

Through the Corridors with Joel Crichlow

Some Inspirational Thoughts

These inspirational thoughts were written at different times during my long career as a Christian academic. They represent some of the thoughts that I have shared at church gatherings, Bible study groups and more recently at a juvenile detention center for boys.

The themes are all based on the Bible. Since these thoughts are mine, the writings will be an expression of how I interpret the scripture texts that I have referenced. Some of the writings include a strong appeal to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Others emphasize the need to have a deeper walk with Christ and highlight the blessings and challenges that accompany that deeper walk. I do pray that you will find something among these writings that is helpful to you. The titles are:

God is Love, God is Just, God is Merciful

A Son of Abraham

The Good Shepherd

Who Am I?

Seek and Ye shall Find

God reaches out to us through Jesus

What Motivates Us?

My Help comes from the Lord

What is your Name?

"Come to Me"

Only Believe! In Jesus!

Under God's Authority

No Condemnation

The Man carrying the Jar of Water

Jesus and Peter

Double E

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

Fed to Feed

Harvest of our Righteousness

Who is the Greatest?

Jesus Waits for Us

Love your Neighbor as Yourself

"Our Father ... Your Will be Done"

Worship the Lord

I acknowledge and thank my wife Lois for reading and providing helpful comments on these writings.

A little about me:

I was born on March 8, 1948 in the island of Barbados. My first wife Valerie (deceased in 2008) and I have six children. I now live with my second wife Lois in Orlando, Florida. I endeavored to serve the Lord Jesus Christ from my preteen years, and, with His help, I have been active in Christian ministry in a number of fields.

Professionally, I have a BA (Math), MSc (Math and Computer Sc) and PhD (Math - Numerical Computing). I was active in research and teaching at a number of institutions including, the University of Guyana, University of the West Indies, University of California Berkeley, University of Kent at Canterbury, University College London and Rowan University NJ. I am now retired but still teach an online course in Discrete Math in the Computer Department at Valencia College, Orlando.

God is Love, God is Just, God is Merciful

In 1 John 4:8 (NIV), we read "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." The actions that we take arise from our character. An apple tree does not bear oranges. In the same way, God's actions are consistent with His character. Therefore, we can interpret whatever God does as a product of love. What an overwhelming masterpiece of love was God's gift to us of this universe!

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth", (Genesis 1:1). God made a marvelously, wonderful universe. God initiated a population of good creatures and marvelous human beings. The Psalmist states it this way: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:14). "The heavens declare the glory of God ..." (Psalm 19:1).

A key aspect of the wonder of God's creation is the system of laws that govern the behavior of the universe. For example, there is gravity - you throw an object into the air it eventually returns to the ground. Actions produce results, causes generate effects. Without these laws there would have been unimaginable unpredictability and confusion. Thankfully we can expect the system to be faithful to the laws that govern it. We can view the system as a display of justice. It can be relied upon to behave in a certain way. The astronaut can step out into space and remain in orbit with the spacecraft because the creation is trustworthy, it is just. Indeed, the creator is just - "the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice." (Psalm 50:6).

God set up a habitat for man (Adam, the father of the human race) in which man would be the beneficiary of a love relationship with God. "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.'" (Genesis 2:15-17). Notice the privilege to choose that God gave to man.

A love relationship is not possible without the element of choice. After God established Adam in a comfortable environment, the Garden of Eden, He then gave him the opportunity to express his love for God. How should man express his love for God? By choosing to obey God! But unfortunately, he chose to disobey.

Within a system of justice obedience cannot produce the same result as disobedience. There will be no distinction between obedience and disobedience if the results were the same, and hence no desire on man's part to attain to one or the other. Justly, man's disobedience set up a chain of results that affected not only man negatively but the whole creation. Which creation the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 8: 22 as groaning.

But God is love, therefore, not only did He set man initially in a loving environment, but He followed this up with a number of rules which when obeyed was the way back to good fellowship with a loving God, and the vehicle for living harmoniously and lovingly with our neighbors. These rules are given as the ten commandments in Exodus 20: 3-17:

You shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; ...

You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ...

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

You shall not covet ...

We therefore, belong to a community of people who have the privilege to live within a realm of love for God and for each other. But there is the necessary factor of choice (of free will). When we examine those commandments, and examine ourselves we realize that we have failed to keep the commandments. On very many occasions we have chosen to disobey. This is called sin and indeed "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God", (Romans 3: 23).

How does a God who is love deal with a community of sinners? Think of yourself as the parent of two children – Alpha and Beta. You love them both equally. Alpha is obedient and respectful, Beta is disobedient and rebellious. You love them both, but you would like Beta to be obedient like Alpha, therefore you employ some means whereby Beta would understand that you are not pleased with his/her behavior. Therefore, your love for Alpha and Beta coopts justice. Alpha and Beta must appreciate that actions have consequences, and the consequences of obedience differ from those of disobedience.

Clearly disobeying Father God (sinning against God) fractures the relationship with God, breaks the fellowship with God, separates the sinner from God. This separation from God is called death; "the wages of sin is death ...", (Romans 6:23). Justice is at work here. We reap what we sow. God who is love would be inconsistent in His attributes if He were not just. But "the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice." (Psalm 50:6).

In addition, "The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;" (Daniel 9:9). But how can God be merciful and forgiving towards us when we are under the sentence of death (separation from Him) – the due wages of our sin? His justice demands that we collect those wages. A solution would be if someone (a substitute) who does not deserve that death accepts it in our place. That substitute would have to be sinless in order to qualify. But all have sinned. There is no sinless man.

God who is love provides the solution: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Who is this Son? He is called the Word in John 1:1-14, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made ... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us".

That Word, Son of God, Jesus Christ suffered that separation in our place. His crucifixion is reported in all four gospels (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19). While dying he uttered: "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"), Matthew 27:46; and "It is finished", John 19:30.

God's love, God's justice and God's mercy came together at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ so that our fellowship with God can be restored forever. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

The physical suffering and death that Jesus experienced allow us to associate rather inadequately the pain of our separation from God with what is arguably man's greatest fear - a painful death. When Jesus cried "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" which He followed with the triumphant declaration: "It is finished", He demonstrated to us that he had suffered that penalty of separation from God for us. We need no longer be separated from God. Thanks be to God!

Then His resurrection from the dead:

"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!'" (Luke 24:1-6).

The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate indication that the curse of separation has been broken, the sting of physical death has been removed. Job had asked the question "If someone dies, will they live again?" (Job 14:14). Yes, there is life after death and that life can be lived in eternal fellowship with God. Spiritual death and physical death no longer have dominion over us. Thank God who through His love, His justice and His mercy has granted us this glorious privilege!

A Son of Abraham

Classification and identification are common functions in everyday living. Classification places us into different groups or categories. We are classified by our place of birth, our race, our color, our possessions, our education, our skills, where we live, and so on. Identification is necessary to place us uniquely, i.e. to separate us from the pack or to locate us in the pack. Often a unique number like a social security number or a title like 'chief' does this for us.

The ways in which we are classified can most times be very critical to our being. We can be classified into a position of privilege. We are considered acceptable and we can receive certain favors. That is, based on certain assessments we might have gone to the 'right' school, be living in the 'right' neighborhood, have the 'right' look, have the 'right' mix of material possessions, etc.

On the other hand we can be classified into a position of rejection – unacceptable look, unacceptable schooling, and so on. It is not uncommon to find ourselves at one time in an acceptable class and at another time in a rejected class depending on the context. In a rejected class there are no special privileges or favors.

An interesting example of classification is seen in the Bible in Luke chapter nineteen. There we meet Zacchaeus, who is classified as a rich, chief tax collector. Rich and being chief are pretty straightforward. A tax collector, could be somewhat of a problem.

Parts of the text (Luke 19: 1-10, New International Version - NIV) read as follows:

"1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner."

8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

Zacchaeus had a problem: he wanted to see Jesus. But Zacchaeus was a short man and there was a crowd of people hindering his view.

*******

When there is a problem we try to find a way to solve it. We look for some resource that can be used to solve the problem. Can we use something that we have? Can we use something that we know? Can we use someone that we know?

Sometimes we can use our looks: our beauty, our height, and so on. But in the case of Zacchaeus, looks came up a little too short to work for him. Some problems cannot be solved by physique. Specifically, getting to see Jesus (to know Jesus) is not determined by a classification based on our looks. Indeed, Acts 10: 34-35 (NIV) says:

"34...God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."

*******

Sometimes we can use our money. Zacchaeus was rich. However, the size of the crowd and the little time available did not permit a financial transaction. The moment for his seeing Jesus could have passed before his being able to close a financial deal with the crowd. There are some problems that money cannot solve. Getting to know Jesus is not determined by a classification based on our money. Indeed many times our money can constitute a hindrance.

A certain ruler asked Jesus, Luke 18: 18-25 (NIV): "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

19 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"

21 "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy.24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

*******

What about our position or office? Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector. How could he use this position to solve his problem? In relation to the crowd, tax collector was by no means a privileged classification. The Jews were at the time being ruled by the Romans. The Romans were their oppressors. The Jewish tax collectors worked for the Roman oppressors. These tax collectors could use their position to extort burdensome taxes from their fellow Jews. Look at the following scriptures ...

Matthew 9: 10-11 (NIV), "10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, 'Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?'"

In Matthew 18: 15-17 (NIV) Jesus says, 15 "If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector."

Luke 18: 11 (NIV), 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.'

Could you imagine Zacchaeus saying, "Make way for me! I am the chief tax collector!" This would most probably have had an undesirable outcome. His position would not work here for him. There are some problems that worldly status cannot solve. We cannot get to know Jesus by relying on a classification based on our position.

*******

Zacchaeus was forced to use his basic instincts and skills. Zacchaeus had to put on the attitude of a child. In Luke 18: 17 (NIV) Jesus says,

"Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."

Zacchaeus chose simple, elemental steps. He (walked) ran and climbed a tree. He did child-like things, driven by a faith that Jesus would be there in clear view, and by a hunger to get to see him.

Before we start (walking) running we have to settle the issue of direction. Which way? Jesus said, "I am the way ..." John 14: 6. When Zacchaeus set his direction towards Jesus he had set himself on the course to true fulfillment.

Seeing Jesus, knowing Jesus requires setting on course to the Bible, to prayer, to Christ's church, to fellowship with the believers. We have to rise from slumber, complacency, conceit, doubt and defeat and walk, run to Jesus. Paul cried in Phil 3: 10. "That I may know him ..."

However, to get that special communion with Jesus it oftentimes requires that we go beyond the crowd; that we set ourselves apart from the rest; that we stand out on a limb; that we climb a tree. Zacchaeus moved on and up above the rest. He climbed a tree. He opened himself to rebuke, ridicule, insult. He was a prime target to be shot down. But he longed to see Jesus, and his longing was satisfied. They that hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled (see Matthew 5: 6).

When Jesus reached the spot he looked up at Zacchaeus and said "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today".

The crowd also saw Zacchaeus. They saw Zacchaeus a chief tax collector, a thief, a sinner. Jesus saw Zacchaeus – "a son of Abraham". The crowd had classified Zacchaeus as an outcast, without privilege and not deserving of the favor of God. But it was exceedingly more important how Jesus saw him.

*******

In Genesis 12: 1-3 (NIV), God told Abraham (his name was at that time Abram) "... I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you ... ". But this blessing was conditional. He had to take a step of faith. God told him (Gen 12: 1, NIV) "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you".

Abraham stepped out in faith. In Hebrews 11: 8-10 we see that "By faith Abraham, when he was called ...obeyed ..."

Indeed Abraham's faith in God reaped the fruit of God's blessings. He became the father of a great nation. Zacchaeus was a physical descendant of Abraham. However, if Zacchaeus had remained at home we may never have heard anything about him.

In Gal 3: 6-9, we are asked to consider Abraham. "... those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith". Zacchaeus demonstrated faith in Abraham's God. He demonstrated enough faith to take time off to get to see Jesus. He was therefore in line for the blessing of God.

Zacchaeus's faith caused him to move in the direction of Jesus. He walked away from his old, depressing situation. He ran to see Jesus. He climbed in faith, not being ashamed to stand alone on a limb, only to find that Jesus was even more eager to see him, indeed to hang out with him – "a son of Abraham".

*******

The blessing of salvation, the blessing of communion with Jesus and many other blessings continue to flow to sons of Abraham. Every one of us qualifies only as we become children of faith. A faith that says "Jesus I know that you are there for me and I am reaching out towards you".

To this Jesus will respond. Not to our looks, not to our possessions, not to our position, not to our associations, not to how others classify us, but to our identification as children of Abraham – children of faith.

