Are you concerned like Peter, about what you will gain having left all to follow Jesus? For your information, your labour is not in vain in the Lord. The Lord has promised to reward you now, with a hundred-fold of whatever you have given up serving Him, and to give you eternal life in the world to come. All you need to inherit these promised blessings is to remain faithful and committed as you serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

Water Lilies typically grow in very shallow, muddy, or miry water. Just like the water lily which stands out white and beautiful in miry water, it is also possible for the believer to exude purity in this filthy world. Although the believer is in the world, they are not of the world. Jesus said: They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world - John 17:16. Beloved, you are there to shine and light up the dark world around you. Always remember that light is stronger than darkness.

Beloved, the latter part of our key text says God has created all things including you, for his pleasure. What does it mean to please God? It simply means to believe him, giving him first place in everything that you do in life. This can only be achieved by those who sincerely seek God to know him and his will for their lives. When we truly know God, the Holy Spirit will help us to please him in all things.

Job was a perfect and an upright man that feared God and eschewed evil. The devil afflicted him by taking away all his possessions, kill-ing all his children and afflicting him with an incurable disease. In all, Job did not murmur against God but chose rather to worship Him. Because of the severity of his affliction, Job's wife advised him to curse God and die but he refused to sin with his lips.

Fear is the absence of faith. And without faith it is impossible to please God. Having said, "Let us pass over unto the other side", Jesus expected His disciples to believe that they would arrive there safely. However, the Lord was disappointed because the disciples manifested fear in the face of a storm instead of trusting that they would get over to the other side. They did not believe that the Lord would do as He had said.