Sync or Sink

With the exception of my Dad (who still has the OG flip phone and a vehicle that predates dash computers) most everyone is familiar with the term “sync”. When I turn on my car, I am given the option to sync several family phones to the computer or sync my temperature with the passenger’s temperature. It seems these days we are constantly syncing and pairing things in order to connect.

When I think about our relationship with the Lord, syncing is key. In other words, we are close enough to send and receive signals. Sometimes when I drop my son off, as I drive away the song  playing is interrupted. That is when I realize the song that was playing was coming from his phone,  but when he got too far from the car it couldn’t sync for me to hear what was playing.

Jesus says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” John 15:4. The covenant we make with the Lord in the event of our salvation involves two parties. Just like it takes two things in order to sync, it takes both Jesus and the Believer to sync spiritually. I am glad Jesus doesn’t move from that covenant, but there have been times I have moved too far away.

Peter is the perfect example of sync or sink! As we know, Peter can be quick to act and slow to think. Throughout the scriptures we learn he is a bit of a hothead and is the last of the disciples to be afraid of anything. In Matthew 14 Peter sees Jesus walking on the water during a storm, but Peter is the only disciple to challenge Jesus with, “If it’s you Lord, command me to walk on the water.” As the terrified disciples looked on from the boat, Peter walks on water! That is until the strength of the wind and waves gives him his own dose of fear. At that point he started to sink.

He was moving toward Jesus in faith, but he started to sink anyway. Doesn’t that go against the sync or sink principle? Not exactly. Before Peter stepped out on the water Jesus said, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” But even as Peter was walking toward Jesus, he lost courage and became afraid. He was walking just fine in the same perilous storm, but suddenly became dependent upon himself instead of Jesus and he was no longer in sync with the Lord’s commands or promises. Instead he was sinking.

And in his fear and impending separation from the Lord, Mr. Tough Guy cried out 3 little words, “Lord, save me!”. And the Lord reached out and saved him. Aren’t you grateful that the two-party covenant relies much less on us and so much more on Jesus! He is faithful to abide when we abide, to reach out to rescue us even when we don’t abide and he is faithful to stay put and embrace us when we return after we have gone too far from him.