The blessings follow simple steps of faith. Steps that take us to the Bible, to prayer, to meditation, to church, to fasting. Many times we will find others to take these steps with us. But often they are steps that we have to take all by ourselves.

Zacchaeus did not do anything fancy or complicated. He did simple, child-like things. Things that showed his hunger to see Jesus. If we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we'll take the necessary steps of faith, and we shall find Jesus ready and willing to fill us.

The Good Shepherd

From our life experiences we have learnt that there are people who help us and always desire that we be successful, safe, content, victorious, and that we enjoy every good thing. Some examples of these people are our parents, teachers, pastors, coaches, friends and so on. On the other hand, there are people who have hurt us in some way and indeed wish nothing good to happen to us. They deceive us, cheat us, lie about us, steal from us, set traps to make us fail, and so on.

Therefore, in navigating through this life, it is wise to be able to distinguish between those who seek our good and those who seek our destruction. We need those who have our best interest at heart. We need good parents, teachers, coaches and other positive influences. We cannot succeed in life without some good guidance and instruction. In fact we can be compared to sheep.

Many of us have little or no interaction with sheep, except when they are dead and appear as mutton on our plates. But shepherding sheep was a significant part of the culture while Jesus was on earth, and many around the world still depend on sheep for their livelihood. Sheep are vulnerable without a good leader, a good shepherd. Therefore it was quite fitting for Jesus to present a lesson on leading and following by referring to shepherd and sheep.

In John 10 Jesus teaches: (all scripture references are from the New International Version - NIV)

"Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. (John 10: 1-6)

The sheep are dependent on the shepherd. The sheep have learned to associate their shepherd with the opening and the closing of the gate. If someone enters the sheep pen by some other way then that one is an intruder, who must be avoided. The sheep know the voice of the shepherd. His is the voice to follow. From any other voice there must be a retreat.

In a similar way we need to learn the markers that differentiate between whom we should follow and whom we should shun. Furthermore, continual association with the right leader breeds easy recognition and confidence.

Among those listening to Jesus were the Pharisees, a significant group of religious leaders and teachers of the day. They did not understand the message. Certainly, they understood all about sheep, the need for the shepherd, the need to ensure the safety of the vulnerable sheep. But what is the real message? Jesus was not trying to confuse them. In fact, He was, arguably, just drawing them out, stirring up their interest, getting them anxious to get to the real meaning of the message. In the same way He wants us to understand His message.

In John 10: 7-11, Jesus gets to the point of all the sheep talk.

Therefore Jesus said again, "Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

Jesus uses the sheep talk as a launchpad to address directly His relevance to us. We need "shepherds" to lead us. We live in a world of both natural forces and spiritual forces. The Apostle Paul summed it up this way: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6: 12). The spiritual forces are at work against us, to keep us separated from God, to restrict us to lives of anxiety, misery, fear and hopelessness.

Therefore, we need a shepherd who can provide positive, effective and victorious leadership in every situation and against every challenge. The good news is: the best shepherd is available to us. He is Jesus, the Good Shepherd. He has laid down His life on the cross for us, to prevent us from receiving the wages of our sins. He offers us life to the full. Life that has true meaning. Life that enjoys true peace, rest in our soul and spirit.

The Good Shepherd loves us. "... While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5: 8)

Death could not hold the Good Shepherd, the Son of God. He rose triumphantly from the grave.

In Matthew 28: 1-6 we read: After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."

Jesus the Good Shepherd calls in Matthew 11:28: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." The Good Shepherd is willing, ready and able to lead us. How do we become His sheep? We believe everything He claims to be and commit ourselves to follow Him as He leads us.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16). Jesus, Our Good Shepherd, gives us life to the full, now and forever.

Who Am I?

Identity is an integral part of our life. In many situations it is the most important issue. Often, this identity is determined by something unique that we inherited (e.g., DNA, fingerprint, etc.) or some unique label that has been given to us (e.g., social security number, passport number, etc.).

It is often stated that, "we are what we eat". We are encouraged to eat well in order to look well and feel well, so that we can, not only experience a full life, but make the best impact wherever we find ourselves. Some make the same claim for "physical exercise" or some other program.

How about, "we are what we think"? In the Holy Bible, speaking of man it says:

"For as he thinks in his heart so is he" Proverbs 23: 7 (New King James Version – NKJV).

If we agree that we are what we think then we should be very careful about our thoughts. Maybe, as the Bible admonishes, we should think about:

"whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, ...pure, ... lovely ... admirable, ... excellent or praiseworthy", Philippians 4: 8 (NIV).

Indeed we are encouraged here to have thoughts that we would not be ashamed of if they were suddenly exposed to a spouse, a child, a parent, a sibling, a colleague, a boss, etc. Of course our thoughts are always exposed to God.

Would you like to be in the company of someone who thinks mainly about what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy? That should be an enriching experience. If our thoughts were mainly on those things, then interaction with us would be a lovely experience, and indeed our impact on our world would be pleasant and positive.

Furthermore, we

Reap what we sow, Galatians 6: 7.

We can sow of only what we have; what we have derives from what we are (an apple tree bears apples because it is an apple tree); and who we are is determined by what we think. Therefore it can be said that we reap what we think. Indeed our thoughts impact our lifestyle and our livelihood.

But how can we think on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy? We must admit that this way of thinking does not come to us naturally. If we do try to think this way, it is only for very brief moments and not without a very great effort. We need help!

Many have found that the following Christian principles work.

Our minds need a transformation. We need a spiritual rebirth.

This rebirth begins by confessing our sins and accepting the forgiveness of Christ; and receiving His cleansing from all unrighteousness (1 John 1: 9). We are now new creatures:

"If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone; the new is here", 11 Corinthians 5: 17 (NIV).

With the power of the Holy Spirit we are now equipped to think like Christ (John 1: 12; 1 Corinthians 2: 16). That is, we now have the spiritual foundation necessary for thoughts on things true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.

What should we do next?

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow," 1 Peter 2: 2 (KJV).

That is, read the Bible regularly and studiously; and

"Pray without ceasing," 1 Thessalonians 5: 17 (KJV).

Develop an enduring and enjoyable prayer-life.

Seek out the company of others who will help you along this noble journey, because

"Bad company corrupts good character", 1 Corinthians 15: 33 (NIV).

Then, we will be well on our way in becoming a person that has a positive, uplifting impact on society; a person with whom God will be pleased.

"Seek and ye shall find"

It has been claimed that St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.) was a very influential Christian theologian (Gascoigne 1977) and a great Christian philosopher (Meagher 1978). He authored more than thirty books and communicated much of his thoughts through long letters. His writings have influenced many spheres of Western thought in the centuries following his death. One of his major books, "The City of God", is still inspired reading for many Christian scholars.

When St. Augustine was a priest, his congregation saw him as the man who knew, always sharp and questioning and never failing to express himself on the deep Biblical issues.

The early church had seen repeated waves of intense persecution during the first, second and third centuries. This persecution served to filter the sincere core of genuine believers out of the crowd that bore the Christian label. However by the time of Augustine the church had more or less settled down as an integral part of Roman society. Augustine was to champion the cause of the established church against other religious groups all claiming to be the true Christian church.

Augustine was born in the year 354 A.D in a north African town located in present-day Algeria. He was of a poor family but, among other things, the prayers of his mother and the sacrifices of his father set in motion a chain of events that culminated in the significant achievements of St. Augustine.

Patricius, Augustine's father dedicated himself to the task of ensuring that Augustine got a classical education, which he considered vital for the success of his son. Augustine did not fail his father in this regard and by age thirty-one he was a professor of rhetoric in the Italian town of Milan.

Yet there remained two setbacks: first of all being African, Augustine was still in some ways treated as an alien by established Roman society of the fourth century; and secondly he never learned Greek and was thus robbed of some of the joys of delving into the untranslated Greek writings. More significantly however, Augustine's education taught him how to express himself very convincingly and this he did on numerous important occasions.

"Seek, and ye shall find", a scriptural message (Matthew 7: 7, KJV) that aptly sums up Augustine's search for truth, is one of the very few scriptural quotations that he used in his first works. He wished that his number one desire in life would always be the discovery of truth, and he claimed that it was his mother's prayers that gave birth to such a noble desire in his life.

This pursuit of truth took Augustine, while still a youth, into the realm of philosophy. The acquisition of truth meant the acquiring of answers to many key questions pertaining to life. Augustine longed for these answers. He searched for the answer to the question "what is the cause of evil?", and felt that Manichaeism had that answer.

Manichaeism is the religion that was founded by Mani, who was born in an aristocratic southern Babylonian family in the year 216. Mani called himself "apostle of Jesus Christ" and prescribed a code of practice which required an ascetic lifestyle in order to liberate oneself from darkness or evil. This religion gained many followers throughout the Roman Empire.

Augustine continued to question and search for the truth and at one time his hero was "doubting" Thomas (see John 20: 24-29). Such was the extent of his yearning for the divine secrets.

This yearning, this questioning, this seeking after the truth soon brought disillusion, and when he arrived in Milan at age thirty-one as professor of rhetoric, the answers which he thought he had acquired had been proven inadequate. But alas he did not stop the searching and the questioning. He was determined to have his deep longings satisfied.

So often in our strivings the most frustrating moments are experienced just before the point of victory. We are tempted to give up. If we do give up we will never enjoy that triumph. We must persist in applying the Biblical admonition, "Seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you", Matthew 7: 7, KJV. Augustine was quite aware of this. He felt that if he hesitated to knock then the truths would not be opened to him.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7: 7-8, NIV)

The search was rewarded. When thirty-two years old Augustine became a serious Christian, and retired from his academic career to pursue a life as a monk dedicated afresh to the discovery of the truth. In the year 387, at age thirty-three, he was baptized a Catholic, and four years later he was ordained to the priesthood. The critical, seeking academic was now submitting to "The Truth", i.e., to Jesus (who said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me", John 14: 6, NIV). In the year 395 he was made Bishop of Hippo, a north African town.

Augustine was to spend the remaining years of his life using his critical mind in the defense of the church against whatever he perceived as departing from the truth. Augustine viewed the church as a place for sinners saved by grace (the unmerited favor of God). "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast" Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV). He stressed the "Case for Grace" in a literary work of the same name which some regard as the high-water mark of his writing.

Augustine's consuming passion was the search for and the communication of the truth. Whatever he considered critical to this pursuit of truth had to be questioned whenever necessary. So great was his regard for this facility to get at the root of things that in writing about gardening he said, "It is as though you could question the vital force in each root and bud on what it can do, and what it cannot, and why" (Peter Brown 1967).

Indeed Augustine realized that, in his own words, "it is yearning that makes the heart deep". (Peter Brown 1967).

"Seek, and ye shall find".

References

Brown, Peter, 1967. Augustine of Hippo, Faber & Faber, London.

Gascoigne, B., 1977. The Christians, William Morrow & Co. Inc., N.Y.

Meagher, R.E., 1978. An Introduction to Augustine, N.Y. University Press.

God reaches out to us through Jesus

The first fourteen verses of the Gospel of John paint a beautiful picture of how our creator and father, God, reaches out to us. Let us meditate together on theses verses as they are recorded in the New International Version (NIV).

In John 1:1-3 we read: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."

Many are still battling with the issue of the origin of the universe and of life. But even as there are debates and disagreements on how all things began, what should be very easy to agree on is that there was a beginning. Many of us find it overwhelmingly reasonable to believe that God was in that beginning. Here in this text the Apostle John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, places the Word in the beginning with God.

Who is this Word? The answer to this question is provided in verse 14. That Word is Jesus the Son of God. There is significance in referring to Jesus as the Word. From our perspective someone's word to us is a key form of making that person known to us. Indeed, God made wonderful aspects of Himself known to us through Jesus.

Jesus is the expression of God to us. He was from the beginning. He was active in creation. Since Jesus was in the beginning, then it is wise for us to begin every aspect of our lives with Jesus. We should start every day with Him, seek His wisdom in every key decision. Indeed, in all our ways submit to Him and He will make our paths straight (see Proverbs 3: 6).

In John 1: 4-5 we read: "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."

We live in a world of darkness. There is no lack of deceit, lies, dishonesty, cheating, theft, murder, all manner of wickedness. No human effort has been able to conquer that darkness. There are so many times when we face problematic, difficult, fearful and other perplexing situations. These situations are like facing the darkness. We need Jesus who offers us life. A life with His light that overcomes all darkness. But we can refuse to accept Him. It is our choice.

In John 1: 6-8 we read: "There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light."

In these verses we see a John mentioned. It was fitting that the entry of Jesus into our world should be announced, heralded. This was the role of this John. His ministry also included baptizing those who were making a commitment to turn from their sin and live a life of righteousness. This aspect of John's ministry was captured in the way in which we refer to John. He is known to us as John the Baptist. Indeed, Jesus allowed John the Baptist to baptize Him to, among other things, set an example for us to follow.

