated down the Nile. And almost as though on cue, the daughter of Pharaoh heard Moses cry, walked over, and saw the beautiful baby. Her maternal instincts kicked in, and she adopted Moses as her own.

Moses had everything he could want, but he knew it wasn’t what God wanted for him. Hebrews 11:24–25 tells us, “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” (NKJV). Moses made the right choices in life.

Moses was a world changer, and the key characteristic of a world changer can be summed up in one word: faith. Hebrews 11 defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (verse 1 NKJV). Faith is like a muscle. It needs to be used. If we neglect it, it will atrophy. It has to be in constant use. It comes down to this: Use it or lose it. Moses put faith into action, and we need to do the same.

Blessings,

Chaplin Rob