³¹ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31 Many wondered what the secret of Arthur Rubinstein’s success was. He was one of the 20th century’s most prominent pianists and blessed with abundant natural abilities. But he felt that the key to success was not just talent, but also his commitment to being bold and taking risks. To thinking big. He once commented, “What troubles me about so many of the younger musicians I hear is that they think and act small.” He said that many are limited by being timid. They “are afraid to feel, afraid to make a mistake.” If they wanted to be great, he encouraged them to “take chances,” not to be limited by fear, but to “take what comes.” The problem of thinking small also plagued the disciples. Jesus knew that there were no limits. That nothing was impossible, including walking on water. But when Peter tried, he began to sink. He was focusing on circumstances and his own limits. After Jesus pulled Peter from the water, He asked him why he doubted. He knew that Peter had allowed doubt to creep into his heart and mind. He was not acting as though he believed that God could do anything. Doubt had kept him from experiencing a miracle. When we think about our resources and the problems we face, we too can doubt and feel overwhelmed. But the Bible encourages us to focus on God. To think about His unlimited power. To have faith in Him. To look at our circumstances from the perspective of His infinite power, not our own limits. In your relationship with God, ask Him to deliver you from small thinking. Have faith to be bold. Declare His promises to be true in your life. Remember, He is the God who created the universe. Believe Him for big things, in your life, and in the lives of others.

The smallest things in our life are usually the most important. When we don’t waste our time complaining and being stressed over things that really don’t matter, we are better able to connect with God and see all of the things that He has so graciously blessed us with. If we stop and think about it, God has blessed us more than we deserve! There is no reason to stress out, because the blessings that God has given you triumph over the things that you are most troubled about.

 “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.” Genesis 21:6 Laughter is truly a blessing from the Lord. It’s really the best stress-reliever there is. It is through laughter that we can get through some of the darkest moments in our lives with a smile. We can become closer with the people around us, celebrate moments of joy, and be thankful for the great friends we have. Laughter and smiles are the best universal communication available. Everyone understands the happiness that comes from both of them. So today, laugh a little harder. Smile a little bigger. And appreciate the things that just make you feel good.

As much as we might hate to admit it, God doesn’t need or want us to tell Him what He should do. His plan and timing is always perfect. Yes, it is true that He wants to hear from us, but what brings Him happiness is our devotion to His plan and His timing. That means when we pray, we’re creating an open line of communication with God that serves as a dialogue. But it also means that not only are we speaking, but we must also take the time to listen. Here’s what’s also great about prayer…we can pray anytime, anywhere! What a huge blessing to know that we can talk to God at any moment in our lives… during the good times and the bad. Prayer has no formal rules so just pray. Because just a simple talk with your best friend sometimes is all you need! He’s there for you, He’s listening, AND He’s ready to help you and answer your request.

There are some who really believe that you’ve got to clean up your act before you can come to church and have a relationship with Christ. How many times have you heard someone say something like this: “Oh, I’d come but I’ve got to get it all together first.” OR,” There are a few things I’ve got to get right in my life first, and then I’ll come. He wouldn’t want me the way I am right now anyways” That’s kind of like brushing your teeth before going to the dentist thinking that it will fix everything you’ve let go for a while! Why do we do that? The truth is, God doesn’t expect us to clean up our act or be perfect before we come to church and approach him. The death and Resurrection of His son Jesus gives us the opportunity to not only come just we are, but to come to Him without fear of rejection! Jesus spread out his arms and said, “I love you this much. Now, just come as you are.” That’s what Jesus did on Easter. And that’s why we can bring our messes and failures to God. There are people you know who think God will never love them because they’ve made such a mess of their lives. But you know what? God wants them to come as they are. Help them hear the Good News from Jesus. This Easter, invite them to come to church with you. It’s not only a simple thing to do, but it can make a difference that will last an eternity!!

