I know this is Easter Week and I also know I am not following with tradition of the site of going through the cross on this week as I have in prior years. Yet I already gone through the story of the cross this month and last month. I Will guarantee we have a Savior who cares more about us perishing then we do. Once saved our fleshly perishing seem less of a point because of eternal life that is freely given to the believer, yet when we think of only ourselves then our death becomes vain unless it helps another in someway. Jesus is resting on a ship asleep on a pillow and disciple wake him out of fear that they were about to perish. Now would you not think if you were with Jesus your in the safest place you could be? I rather hope that faith in general for most people that would be so. However this is early part of Jesus ministry and the disciples were still in the phase can I trust you, and if it your time to perish will I too.

How short minded humanity can be when it comes to the idea of perishing, because to perish means no eternal life. For us that are saved we think nothing more about it, but the for the unbeliever it a constant battle of being unexistent or no more. Jesus had eternal life knew life eternal because he was and is the Messiah. He knew what it was to be in the presents of God for eternity and what it was to walk the streets and by ways on earth. He knew the ship could sink, but it was not his time or disciples time to go. There is a point our fear of eternity is never should be never if our faith in the one that holds are eternity. If we know what is to walk on earth with Jesus we surely know what it will be like to walk with Jesus in heaven.

How many of us trust Jesus in the hour of the storm when we fear it will over take us. As interest rates effect middle and lower class in such away, the economy no long going to soar as President Biden so hopes. It is the storm of the people not rich that Biden thinks he can control, but fails to see the storm from this past year is to great for many to change the course of stimulus checks being not a shopping spree for many that received it. It means less spending and more saving because the next surge maybe worse then the first. For many they feel like they are perishing in an never ending storm that billows and blows. Some jumping ship all because of finances and other living on the streets. What does this say for American Economy a realistic storm is blowing. Yet even in these trying times we must remember Jeremiah in the sewer and his outcome was a nice place to live as he continue to look to God and his mercy standing in the sewer and smells of the city of Jerusalem as Judah was going into Exile.

Perishing or standing in the gutter of life can mean trusting God to bring about the land of promise and hope. To bring the sunny days of age back or to take us to our heavenly home. Yet God promises are not always for this life, but are for our next. Paul in writting to the church in Corinthian spoke of the perishing of the body and the soul. He spoke of the eternal hope that Jesus brought. His cross look to be the one of perishing before the resurrection to the crowd. All hope was gone so the crowd thought as Christ hung on the cross, yet with his resurrection came hope of promise of eternal life. He paid the price for our sins so we would not perish, but have eternal life if and only if we would believe in him(Jesus).

The cross of this world does not mean golden days in old age except for the rich and then the rich do die young and even do not see old age to be glorious because of health issues sometimes. Old age puts many people on the same playing field, just some with bigger cushions to rest upon.

Paul tells the Corinthian church the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness and to those that are save it is the power of God. It through God's power we are saved not of ourselves it is a gift of grace and the power of God.

When I was in my accident the words that flowed was Jesus you can stop the train, but he took me through it. The storms that rage in the world are what Jesus wants to take us through and not to avoid them. Taking you through only gives you knowledge that through the storm he is able to deliver you, is able to enable you and make you strong, yet it not in your strength it is accomplished it is in his power of salvation in the storm.

Disciples did not wake Jesus until when the storm was already upon the ship with crashing waves all around it, almost sinking it. How those clouds had darken and the disciples had stood watching the storm, hoping it would not be to long and they could go back to whatever they were doing. The wind continued to pick up and rain began to pour. The shoreline so far away that they could not reach it. Jesus laid rocking in the wind and storm on a cushion fast asleep. "Jesus wake up", the disciples said we are about to die and you lay sleeping, we will perish. Your resting and we are dying. Why did the disciple not call on Jesus when the storm began to whip and rain began to drizzle, why was it to the point we are dying, we are about to perish, before they woke Jesus.

I will tell you why. It is we can handle this storm, the storm doesn't look to bad, we can see the horizon just over there despite the clouds fast approaching us, and these waves will pass as they have many times, but not this time. The storm grew to mammoth size and they knew the one that could calm the storm. Yet when Jesus calmed the storm they question his power.

We question the power of God in the storm, because the answer is not always the way we want it. We question the power of God because the answer is better then what we expected. We look to the power of Jesus and wonder about his grace for eternity. If Jesus is in the storm with you, then he taking you through it, and if he on the other side of the storm, he wanting you to focus on him. Remember Peter walked on water til the waves became large and a distraction and he began to sink. Jesus was trying to teach Peter to keep his eyes focus on him and not the storm.

Jesus went through his own storm with the knowledge of the power he possessed and the power of his Father. Yet he went through the storm of the cross for you and me. Walking the road to Mount Calvary, being nailed to the cross and perished as we would only to rise in victory over death by the power of God the Father, by his power and the power of the Spirit of God. The victory over death and the grave.

Jesus came to rescue the perishing, to die for the dying, and to give the eternal hope of not only grace, but eternal life to all that were in need and want of it. Those who want not, receive not the hope of eternity. Those are the people we are trying hard to rescue by sharing Jesus with them, only to find they are without hope because they believe not and feel it is a waste of time. Let us not fear those storms that wage because of others unbelief but let us trust in the one that can calm the storm, remove the storms and take us through the storms in our life, and remember if he has the power to do all that, then he can deliver us to his Father for eternity when it our time to go home. Jesus' Father is our God and Jesus is our Savior and rescuer of our soul.

Dear Heavenly Father, help us to trust in your Son knowing you gave him to us to have eternal life, so we would not perish but have everlasting life, if we only would beleive in the power and authority given to Jesus and the one with the power to save. Help us to trust in you and your salvation plan for our life. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: 1 Peter 5:7 KJV
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1 Corinthians 1:18 KJV
18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

2 Corinthians 4:6-18 KJV
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.