Matthew Collins's Blog - Posts Tagged "faith"

"Wanted. Men for hazardous journey. Low wages. Bitter cold. Long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in the event of success."
- Ernest Shackleton, in his 1907 recruitment ad in the London Times for his Endurance expedition to the South Pole.

What is God calling you to do with your life? What were you created for? How will you make a difference in this world? Perhaps He is calling you to go across the sea, or maybe across the street, to make a difference in someone’s life. Faith, endurance, and love are mission critical for your voyage.

What is holding you back? The sirens of comfort and self-gratification? When you die, you can’t take your stuff with you. God has given each of us only one life to live… make it count for eternity!

Is fear getting in the way of your calling?

Perhaps you fear rejection. A sure-fire way to invite criticism in our society is to take your children somewhere like Afghanistan! When we do something out of the ordinary, beyond the status quo, sometimes people misunderstand our motives. But God doesn’t. At the end of my life, hearing “well done” from him counts more than all the praise and all the criticism from mortals.

Maybe it is the fear of failure, or of the unknown. The gospel of Matthew tells the story of some fishermen who were out in a storm when they saw Jesus, walking on the water:

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matt. 14: 27-33, ESV)

Perhaps you have yet to get out of your boat, or maybe you already have, but suddenly fear overwhelms and distracts from your vision of him. Faith overcomes fear! Peter looked to Jesus and He saved him. Then Peter, and his fellow fishermen, changed the world.