Get into the Boat, Go to the Other Side!

“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.”

Matthew 14:22

God commands the disciples to get into the boat, go on ahead, and meet Him on the other side. God commands them (go on ahead), tells them the goal (get to other side) and the means to get to the other side (boat). For the disciples to reach the other side, they need to be steadfast. They must believe without wavering that God is omniscient and omnipotent; they must believe He has the power to see them reach the other side.

Just as He did with the disciples, God tells us to get into a boat, go on ahead, and meet Him on the other side. We are all on this journey. We ride in boats heading for the other side. What is the other side?
Our destination point is building salvation and becoming one with God. While the disciples aimed to reach the other side, we aim to become closer to God. Our destination or goal is not money, power, or influence. Our goal is to follow His command, get in our boats, and build salvation!

While the disciples used a boat as their vessel, God gives us our own vessel to attain salvation. God gives us different vessels to ride through life, and we ride those vessels to reach the other side, which is attaining salvation.

“Ride the vessel of a factory worker!”
“Ride the vessel of a homemaker!”
“Ride the vessel of store owner!”

When the disciples hit rough waters and strong winds, they instinctively revert back to their old ways. They focus on rowing techniques and their knowledge of the sea. In fact, they become so consumed in their old ways, they mistake the Lord for a ghost, which shows how much they had forgotten about God. When we get on our boats, we must not forget about the Lord. We must not focus on the circumstances at hand. We must not revert to our Old Selves. Just like the disciples, it’s easy to become engrossed with the mechanics of the vessel and revert to our old ways. It’s easy to forget our destination and focus on the means of transportation. We can think of our jobs and the day-to-day grind as the end-all of our lives. And when we hit rough times, we focus on keeping our jobs and keeping the boat steady. When God comes to us, we are so far gone, we mistake Him for a ghost!

If we revert to our Old Selves, we become stagnant. Hardships come. The boat rocks in high waters, and strong winds blow us off course. We agonize and suffer as we try to break free from the storm, but it’s impossible to get back on course and move forward without God. He is the One who commands us to get in the boat. He sets our destination. He tells us which vessel to ride. We must obey Him, cast off our Old Selves, and repent to move forward!

We are all riding our boats to the other side.

Are you standing still?

Have you reverted to your old ways and enduring hardship?

Are you in the middle of a storm?

Have you mistaken God coming to you for a ghost?

Quickly strip off your Old Self! Instead of being used by the boat, use your boat to attain salvation and to become one with God!

Summary