Keeping Your Eye on the Ball - Matthew 14: 22-31
A man walks up to a coffee machine, puts in a coin presses the button labeled coffee, double cream and sugar. The cup never drops but the machine takes off and starts to pour the coffee, cream and sugar. The guy quickly replied that it even would drink it for you. That is just how some people want it. To make a deposit, put in some money, and let the rest take care of automatically. But there is no such thing as automated prayers, devotion, worship and service. Jesus requires so much more. We have lost our focus!!
(Matt 14:22-31)
I guess it is a known fact that I am a huge sports fan. But I have found a common thread from sports to our lives as a Christians. There is a fundamental rule in every sport…. Keeping Your Eye on the Ball!!!!! Keeping your focus. In baseball your taught to find the seam or the threads of the baseball as it is thrown. This will help you keep better focus. This obvislouy a challenge a could not do. We need to take this same philosophy in our walk with Christ. The ball is the focal point. It represents Jesus in our lives. Keeping your eye on the ball.. Keeping your eye on Jesus… Jesus is our focus…
(read scripture)
Let’s look back in (v23). Jesus needed his quiet time with God. If Jesus needed and found this time alone with God, We need to do the same. Jesus was a busy man. Yet it was a priority for him to get this time.
Ok Jesus sent the disciples out already in the boat. John tells us they were already 3 miles out. Mark tells us that Jesus actually watched them “ straining at the oars.” Nonetheless, they were already a good piece out when Jesus decided to join them.
(V24, 25,26) These guys were expiernced fisherman. They knew what they had to do. This was their old job. But think about it for a moment. Dark, middle of the night, major windstorm going on you’d be scared too. To top it all off they something coming across the water. Jesus decided he was going to freak them all out. People just don’t do that!! Now I don’t know about you but if someone started to walk on water I’d thunk it was a ghost too. Truthfully I would not have waited around to find out.
I’m sure the disciples never thought they would see or even if he could Jesus walking on water. Ain’t it just like Jesus to arrive in our storms in ways we don’t expect? But when he does the message is always clear. “ Don’t be afraid.” (V27)
In (v28) Peter wasn’t testing Jesus… he was responding to faith. Hey let’s not knock on Peter. At least he got out of the boat. Where were the other disciples? In (v30) Peter began to sink. Peter took his eyes off the ball. His focus turned to the storm than to Jesus. Hmmm. How often does that happen to us? We start out “Lord I am going to trust you.” Then when the storm hits we lose focus. We take our eye off the ball!!
(V31) Jesus catches Peter. Like he does everytime he catches us. Jesus said in later chapters “ I will never leave nor forsake you.” No matter how many times we take our eyes off the ball he’ll be there… No matter how many times we lose sight of the ball he will be there.
How chaotic is your life. Are you running around crazy all the time? Running between jobs, kids, and school. Kid’s activities alone can make you crazy and sleep deprived. I know you guys are busy remember I try to plan stuff for your kids. Now I’m not just picking on anyone the Terrell household is about the same. Kids, dance, work, and Staci’s never “honey do list” we stay going. I recently learned that we all need to slow down and rest. Rest in God. We have become to busy for God. We have let our life run us instead of the other way around. We have let things come before God. We have let life come before God. The creator of life! Our busy lives have let us taken our eye from the ball. We’ve lost focus of Jesus. We don’t have “our time with God” When you make the time for God your life will change. God’s time is more than just appointment.
Have we lost our minds when we let God make an appointment? It’s our life how we run it is up to us. William Jones once said “ The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will out last it.”
In closing I want to challenge you to do three things. Three things that can help you in focusing on God.
1. Focus on the Father- quiet time with God. Regular time for you and God to talk and pray.
2. Focus on Others- Don’t just worry about yourself. Look around to see if others are sinking and need that helping hand.
3. Focus on Jesus- Peter took his eye off the ball; But Jesus never took his eyes off Peter. Don’t let the storm of life distract you from Jesus. Keep your eye on the ball…
How is your with relationship with God. Or you to busy for him. Have you lost focus? Maybe you have been focusing to much on life that you’ve neglected God?
