Luke 8:22-25 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

Five in this series, seeking ten devotionals. Our focus falls upon “rebuked”.

Jesus demonstrates His power over all creation, even the wind and water. I think it is our lesson here to note the results of the rebuke, “they ceased and there was a calm”. We who call Jesus Lord of our lives, how do we respond to His rebuke?

For arguments sake, allow me to give you the ceased portion of the actions. You got called down for a behavior which warranted a rebuke and you stopped. I’ll give you that. Did calm follow? Was peace restored or was there some lingering sting or resentment? Do you beat yourself up for allowing things to get to that point? Do you hear yourself saying, “I know better, what’s the matter with me?”

How do you respond if the rebuke comes from a brother in the Lord? How do you act then?

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.

Rebuke is part of the Christian experience because we are called to be subject one to another. How you handle it and restore calm will be a clear indication of your growth in Christ.

Luke 8:22-25 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

Four in this series, seeking ten devotionals. Our focus falls upon “jeopardy”.

Is it fate or destiny? I came to the conclusion last night that the difference between the two is attitude. He suffered the same fate sounds right. He suffered the same destiny doesn’t sound right. Maybe it is just a matter of semantics but perceptions are determined by attitude.

Here we have twelve men in a boat that feared they would share the same fate as Jesus if they did not get Him to change the circumstances. It wasn’t Jesus’ destiny to die in that boat. Circumstances changed their attitude. They no longer felt their fate was tied to Jesus. He would survive because He was after all the anointed one, the Christ, the Son of God. They feared because they knew they were replaceable.

Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

I know that it does not sound like a blessing to suffer the same fate as Jesus. If our identity is to be found in Christ, then that is what will happen. Our attitude however should not be one of seeing our fate but rather in sharing His destiny. He was destined to be the first of The Resurrection, perfected human form, incorruptible, eternal, Holy and reunited with the Father.

It is fate by faith.