Bransen Simper

This week I spent some time reading in the New Testament and one thing kept standing out to me. Jesus talks a lot about being ready and paying attention to what is important. In Matthew 24 he says, “Be ye also ready for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” That made me stop and think about how his return could happen at any moment and how I don’t have to wait to start preparing. The big truth is that Christ will come back to reign but the lesson I can take into my life now is that I can practice being ready every day through praying, repenting, and serving others. What really struck me is how the small everyday choices we make actually matter. Preparation doesn’t have to be complicated. It’s about the little steps I take consistently.

 This week I learned some very valuable lessons. One of them being humility. This one stood out to me because of its simplicity. Sometimes it is the easiest principles that we forget the most.  In Luke 14:11 it is taught that “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” I think that this is so important because it seems to be very cut and dry here. If you humble yourselves, you will be exalted. Another lesson that I learned about was the parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37. Basically, in this story this man had been abused, beaten, and left behind. A priest and Levite passed him by without helping, but a good Samaritan camp by to help. The lesson here is that you should not see yourself above others. You should stop to help others that are in need. True love and mercy means helping all. 

 This week we read about the story of Peter walking on water. This instance can be found in the following verses:  Matthew 14:22–33, Mark 6:45–56, John 6:16–21 . I really enjoyed reading this story because it reminds me of the importance of faith. In this story it teaches that faith in Jesus Christ allows us to face life's challenges with courage. I find a lot of comfort in this because it helps us to overcome these challenges especially when they are overwhelming and difficult. In this story Peter was given the power to walk on water, but he eventually started to sink because of his unbelief, fear, and doubt. When he started to sink Jesus reached out and saved him. To me this means that trusting Jesus helps us to understand and recognize His power and grow confidence in difficult and scary circumstances.