Refocus

Matthew 14:30
             But when he saw the wind was boisterous,
   he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out saying,
                                "Lord, save me!"

In the midst of a great storm Jesus came walking on the water to the disciples. Realizing it was Jesus, Peter cried out to join Him.
           "Lord if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."
             So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out
             of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
                                                        ___Matthew 14:28-29

Imagine how Peter must have felt! Without solid ground beneath his feet, waves billowing all about, he was walking on the water to Jesus! All was well until he took his eyes off Jesus and back on the raging waters. At that moment, Peter lost his focus and fell into the raging waters.

How many times have we done the same thing? We feel we are sinking, our world is caving in around us, and having no idea what to do we cry out to the Lord for help. It is in those times we hear Jesus say to us, as He said to Peter, "Come."
            "Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden,
              and I will give you rest."   ___Matthew 11:28

As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus we have hope, a peace that can come only from Him.
              You will keep him in perfect peace,
               Whose mind is stayed on You,
               Because he trusts in You.
                                                       ___Isaiah 26:3

But like Peter, when we take our eyes off Jesus we begin to once again succumb to hopelessness. It is then we need to refocus, look once again to the only One who can carry us to the other side of the storm. As we do, He will reach out to save us and set our feet on solid ground.
               For in time of trouble
               He shall hide me in the pavilion;
               In the secret place of His tabernacle
               He shall hide me;
               He shall set me high upon a rock.
                                                      ____Psalm 27:5

Words

                        Matthew 12:37
   For by  your words you will be justified,
   and by your words you will be condemned.

 Isn't it amazing how words from another person can affect our entire day!
We  have all had people say hurtful things to us, words that continue to sting
long after they are spoken. We have also had kind words spoken to us, words
that lift our spirit, carrying us through the day with renewed confidence and vigor.
I want to be that second person! I want to speak words of encouragement to others, help them know how much I appreciate them, how much I care about them. I want them to feel the love of Jesus.

As I look at the example set by Jesus, I think of the many times I have read His Word and the very  Scripture I need seems to jump off the page. It is always a word of encouragement, a  Scripture giving me hope in the darkness, direction in a decision, or comfort in the midst of heartache.

The Word of God has much to say about the tongue;
            If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not
            bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this one's
            religion is useless.                            __James 1:26

            Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.
            See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a
            fire, a word of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members
            that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature;
            and it is set on fire by hell.                __James 3:5-6

As Christ taught the multitudes, He said to them;
             Hear and understand:
             Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man;
             but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. 
                                                                      __Matthew 15:11

He went on to say:
              But those things which proceed out of the mouth
              come from the heart, and they defile a man. 
                                                                       __Matthew 15:18

What we say matters to Jesus!