John 17:3
Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
This
morning, I subbed in the 2nd/3rd grade Sunday school class, and our
scripture passage was from John 17. I gave the children a recap of
earlier chapters of John, where Jesus washed His disciples’ feet, broke
bread and shared the cup with them, and then gave them instructions for
how to live after He returned to heaven. That brings us to John 17,
where Jesus prayed. He asked God to glorify Him, that He (Jesus) might
fully glorify the Father who sent Him. Jesus asked God to care for His
believers…and then He prayed for non-believers.
This led to the
next part of our discussion, which was about how well Jesus knows us…and
how well we know Him! We talked about how important it is to really know
God through Jesus Christ…how necessary it is to talk to Him about
everything – and to listen for His voice. We discussed how critical it
is that we demonstrate to others a positive Christian witness – and an
abiding faith in God.
All of these things are direct indicators
of how well we know God. One child asked where God came from…and who
made GOD! I didn’t have a good answer for that…but I did stress to the
students that what is important for us is that we believe that God is
our Father, Shepherd, Protector, and LORD. On the way home, I asked our
three little ones what they learned at Sunday school, and Zola began to
tell us all about God in these terms…and how important it is that we
know Him.
Timothy said, “Oh! I have known God since I was a little baby!” We smiled at that, because he has always seemed to have an amazing faith and understanding of God. But this is key for all of us. To know
God is to trust Him…to fully believe that He is our LORD, Protector,
Shepherd, and Father…and to accept this with confidence – even when we
cannot explain where God came from or who birthed Him into existence. I
know it’s confusing…and it’s REALLY hard for little kids to grasp…but
they sometimes seem to accept this with faith and confidence that eludes
many adults.
Today, let’s make sure we really know God…not in
the same way that you know a good friend and his/her likes, dislikes,
favorite foods and colors, and such. Let’s make sure we know God in
terms of how He cares for us…how He loved us enough to send Jesus to
save us from our sins – and to send the Holy Spirit to remain with us.
Let’s know God in terms of who scriptures say He is, and how He protects
us and guides us…forgives us when we fall short…heals and restores
us…and gives us wisdom and comfort. Let’s know God for His incredible
gift of Jesus…and the sacrifices that He made on the cross for our
sins.
Let’s claim beyond the shadow of a doubt that there is
only ONE GOD who could do all of this…only ONE LORD and Savior, Jesus
Christ. Because we know this to be true - and demonstrate that we have a
deep and abiding knowledge of God through Jesus - we are assured a seat
at the Lord’s table for all Eternity. Do YOU know God this well?
Isn’t it time you do?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label understanding God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label understanding God. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for September 30, 2014
Isaiah 55:9-11
Just as the heavens
are higher than the earth,
my thoughts and my ways
are higher than yours.
“Rain and snow fall from the sky.
But they don’t return
without watering the earth
that produces seeds to plant
and grain to eat.
That’s how it is with my words.
They don’t return to me
without doing everything
I send them to do.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
A 49-year-old realtor left her home in central Arkansas to meet a potential client at a nearby-but-secluded riverfront property and was never heard from again. Her body was retrieved four days later from a shallow grave - at a location nearly 30 miles away from the house she was showing. The person believed to have kidnapped and murdered her was apprehended, and people began to ask, “Why did this happen?
“Why?” seems to be the pervading question in many of life’s circumstances. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Why are young mothers and fathers with little ones to rear and so many obligations taken from this earth? Why do children get cancer and other illnesses? Why are babies born with defects? Why are there wars, famines, droughts and other natural disasters? Why can’t I find a job, friend, mate – or my “place” in this world? When a deranged person is about to behead another...or a demented adult is begins to abuse or molest a child, why doesn’t God stop it? If God loves us SO much, why doesn’t He make our lives more comfortable and fix all of these things?
Recently, we hired a painter to do some work at our house. One of the projects was to repaint the front door. He worked for several hours to make our metal door to look as if it were made of wood. The painter remarked to me that there were always moments in the process where everything looked like a giant mess...but as he kept working at it, the end result came into focus. I’ve done a few faux finish projects, and I shared with him that I once purchased a wall sconce on clearance at a home decorating store. Friends who were with me asked, “Why in the world would you want that? What will you do with it?” I assured them that by the time I finished my project, they would not recognize the original piece. And just as this painter noted in his project, there were moments when I thought, “This is the biggest mess...it will never look like anything!” But I kept working...adding and removing...daubing here and patting there...and the beauty of the piece began to come through. Before I knew it, I the sconce looked just as I had envisioned – or even better! And my friends could not believe it was the same ugly item I had purchased.
