Daily Devotional for October 22, 2011

October 22 ~ John 14:8-14
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need." Jesus replied: Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don't you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? Don't you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn't said on my own. The Father who lives in me does these things.

Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do. I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father. Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father. I will do whatever you ask me to do.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

Time means nothing to a toddler. Explaining to Timothy that “I will come and get you in two ‘night-nights’” doesn’t mean a thing to him. He now recognizes our voices on the telephone, but the nebulous concept that we are at our own home and not physically in his presence is almost too much for him. But take him out for a ride and drive past certain intersections, and he knows that this corner is where you turn to go to our house… or that building is where his great-great grandmother lives… or this is the street on which we turn to go to his daycare! He has seen those places… he is familiar with them. And I assure you, if you turn left when he wants to turn right, he will let you know about it!

Gosh… getting the concept of WHO Jesus really is boggles our minds, doesn’t it? For so many, the pervading question is… “But how do you KNOW He is real?” What makes us so sure that Jesus is doing all of the wonderful things in our lives, rescuing us when we are in need, healing us and keeping us steeped in blessings? Couldn’t it simply be good luck or “fate?” And I will admit… this has been a hard question for me to answer at times… at least in a manner I felt was convincing.

I will have to say, by allowing me to go through some pretty big challenges, Jesus has shown me WHO He really is. By allowing my faith to be tested… and delivering BIG TIME on His promises, I have become one of His major cheerleaders! I won’t say that I don’t ever get down or feel overwhelmed, because I do… more often than I care to admit! But I know Who has my back. I know what God can do… because I have seen Him do it! I know that more times than I can count, I have crept back with my head down in embarrassment that I allowed my faith to waver so much… and God delivered and blessed me anyway.

I’ve seen God use “little ole me” in ways I didn’t think were possible. I’ve felt the blessings of showing up at the right time with the right message… and knowing beyond a doubt that I had absolutely nothing to do with it!

Look around. Evidence of just how real God is can be seen in abundance! If you don’t see Jesus in people and places everywhere you look, you’re probably hanging with the wrong crowd… and your communication with God could use a little spit and polish! Ask Jesus to forgive your doubts and fill you with courage and confidence. Take everything to Him… your joys, sorrows, trials, and triumphs… and let Him sort them and work in and through you. Then step back and be amazed at how much He can do with the least of us. I know I am!

©2011 Debbie Robus


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