God sets things in motion so that people can hear, receive and believe in Jesus, the "true light". God gave John the Baptist the mission to announce that Jesus was coming. God causes and allows events, identifies and calls people to tell others about Jesus. In many ways and through many people (witnesses) we have testimonies of that "true light". Your reading this article at this time is another way in which God is pointing you to Jesus the "true light".

In John 1: 9-11 we read: "The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

God our creator could force everyone to recognize and receive His Son, Jesus. But God gave us a will of our own. We have free will. The choice is ours. God desires a genuine relationship with us. No genuine relationship with God or with anyone else can be formed if we do not have free will. The choice to love makes love real. The choice to believe makes belief real. The choice not to believe makes unbelief real. The choice to obey makes obedience real. The choice to disobey makes disobedience real.

In John 1: 12-13 we read: "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."

Jesus has come to all. It does not matter who we are. It does not matter what we have done. There is overwhelming benefit in receiving Jesus. There is abundant privilege in believing in Jesus. We are elevated into a special relationship with God. We can now enjoy all the rights and privileges due to the son of Almighty God – our creator, our sustainer, our provider, our light. We are now "heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ" (see Romans 8: 17).

In John 1: 14 we read: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

God desires a relationship with us. The Word - Son of God - becoming flesh and dwelling among us demonstrates this. God does not force Himself on us. But He is close to us, just a prayer away. When we accept Jesus into our lives we are granted the right of brotherhood with Jesus the only begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth. Through His "grace" He gives us unmerited favor. The greatest favor being His suffering the penalty on the cross for our sins and granting us forgiveness. He is not ready to condemn ("... there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus", Romans 8: 1), but ready and willing to forgive and set us free from the power and guilt of sin ("So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed", John 8: 36).

Through His "truth" He provides the answers to the key questions of life. We just have to ask Him ("Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you", Matthew 7: 7). When we do not know what to do, when we need to make a wise choice or decision we just have to ask Him ("If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all ...", James 1: 5). There is no better way under the sun in which to live.

What Motivates Us?

Being active is an integral and important part of life. Some of the things that we do are enjoyable others are not. Some things we feel are mandatory others are optional. Some things are easy to do others are difficult. Then there are those tasks that seem to require every drop of endurance, every ounce of ability and a super level of commitment. How frequently have we heard "When the going gets tough the tough get going."

But why do we do the things we do? People, circumstances, ideas, values, feelings and numerous other influences push us along. These influences often shape what we begin and determine what we achieve. Therefore, looking at what motivates us could be a worthwhile endeavor.

It is within this context that I find the Biblical text 1Thess 1: 3 (NIV) very instructive. In it the Apostle Paul tells the Thessalonians that he always remembers

" ... your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ".

Three principal motivators are identified: Faith, Love and Hope. Of particular interest to me is the apparent progression in Paul's statement. This leads me to dwell for a while on the thought that: work is produced by our fundamental belief system, our extra service is best prompted by love, and when all seems lost genuine hope takes us along.

Work produced by Faith

What we do, how we conduct ourselves and our affairs are set within the background of what we believe. Over the recent past there has been repeated evidence of how faith (a belief system) can produce very striking effects. Some inspired by their faith inflict pain; others inspired by their faith provide relief for the suffering. It is therefore necessary that we carefully and constantly examine what we believe.

From the Christian perspective, after man was created he was commissioned to work:

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it", Genesis 2: 15 (NIV).

Should we see work therefore as a divine duty? We need to keep in mind that God is deeply interested in what we are doing. We should ask God to put us in a "garden" to work it and take care of it, and with His help we make it beautiful.

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him", Colossians 3: 17 (NIV).

As our faith is tapped, stirred we produce more work: Work that is positive and noble. This association is made clearly by James:

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? ... faith ... if it is not accompanied by action is dead. ... I will show you my faith by my deeds." James 2: 14-18 (NIV).

Do we believe "do to others as you would have them do to you", Luke 6: 31 (NIV)? Do we believe "love your neighbor as yourself", Mark 12: 31 (NIV)? If we have faith we will have deeds that match that faith.

Much of our faith-produced work should involve prayer:

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but ... against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6: 12 (NIV).

And for this, thank God for the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1: 8).

Labor prompted by Love

Sometimes the tasks are more challenging and the assignments so much more demanding. The work involved can better be described as labor, and we then need to dig deeper for the motivation. Natural disasters in populated areas present occasions for labor and toil. There is demand for long hours of search, rescue and restoration operations under some of the most severe, treacherous and heart-wrenching conditions.

Such times of labor and toil demand that faith be wrapped in love. Love for God, love for our family and relatives, love for our neighbors, love for our colleagues and peers, love for ourselves, indeed love for all.

It is a love that prompts us to go beyond the call of duty. A love that births great acts of courage, of mercy and of sacrifice. In 2 Corinthians 11: 23-29 (NIV), the Apostle Paul outlines how love-enriched faith prompted him to labor and toil even while being battered and persecuted (flogged, stoned, shipwrecked)

"... I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled ... Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?"

When work turns to labor and toil we should be prompted by love.

Endurance inspired by Hope

Sometimes everything seems so overwhelming. In those times faith tells us we should continue, love tells us we should give it all we have. But it seems meaningless, fruitless. In those times there has to be hope. Hope that there'll be victory, that there'll be relief, that there'll be a dawn after the darkness.

For the Christian there is hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. We have a leader who is in control, who knows what he is doing, and who has our best interest at heart.

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain", 1 Corinthians 15: 57-58 (NIV).

This is our hope. Many through the ages have persevered, endured and triumphed because of this hope. A hope built on faith in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ; a hope enriched by God's love and expressed through that same love, which we now have for God and our fellow man.

What motivates us? What Faith is it? Is there Love? Is it Hope in our Lord Jesus Christ?

My help comes from the Lord

We all need help. Sometimes we are in greater need than at other times. There are even the occasions when we really are in dire straits. However the first condition that has to be met for us to receive that help is the admission that we do indeed need help.

God is our creator. He will help us.

Genesis 1:27 (NIV): So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

The Psalmist expresses how wonderfully we are made by God. God will help us.

Psalm 139:14 (NIV): I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

God knows the number of hairs on our head. He will help us.

Matthew 10:30 (NIV): And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. See also Luke 12: 7.

God sustains us. He will help us.

Acts 17:24-25 (NIV): The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

Indeed God is the ultimate source of our help. He loves us and He is always willing, ready and able to help us.

John 3:16 (NIV): For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus came to earth as the expression of God's love for us. Before He died on the cross to suffer the penalty for our sins, He expressed in His actions His clear mission to help the needy. One example of this is recorded in the gospel of John chapter 5.

John 5:1-3 (NIV): Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.

Jesus found His way to a group of real needy people. I am sure that there were several other places that He could have gone to "hang out". But He was on a mission to help.

John 5: 5-6 (NIV): One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

Jesus focused on a very needy individual around that pool. But, of course, He would be of no help to that man if that man did not acknowledge his need. So Jesus asked him, "Do you want to get well?"

John 5: 7 (NIV): "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."

Indeed the man wanted to get well. He needed help, but help was not forthcoming from that company that he was in. We may be in real need. We are quite aware and have acknowledged that we need help. But the help we need cannot come from the group that we are in. Since each one in the group is also in need and is probably just looking out for himself or herself.

John 5: 8-9 (NIV): Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

Jesus with divine authority spoke a word to the invalid. The invalid did not know who Jesus was. But he obviously sensed the authority with which Jesus spoke. He was so overwhelmed by a desire to be well, and so moved by the obvious concern, compassion and power demonstrated by Jesus, that the invalid acted in faith: "he picked up his mat and walked".

But everyone was not happy with the result.

John 5: 9-13 (NIV): The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, "It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat."

But he replied, "The man who made me well said to me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.' "

So they asked him, "Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?"

The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

The invalid had obtained the help for which he had waited so long. This was certainly an occasion for rejoicing. But there came another challenge. What should be the response in the face of a challenge to our deliverance? Retreat or press on? Jesus provided the answer.

John 5: 14 (NIV): Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you."

We are to press on, we are to walk in that victory. Will God continue to help us? The Psalmist answers that for us:

Psalm 121: 2 (NIV): My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

But remember God will not be helping us to sin. God will not be helping us to do what is against His will. God will help us begin a good relationship with Him. God will be there to help us grow in our knowledge of Him, to have sweet fellowship with Him, and among other things to be a blessing to others. Indeed He will help us to be channels through which He can pass on His help to others.

What is your Name?

Our name is so much a part of us that we seldom pause to give any thought to it. Except of course if our name is somewhat difficult for others to pronounce. Then we cringe whenever we have to tell another stranger our name. We may shorten it or alter it in some other way, or even replace it by something "simple" and "ordinary". In some societies it seems as if any first name longer than one syllable has a one-syllable counterpart. For example, Patrick is Pat, Robert is Rob or Bob, Elizabeth is Beth, Susan is Sue or Su and so on.

Unless we have changed our name, the name that we carry has been given to us by someone. We had no choice in the matter. In almost all cases the name we have was given to us by a parent or parents. But whoever did give us our name gave some thought to that name and figured that "this is a good name for my child".

My name is "Joel". I do not recall asking my parents why they gave me that name. However, I think I have figured it out all by myself. My parents were Christian and Joel is a Bible name. The Prophet Joel, who wrote the book Joel in the Old Testament, is the most well-known Biblical person to carry that name. My parents not only liked the name but most certainly wished that I would follow Christ and let Him guide me along the "narrow way". Similarly, whoever gave you your name felt that that name was consistent with the good thoughts and wishes that they had and probably still have for you.

We begin our lives stamped with a name we did not choose. In spite of the thoughts and wishes that drove our parent to give us that name, it is now up to us to establish a "name" for ourselves. That is, what do people think about us when they hear our name? What pictures do we paint in the minds of those who hear our name? Is it "good person", "honest fellow", "kind and compassionate individual", "respectable citizen"? Or is it "thief", "scamp", "worthless fellow", "an embarrassment to the community"?

That brings us to a guy in the Bible by the name of Zacchaeus (see Luke 19, all scripture references are from the New International Version, NIV). Zacchaeus was a Jew. Hence his parents would evidently choose a respectable Hebrew name for their son. A name that would reflect some good quality or qualities that the parents desired their son to cultivate and manifest. So what does Zacchaeus mean? It is reported to mean "clean, pure". How noble! "I would like my son to be thought of as clean, pure, a man of integrity" was probably in the minds of his parents.

Now Zacchaeus, by his life, had to make a "name" for himself. How did this turn out? Zacchaeus lived in the time when Jesus walked on earth. Zacchaeus resided in the Israeli town of Jericho and he had an encounter with Jesus when Jesus was visiting Jericho. Luke 19:1-10 records that encounter:

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.

A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.

He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. (Luke 19: 1-4)

We are introduced to Zacchaeus as "a chief tax collector and wealthy". Well "wealthy" sounds good, it indicates success in certain pursuits. But "tax collector" was not a good "name" among the Jews at that time. The tax collector was working for the Roman conquerors and oppressors. Furthermore, the tax collector could extract more tax than the Romans required and keep all the excess for himself. Therefore in the eyes of the Jews Zacchaeus could be classified as a swindling traitor. "Tax collector and wealthy" constituted a really bad "name".

But there was a positive spark in Zacchaeus. He had heard about Jesus and he recognized that there was something extra special about Jesus. Therefore when he heard that Jesus was in town he determined that he had to see him. In spite of what the crowd may think or say about him, he identified a vantage point in a tree up ahead, and quickly ran on and perched himself in the tree.

Luke 19: 5-7 records: When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."

So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner."

Interestingly, Jesus knew his name! That should not surprise us. Jesus, the Son of God, a member of the triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) knows all about us. "And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered". (Matthew 10: 30). Zacchaeus was not "clean and pure". Jesus knew that. The people knew that too. Jesus' going to stay at Zacchaeus's house was disturbing to them. We are not given any detail about Jesus' visit to Zacchaeus's house. But the outcome is recorded.

Luke 19: 8 says: But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."

Zacchaeus underwent a transformation. From despised, wealthy tax collector to benevolent, law-abiding citizen of integrity. Ready to make amends for all his misdeeds. In the same way whatever our current "name" may be, however despicable our reputation, Jesus is willing and ready to be our guest. Then if we let Him be our guest, the impact on us will be positively astounding.

At the end of His visit with Zacchaeus, Jesus made some closing remarks:

Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19: 9-10.

