A Ripple Effect
Father, it has been a full day, but I know You are with me before I woke this morning and are with me yet. Fill my mind with words from Your heart that someone may be moved this day. Amen.
John 2:1-12 (<<click here to read the passage)
For me at least, it has taken some maturity to realize the importance of every relationship I have. I’m not sure I had this mindset in my younger years but now especially I understand that each interaction I have, impacts.
Much like throwing a stone into a body of water, every action we take with others has a ripple effect on them. If you think about it, there is no way it cannot. There are so many possible examples that it is difficult for me to narrow it down to just one or two.
Here is one example. I learned at Kohl’s to be careful how I responded to situations with management. Often things would be set into motion by our store’s management team that…well, honestly were a waste of time – at least from an associate’s perspective. Maybe they were things that went against what we felt we were supposed to be accomplishing in our departments. But as time went on, what did it accomplish for me to fuss and fume and badmouth my superiors? Nothing… Eventually, I came to the point where I felt, they knew what needed to be done, they knew that I wouldn’t be able to do what was required of me in my area. But my superiors were calling the shots…not me. I had a job and got paid to do what I was told. I was out nothing, except maybe some pride and a bit of frustration.
There was no reason to cause ripples. I learned to just do what I was told to do. In doing that, I showed respect for leadership. I built them up and worked hard to not tear them down (and honestly, there were times when it was hard to pull off!)
In these first few verses of John 2, Jesus is pulled into a situation for which He did not volunteer. He was a guest at a local wedding when they ran out of wine – a major faux pas of the day. Doing so would bring great shame to the groom! Of all things, Jesus’ mother (Mary) made Him aware of the problem. “They have no more wine.”
He didn’t immediately jump on it but instead replied,
“Dear woman, that’s not our problem…My time has not yet come.”
But as many great mothers will often do, she looked at the servants and said, “Do whatever he tells you.”
My study Bible* states,
Mary was probably not asking Jesus to do a miracle, she was simply hoping that her son would help solve this major problem and find some wine. Tradition says that Joseph, Mary’s husband, was dead, so she probably was used to asking for her son’s help in certain situations.
Jesus was all about relationships. In this encounter, we see his relationship with His mother, as well as, the servants, His disciples, the groom, and the other guests at the celebration.
By His actions, the ripples He made in response to this situation He had a positive impact on all parties involved. He exuded love, respect, and compassion for all parties involved.
Jesus came to earth with the sole goal of bringing salvation to humanity. What did a wine shortage at a wedding have to do with that? …everything! This was an opening interaction that showed who He was, and it showed who we should strive to be.
I’ve shared this quote before but it’s very applicable here. (It’s often attributed to John Wesley but does not show up in his writings.)
Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
What better way to serve our Savior?
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Mar 21st, 2021, Sun, 8:52 pm
Soli Deo Gloria
Take delight in the Lord,
….and he will give you your heart’s desires.
Commit everything you do to the Lord.
….Trust him, and he will help you. Psalm 37:4-5 NLT
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I have made mention before of a wonderful devotional I had called On This Day: 365 Amazing and Inspiring Stories about Saints, Martyrs and Heroes by Robert J. Morgan (Thomas Nelson, Inc. ©1997).
One devotional speaks of Johann Sebastian Bach. Even though they may not be exposed to a lot of classical music, many know his name. He was a renowned German composer who lived from 1685 –1750. He received little fame during his lifetime and died in relative obscurity. His music was largely forgotten until Felix Mendelson rediscovered it – and the world fell in love with him.
I mention him because he was very dedicated to serving God. We would do well to emulate one of his habits. As a young man, he announced his life’s purpose: to create “well-regulated church music to the glory of God.” He believed music should exist only for God’s glory, and when he sat down to compose he often scribbled J.J. on his blank pages: Jesu Juva – Help me, Jesus. At the manuscript’s end, he jotted S.D.G. – Soli Deo Gloria – to God alone, the glory.
What if we did the same each day of our lives? What if we began each day with J.J. Can you think of a better way to start our days than with the simple, yet profound request, “Help me, Jesus”? We are weak. We are fallible. We can be so hit-and-miss when it comes to living our relationship with Jesus. But as God encouraged Joshua before entering the Promised Land so He encourages us.
“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic… For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT
With Jesus’ help, we can handle anything and everything that may lie before us!
And then at the end of whatever we put our hands to may we proclaim, “S.D.G. – Soli Deo Gloria – to God alone, the glory.”
At the core of it lies humility.
Bach himself…remained modest. When a friend once praised his skill as an organist, he shrugged and smiled. “There is nothing very wonderful about it,” he said. “You have only to hit the right notes at the right moment and the instrument does the rest.”
We give it our best and, giving the glory to Him alone, let it all lay in God’s hands. We need not worry or fret, knowing God will do with it as He wills. We are just an instrument in the hands of a mighty God!
Lord Jesus, use us for Your glory. Each day may we ask for Your help and then once You have worked Your will through us may we give credit where credit is due – to You and You alone! Amen.
(If you would care to listen, here is a very nice rendition of Bach: Prélude, Cello suite Nr.1 played by Ophélie Gaillard.)
Mar 18th, 2021, Thurs, 7:07 pm
He Smiled, Too
How precious is your unfailing love, O God!
All humanity finds shelter
….in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7 NLT
John 1:47-51 (<<click here to read the passage)
I know a gentleman who earlier in life was a pretty tough guy. He worked with young people and from my understanding, it was his way or the highway. He accomplished some pretty amazing things in his time of leadership, but many people were turned off by his leadership style. His temper was pretty fiery, which just added to the whole ambiance of his personality.