I use these illustrations to show you that God has a “vision” that we cannot comprehend. He can take what appears to be a “total mess” and turn it into a masterpiece. Like the faux finishes, there may be times when things look like they are in such a state that we feel as if they are beyond repair. But God uses His strength and power to create something beautiful...and His handiwork is fully displayed.
So many people get bogged down in the question...“Why me, LORD?” Why can’t we skip the “ugly” steps in the “faux finish” of life and go straight to the pretty results? Surely we are missing something here...but what? And that is the crux of this passage from Isaiah...”My thoughts and my ways are higher than yours”. This is where we have to truly exercise our faith as Christians. We have to step out and trust that God has a perfect plan...and believe that even in the most heinous of situations or our deepest grief and heartache, He will produce something positive and beautiful.
Will we ever see the final product – God’s “vision”? Yes...but maybe not in this lifetime. Someday, we will understand all of this. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul assures us that “Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.” I have no clue what God intended for this realtor and her family. It occurs to me that at the very least, realtors everywhere may change how they show property. They may become more cautious and/or meet clients in pairs...particularly when the property is in a remote location.
I know that in my own life, I have been kept from getting a job I wanted – only to be granted a better one! Twenty-four-year-old Blessing Offor took the stage on NBC’s “The Voice” and sang his way into the competition. Judges were astonished to learn that Offor was born blind in one eye, and an accident took his vision in the other eye before he was eleven. He explained that “I had to figure out what God meant by this”...adding, “This is just another thing to work through.”
We’ve all got things to work through...and we won’t understand “what God meant by this” much of the time. But we can be assured that nothing is wasted. We can trust that God - our great provider, protector and healer – is using the “rain” in our lives to “water seeds and produce good fruit”. Our real question should not be “Why me, LORD?”...but rather, “What are You showing me?” Shouldn’t we be asking God to reveal to us how to accomplish His will with each and every circumstance of our lives? Don’t you think it’s time we did?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Just as the heavens
are higher than the earth,
my thoughts and my ways
are higher than yours.
“Rain and snow fall from the sky.
But they don’t return
without watering the earth
that produces seeds to plant
and grain to eat.
That’s how it is with my words.
They don’t return to me
without doing everything
I send them to do.”
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
A 49-year-old realtor left her home in central Arkansas to meet a potential client at a nearby-but-secluded riverfront property and was never heard from again. Her body was retrieved four days later from a shallow grave - at a location nearly 30 miles away from the house she was showing. The person believed to have kidnapped and murdered her was apprehended, and people began to ask, “Why did this happen?
“Why?” seems to be the pervading question in many of life’s circumstances. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Why are young mothers and fathers with little ones to rear and so many obligations taken from this earth? Why do children get cancer and other illnesses? Why are babies born with defects? Why are there wars, famines, droughts and other natural disasters? Why can’t I find a job, friend, mate – or my “place” in this world? When a deranged person is about to behead another...or a demented adult is begins to abuse or molest a child, why doesn’t God stop it? If God loves us SO much, why doesn’t He make our lives more comfortable and fix all of these things?
Recently, we hired a painter to do some work at our house. One of the projects was to repaint the front door. He worked for several hours to make our metal door to look as if it were made of wood. The painter remarked to me that there were always moments in the process where everything looked like a giant mess...but as he kept working at it, the end result came into focus. I’ve done a few faux finish projects, and I shared with him that I once purchased a wall sconce on clearance at a home decorating store. Friends who were with me asked, “Why in the world would you want that? What will you do with it?” I assured them that by the time I finished my project, they would not recognize the original piece. And just as this painter noted in his project, there were moments when I thought, “This is the biggest mess...it will never look like anything!” But I kept working...adding and removing...daubing here and patting there...and the beauty of the piece began to come through. Before I knew it, I the sconce looked just as I had envisioned – or even better! And my friends could not believe it was the same ugly item I had purchased.
I use these illustrations to show you that God has a “vision” that we cannot comprehend. He can take what appears to be a “total mess” and turn it into a masterpiece. Like the faux finishes, there may be times when things look like they are in such a state that we feel as if they are beyond repair. But God uses His strength and power to create something beautiful...and His handiwork is fully displayed.
So many people get bogged down in the question...“Why me, LORD?” Why can’t we skip the “ugly” steps in the “faux finish” of life and go straight to the pretty results? Surely we are missing something here...but what? And that is the crux of this passage from Isaiah...”My thoughts and my ways are higher than yours”. This is where we have to truly exercise our faith as Christians. We have to step out and trust that God has a perfect plan...and believe that even in the most heinous of situations or our deepest grief and heartache, He will produce something positive and beautiful.
