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Archive - June 2008 Signs and WondersPosted Jun-27-08 08:49:59 PDT "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."
The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."
Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live."
The man took Jesus at his word and departed.
John 4:48-50
This miracle is more than a favor to an official; it was a sign to all the people. John's Gospel was written to all mankind to urge faith in Christ. Here a government official had faith that Jesus could do what he claimed. The official believed; then he saw a miraculous sign. We would do as well to have faith such as this. So many of us need to see evidence, need to see a sign before we believe. God would have us believe without benefit of a sign. This official not only believed Jesus could heal; he also obeyed Jesus by returning home, thus demonstrating his faith. It isn't enough for us to say we believe that Jesus can take care of our problems. We need to act as if he can. When you pray about a need or a problem, live as though you believe Jesus can do what he says.
God bless you,
JH Sharing is CaringPosted Jun-26-08 09:00:49 PDT Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days. And because of His words many more became believers. They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."
John 4:39-42
Do not be surprised when others do not accept your testimony from more than what it is: your experience in Christ. Many people, nay most people, need to experience God for themselves in order for a change to be made. People can go to church all their lives, know all the Bible stories, but not truly experience Christ until they are much older. Everything happens according to God's timing. We may witness, and that is all we are called to do. The rest is up to God. The Samaritan woman immediately shared her experience with others in her town. Despite her reputation, many accepted her invitation and came out to meet Jesus. Perhaps there are sins in our past of which we are ashamed. Do not let the sins of the past prevent you from sharing the Good News. It is Christ who changes us. If Christ has changed you, share your experience with others. There are people all around you seeking what you have already found. As people see these changes, they become curious as to where that hope comes from. Use these opportunities and questions to introduce them to the Savior of the world.
God bless you,
JH The HarvestPosted Jun-25-08 08:57:05 PDT "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me into finish his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."
John 4:34-38
The "food" about which Jesus was speaking was his spiritual nourishment. It includes more than Bible study, prayer, and attending church. Spiritual nourishment also comes from doing God's will in helping to bring his work of salvation to completion. We are nourished not only by what we take in, but also by what we give out for God. Sometimes Christians excuse themselves from witnessing and doing God's work by saying that their family or friends are not ready to believe. Jesus, however, makes it clear that around us the continual harvest waits to be reaped. Don't make excuses. Look around you every day and you will find people ready to hear God's Word.
God bless you,
JH Changing the ConversationPosted Jun-16-08 07:20:27 PDT He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."
"I have no husband," she replied.
Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."
"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."
John 4:16-20
When this woman discovered that Jesus knew all about her private life, she quickly changed the subject. Often people become uncomfortable when the conversation hits too close to home, and they try to talk about something else. As we witness, we should gently guide the conversation back to Christ. His presence exposes sin and makes people squirm, but only Christ can forgive sins and give new life.
God Bless you,
JH Patience and PrayerPosted Jun-11-08 06:35:57 PDT Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
John 4:13-15
The woman at the well mistakenly believed that if she received the water Jesus offered, she would not have to return to the well each day. She was interested in Jesus message because she thought it could make her life easier. But if that were always the case, people would accept Christ's message for all the wrong reasons. Christ did not come to take away challenges in our lives, but to change us from the inside out and to empower us to deal with problems from God's perspective. The woman did not immediately understand what Jesus was talking about. It takes time to accept something that changes the very foundations of your life. Jesus allowed the woman time to ask questions and process what she was hearing and to put the pieces together for herself. Sharing the gospel will not always have immediate results in the lives of others. But when you ask people to let Jesus change their lives, give them time to figure things out on their own. Patience and prayer are the keys when witnessing about God's Grace.
God bless you,
JH Food and WaterPosted Jun-10-08 06:09:13 PDT Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
John 4:13-15
Many spiritual functions parallel physical functions. As our bodies hunger and thirst, so do our souls. But our souls need spiritual food and water. The woman confused the two kinds of water, perhaps because no one ever talked with her about her spiritual hunger and thirst before. We would not think of depriving our bodies of food and water when we are hungry or thirsty. Why then should we deprive our souls? The living Word, Jesus Christ, and the written Word, the Bible, can satisfy our hungry and thirsty souls. We eat every day, sometimes without really thinking about it or the real nutritional value of what we are eating. We may not remember exactly what we ate three weeks ago, but we do know that we ate. The food that we ate has sustained us and strengthened us. It is just as important to eat spiritually for the sustenance and strength to help us make it through the day.
