But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 'Why was this ointment not sold for three denarii and given to the poor?' he said this, not because he cared about the poor, bit because he was a thief, and having charge to the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. John 12:4-7
Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus' disciples. He walked with Jesus. He talked to Jesus. He listened to Jesus. He laughed with Jesus. He ate with Jesus. He slept near Jesus. He was amazed by Jesus. He was confused by the words and actions of Jesus. He followed Jesus. For three years, he was right there with Jesus and he knew Jesus. Judas betrayed Jesus!
There are many who believe that if a person has heard enough about Jesus then that person will have no other real choice by the believe in Him. It is a nice thought, and those of us who do believe that Jesus is the Son of God and have accepted Him, it is hard to understand why others don't. I, honestly, can't fathom how others don't or don't want to. After experiencing peace where there was not room in the circumstance for peace, I can't understand not wanting to experience it. After hearing His voice speak to my heart on innumerable occasions, I can't believe others never want to hear Him. After praying for healing from pain and experiencing a flow come over me and the pain be gone, I can't imagine that there are people who would rather live with the pain. After having a part o Scripture, that I've read over and over again, suddenly become amazingly clear, I can't imagine choosing to walk around blindly. I can't imagine not having the comfort of knowing I will never be alone. I can't imagine making major decisions without asking for His guidance to make the right choice. Some people have walked the Christian life and chosen to walk away, so why would I expect those who haven't to accept Him at the last moment because they have heard.
Judas didn't believe. If the ones who were right there with Him, missed out on truly knowing and accepting Him, then it is dangerous for us to believe people just need to hear about Him enough to accept Him. Judas actually hear Jesus speak and still betrayed Him.
So what will it take? What do people really need to come to acceptance of Christ? Well, since Judas wasn't the only one who walked with Jesus, t seems there is no one way to come to Him. Andrew heard Him speak and believed. He ran and got Peter and told him abut Jesus and Peter believed. James and John were simply called and they believed. The woman caste at Jesus' feet to be stoned was forgiven and she believed. The woman at the well was told all her sin and she believed. Some needed to feel His healing touch to believe. Some needed to see Him heal others to believe. Some needed to hear His words of love to believe. Some need to hear the harsh truth of their lives to believe. Some needed to be taught by Him to believe. It isn't different today.
There are people who grow up in church, hearing the Word, and they believe. Others need a miracle of love to flow into the ugliness of their situation to believe. They need someone to hand them a bowl of soup and a slice of bread. They need someone to take them into their home after their own family has abandoned them. They need a doctor who performs the right procedure or dispenses the right medicine, but also prays over them for them to believe. They need someone to look beyond the money, cars, houses to see that they are trying to fill the incredible void in their life with things. They need some to hold their baby while they tend to the boo boo on the toddler's knee. They need someone to listen; someone to feed them; someone to laugh with them; someone to talk to them; someone to show they the Way.
Every person needs something different to come to Jesus. Yet thy all need the same thing, they need an open heart. Judas heard, walked, laughed with Jesus, but his heart wasn't open to Him. Don't just assume that being in church your whole life means your heart has been open to accept Him. Don't assume that if a person hears enough about Jesus they will accept Him. It is far too important to just assume that words in our lives or others is enough. We need to seek how to reach people. I have a friend who is not a believer, and I pray about how to share Him with her. For now, God has told me her heart isn't open, so I simply need to be her friend. Do I worry that's no enough? Of course I do. Yet until her heart is open, words just won't be enough. Be prayerful of how to reach others and be ready to talk, laugh, listen, cry, or do whatever that person needs.
Showing posts with label Sharing the Good News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sharing the Good News. Show all posts
Monday, July 16, 2018
Sunday, December 28, 2014
The Shepherds Need More Nativity Space
I collect nativities. I have 13 at this point. I would have 15, but I can't find one small one and I dropped and broke the most beautiful snow globe nativity. All of my scenes have Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Well, actually I lost a Joseph at some point so I use a shepherd to stand in for him. I have a few scenes with only the Holy Family. Other scenes have three wise men and a shepherd or two.
Actually, one of my nativities is just the three kings, and I'm not sure that's technically a nativity, but I count it anyway. The three kings get a lot of attention. They even get their own holiday. Their gifts were very important, even though many people don't get their purpose. I've seen the quote about what if three wise women had come instead. They would have asked for directions, would have arrived on time; helped with the birth; cleaned the stable; made a casserole; brought practical gifts; and there would be peace on earth. Um, yeah and Jesus would have died at the hands of Herod's men and there would be no peace on earth. The wise men may have shown up late to the birth, but right on time to reveal Herod's plot to kill Jesus. The gifts they brought were fit for a king and helped that king and his family survive the journey and years in Egypt. As great as the wise men are I have to say I like the shepherds more.
Their story is brief and they didn't do anything like save the life of Jesus, but they were so very important. Their story starts in Luke 2:8 and continues until verse 20. "2. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shown around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11. For unto us is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and laying in a manger." 13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14."Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" 15. When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning the child. 18. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19. But Mary treasured up these things, pondering them in her heart. 20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."
