"As if he was going to pass them by..."

"About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them..." Mark 6:48

Reading this passage last night, Marie asked, "why was He going to pass by?" It's one of those neat questions that don't really have a definite answer, but you can learn something just thinking about it.

Was Jesus so focused on his journey that He just ignored His disciples? Not likely, because in the first part of the verse I've quoted, it says He saw they were straining against the wind.

Was He waiting for them to notice Him? Perhaps that's closer to the truth.

I've been really enjoying the podcast of Michael Card, a man who's music I've enjoyed for many years because he's a teacher as much as a musician.

The latest podcast had a special guest, Dr. John Piper, talking about how God is the Gospel. Sure, you get your sins forgiven, you feel at peace, but the main thing is being reconnected to your Creator.

They talked about, what if you could have anything you want - total material and sensual gratification - without God. That's a scary question for someone who says they love God, because it challenges our assumption that, of course we love God more than anything else.

Then Dr Piper asked, why did God make all these wonderful material things - sunsets, babies, pizza, etc. - that could become idols? His answer was so good I had to write it down:

"We wouldn't know Him for all that He is, if we didn't see Him in and through all that He made."

Now there's something to help me enjoy this day to the absolute maximum!