March 8th,
1961 “Seeing Through God’s Eyes” Late
Mr. N. Daniel
Matthew 14:25-33
“But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid."
Peter did not look at Jesus constantly and continuously. He
was looking at Him spasmodically. He did not see the wind through Jesus. We
must look at our problems through Jesus. Otherwise we
will sink. We must understand all our problems and see them through
Jesus. Here was an immature Christian. He was more enthusiastic than filled
with faith. We err, because, our faith is mostly just enthusiasm. We begin to imitate
others. Here Peter was imitating Jesus. When it is enthusiasm and not faith,
Satan gets an opportunity to discourage and destroy us. But here Peter did have
some faith, so he did not completely sink. Sceva's
children, who tried to imitate
Remember we are in a world where we are surrounded by
powers of darkness. The moment we try to do something above our faith, the powers
of darkness try to overpower us. Peter wanted to walk on the sea like Jesus.
Jesus encouraged him to step out. But the winds was
hard and Peter began to sink deeper and deeper. Jesus' feet did not sink. Peter
lifted his hand and cried out to Jesus. Jesus did not call him a man of unfaith
but ‘one of little faith'. We have faith, but it is only a little faith. Once
Jesus said to Peter, “you cannot follow me now, but will follow me later".
But Peter affirmed that he would follow Jesus right then. That very night when
questioned by a girl, he denied Jesus outright. Look of Jesus constantly. You
will develop a consciousness of His presence always. “A storm is brewing. Where
are you?” some say to you. You should say, “Jesus is with me. He has not asked
me to move.” Small troubles sometimes appear very big because we do not look at them through
Jesus. When we study the lives of saints who faced big troubles with wonderful
faith, they challenge us. You sometimes are unable to forego small things for
Christ in your places. Small troubles in the house absorb all your attention. You
do not realize God will take care of your child and you as well. You do not
look at the Cross. Jesus said, 'If they have killed me, they will kill you also;
but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. Look at your persecutions
through me, through my cross and my sufferings. They called me a glutton and wine
bibber and devil-possessed." Jesus fasted for forty days. Was He a glutton?
If we look at our troubles through Christ, they will appear microscopic.
Once
when we set out to preach the gospel, one of the group
got a stomach-ache on account of overeating. He wanted all of us to stop
because he had a stomach ache. Seeing his trouble, I left one man who was our
cook to look after him. I decided we would cook ourselves. Then it began to drizzle.
The boys wanted to postpone the gospel-trip. Self-centredness!
Oh, I am suffering! Oh my child is suffering! Look at that through Jesus or else
all these will look so big and you will sink. John 17:23. ‘I in them, and thou
in me that they may be made perfect in one; that the world may know that thou
has sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." Jesus was one
with the Father. That made Him very bold because He was in the Father. “All mine are thine, all thine are mine.” Jesus wants us to be able to say that. Jesus
was walking on the water because He was one with the Father. Alas, we are
separate from him.