Jesus associated Zacchaeus with another name – "a son of Abraham". The name Abraham was given by God to a man called Abram. God called Abram out of a heathen culture. God told him:

"I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12: 2-3)

Abram answered God's call, he obeyed and trusted God. "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness", Genesis 15: 6. God changed Abram's name, which means "exalted father", to Abraham, which means "father of many" (see Genesis 17: 5). The Jews were natural descendants of Abraham hence Zacchaeus was a son (descendant) of Abraham. But he was a lost son (a sinner) needing salvation.

Jesus sought him and saved him; "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost". Therefore, Zacchaeus was now saved, he was brought into a right relationship with God. He could now carry the name "righteous". His faith in God made this possible. Just as Abraham's faith in God made him righteous. Therefore, Zacchaeus was now a spiritual son of Abraham because he had demonstrated faith in God. But what about us?

The Apostle Paul answers that question in Galatians 3:6-7:

So also Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham.

Whatever our name is, whatever our name means, whatever others think of us when our name is mentioned, Jesus is seeking us out, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost". When we respond in faith we can be called "saved", "righteous", "children of Abraham" and "children of God". "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God", (Romans 8: 14). It does not mean that we will always do the right thing. Our attitude towards God and others will undergo a continual transformation as we are led by God's Holy Spirit.

"Come to Me"

The word "come" can be viewed as a command or an invitation. Any operative meaning that can be associated with the word "come" depends on who speaks the word and the context in which that word is spoken.

If we are under some authority it is usual to receive the command "come" from the one in authority over us. If we are guilty of something then hearing that command "come" may drive some fear into our heart. On the other hand we may have always longed to be part of a team, to spend some time with someone we consider special, to be offered a job, to receive a gift or a helping hand. Then we hear that "come". It is an invitation that stirs our heart with joy.

"Come to me" demands a reaction. Once we hear it directed at us, we have to process it and respond. Whether it is a command or an invitation there are really only two ways in which to respond. If it is a command we either obey or disobey. If it is an invitation we either accept or refuse.

Processing that "come" involves a few considerations. Who said "come"? "Come" for what? What are the consequences of obeying or accepting? What are the consequences of disobeying or refusing? Are we willing to enjoy or suffer those consequences? How much time do we have to make a decision?

In Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) Jesus says "Come to me":

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

God (Father, Son Jesus, Holy Spirit) is our ultimate authority. Therefore He has the right to command us at His pleasing. However, in this scripture it does not sound like "come" the command. It sounds rather like "come" the invitation. Jesus invites the weary and burdened to receive the gift of His yoke, which will lead to our finding rest for our souls.

The description "weary and burdened" relates to our soul, not the physical body. The "soul" here is a reference to our mind – the seat of our thoughts and emotions. Should we accept this "come to me" invitation?

First of all, we cannot get an invitation from any higher authority than our creator, Jesus Christ. Therefore, it would be foolish of us not to give it serious consideration. Secondly, why the use of the word "yoke"? In farming cultures heavy ploughs are drawn by a pair of strong animals (usually oxen) in order to accomplish the laborious task of ploughing the fields. What controls the pair of oxen is a cross-beam across their necks attached in such a way as to keep the pair of oxen linked together. That contraption that links the oxen by way of their necks is called a yoke. It is an instrument of control.

The implication in Jesus' invitation is that we are weary and burdened in our souls as a result of who or what is controlling us. If we are not voluntarily under the control of Jesus we are directly or indirectly under the control of our enemy, Satan. Satan leads us along a path of rebellion against God. A path that leaves us weary, burdened and eventually eternally separated from God.

On the other hand, if we place ourselves under the control of Jesus (i.e. we take His yoke upon us) he gives us the guarantee that in His gentle and humble way He will teach and guide us along the path of life that is accompanied by rest for our souls. This "rest" is expressed by the Apostle Paul as "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding", Philippians 4: 7 (NIV).

The positive consequence of accepting the "Come to me" invitation from Jesus cannot be surpassed. We would be foolish not to accept it. John the Baptist, whose ministry was to prepare the way for Jesus, emphasized the reason why we should not refuse Jesus' invitation. Speaking of Jesus, John the Baptist said: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1: 29 (NIV). Jesus bore the penalty of our sin so that whosoever believes in Him shall have forgiveness of sins, rest for our soul, peace with God, eternal life, (see John 3: 16).

However, "rest for our soul" does not mean freedom from every earthly challenge. There are several examples of dear followers of Jesus whose lives demonstrate that serious earthly challenges can attend the way of the believer in Jesus. We just quoted John the Baptist so we will use him as an example.

John's ministry earned him the wrath of Herod Antipas, the governing authority in Galilee, leading to John's imprisonment and subsequent beheading (see Matthew 14). In Matthew 11: 2-3 (NIV) it states:

When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?"

Did John begin to question the belief that he had so clearly confessed before? It looks like that. Our challenges may cause us to question. But tell it to Jesus. He is able to reassure us as He did for John.

Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor", Matthew 11:4-5 (NIV).

When we come to Jesus we can be confident that He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion (see Philippians 1: 6). Jesus is able; and He says "Whoever has ears, let them hear", Matthew 11:15 (NIV). Have we heard the "Come to me"? How will we respond?

Responding positively to the call of Jesus begins the journey of a fulfilling life. A life of rest in our souls and peace with God, and all along the way getting to know our creator in a most rewarding and enriching way as Jesus reveals the Father to us. Jesus has said in Matthew 11:27 (NIV):

"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him".

Jesus continues to say even at this present time: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11: 28-30 (NIV).

Only Believe! In Jesus!

Jesus had some special friends: Lazarus, Mary and Martha who lived in the village of Bethany about two miles from Jerusalem. And as is recorded the gospel of John chapter eleven, Jesus received an emergency call from the sisters: Mary and Martha. Let us follow the account of the events as they unfolded in that Judean community.

John 11 New International Version (NIV):

1 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."

Jesus responded to the call of Mary and Martha. We can be confident in the fact that Jesus loves us and he is ready and willing to respond to our call for help. But then we may not acknowledge that we need any help, hence we may not call. But thank God someone else who has seen that we need help may be calling Jesus on our behalf.

We may not be physically sick, or we may not be mentally sick. But even if we are not physically sick nor mentally sick, we may still be sick in the sight of our community. Therefore, we may be separated from our community. Possibly locked away in a prison somewhere.

Furthermore, in the sight of God we have gone past the stage of being sick: We are dead as a result of our sins ("As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins" Ephesians 2: 1, NIV). We are therefore unable to have fellowship with God. We have been separated from God. We are in dire need.

Jesus had a plan of action with respect to Lazarus. He was not taken off guard, He was not confused. He understood the situation quite well. His plan was backed by all wisdom, all power, all love. And He has similar plans for us. But questions are often raised. The disciples expressed concern.

8 "But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?"

9 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world's light. 10 It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light."

11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."

12 His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

Our environment may present dangers, people may highlight obstacles, but Jesus is committed to getting to us.

17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

21 "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

Lazarus was in a position where he just could not help himself. He was dead. From many viewpoints Lazarus was in the worst possible situation. But Jesus had a plan. In does not matter how hopeless our situation may seem, Jesus has a plan of rescue.

23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

24 Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Jesus' plan required belief in Him. Belief in who He is and belief in what He says. Martha believed.

27 "Yes, Lord," she replied, "I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."

28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 "Where have you laid him?" he asked.

"Come and see, Lord," they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

Our troubles bring sorrow to Jesus.

36 Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" 37 But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

God is love. Jesus is love. His love drives Him to come to our help. Do we believe this?

40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"

44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

Lazarus could not help himself. He was dead, fully surrendered to the plan and the will of Jesus. Jesus wants to give us true life. But as long as we continue to think that we do not need Him we will never be raised from our dead condition and situations. When we acknowledge our helplessness before Him and believe in who He is and what He has done and what He can do then that true life is ours.

John 3:16 (NIV) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Under God's Authority

In the Apostle Paul's letter to the Ephesian church he states the following:

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come." Ephesians 1: 17-21 (NIV).

We live under authority. Indeed we are in several domains of authority: e.g. home, school, workplace, town, state, country. In some cases the authority can be very oppressive and uncaring, but in many instances that authority upholds justice and seeks our welfare. However, as the Apostle Paul emphasized, Father God has placed God the Son (Jesus Christ) far above all other authority. Ultimately we are under God's authority.

The Israelites spent a period of their history, some 400 plus years (Exodus 12: 40), in Egypt. They suffered as slaves under the very oppressive and cruel regimes of the pharaohs. God used Moses as His agent to bring about their deliverance from Egypt. Under the leadership of Moses, God's delegated authority over the Israelites, they were headed to the promise land, Canaan, along a journey that was not without serious challenges. Many of these challenges arose due to their own behavior.

The following passage from Numbers 21: 4-7 (NIV) recounts an occurrence on a phase of their journey:

"They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!'

Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.

The people came to Moses and said, 'We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.' So Moses prayed for the people."

As indicated in the passage, the Israelites were dissatisfied with conditions and so they started to rebel against the authorities – God and Moses. Some Biblical scholarship indicates that they were more than one million Israelites involved in the exodus from Egypt. We do not know what percentage of that number were speaking against God and Moses. But this was an ominous situation and so the Authority had to act. When we rebel against authority we separate ourselves from the favor and the blessings of that authority. Rebellion produces separation.

When the authority seeks the welfare and interest of the subjects, that authority will act in a way to restore the relationship with the subjects. An effective way to do this is to let the rebellious feel the pain of separation. In feeling that pain the subjects should reflect seriously on the actions that brought on the separation and the pain. It is then wise for the subjects to desire the removal of the pain and the restoration of the favorable relationship with the authority.

God had (still has) a good plan for the Israelites. It was necessary that a path be provided so that the Israelites could be restored to a position of favor with God. God used snakes so that the Israelites would suffer the consequences of their rebellion and feel the pain of their separation from God's favor.

The Israelites reflected, they acknowledged their sin and sought God's mercy. God outlined a way back:

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.'

So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived." Numbers 21: 8-9 (NIV)

No death for those who in faith looked at the bronze snake. Did everyone who was bitten look at the bronze snake? We do not know. Maybe there were some who did not believe that looking really meant life. Of course it would have been foolish not to look. Maybe everyone who was bitten made the wise decision. They looked and lived.

How does this incident of rebellion against authority, separation from authority, and restoration of a favorable relationship with authority affect us? All of us as sinners are in rebellion against our supreme authority, God. That rebellion resulted in our separation from God. That separation means spiritual death leading to eternal death, unless there is restoration. Two pertinent scripture passages are:

Romans 3: 23 (NIV), "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Romans 6: 23 (NIV), "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We feel this separation from God in several ways. We are discontented, restless, aimless, confused, lost. The author of the book of Ecclesiastes expresses it this way:

Ecclesiastes 1: 2 (NIV), "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."

The wise thing to do when in this confused, lost, meaningless state of separation from God is to find the way back to God. In the Gospel of John we see one of our fellow separated ones, Nicodemus, finding that way to God.

John 3:1-2 (NIV), "Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.'"

Nicodemus did not state directly why he came to Jesus. But it was obvious to Jesus that Nicodemus, in spite of his high social status, recognized that he was missing something. Jesus knew what Nicodemus's problem was. He was separated from God and he needed to be restored. He needed to find his place as an obedient and faithful subject under God's authority. He needed to be brought into God's kingdom, i.e. he needed to be rightly related to God. Therefore Jesus wasted no time in getting to the point.

John 3:3-10 (NIV), "Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.'

'How can someone be born when they are old?' Nicodemus asked. 'Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother's womb to be born!'

Jesus answered, 'Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

You should not be surprised at my saying, "You must be born again".  The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.'

'How can this be?' Nicodemus asked."

Jesus continued:

John 3:14-15 (NIV), "'Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.'"

The message "You must be born again" was puzzling to Nicodemus. But Nicodemus was very familiar with the incident in the wilderness where Moses lifted up the snake. Jesus was saying to him that the Israelites who looked in faith at the snake on the pole lived, and that everyone who looks in faith at him on the cross will have eternal life. True life – a blessed place under God's authority – awaits the one who believes. We do not know if Nicodemus got the full implication of this message at that time. But he may have figured that this was going to require the death of Jesus. But why?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 (NIV).

It is because of God's love. Jesus was lifted up so as to bear the full pain of our separation from God and to provide the way for our restoration back to God. Separation does not have to last forever. God has provided the way back to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Nicodemus must have followed very closely everything that subsequently unfolded in the life of Jesus. He was not going to miss that scene when the Son of Man was lifted up. Nicodemus had had enough of living a life separated from God: outside of His favor, outside of His Kingdom. It is clear from the following scripture reference that Nicodemus did look at Jesus lifted up on the cross. His thoughts must have returned to that night-time conversation he had with Jesus, and with a heart overwhelmed with gratitude and emotion he probably said "I do believe".