I knew of him then but know him by name now. He’s still a tough cookie but he works with children now. At this point in his life, he’s tough when he needs to be tough but even in that, there is a softness…a compassion. His whole persona is tempered by that compassion and in my humble opinion, it makes him a very gifted leader.
The thing is, those who knew him then but don’t really know him now probably would have a skewed opinion of him. They still see him as they saw him then and not as he is now.
When we think about Jesus, how do we picture him? I’m not talking physically but personality wise.
Do we see Him in a perpetual state of sadness? Everything He had created was tainted by the sin that we had allowed into the world. From the beginning, He knew pain, separation, and death were inevitable. It would be hard to fight the sorrow of it all.
Do we see Him angry, railing at the Pharisees? How thick the heads of His disciples were, would they ever learn?
I mean, He was God after all, wouldn’t He at least be stern and serious most of the time? He was all about fulfilling the Law and making sure we were doing it right…right?
It is of utmost importance that we not forget that, yes, Jesus was God…100% God…but He was God in the flesh. And that means he was also 100% human.
He was sad. He was angry. He was stern and serious. He was like us in that He was totally human with just about everything that comes with it! But it just as important for us to remember is the fact is that Jesus was without sin.
He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. 1 Peter 2:22 NLT
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15 NLT
This is all crucial to our understanding of who Jesus is but let me throw one more thing out. I believe with all my heart that Jesus also smiled and laughed. He had a sense of humor and cared for his disciples in so many ways.
In this passage from John 1 after Nathanael proclaimed Jesus being the “Son of God—the King of Israel!” v49 when Jesus said He’d seen him sitting under a fig tree, I can see Jesus replying with a twinkle in His eye and a bit of a chuckle under His words.
“Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” v50
Jesus is everything we ever hoped He would be and far more! May this message today encourage all of us to embrace Jesus for all that He is and all that He can be for each of us!
Mar 17th, 2021, Wed, 7:56 pm
Scurrying to Preserve Our Lives
The first thing that comes to mind as I sit Father is the good night’s sleep I had last night. The older I get the fewer they seem to be. Thank You for gifts such as these.
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Something I notice with being on the road several hours a day is the number of wild animals running across it. I see lots of rabbits and squirrels. I’ve seen raccoons, opossums, and skunks. I’ve seen deer, and mice, as well. Oh, and a fox and a few turkeys to add to the collection.
Some may pause briefly to see me coming their way, but most are doing their very best to get out of my way as quickly as possible. We’ve heard of the rat race, but this is a race of creation to preserve their very lives!
We feel that way at times too! Many days are filled to the brim with all kinds of things. Some of these things we bring upon ourselves and others are thrust upon us not because we choose them but simply because they just happen to be where we are. Sometimes we are just doing the best we can to keep our heads above water and preserve our very lives!
Life can be brutal. This world can certainly be cruel. We can be minding our own business just going through our day when out of the blue some debilitating behemoth comes charging our way. At times we can sidestep quickly enough to avoid pain and injury but other times, we are hit…and we are hurt.
Some days I am just weary. The burden of scurrying through another day is daunting. If I could just find rest beyond it all…how refreshing that would be…
The thing is, this world offers us no comfort but…in the midst of it all, Jesus does!
He said in Matthew 11:28-30,
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” NLT
There is the answer. We cannot escape the world but in Christ, we can stand firm. He gives us His strength to do so. He will preserve us in our trials and if our lives are taken from us, we do not lose…we win – for then we are with Him for all of eternity.
Revelation 21:4 has this to say about that time to come,
“He [God] will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”NLT
Life here may be full of hardships and uncertainties but life enteral with our Father will be full of joy…I guarantee!
Mar 16th, 2021, Tues, 6:55 pm
Acceptance, Plain and Simple
As I sit to write, these simple, yet profound, words came to mind.
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
O how I love Jesus,
because he first loved me!
Father, because of the sacrifice of Your son I am loved!
John 1:47-51 (<<click here to read the passage)
Whether we like to admit it or not, we are all fairly transparent. We may think we hide who we are, or what we think, or the actions we take behind closed doors. But in reality, the essence of who we are is known to anyone who takes the time to notice.
Admittedly there are times when the persona we thrust forth fools some of the people some of the time, but rarely does it fool all of the people all of the time.
Many of us have enough life experience to realize that there are people you can trust to keep secrets and others who you would never share anything that you would not want to be made known to the world.
How many of us would be comfortable standing before Jesus and hearing what he would have to say about who we truly are? I doubt many of us would willingly join the ranks of the religious elite in Jesus’ day. Jesus held nothing back when he called them hypocrites and vipers (examples, Matthew 23:27-28 and Matthew 12:34).
Wouldn’t it be better to join the ranks of individuals like Nathanael? When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, He said of him, “Here is an Israelite indeed [a true descendant of Jacob], in whom there is no guile nor deceit nor duplicity!” v47 AMP
To help in our thought process…
Guile – deceptiveness, deceit, fraud, duplicity, dishonesty.
Deceit – an act or practice intended to deceive; a trick.
Duplicity – intentional deceptiveness; double-dealing
I’d like to be seen that way. I try though I’m not sure I succeed as often as I would like
But interestingly enough, we may be closer to Pharisees than to a Nathanael, but God calls us all to follow and be like Him. He sees who we truly are but who also sees who we can truly be!
He accepted Nathanael and, if they would have turned from their wicked ways and wholeheartedly followed Him, Jesus would have accepted the Pharisees, as well.
Who you are now, has no bearing on Jesus’ acceptance of you. He loves you, plain and simple. There’s nothing complicated about His love. It cost Him everything but you are worth it…
Mar 15th, 2021, Mon, 7:44 pm