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“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.  John 1:46 NLT

No one has ever fallen in love with Jesus through the intimate stories of someone else’s faith encounter.  At best, the story inspired them and then opened the door for them to seek Jesus for themselves. Philip knew that Nathaniel would only be convinced about the Messiah if he saw Him personally.  That’s why he urged him, “Come and see.”

Are such defining moments possible today for the one who asks Jesus to reveal Himself to them?  Yes. There are moments that become mountaintops; encounters that become a Bethel. These are not limited to unbelievers seeking to be saved.  They are also for believers who have settled for monotony, who are trying to live on yesterday’s manna. We are to seek, listen, and pursue God relentlessly.  The glory of Jesus will surprise us again and again at unsuspecting times. An ordinary day will be turned upside down as the eternal penetrates the temporal.  God’s glory will fill our field of vision and earth’s trinkets will no longer impress us nor satisfy what it is we’re really craving.

Those around us may not see what we see but we know it is a holy moment.  We’ll take our shoes off even as we remember it.  In the afterglow, we’ll live dazed by the memory and tremble in the distraction of it. We know it’s hard to capture it in words. That’s why we join the many other evangelists through the ages to say, “Come and see for yourself.” 

Lord, commune with us today in a place that doesn’t need words. Amen

John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”  John 1:15

The birth of John the Baptist happened months before the birth of Jesus. Elizabeth was pregnant first and was well into her pregnancy when Mary conceived through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. And yet, John told the people that Jesus existed before he did. The only possible explanation is that John was not talking about conception dates or birth dates. Something far greater was being revealed, and I believe they could tell that his reference was to something otherworldly by the breathless tone in John’s voice. 

Now, I know what you may be thinking. Nowhere in these verses does it say that John was breathless. Yet, when I imagine how John delivered this news while trying to comprehend the eternal storyline of Jesus, it is impossible for me to believe that he could be nonchalant. 

The Gospel of John Movie and The Chosen series unveil this scene in the most stunning way possible. I’ve watched them hundreds of times, and each time I see John speak, I remember Jesus’ words that ‘John was a lamp, burning and shining.’ His ministry was so short, but his impact was massive. 

It begs me to ask myself whether or not I’ve ever talked about Jesus this passionately. Does my ministry reflect such urgency? It is a litmus test for my own soul, and I assess myself often to see if I feel the degree of intensity I witness in John. 

Lord, I don’t want my testimony ever to be casual. Turn me into a burning flame. Amen

He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.  John 1:10

The Treasure that Israel had been waiting for was born in the middle of the night.   He was the Savior of the mother who delivered Him, the Teacher of the man God chose to be the father in their household.  He was the Rabbi in a manger who would know more than every other Rabbi he would meet.  He was the stone that the builders would reject, the Bread of Life for which His people would have no appetite. He was rejected in every way.

In many ways, I just don’t understand.  From prophecy, Jewish people in Nazareth knew their Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. They knew He would be born of a virgin, and they knew Mary’s story.  Certainly, they had heard the stories of the shepherds who witnessed a glorious display in the heavens and the wise men who followed the brightest star for 400 miles with expensive gifts in tow.  They also knew from their people’s history that many of God’s chosen leaders came from obscurity.  God had anointed a shepherd fresh from the pastures to be their greatest king from thousands of years before.  Why, then, did the Messiah from Nazareth make them stumble?

For the same reasons, I stumble today.  More than any other generation, I know the history of Jesus.  I have more Bible teaching at my fingertips than any previous people group who has lived before me.  Despite all these resources, I struggle to believe the promises in front of my face.  I’m not hearing them secondhand.  I’m reading them for myself with full spiritual understanding. 

I need peace, but I often look elsewhere outside the Peace-giver.  I need composure, a moment to take a spiritual breath, but I often remain so worked up that anxiety overtakes me.  I need hope, but instead of raising my eyes to look into the face of the One who has planned my eternity, I’m spun up about the hopelessness of the times.  Oh, it need not be. 

Rabbi, teach me.  Put your hand on my head and bless me.  I am at Your feet.  Feed me from Your hand. Comfort me, hush me, like the Mother and Father I need.  You are exactly what I need, the One right here, right now.  Amen

I will never walk alone for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.  Psalm 26:3

Everyone wonders what their future will hold.  Good times or hard times?  Healthy or unhealthy?  Married or unmarried?  Financially secure or living with meager provision?  Surrounded by those who love us or mostly alone?  We aren’t granted a clear picture of tomorrow but any of us who know God as our Father can know for certain one thing about our future.  In spite of uncertainty, David says that God’s love is ever before us.  Perfect Love is always and forever in our tomorrows.

