Peace, Be Still!

Here is a sermon I preached during our Holy Land tour:

Here is an excerpt:

The disciples were afraid because they were men who were used to being in control of life. They knew how to handle hard situations. There wasn’t a weakling among them. And yet, when put in a life-threatening situation beyond their control, their faith turned to fear. Instead of putting them down, Jesus simply says, “Have you still no faith?” The answer is yes and no. The had faith in Jesus. They truly believed in him. But their faith, though real, was not yet full-grown. And how do you get the faith that enables you to survive the storms of life? The only answer I know is to get in the boat with Jesus and ride with him wherever he wants to go.

Where there are no storms, there is no danger.
Where there is no danger, there is no fear.
Where there is no fear, there is no testing.
Where there is no testing, there is no learning.
Where there is no learning, there is no growing.
Where there is no growing, there is no faith.

Here is the shorthand version:

Where there are no storms, there is no faith.

No storms, no faith.
Few storms, a little faith.
Many storms, much faith.

So it is for all of us who follow Jesus. There are no shortcuts along the pathway of spiritual growth.