boat Archives - Lynn Mosher

Have You Given Jesus Your Life’s Boat?

August 16, 2018 By Lynn H Mosher

The Sea of Galilee, the cradle of the Gospel.

This day, the sun blazes high in the clear, azure sky.

As anchored fishing boats bob in the wake of the incoming hauls, fishermen row into shore. Famished gulls congregate on the rocky beach in anticipation of catching some unattended morsel while a flock of impatient ones fly overhead, waiting to swoop down for a fly-by snack.

Here in these waters swarm a profusion of shellfish and a great variety of other fish, making it an easy task for fishermen to haul in a living.

The rim of this crescent-shaped lake hums with the hustle and bustle of life, as cities and villages speckle the shoreline. Rolling hills, fields of grain, and grapes, figs, and olives cozy up in the surrounding terrain.

Capernaum lies comfortably on the western shore as one of the most prosperous and crowded districts. Today, a great crowd begins to gather here as Jesus preaches along the shore.

“Great crowds pressed in on Him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So He sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.” (Luke 5:1b-3 NLT)

After Peter allowed Him to use his boat, Jesus used it as His platform to preach the Gospel and teach the multitude. And when He finished, He said to Peter, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” (Luke 5:4 NLT)

Jesus walked the shoreline calling His disciples, seeking the lifeboat of each one to follow Him and be used by Him. And because of their obedience, their offer of their life’s boat, the Gospel was preached throughout all Judea, spreading around the world. A boatload of souls was their catch.

Have you given Jesus your life’s boat?

When we give Jesus our life’s boat, we allow Him to steer our life where He knows it needs to go in order to use us as His platform to preach the Gospel to others.

Jesus says, “I am the Navigator. I know where we are going. It is your job to sit still before Me and trust that I know best. Don’t rock the boat by telling Me where you want to go. Just let Me take you to the place best suited for you.

“Ride quietly and trust Me and we will reach our destination much more quickly. Don’t be a hindrance to the One who knows the way. I will not steer you wrong nor will I allow the waves to overtake you. Just trust Me, because I love you.”

Have you given your life’s boat to Jesus? Have you allowed Him to take control of the helm, to guide you where He wants you to go, to be a platform for His Word to others?

Will you be a fisher of souls?

Blessings of soul-fishing to you…Lynn

Smoke Alarm! Time to Build a Boat!

June 8, 2015 By Lynn H Mosher

What was that? A faint beep.

There it goes again. Beep! Beep! What is that? Oh, yeah! It’s the smoke alarm. Do I smell smoke? No. It’s just time to replace the battery.

You know, with all that’s going on in the world, I think I hear a faint beep detecting that infernal smoke.

I think it’s time to build a boat! (Oh, I know the Lord said He would “never again send another flood to destroy the earth” Gen. 9:11 TLB. It’s just a reflection.)

Noah built a boat, an ark. It was his salvation. In the same way, Christ is our Ark of safety, our vessel of salvation.

Saved and salvation in the Old Testament always refer to deliverance from or out of something. When Moses stood at the edge of the Red Sea with the murmuring hoard behind him, he commanded them, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today.” (Ex. 14:13 NKJV)

Salvation used here is the word yeshuw`ah, meaning something saved, deliverance, aid, victory, prosperity, health, help, and welfare. (Sound familiar? All are found in Jesus, Yeshua, “the Lord is salvation.”)

God’s salvation is not only the rescue of a believer’s spirit from hell and eternal separation from Him but also the rescue of believers out of dire circumstances and out of the coming judgment and wrath. Jesus is our Ark of salvation, and we will have our safety in Him, as Matthew Henry said, “Christ is an ark already prepared, in whom alone we can be safe when death and judgment come.”

In John the Revelator’s vision, Jesus said to the faithful church, “Because you kept the word of My patience, I also will keep you out of the hour of trial which is going to come on the inhabitable world in order to try those dwelling on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly.” (Rev. 3:10-11a RGT)

Kept and keep in Greek mean to watch over, preserve, hold fast, to withhold for a personal end, and so on.