If times are good, God will join me in my celebration.  If times are difficult, He will offer open arms.  If times are rewarding, He will still remind me that heaven will be better because He will be there.  If times are tragic, He will assure me that this time of tears is short in comparison to an eternity of joy.

Picture a groom, on his knees proposing, and he says in a deep and meaningful tone, “Spend your life with me.  I can’t promise you that it will always be easy but however it unfolds, I promise to be there with you and love you.”  It’s exactly what she needs.  Love.  Companionship.  Commitment.  And for any who have not known this in their human experience, Jesus is the Bridegroom who offers what is supremely better than that.  A perfect love without the imperfection of the flesh within mortal marriages.  There is perfect companionship as the groom knows His bride completely.  And there is  perfect faithfulness as this Groom never backs away.  No matter how well or how poorly the bride loves, His love is constant and true.

Your love is here now.  Your love has always sustained me.  Your love waits for me in all my tomorrows.  You are timeless and I can rest that You have traveled ahead of me.  I’m so comforted.  Amen

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:4

Two people are traveling together.  One is severely wounded and can no longer move.  He must stay behind while the other goes for help.  The one who leaves promises to return but you know that this promise will be tested with time.  As the situation deteriorates and there is no sign of his coming, the one in peril thinks to himself, “It doesn’t look to me like I’ll be saved!”  There is mounting evidence of a broken promise but ultimately, love and trust wins.  The one who waits perseveres because, in spite of the odds, he knows that the love and loyalty of his partner will not fail.  Sure enough, when things are most desperate, help arrives.  The one who has hung on whispers, “I just knew you’d come!”

Jesus is good for every promise He has made, including the one where He promises to come back for me.  The better I know Him, the more confident I am of that He is trustworthy.  I will not withdraw and distrust him when things gets hard.  As this world deteriorates, trust in His heart and His promises sustain me.  The harder the times, the more my faith is tested and the more my faith thrives.

What is causing you to draw back today?  Where are you scared to trust?  Where do you taste death instead of life?  You need not succumb to defeat.  Faith can win.  It begins and ends with a review of God’s promises and God’s character.  Shun the love-killer and all of his lies.  Life can be yours right now – at this very moment.  He will not only come for you, He’s here now.

Let Your daughter perceive You. Open her eyes to see You.  Open her ears to hear Your whispers.  Speak to her in the deep places of her soul and bring life to the places where life is tenuous.  Amen

Give thanks to the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Psalm 107:1

Nothing stirs up our flesh like family rivalry.  The personality and gifts of one child can be celebrated more than the uniqueness of another child.  Or, a mother favors one while the father favors another.  From birth, affections and privileges can be divided.  It would appear that harmony among children is often doomed from the start.  Even in old age, the stuff of youth is rehearsed.  Childhood offenses seem like yesterday.   A brother or sister can be despised all the way to their deathbed because of something that was done or said during their teen years.  Because our past replays vividly on the jumbo screen of our heart, the wounds stay fresh.

Love, respect, favor, and wealth?  How can life-long prejudices dissolve?  Someone new must arrive on the scene to offer something that is greater in value than what we lost.  Someone has ~ and His name is Jesus.  Healing for severely fractured families is possible but only as they come together to love and worship Jesus.  As each one’s appetite is transformed by beholding the beauty and glory of Christ, the stuff that comprised their arguments seems miniscule.  Every family member comes to realize that what they had been fighting over is a trinket compared to the gifts Jesus freely offers.  And, He is no respecter of persons.

Perhaps I have a life-long angst regarding other members of my family.  All I have to do is think about that person and my insides are churning.  Being loved by Jesus and becoming emotionally engaged with my spiritual birthright melts away resentment.  What I seek, I already have in Christ.  It may be hope deferred but it is real and it is mine.  If it doesn’t seem like enough to my heart, I must ask God to open my heart to incomparable gift of Him!  Is He not powerful enough to transform my affections?

Open my spiritual eyes to see the value of You and everything You long to give.  Help me re-orient my soul so that my hands are clutching You instead of things that perish. In Jesus name, Amen

Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing; Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are troubled. Psalm 6:2

Everyone lives with the effects of the fall. We suffer unjustly at the hands of ungodly men and women. We are all vulnerable to disease. The many hurricanes that have plagued our southern states have devastated Christians and non-Christians alike. Yet, God says that we can tell the difference in how we handle adversity.

