Jesus is Lord of the Waves.

And when we take our eyes off Him, and look at the waves, we momentarily lose two huge benefits of Jesus in this life — joy and peace. He lovingly controls the waves of our lives — the circumstances we face each day, in such a way that we sometimes get fearful, or frustrated, or discouraged, and have great motivation to turn our eyes back to Him. Ahhh.

Our flesh is convinced we need easy circumstances, but easy just motivates us to be control freaks, INdependents, orphans. So Jesus sometimes thwarts the plans of our flesh for easy, and lovingly gives us scary, frustrating, discouraging waves, and after fighting the waves, trying to control the waves, we see the futility of our INdependence, and have great motivation to turn our eyes back to Him. Ahhh.

And it’s only when our eyes and thoughts are fixed on Him that we are channels of grace into the lives of others, especially nonChristians. Seed cast on fertile soil that reproduces a hundred, sixty or thirty. WOW. Not mere human power.

What helps ME fix my eyes and thoughts on Jesus? Sovereignty-awareness. Seeing Him behind everyone and everything, so I’m able to enjoy each of His creations, instead of judging them, competing with them, finding fault with them, being irritated with them. I can’t seem to graduate from needing to be reminded of His total sovereignty. All day long, I’m confessing my unbelief in His sovereignty, when convicted by His Spirit, and then I’m blissfully Jesus-dependent. For a bit.

— Dave McCarty, GospelFriendships, fixated on the waves, except when freshly convicted of the sin of INdependence

To receive my Tuesday posts, email me, or subscribe to my blog: dumbsheepdave.com