God's Plans Are Revealed By Knowing Him better Than The World

John 7:3-6 -  and Jesus’ brothers urged him to go to Judea for the celebration.  “Go where more people can see your miracles!” they scoffed.  “You can’t be famous when you hide like this! If you’re so great, prove it to the world!”  For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.  Jesus replied, “It is not the right time for me to go now. But you can go anytime and it will make no difference,

 

Jesus had gone back to His hometown of Galilee for a time.  God had revealed to Him the plot to kill Him…and wanted Jesus to avoid any public confrontations for a while. His brothers however just did not understand.  They wanted Him to go to a more public place and flaunt His powers. Jesus kindly reminded then that it was not time for Him to reveal any more about Himself.

 

Jesus was so confident in His purpose because He stayed in constant contact with God the father.  He knew that being famous was not the reason God had sent Him…the plan God had was not yet ready to be fulfilled. Jesus used the power he had not just to heal and help others…but to know when to wait….when to go…and when to step out in public to show the world God’s real plan to save the world.

 

What a great reminder that God has a plan for all of us.  It is a plan to prosper us…to give us hope for our future…to build the kingdom that we chose to believe in.  If I want the confidence of Jesus to know exactly what to do and when to do it…I must build the same relationship with God the father.  I need to be more careful not to let my human tendency to be swayed by the praise of man move my feet too soon.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you have a big picture for my life….and I only have a small vision of it because I limit my time with you.  Forgive me for thinking that some time…even though it is routine….is enough to build the kind of relationship with you that Jesus had.  Help me to identify more time in my day that I could spend with you…so I can have the confidence that Jesus had to wait on your timing.  Amen.

God Can Do So Much More With What What We Can See Than We Think

John 6:7-11 -  Philip replied, “It would take a fortune to begin to do it!” Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. “There’s a youngster here with five barley loaves and a couple of fish! But what good is that with all this mob?”  “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus ordered. And all of them—the approximate count of the men only was five thousand—sat down on the grassy slopes. Then Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks to God and passed them out to the people. Afterwards he did the same with the fish. And everyone ate until full!

 

Jesus always had a crowd following Him…but this day they had traveled a far distance …the closest town a round 9 miles away. Jesus had compassion on their physical needs and knew that they needed to be fed before they traveled any further…so He used the moment to test Philip. He  asked Him where they could buy bread enough to feed around 5,000 men…not counting the women and children that were there as well.

 

Philip’s first thought was of the huge expense buying that much bread would cost. One site approximated the coast as 200 denari….about 8 months’ pay in that day….roughly $4,000 dollars in American money. Andrew actually found some food…but his attitude about the small find matched the amount he found.  All he saw was hopelessness in his find.  But Jesus saw the supernatural power of His father…and an opportunity to show these followers what can happen when total trust and confidence is placed in God.

 

The blessing of that small meal packed for a sweet son probably fed over 15,000 people that day….a small estimate if each man had a wife and one child traveling with him. And don’t forget there were 12 baskets of leftovers after everyone ate till they were full. That makes me picture the putting away of food after a Thanksgiving dinner….enough food to eat on the rest of the week.

 

I admit that I am a Philip at times…and an Andrew at others.  Rarely do I possess the attitude of Jesus and see the big picture that God has planned for the small thing I see in front of me. I see the roadblocks…the cost…and voice excuses like Moses at that burning bush. I need to be more like Jesus….and have so much faith in God that I trust Him to turn my small thing into more than I need to finish the task.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that God is more than capable of exceeding every human thought I have for the future. Forgive me for the times that I limit you by my excuses… and my lack of faith. Help me to build a relationship with you that is so strong that I too will see the overabundance that you can create with the small resources I see physically in my hands. Help me to trust that you always have more in mind than I can conceive in my head. Amen.

Take Your Orders From God Alone

John 5:39-43 -  “You search the Scriptures, for you believe they give you eternal life. And the Scriptures point to me!  Yet you won’t come to me so that I can give you this life eternal!  “Your approval or disapproval means nothing to me, for as I know so well, you don’t have God’s love within you.  I know, because I have come to you representing my Father and you refuse to welcome me, though you readily enough receive those who aren’t sent from him, but represent only themselves!

 

Jesus had healed again on the Sabbath….upsetting the religious leaders once again.  They were worried that Jesus had broken one of the 100 procedures they had written to explain the commandments God gave to Moses.  Fullness of Life had been restored to a man who had all but given up the hope that he would ever walk again…but the leaders of the day took issue with the day the healing had been performed.

 

Jesus quickly reminded them that he took His orders from God alone. He did not need their or any other man’s approval to heal on any day he chose. He modeled the love of His father…and only had the power to heal because God gave it to Him in the first place. He added that this was just the beginning of the great miracles God was going to do through Him.

 

It was His unity with God that gave Him the confidence he needed to speak so boldly to these men.  He had built a relationship with His father that no man could ever rival.  It created a passion in Him to love others above Himself…His compassion spilled out into miracle after miracle of healing …forgiving sin as he healed.

 

I admit that I have always worried too much about what others think of me and what I do. I needed the reminder that God is my only judge…and I need to separate myself more from what others think about me. I need to work on the problem I have with pride.  I love to hear praise…it makes me feel loved and needed and worthwhile to know that what I did was good for someone. Those pats on the back swell my soul with happy thoughts that I am helping others.  Guess I need to be more worried about getting pats on the back from God than anyone else. His are the only ones that matter in the end.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you are the only approval I need.  Forgive me for the times that I have worried too much about what others think…and forgotten to even ask you if what I did was okay.  Help me to build a relationship with you so strong and deep that I know with confidence what you want me to do….so that passion to love others and serve you will drive me the way it did Jesus.  Amen.

