by leaps and bounds

And when he had sent the multitude away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased (Matthew 14:23-32).

The Christian life is a journey. It is like a marathon and is so different from a sprint. Always, it is a walk of faith.

Sometimes along this journey, we fail. Anything from failing to pray to struggling with sin hinders us and feels like it will defeat us. 

During these times of failure, good sense has to kick in. We remember that we cannot and do not have to do this alone. Then we call out to the One who desires to help us.

Faith, failure, and good sense are all necessary components of the Christian walk. Let us briefly examine each one.

Faith is the key ingredient to the Christian life. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). We must have faith to do three important things.

Look at the call given to Peter and Andrew. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he said unto them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” And they straightway left their nets, and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-20). These men left their nets to follow Jesus — without knowing where that path would lead them. It takes faith to simply answer the call to follow Jesus.

Obviously, if we are going to follow Jesus, we must have faith to believe He is who He says he is. Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered with an emphatic statement of faith, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” There is so much power in declaring to our Savior, “You are the Son of God.”

Finally, it takes faith to leave our comfortable place. Peter was a man used to the sea- including times of turbulence. Surely, he had encountered stormy seas previously. It would seem to be more comfortable in the ship than out of the ship. When he stepped out onto the water, he left what comfort there was at the time. So it is with us. Faith requires stepping out of the ship to experience the greatness of God.

Down through the years, I have heard people criticize Peter for failing to complete his walk on the water. However, his failure is a reflection of the failure we all experience during our lives. Like Peter, we look at the storm around us and take our eyes off of Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…” When we become distracted by all that surrounds us, failure is inevitable. This is when good sense has to come to the forefront.

When Peter began to sink, he did the most sensible thing he could have done. He cried out to Jesus — the One who had the power to save him. The Psalmist was so correct when he wrote, “This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” We should be so glad that our Lord hears us above all the noise that is around us. One other use of good sense is repentance.

When our actions deny that we know the Lord, repentance is in order. After denying Jesus three times, Peter remembered that Jesus warned him of this great failure. He had boasted that he would never fail in this way; now his heart was broken. Again, good sense was exercised. Peter went out and wept bitter tears of repentance. There are times when we must do likewise.

Matthew 14:23-32 definitely links faith, failure, and good sense together. It takes faith to step out in the first place. Once we step out, our human frailties get in the way and failure shows itself. This is when good sense tells us to cry out to the Lord who can help us. Good sense also tells us to make things right so our journey of faith can continue.

---

Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. (Colossians 3:15)

Surely, we have so much to be thankful for. Our homes, our jobs, and our finances are important to us, and we should be thankful. Our families and friends cannot be replaced and we can’t be thankful enough for them. One thing we often place on the backburner is our eternal salvation.

As we age, we begin to realize that what we have here is wonderful, but it will not last. However, our souls are eternal. Therefore, eternal salvation is the most important thing of all – we should be extremely thankful for it.

We are thankful for salvation that could come no other way except through Jesus. As we study the Old Testament, we cannot imagine the number of sacrifices made for the sins of the people of Israel. Those animal sacrifices were not enough because they could not change the people. Those sacrifices simply pointed to the supreme sacrifice of Jesus himself. Hebrews 9:12 says this clearly: “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” We cannot save ourselves. We are saved by grace through faith in the One who gave himself for us.

We are thankful for salvation that is a free gift. Jesus paid the price for us when He went to the cross. This salvation is free to all who will receive it. It is up to us to decide what we will do with this gift He offers. John 1:11-12 says, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

Once we have received the gift of salvation, we can trust Him to help us live lives that will reflect our commitment to Him. We can also rest assured that He will keep us in this life and throughout eternity. Truly, we can be thankful for salvation that will last forever.

---

Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt (1 Samuel 18:3-4).

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” (1 Samuel 23:17)

Selfishness is a prominent characteristic of our modern society. It tends to breed fierce competition for position and prominence in all segments of society. This is true in sports, business, politics, entertainment, and various other arenas in our world. Success — to many people — means getting what is desired regardless of who is hurt in the process. Sadly, this exists even in the church world. This attitude is so contrary to the Biblical value of selflessness.

Romans 12:10 says, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” In 1 Samuel, Jonathan did not have this verse to read. However, he lived it out as if he did.

The concept of preferring a brother over oneself is so evident in the relationship between Jonathan and David. In fact, selflessness really cost Jonathan a couple of important things. First of all, it exacted a great toll on his relationship with his father, Saul.

As King of Israel, Saul was the most powerful man in the land. However, he had already been told by the prophet, Samuel, that his kingdom would be given to another. Knowing that David was God’s choice, Saul sought to kill him on more than one occasion. Jonathan’s friendship with David flew in the face of a jealousy and hatred that Saul could not shake. The idea that Jonathan was David’s ally drove a wedge between the father and son that could not be overcome. Ultimately, selflessness was going to cost Jonathan the kingdom.

Notice in I Samuel 18:4 that Jonathan stripped himself of his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt. These were not ordinary items coming off an ordinary man. These were the clothing and weaponry of the future king of Israel. Essentially, Jonathan was giving up the kingdom for his friend. Later, he put this idea into words.

Can you imagine the selfless nature of Jonathan as he spoke to David in 1 Samuel 23:17? Hear these words: “You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” How many people do we know who could be so inclined? Could we ourselves handle things this way? It is certain that we cannot do it without the mindset of our Savior.

Philippians 2: 5-8 speaks clearly about the selflessness of Jesus. Paul wrote, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Talk about selflessness costing something! What did it cost Jesus?

It cost Him the robes of Heavenly royalty. It cost Him the splendor of all that Heaven has to offer. It cost Him — for a time — His deity. It cost Him a point in time when God allowed the unthinkable to happen on the cross. It cost Him his earthly life. Why?

Jesus did this simply because He placed us before Himself. He gave up everything so we can share all that He has here and ultimately eternally. In a world so filled with selfish ambition, let us live lives of selflessness. God, help us to place others before ourselves.

---

Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word (I Kings 18:20-21).

Let me give you a brief synopsis of the situation presented in these verses. Basically, the king of Israel was encouraging the people of Israel to worship the false god, Baal. On the other hand, the prophet Elijah was encouraging them to worship the God of Israel — the one true God. This was in fact a showdown between the prophets of Baal and God Himself. When Elijah confronted the people, they had nothing to say. They were essentially caught between the altar and the door — between turning to God in complete faith or finding the exit to forsake their faith altogether. Like the people of Israel, we can be caught in the middle.

Sometimes we are caught between deep water faith and the shallow end of the pool. We want to believe to a point, but we don’t want to take it too far. God expects more from us than this. Hear the words of Exodus 34:14: “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” God wants our faith to be in Him and not in the false gods of this world. He wants us to have deep water faith!

What is deep water faith? First of all, deep water faith is believing in what we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 says this: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We no longer say, “I will have to see it to believe it.” We simply believe.

We believe in God. We believe He can do anything. Romans 4:17 says God can call things which are not as though they were. Deep water faith deems the impossible to be possible with God. 

Finally, deep water faith believes that God has our best interest at heart. Jeremiah 29:11 states this beautifully, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

We can fully believe that God can do anything. We can truly believe that God wants what is best for us. Knowing this, why look for the nearest exit? Let us quit wading around in the shallow end and simply dive into the deep water of absolute faith in God.

---

Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.