Paul says, “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” (Rom. 10:13 NKJV) Saved is the Greek word sozo, which means to save, preserve, deliver, protect, rescue, heal, make whole, and so on.

Therefore, Paul tells us to “look forward to and await the coming of…Jesus, Who personally rescues and delivers us out of and from the wrath [bringing punishment] which is coming…and draws us to Himself.” (1 Thess. 1:10 Amp)

Rescues and delivers also mean to draw to oneself, preservation from, and so on.

Jesus is our Deliverer; He will draw us to Himself and, in Him, He will preserve us from God’s wrath.

(from yet-to-be published Ready or Not)

“So stay awake and be prepared, for you do not know the date or moment of my return.” (Matt. 25:13 TLB)

The smoke alarm is about to go off! Is your battery up to date? Is Christ your Ark of safety?

Hooking up with…
Soli deo Gloria Sisterhood
Laura Boggess
Purposeful Faith
Words of Life

Feeling De-anchor-ized Lately?

August 14, 2014 By Lynn H Mosher

De-anchor-ized. A Lynnism for feeling like life’s anchor has let go and you’re now drifting away with the rushing current of life’s circumstances.

Have you ever gone to the beach and floated around in a little dinghy or on a rubber raft, enjoying yourself and your surroundings, and then, looked up to find you had drifted far away from your starting point?

A boat unattended will also drift along with the watery current and out to sea. Sometimes, it’s subtle, imperceptible. Sometimes, with the compelling force of a storm. Wrecking the boat on an unseen sandbar or a hidden, rocky reef.

Though the ship is battered and the sails torn, as the lyrics go, the anchor holds.
[tweet]
The anchor of our soul, the anchor of our hope in a storm, in life, is Christ.[/tweet] He anchors us in His safe harbor.

So, when an immense storm comes with its swelling surges of heartache, when an ill wind of financial circumstances wraps its tentacles of debt or lack around you so tightly breathing is difficult, when you create your own dark clouds of anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness, and it all begins to rock your life’s little dinghy…remember…you are not as one without hope.

[tweet]You are not as those who end up wrecked on a sandbar, as those without a Savior[/tweet], without “Christ…living in this world without hope and without God.” (Eph. 2:12 CEV)

Stay anchored to God’s Word, His truths, His grace, His hope, His presence. Listen to Him. “So we must listen very carefully to the truths we have heard, or we may drift away from them.” (Heb. 2:1 TLB)

The writer of Hebrews tells us that hope is “an unbreakable spiritual lifeline,” “the utterly reliable anchor for our souls, fixed in the very certainty of God himself in Heaven.” (Heb. 6:19 Msg, Phillips)

If your heart wanders like a rowboat let loose, drifting away from the shoreline, out to the open sea, what becomes of it? Have you drifted far from your starting point?
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Don’t become de-anchor-ized! Cling to your anchor of hope![/tweet]

Hooking up with…
Lyli

Holley Gerth

Jennifer Dukes Lee

The Missional Call

Take the Bread with You, Even If It’s Just the Crumbs!

September 23, 2012 By Lynn H Mosher

You’re excited, filled with praise and thanksgiving. Why? Because God miraculously answered your prayer for some sudden situation. He remedied it, fixing your emergency. And now, you feel full and satisfied, just like the disciples.

A great crowd gathers in a fishing village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Thousands of people cover the grassy valley. Moved with great compassion for them, Jesus heals the sick and teaches them about the kingdom of God.

The day is about to shut its door; the sun begins its descent. The people are hungry. How are the disciples to feed all these people? Something needs to be done.

With the meager offering of five loaves and two fishes of a young boy, the Lord takes it and provides an answer by multiplying it. The disciples witness the miraculous feeding of a multitude.

They all eat and are satisfied.

Not wanting anything to go to waste, Jesus tells the disciples to gather up the fragments. They fill twelve baskets with leftovers.

Immediately, Jesus sends the disciples out in a boat while He sends the people away and He goes up the hill to pray.