• A child of God experiences peace in dark times. The unbeliever flounders without a compass.
• A child of God exerts his authority over the dark forces at work. The unbeliever is captive to them.
• A child of God is able to hear the voice of His Father, the voice that comforts him. The unbeliever is desperate for consolation.
• A child of God has his eyes set on home. The unbeliever lives with a nagging fear of death.
• A child of God knows the power of prayer to affect his life. The unbeliever is limited by his own problem solving skills.
• A child of God looks for the supernatural redemption of his pain. The unbeliever finds pain senseless.

Which one are you? Oh, if you don’t yet know the a luxury of being a child of God, I pray that, even now, God is setting your heart, mind, and will free to hear the Spirit of God calling you to faith so that you, too, may find your home in Christ. Because You will have a Father to call upon, who will be gracious to you, peace and comfort are within reach of His arms.

Thank You for taking up residence in me. There begins the distinction. Oh, how great is Your love. Amen

I have seen a limit to all perfection, but Your commandment is without limit. Psalm 119:96

Children grow up in the same home, with the same parents, in the same spiritual environment, and some choose to believe, yet others don’t.  Is a child’s departure from the faith the parent’s fault?  Not always. Not any more than it was Abraham’s fault when some of his offspring descended into wickedness.  It is a mystery why righteous kings in the Old Testament had wicked offspring. Just as puzzling is why wicked kings were often followed by a righteous heir.

While not perfect, we are to keep God’s covenant, train our children in the Word, and teach, by example, what it means to live by faith. Some of our children will choose God’s path, but to our great disappointment, we may watch another reject everything. 

Unfortunately, it is a human tendency to carry the weight of our children’s and grandchildren’s choices.  We lament that we weren’t perfect parents, but God didn’t demand perfection. That dream died in the garden.  That’s why a Savior and Redeemer was written into the story. One day, we will be perfected but for now, we are imperfect parents. We are loved and forgiven by Jesus. We are providing an environment that offers the greatest possibility of spiritual success for each child but what that child does after that rests entirely on their shoulders. 

The road to destruction is wide and most travel on it, even our children.  The way of the cross is narrow, only a few find it, and we rejoice when it’s our children. It’s a beautiful thing when families worship together but how painful when the clash of spiritual kingdoms is felt at our own dinner tables. Only God’s grace and compassion can keep us tenderhearted, forgiving, doing whatever is necessary to fight on our knees for their souls.

Grace and comfort, Lord, for all the parents who need this message.  Amen

The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Have you ever feared a meeting with a certain person? Tensions between you were high and over the years, you could think of little else when your soul was quiet. The strained relationship weighed heavily upon you. To test the waters, you asked someone who was in good standing with them to speak of you. After their visit, you knew whether it was wise or unwise to restore the relationship.

A mediator is oftentimes needed. When judgments have been made, fairly or unfairly, softening the heart of the estranged is difficult. When God was misunderstood, He sent Jesus to show us His heart, personality, and character. Jesus softened our hearts and paid a great price to restore the breach in our relationship.

Jesus is still a mediator, not only between His Father and us but between us and anyone else with whom we suffer a distance. When a foundation of prayer is laid, He goes ahead of us to work on a hardened heart. Nothing is too hard for our Mediator. He can give them a dream, speak to them in the night, cause them to remember a story about us that they had forgotten, or make sure they cross paths with someone who can speak about us in a way that makes them softer.

Not only are the hearts of kings in God’s hands, but so is the heart of our nemesis.

You, Lord, are the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Amen

You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night. Psalm 17:3

God never gives divine insight for mere intrigue. He discloses His thoughts to someone so they can figure out why they were given such information. Are they to pray? Are they to speak an encouraging word? Are they to expose? Seeing is proactive.

The gift of divine sight, and the spiritual understanding that accompanies it, is built on the culmination of life experiences. God shapes a servant through years of practice runs. The gift is sharpened most through suffering. If you are a prophet who can prayerfully discern the mind and heart of God about a person or situation, you will agree that your gift has been personally expensive. But consider this too ~ the gift of divine eyesight is usually paired with another strong gift. 

• God often reveals a dream for His child to conceive a wise solution.
• God reveals danger so that His child can pray.
• God reveals the root of a problem so that truth can be discovered, embraced, and sin uprooted.
• God reveals the broken heart of another so that compassion and encouragement can arise.
• God reveals where people perish for lack of knowledge so that a teacher may arise.

What has God been showing you about a person or a situation? Perhaps that revelation has been painful, has arrested you in place, and you are confused. Assess your giftings and ask God to show you how you are to use the revelation as a catalyst for His glory and the advancement of the kingdom. God, in your story, has prepared you for such a time as this.

I have been tormented by what I see. Give me Your action plan. Amen