The boat they were in was likely barely big enough to hold them all, leaked even in good weather, and was designed in such a way that the storm would have been tossing it around like a child's toy while it filled up with water. But Jesus is sleeping through it all in the back of the boat. No wonder the disciples questioned Him in Mark's account, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?” Jesus was unconcerned though he was in the same sinking boat with them. They were about to learn why. Chiding them for their lack of faith, He simply commanded the storm, and it ceased to be.

In the mist of the storms, actual or metaphorical, we might be tempted to wonder if god is paying us any attention. Sometimes it seems as if He must be asleep like Jesus in that boat. Now they obviously knew He was with them, but they didn't yet understand just who He was. They didn't know it, but God was with them in that boat. If Jesus is our Lord, we can have the same confidence. We may not see the sun right now, but the Son will shine in the end.

Our primary text is from Mark 4:35-41.

In this message from Ephesians 4:29-32, we explore the profound connection between the words we speak, the condition of our hearts, and our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Discover how to guard your tongue, put away bitterness, and choose the difficult but liberating path of forgiveness. Learn how to speak words that don't grieve the Spirit, but instead bring grace and healing to those who hear them.

But there is a danger we face in becoming too comfortable in our disability. I know that statement seems to stand in opposition to what many of us have fought so hard to gain. That is, acceptance, both within ourselves and from those around us. Allow me to add some clarification. It is easy for us to fall into the trap of low expectation. We may even come to believe that there is nothing we can do, and that really others are obligated to do it for us. Everyone needs help from time to time, and God made us to need each other, but we are also to take responsibility for our own lives. And when it comes to doing what God has told us to do, there really is no excuse.

For illustration, let us turn to Exodus Chapter 4, verses 10-16. We drop into the middle of a conversation that Yahweh and Moses began back in Chapter 3, when Moses spotted the burning bush that wasn't burning and went to check it out. Yahweh called upon Moses to lead His people out of slavery in Egypt, but Moses really did not want to do it. He kept raising objections until God finally became angry with him. We're going to examine one of those objections.

Then Moses said to Yahweh, “Please, Lord, I have never been a man of words, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your slave; for I am one with a hard mouth and a hard tongue.” (v. 10)

Many have interpreted this to mean that Moses had a speech impediment, but the text is far from conclusive on that. Though it is clear that Aaron speaks for him in the beginning, he will have a lot to say in the years to come. Nevertheless, he clearly felt that he was not up to the task that God was assigning him, whatever the reason. But look How God answers

And Yahweh said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? 12 So now, go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth and will instruct you what you shall speak.” (v. 11)

When God calls us, He will give us what we need to accomplish the mission. Now let's bring it down to Earth a bit. You might say, "I'm not Moses." It's true that Moses had a unique role to play in God's story, but it's also true that every single one of us is called by God to a life of holiness. That means much more than just showing up at church when the doors open. It extends to all of our lives. It means acting with integrity in every situation. It means doing what is right even when it costs you. It means doing what you can, and taking responsibility. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, the first thing they did was blame someone else.

Many of us face more challenges than most, but we are still responsible before God to live righteously. Yes, we will fall short. Otherwise Jesus' sacrifice would not have been necessary. But we don't get a pass just because life is a little harder for us. When God says "Go," you better not say "no."

So, what does it mean when the Bible tells us that God loves us? What does it mean when it says that God is love? When I read that God is love in 1 John 4:8 for the first time at the age of seventeen, it changed everything. I already believed, but then I saw the way that one could truly come to know God. It became my life-long goal to know love.

When the Bible speaks of God's love, it usually uses one of those four Greek words I mentioned above, ἀγάπη (agape.) You will also find it in reference to the love we are to have for God, for each other, and even for our enemies! So, what does that kind of love look like? Paul lays it out for us in 1 Corinthians Chapter 13.

In this message from Philippians 4:8-9, we examine Paul's final instructions to the church at Philippi—a congregation he founded roughly a decade earlier and deeply loved. Writing from prison in Rome, Paul doesn't just tell believers what to avoid; he gives them a positive vision for what should fill their thoughts: what is true, dignified, right, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and praiseworthy.

This isn't mere positive thinking. It's a radical reorientation of the mind toward the character of God Himself. And the promise? When we practice these things—the things we've learned, received, heard, and seen in faithful examples—the God of peace will be with us.