John 19:38-40 (NIV), "Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs."

Nicodemus was identified with a group of people, the Pharisees, who did not take very kindly to Jesus. Yet he found his way to Jesus and evidently accepted the gift of eternal life. He was restored to a place of favor under God's authority. We can do the same. It is the wise thing to do. Why continue to suffer the pain of separation from God when God has provided the way for us to be restored to Him? Furthermore having been restored to God we can continue to make wise choices. Among the favors God is willing to grant us is a generous supply of wisdom:

James 1:5 (NIV), "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

No Condemnation

In Romans 8:1 we read: "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." (New Living Translation, NLT – all scripture references are from the NLT).

The use of the clause "now there is no condemnation" indicates that there was a previous state or is a current state of condemnation under which we all fell or fall. That condemnation arises because we are all accountable. We are accountable because we have a creator, God, to whom we all must answer.

The majestic and awesome God of the universe created us and through His actions and messages indicated that He desired a relationship of love with us. In 1 John 4: 8 we read: "But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love." In Psalms 86: 5 we read: "O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help". And in Genesis 3: 8 we read: "When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden....". God in His relationship with Adam and Eve was visiting in the garden to converse with Adam and Eve, albeit to have a serious conversation.

Adam and Eve had just disobeyed God, they had sinned, and thus fractured their wonderful relationship with God. They began to suffer the condemnation due to their guilt and to experience a separation from God. We as children of Adam and Eve have inherited that sin nature and the resulting condemnation and separation from God. We read in Psalm 51:5, "For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me."

In order for us to have a vivid realization of our sinful condition, God gave us the "ten commandments":

These commandments are recorded in Exodus 20:3-17:

"You must not have any other god but me.

You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods ...

You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God ...

Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy ...

Honor your father and mother ...

You must not murder.

You must not commit adultery.

You must not steal.

You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

You must not covet your neighbor's house. You must not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor."

These commandments were given to us by God through Israel's prophet Moses. Subsequently they have sometimes been referred to as the Law of Moses. As we examine them closely we find that we are all guilty. We are all living examples of the scripture: Romans 3:23, "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard." We are all under condemnation and separated from our creator, God. We have already begun to reap the wages of our sin: Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, ...". Death – as in separation from God. A separation that unless repaired will continue forever. It is a separation that manifests itself in our wicked deeds, our guilty consciences, our troubled minds, and our restless souls. The scripture says we are dead because of our disobedience and many sins (see Ephesians 2: 1).

But how can that separation be repaired, since we as sinners, in spite of our best efforts, continue to break God's laws? God in His love provided a way. In Romans 8:3 we read: "The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins."

"For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3: 16). Jesus, Son of God, took the wages of sin – that death, that separation – on our behalf. "He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit." (Romans 8: 4)

When we come to terms with our sinful condition, despise our sin and accept what God in His love has done for us, we can enjoy the glorious freedom that Jesus died to give us. Accepting what Jesus did for us also means receiving the gift of the blessed Holy Spirit (the third member of the triune God – Father, Son, Holy Spirit). We are now blessed with the privilege to follow the Holy Spirit and live every day without condemnation.

But what happens if we still sin? Well that "if" should be a "when". Repenting of our sins and receiving the Holy Spirit does not make us perfect. We are forgiven, and we have the righteousness of Christ. We are now sincerely seeking to please God. We are following the Holy Spirit who will help us in changing the way we think (Romans 12: 2); who will convict us when we sin. And when we are convicted we will confess our sins knowing that God "is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." (1 John 1: 9).

In summary let's meditate on and treasure the following:

Romans 5: 15-17: "... there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ".

Romans 8:1-2 (NLT) "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death."

Now that we have accepted God's gift of righteousness, our relationship with God has been restored, the separation has been repaired. There is no condemnation, no longer death but the gift of God of "eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." (see Romans 6: 23).

The Man carrying the Jar of Water

Imagine that you are given an assignment to find a particular destination. You have never been there before, you do not know the way and you do not have a GPS. This could be relatively easy if you get some good directions. It would probably be even easier if there were a reliable and knowledgeable person that you could follow. Given that you did find someone to follow it is then very likely that while following, your thoughts will dwell on the one you are following, especially if there is something striking, interesting or unusual about that individual.

In the Gospel of Luke 22: 7-13 it is recorded that Jesus and his disciples needed a room to eat the Passover supper. It was that time of the year. Peter and John were given the assignment by Jesus to locate the place and make the preparations. Of course, they did not know where to go. Therefore Jesus gave them the following directions:

"As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?'  He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there." Luke 22:10-12 (NIV).

There is no record that Peter and John questioned Jesus about the directions that He gave them. It was the custom that carrying a jar of water was usually done by women. Therefore if there was a man doing this it would be unusual. Hence that man should be relatively easy to find. In obedience Peter and John went into the city and found everything as Jesus had said.

Now imagine you were Peter or John following the man with the jar of water. It is quite natural to assume that your thoughts would run on the scene in front of you – a Man carrying a Jar of Water.

You may think about the man. Who is he? Why is he carrying this jar of water? Where is he going? You may think about the jar. How much water does it contain? How old is it? How heavy is it?

Your thoughts may also run on the water. You may think of how precious water is and the many ways in which that water can be used:

The water is for drinking – it refreshes, it satisfies, it quenches our thirst.

The water can be used for washing – it cleanses.

The water can save a life.

Then as you think of these things perhaps you may wonder: why did Jesus choose this scene as the one on which you should focus. Could it be that He wants us to make a connection between the man carrying a jar of water and Himself?

In John 4 Jesus was passing through Samaria and around midday he was sitting on a well. A woman came to the well to get some water. Jesus asked the woman for a drink of water, and this started a conversation which included the following exchanges:

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."

"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?"

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4: 10-14 (NIV).

We see here that Jesus had living water to give. Water that quenches a thirst forever: an inexhaustible supply for an everlasting life. What a bold an interesting claim! Jesus came bearing the gift of living water.

Then in John 7: 37-39 (NIV) we read the following:

"On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified."

Jesus had to be glorified in order that the living water, the Holy Spirit, could be given. A key step towards that glorification was Jesus' crucifixion, which included a pouring out of blood and water (John 19: 34); the blood and water for our cleansing, our renewal, and our everlasting life.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1: 9 (KJV).

We can receive that cleansing.

We can be at peace, satisfied (never spiritually thirsty) even in exhausting situations.

We can have a continual refreshing ("rivers of living water").

We can have everlasting life.

That's why we can say "Thank you, Jesus, for pouring out of yourself so that we can drink of the Holy Spirit!"

Jesus and Peter

God, our creator, in His loving and caring manner calls us onto Himself. His love and care for us have been supremely demonstrated by the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ, to bridge the chasm that, due to our sins, separates us from Him. When Jesus walked on earth among man He showed us God's plan to call us, God's desire to set a course for our lives, and God's faithfulness in sticking by us through thick and thin. Jesus did this in several ways. One of those ways was through His interactions with a man called Peter (also called Simon Peter and Simon son of John). In Matthew 4:18-20 (all scripture references are from the NIV), we read:

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him.

Here we see Jesus calling Peter. What are the special qualifications that Peter had that merited his being called by Jesus? Well it says in the passage that he was a fisherman, and that he had a brother. Certainly nothing extraordinary. In a non-industrial society such as it was in Peter's day, fishing was a very common occupation. Furthermore, as is the case today, many people had brothers. Therefore, without any evidence otherwise we can assume that Peter was a regular community guy. Just like many of us. Beyond that, Peter was in another category that includes all of us. That is the "sinner" category. And that is the type of person Jesus said He came to call. In Luke 5:32, Jesus says:

"I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Therefore, since we are sinners, we can believe that Jesus has been calling and continues to call us, and that He has a mission for us to fulfill. His mission for Peter was "to fish for people". For Peter to accomplish this mission he had to undergo a period of training of about three years as a disciple of Jesus. The training involved taking oral examinations. In Matthew 16:13-16 we read:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."

Peter scored a hundred percent on this exam. After we answer the call to follow Jesus, and as we undergo His discipleship, we will get to know Jesus better. We will be able say with conviction that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God; that Jesus is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1: 29); that Jesus, the Word, was with God and the Word was God (John 1: 1); that Jesus became flesh and dwelt among men (John 1: 14). We will probably have no difficulty in making these declarations without any reservations when the going is good. There is no reason to doubt that Peter made the declaration, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" with all sincerity. He was learning the fundamentals well, but the rubber had not yet hit the road.

Now a practical exercise. In Matthew 17:1-5 we read:

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"

This was indeed a very special occasion to which only Peter, James and John were invited. Is it because these three disciples were in some way better than the others? I have no reason to believe this. What I do believe is that Jesus, the greatest teacher, invited Peter, James and John because He was convinced that this was an experience that would benefit them in their future missions.

How did Peter handle this practical exercise? He was clearly overwhelmed by the whole experience. "Lord it is good for us to be here" he said. His leadership personality sprang into play. "I will put up three shelters" he offered. But there was an obvious danger. Peter's big "I" was surfacing as a problem. That "I" will have to surrender to God's will. God's will for Peter will involve death of the impetuous attitude. Peter must learn "Not my will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22: 42). While Peter "was still speaking ... a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son ... Listen to him'" This is the lesson for us too. We must subject our will to God's, and the best place to start is to listen to Jesus.

The discipling of Peter and the others also involved the understanding of some deeper truths regarding Jesus. In Matthew 16:21-23 we read:

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns."

How did that grab you Peter? "Get behind me, Satan" – a stumbling block to Jesus? I guess this must really have struck Peter like a powerful blow to his midsection. Knocked all the wind out of him. Maybe for a few seconds he thought this is the time for me to beat it, head back home. But thank God, he soaked it in and stuck around. He loved Jesus. He expressed loving human concern for Jesus, "This shall never happen to you!" he exclaimed when he heard Jesus speaking of His suffering and death. But Peter had to learn that there is a real spiritual realm. Human concerns are relevant on many occasions, but all our concerns must be filtered through the concerns of God. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart ... in all your ways submit to Him". (Proverbs 3: 5, 6)

But Peter still had more to learn about himself and about his Lord, Jesus Christ. We read in John 13:33-38 where Jesus is again speaking to His disciples:

"My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later." Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you."

Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

In this passage we hear Peter making a strong, verbal commitment to lay down his life for Jesus. Peter meant it. This has been demonstrated by his martyrdom some years later. But Peter did not yet possess that depth of spiritual maturity to follow through in the very immediate future. A strong challenge to his declaration of total commitment occurred after Jesus was arrested and brought before the Jewish religious authority for trial. The following passage (Matthew 26:69-75) tells us how Peter fared.

Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said. But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth." He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!"

After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away." Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!"

Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Peter falls from his strident language of commitment to Jesus to an emphatic and curse-filled denial of Jesus. He arrived abruptly, embarrassingly and sorrowfully at some new knowledge about himself. He failed this test miserably. He knew it, "he went outside and wept bitterly".

Jesus knew that he was going to fail. Jesus had told him: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." Peter was deeply sorry, he was sincerely repentant. Jesus is full of grace and truth (John 1: 14). His desire was to pull Peter out of this pit of failure. We will fail too. Jesus knows it. His desire towards us is always to pull us out of that pit. After the resurrection of Jesus, He had a rendezvous with Peter and six other disciples. Peter and the others were completing their night of fishing and heading to the shore. To their surprise there was Jesus preparing breakfast for them. "Come and have breakfast", He beckoned (John 21: 12). At the end of breakfast there was the following exchange, recorded in John 21: 15-17, between Jesus and Peter.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"

"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."

The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.

It was a glorious session of restoration. Peter's failure had not disqualified him. Peter was forced to search his heart. I take the liberty to interpret Jesus' words in this way: Peter, are you willing to leave this fishing behind? Do you want to go back to your former lifestyle? How deep is your love for me? I have not dismissed you Peter. In fact Peter keep loving me with all you have, and minister to my followers (feed my lambs and my sheep), who will be joined to the fold as you and the other disciples guide them in (fish for them).

As we enter the book of The Acts of the Apostles and follow beyond the Bible to further historical accounts of Peter's life, we see clearly that Peter became a champion of the faith and demonstrated his deep love for Jesus. This ultimately resulted in his martyrdom which is believed to have occurred some thirty years after Jesus's resurrection. Therefore, we can say that Peter did well, he was a good and faithful servant (see Matthew 25: 23).

Peter understood failure, he experienced the humiliation of chastening and defeat, but he also experienced the mercy and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can close with the words of Peter himself:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5: 6-7)

Therefore, dear friends, ... grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Peter 3: 17-18)

Double E

Romans 15: 4 (NIV) states "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope". The bold emphasis is mine.

