John 14:1
Jesus said to his disciples, “Don’t be worried! Have faith in God and have faith in me.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Our
three-year-old nephew, Nathan, has a fistful of plastic superheroes
that are his almost constant companions at our house. These include
Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash, a small “bat signal” and a
blue Lego man he calls “Blue Man.” He “earned” these for good behavior
earlier in the spring/summer, and he carries them around throughout the
house as he plays. And he always sleeps with them.
Nathan stays
with us on Mondays and Fridays while his parents work. We have a
routine of play and activities all morning, followed by an early lunch, a
warm bath, story time…and about a 3-hour nap. While Nathan plays in
the tub, I gather books to read, lay out his pajamas, and prepare our
bed with his favorite blanket, the superheroes, and a couple of stuffed
animals he requires before he will settle in and sleep. Today, I could
NOT locate Batman.
I searched high and low. The black-clad
superhero was last seen in our living room, but I could not locate him. I
hoped that Nathan would not notice. Ha! What was I thinking? He went
with me to the living room to search, and we turned over the cushions
and looked everywhere – no Batman. Nathan began to sob. I got other
“Batman” figures…they were not the same. He wanted his “superhero
Batman,” as he called it. I assured him that…”Batman is here…and I will
find him.” I told him…”Trust me…while you sleep, I will find him and
bring him to you.”
Finally, I was able to convince the little guy
to settle in for story time and some PBS TV programs…and I returned to
the living room to search. WHERE was that crazy little figurine? I
retraced every single step, and suddenly, there he lay…totally
camouflaged on the cushion of one of my chairs…almost in plain sight,
but just obscure enough to be overlooked. I took Batman to Nathan, and
he was one happy and relieved little napper!
When I read these
words from Jesus in John 14, I thought of Nathan’s reaction when I
promised to find his Batman figurine. I kept telling him that…“I
promise, I will find him.” And Nathan kept saying, “No, you won’t! I
can’t sleep without him!” How many times has Jesus assured us that He
is with us…and we have continued to wring our hands and worry – and
essentially say, “No, you’re not!”
The time has come for us to
understand once and for all that there will be times when we cannot
readily see Jesus. He may be right in front of us…like a totally
black-clad superhero figurine on a burgundy-printed chair cushion. He
may seem to be invisible. But He is THERE! Jesus NEVER leaves us!
Sometimes when we are looking for Him, he is right beside us…and we
simply do not recognize Him. It’s time for us to stop wringing our
hands and “working” our worries…to trust Him to do what He has
promised…to believe that Jesus really does have us in the palm of His
hand.
Stop worrying…have faith in God through the promises of
Jesus Christ. Believe that He has everything under control – in this
lifetime and into Eternity. Like a tired 3-year-old, relax and drift
sweetly off to sleep. Rest well…and trust that Jesus is handling
everything, whether readily visible or behind the scenes…because He
truly is.
©2015 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label where is Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label where is Jesus. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for July 17, 2014
Acts 10:42-43
God told us to announce clearly to the people that Jesus is the one he has chosen to judge the living and the dead. Every one of the prophets has said that all who have faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven in his name.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
We were sitting at the VBS closing one night, and Timothy asked, “What does Jesus look like?” I explained that we really don’t know…because He lived a long, long time ago. But some people think Jesus had long hair and wore something called a robe…sort of like a man’s dress or a long shirt. His next question is, “But where IS Jesus?” I told him that Jesus lives in Heaven – with Mam-ma Polly – but His spirit lives in our heart…that He is always with us, sees everything we do and hears everything we say. “But we can’t SEE Him!” Timothy protested. No, I explained, He is with us like a spirit. I asked if he knew what a spirit was…sort of like a ghost. He nodded yes. “Well, this is how Jesus’ spirit lives in our heart with us.” “Okay!” Timothy said happily. He was more satisfied with my answers than I was!
Explaining Jesus to a small child is a challenge at best. You don’t want to say the wrong thing and make Jesus out to be some sort of cartoon character or magic fairy…but you have to describe Him in relatable terms that a child can understand. I’ll be honest…describing Jesus to grown-ups isn’t a whole lot easier!