Will we ever see the final product – God’s “vision”? Yes...but maybe not in this lifetime. Someday, we will understand all of this. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul assures us that “Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.” I have no clue what God intended for this realtor and her family. It occurs to me that at the very least, realtors everywhere may change how they show property. They may become more cautious and/or meet clients in pairs...particularly when the property is in a remote location.
I know that in my own life, I have been kept from getting a job I wanted – only to be granted a better one! Twenty-four-year-old Blessing Offor took the stage on NBC’s “The Voice” and sang his way into the competition. Judges were astonished to learn that Offor was born blind in one eye, and an accident took his vision in the other eye before he was eleven. He explained that “I had to figure out what God meant by this”...adding, “This is just another thing to work through.”
We’ve all got things to work through...and we won’t understand “what God meant by this” much of the time. But we can be assured that nothing is wasted. We can trust that God - our great provider, protector and healer – is using the “rain” in our lives to “water seeds and produce good fruit”. Our real question should not be “Why me, LORD?”...but rather, “What are You showing me?” Shouldn’t we be asking God to reveal to us how to accomplish His will with each and every circumstance of our lives? Don’t you think it’s time we did?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for November 5, 2011
John 16:1-4
"I've told you these things to prepare you for rough times ahead. They are going to throw you out of the meeting places. There will even come a time when anyone who kills you will think he's doing God a favor. They will do these things because they never really understood the Father. I've told you these things so that when the time comes and they start in on you, you'll be well-warned and ready for them.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
One of the hardest things for us to understand after we become Christians is why rough times still come. Didn’t Jesus tell us to come to Him and He would take our burdens and give us rest? Absolutely! But here He is also warning us that there will be rough times… challenges… even ridicule and rejection by others.
Notice that He says that these people who mistreat us never really understood the Father. Do we understand God? Do we understand why He allows us to be tested and endure rough times? Just how faithful do you think we would be to God if He never tested us?! Look at all Jesus suffered. Surely we have experienced nothing that even comes close to resembling His “rough times,” have we?!
But we have all been challenged. We have faced trials and temptations and ridicule and rejection. And if we have remained faithful and trusted God to orchestrate the outcomes, we have survived… and been strengthened.
In the following verses of John 16, Jesus explains about His Holy Spirit and how we can be forever filled, guided, and protected by His indwelling. And I will talk about this in coming days. But for now, I want us to recognize that Jesus said flatly that we would face adversity and “rough times”… but He also said He would never leave us!
We must be mindful of this as we go about our daily living… and we must be careful when we share the Good News of Jesus with others that we do not give them a false impression that all of their worries and challenges are over completely, once they invite Him to be LORD of their life. In order to truly know God, we have to know that we will go through things… but the operative word is through! When we let God have control, He makes sure we never have more than we can handle with His help!
So realize that life with Jesus is a zillion times better than life without Him… but you still may have to go through some stuff! Just know that He is with you, every step of the way… and you will survive if you trust Him to guide your steps.
©2011 Debbie Robus
"I've told you these things to prepare you for rough times ahead. They are going to throw you out of the meeting places. There will even come a time when anyone who kills you will think he's doing God a favor. They will do these things because they never really understood the Father. I've told you these things so that when the time comes and they start in on you, you'll be well-warned and ready for them.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
One of the hardest things for us to understand after we become Christians is why rough times still come. Didn’t Jesus tell us to come to Him and He would take our burdens and give us rest? Absolutely! But here He is also warning us that there will be rough times… challenges… even ridicule and rejection by others.
Notice that He says that these people who mistreat us never really understood the Father. Do we understand God? Do we understand why He allows us to be tested and endure rough times? Just how faithful do you think we would be to God if He never tested us?! Look at all Jesus suffered. Surely we have experienced nothing that even comes close to resembling His “rough times,” have we?!
But we have all been challenged. We have faced trials and temptations and ridicule and rejection. And if we have remained faithful and trusted God to orchestrate the outcomes, we have survived… and been strengthened.
In the following verses of John 16, Jesus explains about His Holy Spirit and how we can be forever filled, guided, and protected by His indwelling. And I will talk about this in coming days. But for now, I want us to recognize that Jesus said flatly that we would face adversity and “rough times”… but He also said He would never leave us!
We must be mindful of this as we go about our daily living… and we must be careful when we share the Good News of Jesus with others that we do not give them a false impression that all of their worries and challenges are over completely, once they invite Him to be LORD of their life. In order to truly know God, we have to know that we will go through things… but the operative word is through! When we let God have control, He makes sure we never have more than we can handle with His help!
So realize that life with Jesus is a zillion times better than life without Him… but you still may have to go through some stuff! Just know that He is with you, every step of the way… and you will survive if you trust Him to guide your steps.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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