In order to be successful in life we need to draw upon a wide array of skills, associations and resources. This is necessary because of the various challenges that we have to face. Sometimes the challenges can be so huge and intimidating that frustration, failure and defeat seem like the only possible outcomes. For times like these we need to feel confident that what we are doing is worthwhile. We need to be convinced that there will be a positive result. Indeed what needs to be drawn upon here is hope: a strong conviction that what is desired will come to pass.

The Bible verse quoted above provides a way to nurture hope when the going gets tough. Hope can be fostered through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures. I like to call this double E. In the King James Version the words "patience and comfort of the scriptures" are used; different words but the same message.

As we endure, as we keep on going we accumulate little or big successes, small or big gains, possibly some defeats and losses. We need words of encouragement to keep us focused, to help us properly evaluate our gains and apparent losses. How important to us are comments like: "That's a good job!", "Don't give up", "You can do it!" "Here is a method that worked for me".

Even if what we are doing is based completely on scriptural principle there is no guarantee that we are going to have a smooth ride. The life of the great King David is a good example of this. In the book of 1 Samuel chapter 16 we see David specially chosen by God to be king of Israel. Yet David had to endure many harsh trials along the way to becoming king.

King Saul did not take too kindly to David's growing popularity, and he saw David as a serious threat to the royal house. Therefore Saul unleashed a series of direct and indirect attacks against David. In 1 Samuel 18 it is recorded that Saul hurled a spear at David saying, "I'll pin David to the wall", 1Sam 18: 11 (NIV). This act was repeated in 1 Samuel 19. Furthermore Saul ordered his son Jonathan and his attendants to kill David.

But God had appointed an encourager. Throughout this period of David's life encouragement came from Jonathan. Jonathan provided this encouragement both by what he did for David and by what he said.

How many times would we like to hear someone say to us as Jonathan said to David: "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you", 1 Samuel 20: 4 (NIV)? Such was the support David received from Jonathan.

We can get that encouragement from reading the Holy Bible. There we'll find Jesus as a friend who wants to be closer to us than a brother (Proverbs 18: 24). We'll find Jesus who wants to be to us as a shepherd, so that we'll be able to say: "The Lord is my shepherd ..." Psalms 23. We'll find God who "is our refuge and strength" Psalms 46. We'll find God who "rewards those who earnestly seek Him" Hebrews 11:6.

The verse quoted at the beginning was written by the Apostle Paul, who is also a great example of endurance. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul reflects on his imprisonments, his beatings, his shipwrecks and many other severe hardships that God helped him to overcome. We also hear him saying to Timothy, "Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus" 2 Timothy 2: 3 (NLT).

The Apostle Paul received encouragement through God's revelation. Paul was able to speak of God as the "God of hope ..." (Romans 15: 13) and of the ability to overflow "with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15: 13, NIV).

The Bible was written "to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" Romans 15: 4 (NIV). For the Christian, above all else, we have that "hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time" Titus 1: 2 (NIV); and we are encouraged when we read in the Scriptures that God "who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" Philippians 1: 6 (NIV).

Every morning as we awake to a new day let us remember double E.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

The account of this miracle by our Lord, Jesus Christ is recorded in all four gospels: Matthew 14: 13-21, Mark 6: 30-44, Luke 9: 10-17 and John 6: 1-13. Each author wrote to a different audience and emphasized aspects of the miracle that suited his objective in speaking to that audience.

This is how the account begins in each gospel. All references are from the New International Version (NIV).

Matthew 14:13-14: When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Mark 6: 30-34: The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

Luke 9: 10-11: When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

John 6:1-4: Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

From these accounts we can conclude that this miracle took place in hilly terrain on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. In each account we are given some of the events that occurred before Jesus departed to the area of the miracle.

In Matthew's account Jesus had previously been informed of the beheading of John the Baptist – His cousin and forerunner. Therefore the feeling of sadness and a need for inner reflection could be seen as a motivation to get away to a solitary place. In Mark's account the motivation is the need for rest. This is implied also in Luke's account. In John's account no specific event is given as the reason for heading across the Sea of Galilee.

What is clear is that Jesus identified with our human feelings, and as we will see as the incident unfolds, Jesus can and will adequately address our feelings. Common in each account is the fact that a large crowd flocked Jesus because He was unique and very special; and the objective of the authors was to demonstrate that Jesus was indeed different from any other person.

Jesus knew that the people were flocking Him because they had a spiritual need. They were like sheep without a shepherd. Some needed physical healing. He had compassion on them. He taught them. He healed those that were physically sick. But then they got physically hungry.

Matthew 14: 15-17: As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

Mark 6: 35-38: By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take more than half a year's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" "How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five—and two fish."

Luke 9: 12-14: Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, "Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here." He replied, "You give them something to eat." They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd." (About five thousand men were there.) ...

John 6: 5-9: When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "It would take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

There is a problem. It's a remote place, there are thousands of people, and only one boy had lunch. One solution would have been to just send everyone away. Let each one see about himself or herself. In fact we see that one or more of the disciples proposed this solution. But Jesus had an astonishingly creative plan.

Jesus out of His heart of compassion can do for us exceedingly more than we can imagine. In John's account he states that Jesus "already had in mind what he was going to do". Could it be that Jesus moved upon the heart of that boy's guardian to prepare the lunch to feed the thousands? Could it be that Jesus made sure that the boy he chose had an unselfish attitude? After all, why would a hungry boy give up his lunch? Jesus had it all planned. He also has a good plan for our lives. Speaking of the loaves and fish, Jesus said,

Matthew 14: 18-21: "Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Mark 6:39-44: Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.

Luke 9:14-17: ... But he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each." The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

John 6:10-13: Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

The four gospel writers conclude their reports in almost identical words. Jesus required that the people sit, He said a prayer of thanksgiving for the loaves and fish, He broke the bread and fish and had the disciples distribute to all. No one was denied a meal, there were even twelve baskets of leftovers. How astounding!

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John included the account of this miracle in their gospels in order to further highlight the supernatural character of Jesus. Indeed, a key theme in their writings was the divinity of Jesus.

When Jesus was baptized by John, Matthew 3: 17 states: And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Mark 1: 11 states: And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Luke 3: 22 states: and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Jesus is in these accounts identified as a person of the triune God – Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

In John 1: 1 we read: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This is followed by John 1: 14: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The gospel writers presented to us God in the flesh – Jesus Christ. The miracle of feeding the five thousand was just another piece of evidence to support their belief in Jesus, Son of God, with whom nothing is impossible. Jesus can meet all our needs in straightforward ways and in astonishing ways.

One widespread need that we all have or have had is the hunger for peace. We need a calm for our troubled souls. Jesus can and is willing to give us that peace. He says in John 14:27,

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

It is for us to accept His gift of peace. How do we accept this peace? We acknowledge that Jesus, the Son of God, through His death took the penalty of our sins; that He is ready to forgive us when we express sorrow for our sinful behavior and commit to turning from our sins with His help. Then, through faith in Him, we can enjoy that peace. The Apostle Paul emphasized this in Philippians 4:7: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

There is another lesson we can take away from this miracle of feeding the five thousand. Think for a while of the impact this miracle might have had on the boy who surrendered his lunch. In John 6: 9 we hear Andrew saying: "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" At the end of the dinner the boy must have been overwhelmed. His lunch fed thousands of people and there were even leftovers. This happened because he surrendered his little to Jesus. Jesus can do great things with our little when we give it all to Him.

Fed to Feed

Much of life is spent eating. We are fed by others, we feed ourselves and we feed others. We eat to live, although at times it seems like we are living to eat. Yet there are many who are seriously malnourished and others who are starving.

But being fed refers not only to eating literal food. It refers to the information which we voluntarily or involuntarily consume; the information to which we are willingly or unwillingly subjected; that information which we use to build up our knowledge bank. And it is that knowledge bank that we draw upon so often to chart the course of our lives.

"Man shall not live on bread alone ...", Matthew 4: 4; Deuteronomy 8: 3.

Therefore we should exercise great care when feeding ourselves not only with the right bread, but also with the right information. That information has great impact on our thoughts; and we are what we think:

"As he thinks in his heart, so is he", Proverbs 23: 7 (NKJV).

But even as we work through the process of acquiring food (information/knowledge), we need to recognize more and more the role that we should be playing in feeding others: with real bread, and with that which is not bread.

This was a concern of Jesus as expressed in his discourse with Peter in John 21. Peter and other disciples of Jesus had just finished fishing and were having breakfast on the beach with Jesus. Peter had been a fisherman and by all accounts loved that trade; and so as is recorded in John 21: 15 (NIV),

"When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, Son of John, do you love me more than these?'

'Yes Lord,' he said, 'you know that I love you'.

Jesus said, 'Feed my lambs.'

Jesus asked the question two more times. Peter repeated his affirmative answer; and in verse 17 Jesus said,

'Feed my sheep.'

In at least one way we are like sheep. We get attached to a leader, a provider, indeed a 'shepherd'. We spend a great part of our lives following this leader. Peter had found his leader, his shepherd. To Peter that shepherd was Jesus.

Many of us can identify with Peter, in that, we have also found Jesus as our shepherd: the one who feeds and leads us. He came to give us a full life (John 10: 10). He is the good shepherd (John 10: 11), the great shepherd (Hebrews 13: 20), and the chief shepherd (1 Peter 5: 4).

We appreciate his feeding us (leading us). We want to express our love for him as Peter did. Jesus knew that Peter loved him; and he needed to let Peter understand what was required in order to show love for the shepherd. It is by feeding his sheep.

Peter was obedient to Jesus. The task of feeding the lambs and sheep was not a mere natural one. If it were so, then the preparation and equipping to carry out that task would involve simply natural processes: identify the source of food, obtain the food, and distribute the food.

However this task of feeding the lambs and sheep involved a significant spiritual component. In the Scriptures it is sometimes equated to a war – "Fight the good fight of the faith", 1 Timothy 6: 12 (NIV); "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood", Ephesians 6: 12 (NIV).

Hence to be effective, it was necessary that Peter be fed spiritually from God's bountiful supply. As a disciple of Jesus, Peter was fed by God through Jesus the Son of God. After Jesus returned to Father God, Peter was fed with the blessed Holy Spirit, as the Father had promised. In Acts 2 it is recorded that Peter and one hundred and nineteen others were filled with the Holy Spirit. With the continuing empowerment of the Holy Spirit Peter undertook the feeding task with confidence (see Acts 2-5, 10-12, 15).

As Christians we are being fed by God the Father, Jesus the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This feeding takes place through several means, including the Holy Bible, the fellowship with fellow believers, prayer and praise, worship and other channels of God's own choosing. We have to pass that food along to the other sheep. We are being fed to feed. Jesus' command to Peter is a command to us all. "Feed my lambs, feed my sheep".

The Harvest of Our Righteousness

I am writing this a few days after one of the worst natural disasters in modern US history visited the Gulf Coast. The utter devastation in New Orleans in the wake of hurricane Katrina and the breach of the levees has left many in deep agony: with loss of family, friends, homes, pets, neighborhoods. We watched on TV, in horror, at the flooded roads and homes, demolished structures, bridges washed away and helpless souls on rooftops waiting to be rescued.

This very unfortunate circumstance has created many opportunities for people to perform an act of righteousness: give cheerfully to help the needy. Many will therefore be reaping the harvest of this righteousness. Those who are receiving the gifts will reap as well as those who are giving.

We reap what we sow, Galatians 6:7. Sometimes we reap directly – there is no intervening person or event between our sowing and reaping. For example I do something kind for Joe then in time Joe returns the favor. At other times we reap indirectly – the result takes a winding path through intermediary persons and events before it gets to us. That is, my action sets off a chain of events that touches several people before I am touched in return. Sometimes the reaping is quick, and at other times it takes a very long time before we get the fruit.

Some may find themselves trying to identify what were the seeds that were planted in order to have produced the harvest of the New Orleans disaster. Whatever those seeds are, we are sure that all of us have been involved, directly or indirectly, in their sowing. Therefore, but for God's mercies, none of us is exempt from reaping an unpleasant harvest. However, any such thoughts are at this moment being choked by the overwhelming outpouring of goodwill as millions plant seeds of righteousness. People are giving money, food, clothing, other basic supplies, homes, their time, their prayers, their hearts.

Undoubtedly these righteous acts will produce many positive results: the rebuilding of lives, the restoration of hope, the correction of inefficient systems, the improvement of social structures and inter-relationships. In addition there will be many intangible results. Maybe attitudes and perspectives will change. Some people will think differently about themselves and the things that they possess.