God bless you,
JH The Choice is YoursPosted Jun-09-08 06:20:00 PDT The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans). Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
John 4:9-10
John's Gospel is not simply a life of Christ; it is a powerful argument for the incarnation, a conclusive demonstration that Jesus was, and it is, the very heaven sent son of God and the only source of eternal life. What did Jesus mean by "living water?" In the Old Testament, many verses speak of thirsting after God as one thirsts for water (Psalm 42:1; Isaiah 55:1; Jeremiah 2:13). God is called the fountain of life (Psalm 36:9) and the spring of living water (Jeremiah 17:13). In saying he would bring living water that could forever quench a person's thirst for God, Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah. Only the Messiah could give this gift that satisfies the soul's desire. Those who claim that Jesus was no more than a good moral teacher miss the mark. He claimed to be so much more. One cannot be one thing when he claims to be something else. A good moral teacher is at least someone who tells the truth. As Jesus claims time and again to be the Messiah, one is left with one of two choices: 1) he was a liar, a lunatic who pulled off the greatest hoax in world history; or 2) he was, and is, exactly who he claimed to be. The choice is yours.
God bless you,
JH Sharing the GospelPosted Jun-06-08 06:59:12 PDT When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into town to buy food). The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews did not associate with Samaritans).
John 4:7-9
This woman was a Samaritan, a member of a hated mixed-race of people, she was known to be living in sin, and she was in a public place. No respectable Jewish man would talk to a woman under such circumstances. But Jesus did. This is to remind us today that the gospel is for every person, no matter what their race, social position, reputation, or past mistakes. We must be prepared to share the gospel at any time and in any place. Jesus crossed all barriers to share the Gospel, and we who follow him must do no less.
God bless you,
JH The Woman at the WellPosted Jun-05-08 06:49:20 PDT When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When the Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"
John 4:4-7
Jacob's well was on the property originally owned by Jacob. It was not a spring-fed well, but a well into which water seeped from rain and dew, collecting at the bottom. Wells, such as this, were almost always located outside the city along the main road. Twice each day, morning and evening, women came to draw water to take back for their families. This woman came at noon, however, probably to avoid meeting people who knew her poor reputation. Jesus gave this woman an extraordinary message about fresh and pure water that would quench her spiritual thirst forever. Jesus makes the same offer to each one of us today, if we would but come to him.
God bless you,
JH Choose WiselyPosted Jun-04-08 05:58:28 PDT For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.
John 3:34-36
God's spirit was upon Jesus without limit or measure. Thus Jesus was the highest revelation of God to humanity. Jesus says that those who believe in him have (not will have) everlasting life. To receive eternal life is to join in God's life, which by nature is eternal. Thus, eternal life begins at the moment of spiritual rebirth. John, the author of this Gospel, has been demonstrating that Jesus is the true Son of God. Jesus sets before us the greatest joys in life. We are responsible to decide today whom we will obey, and God wants us to choose him and life. The wrath of God is God's final judgment and rejection of the sinner. To put off the choice is to choose not to follow Christ. Indecision can be a fatal decision. Choose wisely.
God bless you,
JH Who is Jesus Christ?Posted Jun-02-08 06:03:25 PDT The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from Heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.
John 3:31-35
Jesus' testimony was trustworthy because he had come from heaven and was speaking of what he had seen there. His words were the very words of God. Your whole spiritual life depends on your answer to one question, "Who is Jesus Christ?" If you accept Jesus as only a prophet or teacher, you have to reject his teaching, for he claimed to be God's Son, even God himself. The heartbeat of John's Gospel is the dynamic truth that Jesus Christ is God's Son, the Messiah, the Savior, who is from the beginning and will continue to live forever. This same Jesus has invited us to accept him and live with him eternally. When we understand who Jesus is, we are compelled to believe what he said.
God bless you,
JH |
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