In case you missed it: Today's Breakfast Bite
Revd Gareth Higgs joins Nathan to encourage to step outside our comfort zone - to get out of the boat.
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[Music] Well, it's one skin time for today's breakfast bite, and I have the privilege of welcoming Reverend Gareth Higgs. Hi Gareth, how are you doing? Hi, Nathan, how are you, buddy? I'm good, thanks. How are you? Excellent. Not too bad. A bit of a cold, unfortunately. But I think I'm on the mend. Good. Is that enough? Thank you. Yes. Well, are you ready for today's breakfast bite? Yeah, I am. Excellent. Take it away. I'm a fan of the 1980s sitcom Aloe Aloe. And there's a character there who every time this character appears, he says, "In his eye, declare." And that's just kind of catchphrase. And for people watching the show, whenever that person appeared, there was kind of always a ripple of laughter, because it was what was kind of set up to happen. It's reading this week an account where Jesus uses the same words. He doesn't pretend to be an actor in a 1980s comedy. But Jesus says, "In his eye, take courage, his eye." And the context is that there's the lake, the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee. And I'm just imagining a sea of galaxy chocolate for a moment. Anyway, the Sea of Galilee. That does sound good, doesn't it? But it's the Sea of Galilee at no touristy sort of shopping waterway when those storms get up. And the disciples are on the boat. Jesus, the disciples are on the boat. And they're a bit nervous by the kind of wind and the waves. And then suddenly, out comes a figure walking towards them. And they think, first of all, it might be a ghost. But Jesus says to them, "Take courage, it is, 'I don't be afraid.'" And it just got me thinking that for those people that know that story, you'll know that the next kind of bit is that Peter, one of the disciples, gets out of the boat. And I think this really happened. I've got no problem believing this really happened. But it's also got metaphorical and symbolic overtones. It's a call and a challenge to those of us that follow Jesus to kind of get out of our comfort zone and to kind of step out into what feels like sometimes nowhere to feel or insecurity or uncertainty and press ahead. It's all of that's true, both physically and metaphorically. But here before Peter does that, before Jesus says to Peter, "Come," and beckons him to do this radical and extravagant thing before all of that, Jesus says, "Take courage, it is, 'I don't be afraid.'" And I think, for me, that is really, really encouraging. I'm in a season of life where a family and I have just made a kind of decision to step out. And so, again, striking the metaphors a bit, there's lots of winded waves around us at the minute. You know, there's lots of things that are insecure and uncertain. And it feels a bit like we're stepped out of the safety of the boat. But actually, before Jesus asked us to do that, he was the one who is always with us, the one who is our comfort, our strength and security. So therefore, it isn't kind of blind faith. It isn't stepping out into a sea of fear and insecurity and all sorts of dangers. Actually, it's stepping out into the providence of God, into the comfort of God, and holding on to the safe hand of God. And I just maybe was thinking that maybe I'll be somebody listening to this this morning and you're going through kind of chopping waters at the minute, and perhaps you feel a little bit alone, perhaps you feel that the kind of ground shaking from underneath your feet, and it all feels a bit unsteady. Just want to say to you that I believe that if you are doing this with a heart after God, God is with you, he won't abandon you. He's the one who says, before he asks anything of you, before you do anything in response, he is the one who says, "It is I. Don't be afraid. It's me. I'm here. I am with you. I won't leave you. I won't forsake you. I won't drop you. You will not drown. I am here. Take courage. Do not be afraid." So I hope that perhaps that might be meaningful to somebody listening today, that you might know the comfort of God, the consolation of God, that you might know the God who is always with you, and perhaps if you stepped out and you're wondering, "What have I done?" I feel like I'm just about to sink. You have a God who holds you up and bears you up. It was right by your side, closer than you could ever imagine. So good there. Thanks so much, Kath. And absolutely true. I think some of us, we may serve or work for people who don't necessarily walk with us all that well, might just sort of push us in a direction where we're not comfortable. But like you say, God's not like that. He walks with us. He's always there with us. And in Peter's case, when it went wrong, which is going to go wrong sometimes, we're not perfect. We're going to take our eye off the board off the game, and we're going to sink sometimes. But it's really good to know that, like you say, Jesus is there, and he's going to pick us up when he goes wrong. He's going to pick us up when we stumble and when we stink. Yeah, absolutely it's wrong. No, thanks so much, Gareth. I really thought for us, it is good to step outside of comfort zone. And some of us, we get to settled inside the boat. But people who step outside the boat who are going to achieve history changing things, to break records and to achieve things that make history. So yeah, it's worth the risk. And when you're going out stepping up with God, you know he's always going to be there with you, which is fantastic. So thanks so much, Gareth. Great breakfast bite. Now look forward to another one next week. Cheers. All right, take care. Have a good day, everyone. Did you know Pure 24/7 Radio has a shop? Well, we do. You can buy merchandise while supporting the work that we do here. Simply head over to www.pure247radio.org/shop. That's www.pure247radio.org/shop. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)