I cannot help but reflect on the following scriptural references:

"Righteousness exalts a nation", Proverbs 14:34 (NIV).

The righteous acts prompted by the disaster will produce good fruit, which fruit can have effects throughout the nation.

"Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days", Ecclesiastes 11:1 (NKJV).

Sometimes the situation may seem hopeless. There before you is the vast expanse of the water. There too are the seagulls and other creatures waiting to gobble up that piece of bread. But do not be daunted. That piece of bread may not come back to you directly. But a chain of events can be generated to cause a blessing to you in the future.

"Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy", Psalm 126: 5 (NIV).

At times it is a really hard grind. You are buffeted by disappointment, pain or sorrow: your disappointment, your pain, your sorrow or that of someone else.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up", Galatians 6: 9 (NIV).

"... the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward", Proverbs 11: 18 (NIV).

"God loves a cheerful giver", 2 Corinthians 9: 7 (NIV).

God "... will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness", 2 Corinthians 9: 10 (NIV).

This should leave one then in a spirit of anticipation as one looks to the future for the harvest of this outpouring of righteous deeds.

However, we know that these acts of giving will not be sustained. Many who have given or are giving in response to this tragedy may not give again in a hurry; thus removing the possibility for further positive reaping. Since we are basically selfish we often choose what we think is the shortest path to serving ourselves. Such thinking and actions often lead to a harvest that can be described as ugly, cruel and hostile.

Would it not be much better if we were all habitual doers of good deeds; sowing seeds of righteousness? This requires a transformation in our thinking, a renewal of our minds; and this is something that Jesus Christ has promised to do in us:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5: 17 (NIV).

How about giving Jesus a chance in our lives? Then we can look forward to a continual sowing and harvest of righteousness.

Who is The Greatest?

Many times in our interactions with other people, whether formally or informally, the issue of ranking emerges. At times this occurs quite openly, while at other times it is seething just below the surface. This ranking plays itself out in concerns about who is better or worse, richer or poorer, bigger or smaller, brighter or duller, attractive or less attractive, more important or less important, more popular or less popular, faster or slower, and so on.

Often there is really nothing wrong with having such concerns. Clearly one may say that in certain areas of life e.g. sports, business, etc., ranking is an integral and healthy ingredient. It is quite acceptable in several areas of life to be highly competitive. Indeed such a characteristic may serve to promote high levels of discipline, commitment and resourcefulness; and as we work or play with each other we may all be forced to become better.

On the other hand one may be so consumed by the desire to be the greatest or the best or the richest or the most popular, that one is driven to being dishonest, unethical and totally self-serving in one's actions.

The Bible records an incident where Jesus had to make a comment on ranking. While the apostles were partaking of the last supper with Jesus Christ it became clear that they were not fully focused on the meal. In Luke 22 (NIV) we have the following account:

vs14-15: When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer."

v17: After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you."

v19: And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

v21: But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table.

v24: A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.

It is obvious that this was a very serious ceremony. I have provided a few verses here to remind you of the sequence of events. This was the last Passover supper that Jesus was having with His apostles. This Passover was being used by Jesus to show the apostles through the symbolism of the cup and the bread that He was their Passover lamb. By accepting this gift of Himself (Jesus as the sacrificial lamb) everyone can be reconciled to God and walk in fellowship with Him.

However, somewhat surprisingly, there was something else on the minds of the apostles – who is the greatest? As I indicated earlier this is often a very public concern or a rather private simmering issue. Therefore how should we deal with it?

What did Jesus say? Reading from the same account in Luke 22:

vs26-27: " ... the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves."

So there you have it. Let us not be embroiled in disputes about ranking. Let us not be inordinately consumed by thoughts of ranking. Someone will be the greatest at some specific task, maybe it's going to be you or maybe me. But whether we are the greatest or not, here are two important things that we should always remember and practice:

"Be like the youngest" – recognize, appreciate and respect authority and elders; graciously acknowledge that in several areas there are others better at it than we are; be humble.

Be "like the one who serves" – always look for opportunities to serve; be selfless.

Jesus waits for us

In Revelation 3: 20 (NIV) Jesus says, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."

Jesus finds His way to our door. He knocks and waits for us to open.

An incident recorded in the gospel of John chapter four where Jesus met the Samaritan woman demonstrates how Jesus, in His love for us, tracks us and waits for us.

Jesus and His disciples were on their way from Judea heading north to Galilee. Between Judea and Galilee was the territory of Samaria. The Judean Jews did not associate with the Samaritans. Due to events in their history, the Samaritans were a people of mixed cultures with strong pagan influences in their religious practice. The pure Jews in Judea highly valued their worship of the one true God and in keeping with their religious observations did not mix with those considered to be outsiders.

Therefore a trek by a very religious Jew from Judea to Galilee would not normally pass through Samaria. It would be the much longer journey east of Samaria. However Jesus chose to pass through Samaria since, obviously, he had to converse with a Samaritan woman. The incident is recorded in John chapter 4.

John 4:1-8 New International Version (NIV)

1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

Jesus and His disciples had reached Jacob's well in Sychar. The account indicates that Jesus was tired. Since it was a group of them walking and since we can assume that Jesus was not the oldest nor the least fit in the group, one could be justified in thinking that He was not the only one who was tired. Therefore since the others were able to make it to the town to buy food, then Jesus could have possibly accompanied them.

But Jesus chose to wait at the well. Why? I believe that He was expecting that Samaritan woman to turn up. He made sure to get there before her and wait for her. In the same way He gets to those places in our lives and waits for us.

Why did He wait for her? He wanted to give her the best gift that she could receive in this life. When the woman got to the well Jesus began a conversation with her by finding a common ground between them. She had come to draw water, He asked her for a drink.

John 4: 9 (NIV): 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.)

She highlighted the difference between them. That difference was rooted in prejudices harbored between Jew and Samaritan. But Jesus was not captive to these prejudices. He came to all mankind, irrespective of who we are, what we possess, what we look like or what we have done.

John 4: 10-14 (NIV): 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."

11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?"

13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Jesus was waiting there at the well to offer this despised Samaritan woman the gift of eternal life. Jesus used the picture of refreshing, life-sustaining and life-giving water to represent God's Holy Spirit, who we can all receive as the priceless gift who seals us as children of God forever. Our sincere belief in Him is the means by which we receive this gift.

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV): And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.

After we have believed and now that we have God's Holy Spirit we are in the most privileged of positions. The Holy Spirit on behalf of God the Father and Jesus the Son now knocks at those inner doors of our soul, waits at every closed place of our personality until we open so that we can have communion and fellowship with him. (Revelation 3: 20)

It is a fellowship that helps us not to conform to the pattern of this world, but brings positive transformation and the renewal of our minds. It is a fellowship that brings the knowledge of God's will.

Romans 12: 2 (NIV): Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

It is a fellowship that brings unexplainable peace, and so much more.

Philippians 4: 7 (NIV): And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

As the Apostle Paul prayed to God the Father in Ephesians 3: 16-19 (NIV): I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

It is a fellowship that gives us the assurance that at every point in our lives (be it critical or considered trivial) Jesus is there waiting to meet the need of the moment. It may not be what we want but it will surely be what is best.

Hebrews 13:5 (NIV): ... God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

Here we go again, some more words about love. Have we not been told a million times or more that we should love our neighbors? Don't we all know how much better things would be if we were more loving? Well maybe it is time that we all get on with it. It is good for those whom we love, it is good for us, and we are being obedient to God. Jesus said in Mark 12: 30, 31 (NIV):

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Love is spelt L O V E. Each letter serves as a guide to how we can demonstrate love to our neighbors. But who are our neighbors? As Jesus demonstrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37), our neighbors are not only those who live next door, but everyone with whom we interact.

L can indicate "look and or listen": look at our neighbor and listen to our neighbor. We need to take time to look at the people around us. This includes looking at those near and those far, the lowly and the not so lowly, the clean, the dirty, the rich, the poor, those who share our views and those who do not. We need to think about why they are the way they are, to think about ways in which we identify with them, and the things we have in common with them.

We need to listen to our neighbors. Sometimes we talk a little too much; giving the impression that we have little regard for what others have to say. As we listen to our neighbors we can hear their opinions, their goals, their hurts. As we look and listen we can then love by responding specifically. We do this by sharing of something that we have: a word of encouragement, an opinion, some advice, a meal, a shirt, a dress, etc.; and or by praying.

O: We need to open a door for someone. We should look for opportunities to create paths of progress for others. Many people are forced to live in deplorable environments – both physically and mentally. Some stumble through life from unfortunate situation to unfortunate situation leading often towards a sad end.

Then we come along and we must make a decision. Are we going to look the other way or are we going to be like the Good Samaritan? We can use something we have or someone we know to open a door of opportunity, i.e. to really show love. Maybe we can give a loan, give a scholarship, payoff a lingering debt.

Others find themselves in situations that seem to stifle them. To them it appears as if there is no way out. They may be there because of bad choices they made or due to bad choices or decisions others have made.

In John 4 we see Jesus on His way from Judaea to Galilee. This journey took Him through Samaria. This was not the route normally taken by Jews. Due to certain historical events, which we will not deal with here, the Jews did not associate with Samaritans. Jesus took a rest by a well at about noon. There came a Samaritan woman who was trapped by her circumstances. She was living an immoral life and possibly chose to go to the well at noon in order to avoid having to interact with others from her neighborhood.

Jesus started a conversation with her. She was naturally taken by surprise at His civility. Jesus could have avoided this encounter. He could have stepped back some distance from the well to give her some space. Or, if he didn't move, he could have remained silent. But out of love for her he opened the door so that she could walk into eternal life.

In John 4: 13-14 (NIV) it is recorded that Jesus said to her: "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." And the Samaritan woman walked right through that door.

V: Visit and validate others. We can visit someone, take along a gift. Or we can phone someone or send a greeting. This indicates to that person that he or she is important, worthy, still considered to be in the loop. Furthermore, someone may need a good word spoken on his or her behalf.

Often when we interact with other people, we evaluate them. We may see in them things that we do not like and at that point we may decide to restrict or stop the interactions between us and that other person. But we need to give love a chance. Is there something about that person that we can appreciate? Maybe we should look for an opportunity to say something good about that person, recommend them to someone; indeed validate them when no one else would.

The Apostle Paul had a "past". That "past" constituted a serious roadblock to him being accepted among the early Christians. Paul needed some validation. In Acts 9: 26 (NIV) it says: "When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple."

A loving brother named Barnabas stepped up to the plate with a validation for Paul (who was earlier referred to as Saul). Barnabas "took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus." Acts 9: 27.

The validation given by Barnabas worked on Paul's behalf. As a result Paul was able to move "about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord." Acts 9: 28.

E: Encourage your neighbor. There are so many things that can cause one to get discouraged. Some examples are: did not get that desired job, did not receive the phone call that was hoped for, lost a competition that really should have been won, got a bad medical report, heard some bad news about a relative or friend, did not get the desired promotion at work or lost that job, and the list could go on almost interminably.

In times like these we need to have an encouraging word to share with that neighbor. Maybe we had a similar experience and someone can benefit from hearing how we coped. Or if there is no experience to draw upon, we should have a scripture verse that we could quote; for example:

Isaiah 40: 30, 31 (NIV) – "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Maybe that neighbor needs to hear the good news of God's great love:

John 3: 16 (NIV) – "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Lamentations 3: 22-26 (NIV) – "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.' The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

"Our Father ... Your Will Be Done"

In Matthew 6: 9 Jesus said to his disciples, "This is how you should pray". It came as part of that long, solid and authoritative discourse known as the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus had just pointed out that giving to the needy must not be paraded before men in order to attract their praise. Instead it should be done in secret in order that our "Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward" us.

In the same way our prayers must be directed to God, not to men. They are not formed primarily as works of art displayed for man's scrutiny but rather they should be the sincere and earnest expression of the creature to his Creator.

"Our Father in heaven

Hallowed be your name,

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread

Forgive us our debts

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one." Matthew 6: 9-13 (NIV).

Included in this prayer is the expression, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven".

Are we acknowledging that a state that we cannot change exists, or are we expressing our willingness to participate actively in ensuring that God's will is done?

In order to unravel this we must first find out as much as we could about our Father's will. What does the Bible say?

"Your will be done ... as it is in heaven". Matthew 6: 10.

God's will is done in heaven.

It is clear that heaven is a place where nothing is allowed to hinder the working of whatever the will of God is. It does not seem possible to draw any other conclusion from this statement. Furthermore this statement is uttered by Jesus himself who is the Word of God (John 1: 1).

But was there not "war in heaven"? Revelation 12: 7. Did Satan not lead a revolt in heaven? It is evident from the Bible that this did occur. Was this God's will? Since God's will is done in heaven the logical answer has to be "yes".