But wait! What’s that appearing just over the hill? A storm is churning and it’s headed your way. You’re stuck out in the middle of roiling waters in a little dingy. Your life-boat begins to rock as the waves of circumstance crash over you. Your heart is overwhelmed, just like the disciples.

As the sun slips down into its western bed for the night, it leaves a trail of shimmering gold across the sea. The disciples row for several hours in the dark.

Springing out from behind the hills is one of those quick and brutal storms that develop at the snap of the fingers on the Sea of Galilee.

From His place on the hill, Jesus sees the men at sea. Shards of lightning flash against the black of night, silhouetting the disciple crew as they fight to row the canting vessel against the surging waves and hostile wind.

In the light of one lightning shaft, another silhouette appears. The men scream in terror, supposing they see the ghost of a dead one spewed up by the sea.

“It is I! Don’t be afraid!” calls Jesus across the growl of the squall, climbing into the boat with them as the storm calms.

In your storm, do you cry out to God in terror? Do you quickly forget what God has done for you in the past and you harden your heart as the disciples did?

The disciples fail to understand the meaning of the miracle of the loaves. Lacking insight into its significance hardens their hearts that Jesus has the power to do whatever they need.

With the smell of the fish still clinging to their fingertips and the bread crumbs still resting in the folds of their garments, they do not remember how those things got there. The bread merely filled their stomachs.

Even though they take the baskets of leftover bread with them into the boat, they do not take the Bread of Life with them into their hearts.

The next time a storm blows into your life, don’t let your heart harden.

*Remember to welcome Him into your boat of circumstance; He will bring the calm.

*Remember the miracle of The Bread of Life was broken and multiplied to overflow in leftovers just for you.

*Remember the aroma on your fingertips for your last answer to prayer.

*Remember to take the Bread with you to rest in the folds of your heart.

“Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you;

do this in remembrance of Me.”

1 Cor. 11:24 NKJV

Sundays…

Mondays...

Tuesdays…

Ready? Set! Jump!

May 20, 2011 By Lynn H Mosher

“I’m going out to fish,” Peter calls over his shoulder to the other disciples.

“We’re coming, too!” came the unified response.

The sudden afternoon storm subsided. The roiling waters now stilled to a soothing pulse of gentle waves lap against the pebbly shoreline as if tapping a coded message, enticing the men to the secret bounty of the sea’s depth.

Jumping onboard the fishing boat, the men set out on the Sea of Tiberias.

As the sun slowly slides behind the western hills, it spins out threads of red, orange, and gold against the azure sky as the crystal blue waters glisten with mirrored hills.

While the dark hours pass, the men cast their nets over and over upon the water, each time coming up empty-netted. Disappointed, they head back.

As night bows to dawn, wisps of pink, blue, and violet blush across the sky as a pale haze hangs over the surface of the sea.

Just as their boat draws close to shore, a man’s voice calls out to the men, “Did you catch anything?”

“No,” is their discouraged reply.

“Throw out your net on the right side of the boat, and you’ll catch some!” yells the man.

Although somewhat baffled, the men throw out their net. It splashes on the water’s surface and sinks. Within minutes, they can barely draw in the net; it is filled to capacity with a multitude of fish.

As the impact of the miracle confronts them, John turns to Peter and blurts out, “It is the Lord!”

Hearing this, Peter whips around, puts on the outer garment he had removed earlier, steps onto the edge of the boat, and takes a flying leap into the water. Headstrong Peter, the waterboy!

The others jump into the skiff and head for shore, dragging the net-full of fish with them.

On the shore, bending over a bed of coals, Jesus pokes at the simmering fish and bread and says to them, “Come and have some breakfast.”

As the men gather around the fire, Jesus breaks the bread and shares it with the disciples; then passes out the fish. Once again, serving up the miracle of the loaves and fishes. A pleasant and loving surprise.

During a night of fruitless struggling, toiling under our own efforts, we will always come up empty-handed. When the Lord gives us a command, and we immediately obey, He meets us at the break of morn with a fresh supply of His unfailing love, as scripture says, “The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise.” (Lam. 3:22-23 Good News Translation)

Doesn’t that bless you? God will always shower His love and mercy on us, filling our empty nets when we cast them upon the depths of His Word.

