1/22/2012

John 2:10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

I have heard this verse used as a correlation to what happens with the world. The world tries to impress you in the beginning with the “good” and “tasteful” pleasures of this world enticing you in only to reap the consequences later. How grateful I am that we have something greater than this earth waiting for us…Jesus Christ himself in complete paradise. That is exactly how Jesus works…he doesn’t draw you in with the best leaving you hanging with a bitter taste in your mouth. No, He gets better every time…you always have something to look forward to with Jesus Christ.

Application: (I keep writing this in my IBS’ because I want it to be a continual habit in my life) Keep looking towards the goal of Jesus Christ, my savior and Lord, being with Him in complete paradise. I need to recognize that earth is not my home…Jesus Christ is and that is where I need to find complete fulfillment and contentment.

2/23/2012

John 2:11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed Him.

To think, this was only the beginning of the signs that Jesus did and the fact that He could choose how much and to whom He manifested Himself is important to me to note. What a special time Jesus must have had with His disciples. I find it incredible how Jesus knew when and to what extent He should reveal His glory during His ministry, for the fullness of His glory has yet to be revealed.

 This shows the importance of having close communion with the Father. It takes discernment to know how and when to handle different life situations that come up in an ordinary day… whether that is my response to a comment someone makes about the Lord, somebody else, or me. I need to have that constant communion with the Father throughout the day never ceasing to pray asking for His guidance.

God, I thank you that you are a discerner of the hearts and that Jesus Christ submitted to all the plans that the You had for Him to accomplish even when it was painful or inconvenient. God I desire and seek Your constant communion that I might fulfill all you have for me this next week.

1/25/2012

John 2:14 And He [Jesus] found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.

I think this verse is quite interesting because note it says, “He found those who sold oxen….” Jesus had a purpose in going to the temple; He had a mission to fulfill. I find this quite incredible because it shows me that nothing the Lord does is in vain. Jesus had a purpose in absolutely everything He did. This gives me great comfort because I know that God has some specific tasks for me to still fulfill in my life these last two months while I am here in Villarreal, Costa Rica. I desire to fulfill whatever God has on His heart for me to do; nothing He does is in vain.

Today, as I go on the bus to Langosta as well as while I am at different events during the day, I will be looking for opportunities that God desires to for me to speak with someone or do something to serve His plan.

1/26/2012

John 2:15When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.

This account of Jesus has always caught me off guard but it is so important to note that the reason behind His anger was holy and righteous. Jesus was restoring the temple to its original intent…to worship only God. God has a righteous anger hating anything that is not of Him to the extent of doing what it took to stop it. God’s radical desire for holiness drove Him to do great things for His name. This made me question my own life. Am I radically in love with holiness and righteousness that if God asked me to do something, I would be willing to do it out of my love for Him and who He is? This could be as simple as speaking up when others have crossed the line of foul language or sitting next to the person nobody wants to be around. It is going against the grain to follow through in Christ’s example.

Today, I commit to speaking up and standing up for righteousness even when it may seem radical in the moment or uncomfortable. I love Jesus Christ and I desire to live out His example in my life.

1/27/2012

John 2:16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”

Oh, what a sad place the Lord’s holy temple had become. We as humans all have to fight the urge of being consumed with ourselves and our wants. Most of the time to obtain these wants, it requires money…which is exactly what these people were taking in the temple….stealing money from God’s people. This grieves me that a place such as the holy temple could become such a place of greed and self-consumption, yet when I look at my own heart where the Holy Spirit dwells, I am reminded how many times I have allowed these same thoughts and actions to be manifested in my heart. Joe Focht, a pastor of Calvary Philadelphia, constantly quotes, “Money is an excellent servant but a cruel master.” Money can serve you for a little bit but you are always going to want more if you do not find your contentment in Jesus Christ.

Application: I want to see the value and aim to be more giving with my money to those around me including being generous with my belongings or time. Giving and finding my contentment in the Lord are the only ways I will be able to continually overcome this in my life.