How do we explain this?

Angels are not robots

First, we must understand that the angels are not robots. It is evident that they have the power to choose. Satan chose to rebel, and many angels chose to join him. It seems therefore that it is God's will that the angels should have the privilege to demonstrate their loyalty.

The only way in which loyalty can be established is by allowing the subject the opportunity to voluntarily give that loyalty. Therefore the power to choose had to be given.

A sure way in which we can be convinced that the facility to "choose to be loyal" exists is by seeing a subject demonstrate disloyalty. Therefore Satan's rebellion constituted clear evidence that the power to choose exists among the angels.

In the same way that God's will permitted the angels the privilege of choice, His will determined that disloyalty shall not be tolerated in heaven. Therefore the rebellion was crushed and the rebellious Satan and his followers were evicted, Revelation 12: 9.

God's will established and adheres to the principle: consequences follow actions.

Choice

God's will is done in heaven. That will, as we have seen, allows choice. But is it merely a choice either to be or not to be loyal? This is evidently not the case.

We who are created "a little lower than the angels" (Psalms 8: 5) can make other choices, therefore it is quite logical to conclude that the angels have the same privilege to choose alternatives on other matters without incurring God's wrath.

One example that demonstrates that the angels can make decisions on their own is the encounter between the two angels and Lot in Genesis 19. The text is very straightforward:

"The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 'My Lord', he said, 'please turn aside to your servant's house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning'.

'No', they answered, 'we will spend the night in the square'.

But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house". Genesis 19: 1-3 (NIV).

The angels were able to decide to stay at the house even though the original plan was to spend the night in the square.

God's will includes choice for his created beings, heavenly as well as earthly.

God's Law

Let us look at some other passages on God's will. In Psalms 40: 8 David says: "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

Here we see a connection made between God's will and God's law. David's knowledge of God's law will help him to do God's will. The implication is that God's law is an expression of God's will for us.

God's desire is that man should do His will. Therefore God promised Israel:

"I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts." Jeremiah 31: 33.

We do not want to begin a discussion on what aspect of God's law is being referred to here. It is a good thing to settle for what Jesus said in Matthew 22: 37-40 (NIV): "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

God, our Father

In Matthew 18: 10-14, Jesus related the parable of the lost sheep. This followed comments made by Jesus on the value to God of a little child and the necessity to adopt the attitude of a child in one's relation to God, the father.

To emphasize further the Father's concern for each one of us, Jesus continued:

"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish" (Matthew 18: 12-14, NIV).

God's will for us is that no one be lost.

This principle was repeated by Jesus in John 6: 38-40.

"I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that He has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

It is God's will that everyone who looks to Jesus and believes in him shall have eternal life

In 2 Peter 3: 9 there is the all-encompassing application of this same principle: God wants no one to perish but that everyone come to repentance.

It is therefore clear from these passages that it is God's will that no one be lost, that is, no one should be eternally separated from the presence of God.

Furthermore in speaking to Christians, Paul points out,

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified; that you should avoid sexual immorality ..." 1 Thessalonians 4: 3; and

"Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5: 18.

God's will is that we be a joyful people separated onto Him.

God gives gifts to His people according to His will, Hebrews 2: 4; 1 Corinthians 12: 11. His will is that our lives have a positive effect on the world around us: "For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men". 1 Peter 2: 15.

Direct relationship

What we have seen thus far are aspects of God's will with which we interact directly.

We are given the privilege of choice. When Joshua (24: 15) told the children of Israel "choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve", he was implicitly emphasizing a right that we all have within God's will for us.

God's law expresses another portion of God's will for us. The fulfillment of God's will pertaining to His law is dependent on our keeping His law.

It is God's will that everyone should always be in communion with Him, living a joyful, gifted and holy life that impacts constructively on our communities. But many people are not experiencing this. Therefore several aspects of God's will are not being done because we are not doing our part.

In Psalms 143: 10 David, recognizing this solemn responsibility to see God's will fulfilled, prays: "Teach me to do your will, for you are my God, may your good Spirit lead me on level ground".

The Apostle Paul urges us to completely dedicate ourselves to the fulfillment of God's will. He instructs "Do not conform any longer to the powers of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is \- His good, pleasing and perfect will". Romans 12: 2.

God's will is approved and done in our lives as a result of our choosing so to do. We choose to do God's will when we refuse to be influenced by the powers of this world. The "powers of this world" is a reference to Satan and his host. In Ephesians 6: 10-12 these powers are described as "rulers, ... authorities, powers of this dark world ... spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms".

Among the things that we will do as we resist the "powers of this world" is the giving of thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for us in Christ Jesus, 1 Thessalonians 5: 18. As we fail to do this the spiritual forces of evil maintain and extend their territory.

We must be consistent and persistent in doing God's will. In Hebrews 10: 36 we are told: "So do not throw away your confidence it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised".

God has allowed us the privilege to voluntarily participate in several aspects of His will. There are many blessings that we will derive as we do God's will. Indeed spiritual insight follows consistent doing of God's will. Jesus underlined this principle when he said:

"If any one chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own," John 7: 17.

Experience has shown that we choose against doing God's will on many occasions. Can you imagine the gains that are made by the enemy as a result of our inconsistency?

Jesus did His Father's Will

Happily some aspects of God's will are not dependent on us. It was God's will that His judgement should be meted out toward us because of our sin; but at the same time, that His love and mercy should be made available to us. Jesus played the key role in this. He said, "Here I am ... I have come to do your will, O God", Hebrews 10: 7, 9.

When the pressure of this extremely tough assignment had built up to an almost unbearable level Jesus prayed: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as You will". Matthew 26: 39 (Luke 22: 42).

We must follow the example of Jesus and pray, "Our Father ... Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven", even when the pressure is so severe that we are tempted to do otherwise.

We must do God's Will

Since we have therefore committed ourselves to doing God's will we must dedicate ourselves to first knowing that will. "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is", Ephesians 5: 17. It is foolishness not to know and understand the Lord's will.

We need to pray as the Apostle Paul did that God would "fill us with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding", Colossians 1: 9.

This of course extends to specifics of His will that are not detailed in the Scriptures. For example it is God's will that we be active in sharing our faith (Philemon 6), but we are not told specifically the form that this should take in every situation.

Furthermore we are told that we should "not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6: 14. But we are not told specifically with which one of the righteous we should be linked.

Hence Paul prayed that our love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that we may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ (Philippians 1: 9, 10).

When we know God's will our responsibility is to do it as much as it lies in our power so to do. In this way we set up a close kinship and fellowship relationship with Jesus. "For whosoever does the will of my Father in heaven, is my brother and sister and mother." Matthew 12: 50 (Mark 3: 35).

We should become so committed to doing God's will that the only way in which we can be described is as slaves: "like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart", Ephesians 6: 6.

What is especially encouraging and comforting is that God has a special package of blessings for those who do His will. Indeed the ultimate blessing is to live forever. "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever". 1 John 2:17. In several areas we can play key roles in having God's will done here on earth. When we do that we will receive the blessings with which that will is associated, if not here on earth then in the life to come.

Jesus is our prime example. He is our Savior and Lord. It cannot be emphasized enough that we need to follow him. He came to do the Father's will (Hebrews 10: 7).

Worship the Lord

We are all worshippers. Worship is the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for someone or something. Many of us acknowledge our creator God and worship Him. Many are awed by nature and worship objects of nature. Others worship things like money, career, homes, vehicles, clothes and so on. Some of us even worship ourselves. "I am Numero Uno!", oh the big ego!

Our worship puts who or what we worship in an elevated position. In some sense we give to that person or object power or sway over ourselves. Therefore, our actions, our attitude, indeed our lifestyle is then governed by the object of our worship. Hence it is critically important that we make the right choice with respect to the object of our worship.

The choice we make is often governed by some perceived benefit that we figure will befall us. If I worship my career or my sport and I allow myself to be consumed by it, then maybe I'll rise to the top. The choice we make is often governed by a sense of gratitude for something good that has befallen us. I like the feeling of freedom and power that driving a fast car gives me therefore I become consumed by fast cars, I worship them.

What about if I worship God my creator and let Him consume me? Does God deserve any of my adoration? Do I offer any gratitude to God my creator for anything good that He has sent my way? In fact, God (the Father) has sent someone very special our way. That someone that I am referring to right now is Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:16-17, New International Version, NIV).

In the gospel of John chapter 9 we have the account of one man's encounter with Jesus. That man's reaction, at the end of his encounter with Jesus, was to worship Jesus – the Son of God. Let us see how it all happened.

Jesus' ministry on earth included a lot of walking about, meeting needy people in their own environment.

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.  As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:1-5, NIV).

The man was blind from birth (physically blind). In a sense we were all blind at birth, and in many cases we are still blind. In order to live effectively we need a great deal of knowledge. Whenever we lack the required knowledge we can be considered as blind in that area. In fact, we often hear someone say: "I was blind-sided by that".

The disciples associated the man's blindness with sin. They wanted to know whether the blindness was a result of the man's sin or his parents' sin. Our sin has separated us from God and that sin has caused a lot of ugliness in the world. But we cannot pin every unfortunate circumstance we may experience on a particular sin that we or our parents might have committed. However, every unpleasant situation or condition can be offered to God so that His works might be displayed in it. Jesus the light of the world is able and ready to shed His light on our darkness. The encounter continues:

"After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 'Go,' he told him, 'wash in the Pool of Siloam' (this word means "Sent"). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing." (John 9:6-7, NIV).

I do not know why Jesus used this method to heal the blind man. I can just highlight what happened. The man's eyes were touched by the Creator, using the same dust from which we were created and to which our bodies will return. Then someone among the onlookers had to help the man wash the mud from his eyes, and at last the blindness was gone.

If I can speculate just a little I would say that during his lifetime of blindness that man may have rubbed his eyes countless times, maybe in the vain hope that some streak of light would pierce the darkness. How much he must have welcomed that tender caress of the Creator's fingers as Jesus massaged those blind eyes. Jesus knew exactly what the man needed. He knows exactly what we need. In obedience the man went and washed his blindness away.

In a similar way we can have the blindness that is the result of our sin washed away. Jesus shed His blood on the cross so that we can use His blood spiritually to wash our sins away. In 1 John 1: 7 it says "... the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin". Our friends and neighbors will notice that we have been changed just as the neighbors noticed the change in this formerly blind man. God wants to display His work in and through our lives.

"His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, 'Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?'  Some claimed that he was. Others said, 'No, he only looks like him.'

But he himself insisted, 'I am the man.' 'How then were your eyes opened?' they asked.

He replied, 'The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.' 'Where is this man?' they asked him. 'I don't know,' he said." (John 9:8-12, NIV).

But after God has done a great work in our lives we are not guaranteed a life with no subsequent challenges. As we see in this account, the formerly blind man faced an immediate challenge.

"They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.  Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man's eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. 'He put mud on my eyes,' the man replied, 'and I washed, and now I see.' Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.' But others asked, 'How can a sinner perform such signs?' So they were divided.

Then they turned again to the blind man, 'What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.' The man replied, 'He is a prophet.'

They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. 'Is this your son?' they asked. 'Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?'" (John 9:13-19, NIV).

The man's testimony was attacked. The integrity of Jesus was questioned. But the work of God had been displayed and that presented a difficulty to the Pharisees. The Pharisees, the dominant religious people of the day, were not willing to give up their self-righteous positions and ascribe to Jesus, the Son of God, the honor that He was due.

"A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. 'Give glory to God by telling the truth,' they said. 'We know this man is a sinner'. He replied, 'Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!'" (John 9:24-25, NIV).

"'If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.' To this they replied, 'You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!' And they threw him out." (John 9:33-34, NIV).

Jesus had transformed the man's life. He was not going to deny that. He was grateful to God. He was not ready to be crushed by the opposition. He did not understand it all, but he knew one thing: he was blind but now he could see. The authorities increased the pressure, finally stripping the man of many privileges accorded a Jewish citizen. But God is faithful! Jesus showed up to provide support and supply the key missing piece in his knowledge.

"Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?' 'Who is he, sir?' the man asked. 'Tell me so that I may believe in him.'

Jesus said, 'You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.'

Then the man said, 'Lord, I believe,' and he worshiped him." (John 9:35-38, NIV).

Jesus had now become the man's Lord. He worshiped Jesus, his Lord. The Lord – the Light of the world, the way, the truth, the life, full of grace and truth, the good shepherd. We are all worshipers. What better example can we follow than the example of this man in John 9, and worship the Lord, the Almighty, all loving God! He will never leave us nor forsake us.

"... God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" Hebrews 13:5 (NIV)