Worship God In Spirit And In Truth

John 4:21-24 ­- Jesus replied, “The time is coming, ma’am, when we will no longer be concerned about whether to worship the Father here or in Jerusalem. For it’s not where we worship that counts, but how we worship—is our worship spiritual and real? Do we have the Holy Spirit’s help? For God is Spirit, and we must have his help to worship as we should. The Father wants this kind of worship from us. But you Samaritans know so little about him, worshiping blindly, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes to the world through the Jews.”

 

Jesus had been walking on a hot day and was so tired that He stopped to rest by a well near Sychar where many hated Samaritans lived. While He was there he spoke at length to an adulteress woman who came to draw water. There discussion started with how she could have water that would make her live forever….and ended with Jesus explaining that He had come to change the way people worship God.

 

Even before the veil was torn separating the Holy Of Holies….Jesus began to open the realm of who could approach God. The world had known a world of sacrifice and intervention…but Jesus was soon to provide the last sacrifice that would make worship and communication with God a personal experience.

 

What a great reminder that God is available to all that call on His name. We must admit that we are powerless to help ourselves and let Him help us. We need His help to worship and follow Him as he wants. Worship and communication with Him should be spiritual and real.

 

Father thank you for the reminder that I am nothing on my own. ..and I can call on you to help me any time I need.  Forgive me for the times that I have tried to leave you out of the picture.  Help me to always communicate with you and search for the spirit that can sustain me through all things.  Amen.

Become Less....so God can Become More

John 3:25-28 -  One day someone began an argument with John’s disciples, telling them that Jesus’ baptism was best. So they came to John and said, “Master, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River—the one you said was the Messiah—he is baptizing too, and everybody is going over there instead of coming here to us.” John replied, “God in heaven appoints each man’s work. My work is to prepare the way for that man so that everyone will go to him. You yourselves know how plainly I told you that I am not the Messiah. I am here to prepare the way for him—that is all.

 

As Jesus began His own ministry….some of John the Baptist’s disciples took issue with Jesus baptizing. They were concerned that Jesus had more followers than John.  They were concerned that Jesus was baptizing more people.  They were concerned that John was not as popular anymore.

 

John’s response models for all of us how to react when people try to sow seeds of discontent in our hearts.  John knew his job was to prepare the way for the Messiah…and now the Messiah was here.  He refused to let the words of these followers sway him form the task that God had sent him to do.  He continued to prepare the way for the messiah and pointed people to Jesus.  He became less…so Jesus could become more.

 

What a great reminder that it is not about any individual. God gave us life to do something for Him…Everything we do should point people to God...not to what we have done ourselves. No one man...minister…preacher…teacher….is better than any other.  We need to focus on our individual job so that the big picture can be seen by as many people as possible.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I was sent to Earth to point people to you.  Forgive me for the times that I have let the seeds of discontent take root and grow into pride and hypocrisy.  Help me to be more like John….sure of what you sent me to do for you…ready to become less…so people can see more of you. Amen.

Jesus Knows Our Heart

John 2:23-25 - Because of the miracles he did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many people were convinced that he was indeed the Messiah.  But Jesus didn’t trust them, for he knew mankind to the core. No one needed to tell him how changeable human nature is!

 

Jesus had barely begun His Earthly ministry…he  had chosen 12 men to be is closest helpers…attended a wedding where the extra wine he produced from water became His first public miracle…and predicted the greatest miracle of rising from the grave changeable human nature would put Him in.

 

Jesus could see the heart of the requests before Him.  His mother’s intentions were to keep embarrassment from ruining the beginning of a marriage.  The leaders however wanted some kind of proof He was who he said He was. Jesus knew that many of the ones that said they believed would turn in three years to beg for His death.

 

Our changeable human hearts still block our full understanding of who God can be to us. Evil still penetrates too often to our souls and keeps many a man from believing in any miracle they have seen or read about.  Even those of us that claim to be believers don’t always trust God completely. We are by nature blown by the wind that surrounds us at the moment…only building a solid faith and base of scripture can hold us firm against the world’s influence. Only daily repentance and humility will keep our hearts washed clean of the temptation to be fickle.

 

Father…thank you for reminding me that you can see into my heart all the time. Forgive me for the times that I have let the world’s influence lessen my faith in you. Help me to be strong…to build a foundation of scripture and prayer that satan finds too strong to fight against.  Amen.

Reflect The Light Of The World

John 1:1-5 -  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 

John’s poetic description of Jesus goes beyond a physical description of what He looked like. It stretches the creation of His life back to the beginning of time….connects Him to God Himself…then connects Him to the human life that all Christians understand as the light of the world. God did not just crete the physical light that allows our eyes to function...he created the emotional light that allows our hearts to love anything that was created.

 

It is the basis of what I believe.  God created everything.  With God I am everything.  Without God I am nothing. With God I am special and unique and lovable. Without God I am cookie cutter… bland…. intolerable. If I do not believe in God I have no hope for anything.  Since I do believe in God…His Son …. and the Holy Spirit…I have hope for a successful future….I get to use the light He gave the world and shine it for others.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that you were in the world before anything else. You made and are everything….and I may use anything you made because you made me as special as you made it. Forgive me for the times I take the creation of the world…and the emotional light you sent to save it from evil for granted.  Help me to reflect more of the light and stop collecting it for myself.  Amen.