Seizing The Moment For God.

MT 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

MT 14:32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

In this part of our reading Jesus reaches out and helps a man sinking because of lack of faith and the result of him acting immediately to what God wanted of him people recognise that he is the son of God.

The one desperate desire of my life is for people to see that Jesus is the son of God.

What causes it here?

What is the immediate action that Jesus takes?

He reaches out his hand to one who lacks faith.

God today is looking for people who will obey him and reach out to people who are sinking for lack of faith.

It is easy to lift people up in their faith.

Sometimes all it requires is a word.

Everyone – including Christians need encouragement at some time or another.

John the Baptist was in prison and in his earthly dungeon doubts must have crept in.

In the end he sends his disciples off to Jesus and asks him

"Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

MT 11:4 Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Jesus encourages John and that encouragement allows John to maintain His important Christian witness.

We need to seize the moment.

We live in a world that is topsy turvey.

Good standards are often vanishing and bad standards are often held up.

God hasn’t changed.

We need to be a people who seize the moments that God gives us.

Colossians 4:5-6:

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.

Smith Wigglesmith was an English Plumber who was greatly used by God.

But at one stage of his life his faith slipped and his heart greew cold towards the Lord.

During 1884 in Bradford in England it was cold and Smith Wigglesworth was very busy and consequently became prosperous.

But as his fire grew dimmer his wife Polly grew birghter and her zeal for God and her prayer life never wavered.

One night she came home from church a little later than usual. When she entered the house Smith remarked, “I am the master of this house, and I am not going to have you coming home at so late an hour as this!”

Polly quietly replied, “I know that you are my husband but Christ is my master.”

Greatly annoyed Smith opened the back door and forced her out of the house, locking the door behind her. But he forgot to lock the front door. So Polly walked around the house and came through the front door. Laughing! In fact, she laughed so much that Smith finally surrendered and laughed with her. In his laughter, a revelation came into his heart and mind, so he decided to spend ten days in prayer and fasting to seek the Lord. In desparate and sincere repentance, he found his way to the road of restoration.