There are a couple of things that stuck out to me today that I have never noticed before. The first is in verse 18 when it says "all who heard it". I wonder who the all is? If it was just Mary and Joseph, which is what most of us believe, then wouldn't it have said Mary and Joseph instead of all? In verse 19 is says "but Mary treasured these things, pondering them in her heart", so it would have made sense to just say that Joseph wondered at what the shepherds told him. Plus Mary and Joseph knew already knew that the baby was the Son of God. So who else was there? I don't know, but I have a feeling Joseph found at least one woman who helped with the deliver. Woman did the delivering, and even though there was no room in the inn, it didn't mean that no one would help them. It was the town of Joseph, so he would have had some family there who may have helped them. I believe there were others in that stable with them. The nativity makers will need to add a midwife or two the scenes.
The second thing I noticed, and this one jumped out at me. It's at the end of the shepherds' story: they returned. Returned where? To the sheep. Shepherds never left their sheep unattended, but when God interrupts their night with the good news they leave the sheep and head to the city. After seeing the King and telling everyone there what they heard, they returned to their work. They went back to their sheep. They went back to work! When I looked it up in Strong's it said that "returned" meant to go back with a purpose. They went back because they had a job to do. They didn't just go back to work, but they also glorified and praised God.
It made me think about all the times I have experienced an amazing moment with God and just wanted to soak in it. I am sure the shepherds could have done that. They could have just stayed in the stable and basking in the presence of the King, but they went back to work. They returned to the field and their work, because they needed to take care of their sheep. They went about their jobs and they praised God. I know that as much as I love what I do and know that God has gifted me to do it, I let the paperwork, meetings, and difficulties have much of my attention. I rarely think about glorifying God when I'm at work. I know that doing work as unto the Lord is a way of praising Him, but I don't always consider Him when I'm working. I need to be more like a shepherd and return to my work after this break and glorify and praise Him while I take care of my little sheep.
Actually, one of my nativities is just the three kings, and I'm not sure that's technically a nativity, but I count it anyway. The three kings get a lot of attention. They even get their own holiday. Their gifts were very important, even though many people don't get their purpose. I've seen the quote about what if three wise women had come instead. They would have asked for directions, would have arrived on time; helped with the birth; cleaned the stable; made a casserole; brought practical gifts; and there would be peace on earth. Um, yeah and Jesus would have died at the hands of Herod's men and there would be no peace on earth. The wise men may have shown up late to the birth, but right on time to reveal Herod's plot to kill Jesus. The gifts they brought were fit for a king and helped that king and his family survive the journey and years in Egypt. As great as the wise men are I have to say I like the shepherds more.
Their story is brief and they didn't do anything like save the life of Jesus, but they were so very important. Their story starts in Luke 2:8 and continues until verse 20. "2. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shown around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11. For unto us is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and laying in a manger." 13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14."Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" 15. When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." 16. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning the child. 18. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19. But Mary treasured up these things, pondering them in her heart. 20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them."
There are a couple of things that stuck out to me today that I have never noticed before. The first is in verse 18 when it says "all who heard it". I wonder who the all is? If it was just Mary and Joseph, which is what most of us believe, then wouldn't it have said Mary and Joseph instead of all? In verse 19 is says "but Mary treasured these things, pondering them in her heart", so it would have made sense to just say that Joseph wondered at what the shepherds told him. Plus Mary and Joseph knew already knew that the baby was the Son of God. So who else was there? I don't know, but I have a feeling Joseph found at least one woman who helped with the deliver. Woman did the delivering, and even though there was no room in the inn, it didn't mean that no one would help them. It was the town of Joseph, so he would have had some family there who may have helped them. I believe there were others in that stable with them. The nativity makers will need to add a midwife or two the scenes.
The second thing I noticed, and this one jumped out at me. It's at the end of the shepherds' story: they returned. Returned where? To the sheep. Shepherds never left their sheep unattended, but when God interrupts their night with the good news they leave the sheep and head to the city. After seeing the King and telling everyone there what they heard, they returned to their work. They went back to their sheep. They went back to work! When I looked it up in Strong's it said that "returned" meant to go back with a purpose. They went back because they had a job to do. They didn't just go back to work, but they also glorified and praised God.
It made me think about all the times I have experienced an amazing moment with God and just wanted to soak in it. I am sure the shepherds could have done that. They could have just stayed in the stable and basking in the presence of the King, but they went back to work. They returned to the field and their work, because they needed to take care of their sheep. They went about their jobs and they praised God. I know that as much as I love what I do and know that God has gifted me to do it, I let the paperwork, meetings, and difficulties have much of my attention. I rarely think about glorifying God when I'm at work. I know that doing work as unto the Lord is a way of praising Him, but I don't always consider Him when I'm working. I need to be more like a shepherd and return to my work after this break and glorify and praise Him while I take care of my little sheep.
These are mine. :)
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