Become aware of the Lord’s voice and heed the Master’s call. When you dive out of the boat of self-effort, you will find provision ready and waiting, a foretaste of heaven’s table to fulfill your hunger, whether physical or spiritual…or both. He will break the bread and pass out the fish to you as rewards.

He waits on the shore for you to come to Him. As Bruce Wilkinson says in the Secrets of the Vine, “Are you standing precariously at a launching point in your life? Do you hear a voice calling? It is the Lord. I hope you jump.”

May you launch out and jump in the waters of obedience; Jesus is waiting for you with a sweet surprise!

Ready? Set! Jump!

Ever Tried to Go to the Other Side…Without Jesus?

February 24, 2011 By Lynn H Mosher

Days string out and knot together as if knitted with a ball of yarn. Endless multitudes pursue the teacher for miracles and teaching, giving Him little time to rest. As He attempts some leisure time on the hillside with His followers, another crowd ensues.

Now, the teacher is faced with feeding five thousand plus people with a mere five barley loaves and two small fish. Another miracle. Another knot.

As the men in the crowd realize this teacher is the Prophet foretold in the Scriptures, they attempt to crown Him their king.

The teacher has other ideas.

He slips away from the crowd to the seclusion of another hillside, seeking that familiar solitude with the Father, to untie the knots and find rest.

The disciples wait on the shore for Jesus to join them. The sun’s bronze glaze on the lake has shriveled to a sliver. They can wait no longer. So, they set out for Capernaum…without Jesus.

As Jesus prays on the hillside, silence surrounds Him; as the disciples row across the lake, a squall surrounds them.

Shafts of lightning split the darkness as cymbal-claps of thunder split the air.

The tempest cants the vessel, tossing it about with the rise and fall of the surging waves. Foaming crests heave over them.

Squinting through the stinging pelts of water, the disciples blink incessantly. As they rub their blurry eyes, terror shrouds their souls. A man walking on the water. The stories of the sea serving up its swallowed souls come rushing to their minds. A ghost! It must be a ghost!

Over all the turbulence booms the voice of Jesus, “It is I; do not be afraid.” (John 6:20 NKJV)

Oh, that trusted voice! Relieved beyond belief, they welcome Jesus into their vessel.

In a heartbeat, their vessel rests on the other side of the lake, in a safe harbor.

Great story. But did you see yourself anywhere in all that?

Have you ever set sail into some new venture of your own making, without waiting on the Lord’s time schedule, and found yourself in the midst of a raging storm?

Sometimes, we think the Lord is taking too long and we launch out without Him. But the Word tells us…

* “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” (Ps. 27:14 NLT)
* “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.” (Ps. 62:5 NKJV)
* “Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the LORD will be renewed.” (Is. 40:31a GOD’S WORD Translation)

Sometimes, Jesus waits for the proper time of arrival, just as He did when Mary and Martha needed Him when Lazarus was sick, that God will receive the glory. As Isaiah said, “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.” (Is. 30:18a NKJV)

When we encounter times of turbulence, our hearts are tossed from side to side, rising and falling with each wave of crisis. Do we invite Him into our vessel of circumstance or continue on without Him?

David wrote, “Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He saves them. He calms the storm and stills the waves. What a blessing is that stillness as He brings them safely into harbor!” (Ps. 107:28-30 TLB)

Calm may not always immediately surround us, but it can occupy our hearts. We can rest in God’s peace and be harbored in His safety.

The presence of God in the vessel of your heart and your storm makes all the difference in the quality of your existence.

Above all the turbulence in your life, Jesus says to you…

“It is I; do not be afraid.”

Have You Given Jesus Your Life’s Boat?

The Sea of Galilee, the cradle of the Gospel.

Have you given Jesus your life’s boat?

Smoke Alarm! Time to Build a Boat!

Feeling De-anchor-ized Lately?

Take the Bread with You, Even If It’s Just the Crumbs!

Ready? Set! Jump!

Ever Tried to Go to the Other Side…Without Jesus?

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