What we can tell children of all ages is how much Jesus loves us. We can talk about His grace, mercy, compassion, and incredible sacrifice on our behalf. We can share His promises of being reunited in Heaven someday – of spending all eternity in His presence. And we can talk about how Jesus fills our heart and guides our steps each and every day.
Faith is an incredibly nebulous concept. People tell us to have faith that Jesus is with us…to trust that God will heal our bodies and those of our friends and loved ones…to have confidence that Jesus is coming back someday…to believe that Jesus died for our sins, and that all we have to do is invite Him to be our LORD and Savior, and we are guaranteed to spend Eternity in His presence. But all we have is the word of another…and the scriptures. We operate 100% on what we have been told by other people – and what we sense is true in our heart…our only visible example is that of believers and disciples among us who strive to emulate Jesus on a daily basis. It’s no wonder that we wonder…and sometimes doubt!
We must be merciful and tender toward those who question. We must demonstrate our own faithfulness to others. We must encourage them and give them reason to believe what they read and hear about Jesus as they observe how we demonstrate grace, mercy, forgiveness, love and compassion in His name. We must confidently declare that Jesus is real…and that His Holy Spirit is alive and well within us. And we must encourage child-like acceptance of these declarations and offerings.
Questions are normal…and necessary. But we Christians have to be ready with confident answers and a heavy dose of God’s grace and mercy. Are you prepared? Isn’t it time you were?
©2014 Debbie Robus
God told us to announce clearly to the people that Jesus is the one he has chosen to judge the living and the dead. Every one of the prophets has said that all who have faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven in his name.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
We were sitting at the VBS closing one night, and Timothy asked, “What does Jesus look like?” I explained that we really don’t know…because He lived a long, long time ago. But some people think Jesus had long hair and wore something called a robe…sort of like a man’s dress or a long shirt. His next question is, “But where IS Jesus?” I told him that Jesus lives in Heaven – with Mam-ma Polly – but His spirit lives in our heart…that He is always with us, sees everything we do and hears everything we say. “But we can’t SEE Him!” Timothy protested. No, I explained, He is with us like a spirit. I asked if he knew what a spirit was…sort of like a ghost. He nodded yes. “Well, this is how Jesus’ spirit lives in our heart with us.” “Okay!” Timothy said happily. He was more satisfied with my answers than I was!
Explaining Jesus to a small child is a challenge at best. You don’t want to say the wrong thing and make Jesus out to be some sort of cartoon character or magic fairy…but you have to describe Him in relatable terms that a child can understand. I’ll be honest…describing Jesus to grown-ups isn’t a whole lot easier!
What we can tell children of all ages is how much Jesus loves us. We can talk about His grace, mercy, compassion, and incredible sacrifice on our behalf. We can share His promises of being reunited in Heaven someday – of spending all eternity in His presence. And we can talk about how Jesus fills our heart and guides our steps each and every day.
Faith is an incredibly nebulous concept. People tell us to have faith that Jesus is with us…to trust that God will heal our bodies and those of our friends and loved ones…to have confidence that Jesus is coming back someday…to believe that Jesus died for our sins, and that all we have to do is invite Him to be our LORD and Savior, and we are guaranteed to spend Eternity in His presence. But all we have is the word of another…and the scriptures. We operate 100% on what we have been told by other people – and what we sense is true in our heart…our only visible example is that of believers and disciples among us who strive to emulate Jesus on a daily basis. It’s no wonder that we wonder…and sometimes doubt!
We must be merciful and tender toward those who question. We must demonstrate our own faithfulness to others. We must encourage them and give them reason to believe what they read and hear about Jesus as they observe how we demonstrate grace, mercy, forgiveness, love and compassion in His name. We must confidently declare that Jesus is real…and that His Holy Spirit is alive and well within us. And we must encourage child-like acceptance of these declarations and offerings.
Questions are normal…and necessary. But we Christians have to be ready with confident answers and a heavy dose of God’s grace and mercy. Are you prepared? Isn’t it time you were?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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