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9 When I have read that verse, I’ve always wondered, “what does that really mean?” Because if you think about it, peculiar is kind of a peculiar way for God to want us to be! The word means to be unusual and/or odd. But being peculiar also has another meaning; belonging distinctively, exclusively to one person- being special and unique. But today we find many Christians trying to do just the exact opposite of that word. Instead of trying to be “odd,” they struggle to fit in with a world that is quickly moving away from God’s commandments and Word. Instead of wanting to stand out, many of us are trying to blend in and simply go unnoticed. Honestly, I believe it’s when we try to blend in, that we actually start losing who we are, and who our creator is. Have you ever noticed that a strawberry is weird shaped and full of seeds? It is unique. Each of us have been created for a specific purpose Jeremiah 1:5,”Before I formed you…I knew you…” and in a special way Psalm 139:14 “I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!…”. If you take that same strawberry and blend it with other types of food, the uniqueness of the strawberry becomes lost, and its flavor is mixed in with all the other flavors. And even more importantly, the seeds of the strawberry become fruitless, being consumed in the mixing instead of producing new plants. Christ used another example when talking about the loss of flavor in our lives. He compared our lives to salt. As Christians we are the source of life for those who do not know Christ. As Christians, we are the examples of Christ here on earth today. But if we allow ourselves to become blended in such a way that we are unable to share the Gospel or proclaim the good news; if we sacrifice our values to fit in and lose our saltiness, then what good are we? God calls us to be a peculiar people, a people who others can identify as His. A people that the unsaved will look at with wonder, asking themselves what makes us so different, so unique, and so special. Today, what will you do with the saltiness God has given you? What will you do with the uniqueness of your life and with the knowledge of the Gospel that you have? Will you let others know that you are peculiar, or will you give up what makes you special to blend in unnoticed?

And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. – Genesis 21:1 Trust, it’s not something that is easily done. Sometimes it means letting go of what you believe, what you feel makes sensel, and putting it in someone else’s control. It means letting things leave your control and hoping that the person [or thing] you are trusting in comes through for you. Of course, there are times that is easier to have trust. It seems a lot easier to trust God after winning a million dollars, or getting that new job you had prayed for, or simply  having something good happen to you… but it so much harder to trust Him when things just aren’t going right. Sometimes we find ourselves acting like Sarah. We know that God has promised to take care of us but looking at the situation we start thinking that maybe this is time God’s just not going to be able to come through for you this time. You ever had thoughts like that? Like Sarah, when we hear that good news is coming, we find ourselves sarcastically laughing. (Genesis 18:12-14) I’ve always wondered what Sarah thought after she knew she was pregnant at 90 years old. I’ve always wondered how foolish she felt, for doubting God. Because no matter how chaotic things appear to be, or how much we are struggling, God is right there with us. And while we may not always be able to depend on our jobs, or our banks, or even our government, but we can always depend on God! Because God not only keeps His word, just as He did with Sarah and Abraham, but nothing can stop God from keeping His word. (Job 42:2) Today, what struggles do you face? What challenges are in your life? And most importantly, where are you putting your hope?

I was listening to music in the office a little bit ago, and I started listening to Jeff and Sheri Easter’s song, ” Speak to the Mountain” was playing and I thought of this verse in the Book of Matthew…

It only takes just a little bit of faith! Sometimes we fell as though we don’t have much faith at all.. in anything! We look at others around us and we think, “Oh they’ve got a lot more faith than I do!” But in the verse above, Jesus said that if we’d have even the faith as small as a mustard seed, we could do incredible things in God and nothing would be impossible because with God all things are possible. If you have ever seen a mustard seed, you know how tiny they are. To put it into perspective, it could sit on a point of a ink pen. But if you were to bit into it, you would find that it explodes with flavor. So if we have even the tiniest of faith, God says there is no limit to what you can do!  We can speak to the mountains that we face. Mountains of fear, discouragement, hopelessness and conquer them with our faith firmly placed in God.