When you see someone running past with little white headphones jammed in their ears, you probably assume they're listening to some type of rock and roll to keep them motivated. When you see me running past, in all likelihood I'm listening to a sermon. When you preach on a regular basis, you have no idea how enjoyable it is to listen to someone else speak!
The other day, I was reminded of a powerful principle from a message by Rob Bell. Bell pastors a large church in Grand Rapids, MI. And while I may not completely agree with some of his theology, I find his heart, his passion, and his insight very refreshing. He said something that reinforced an idea which God has been planting in my own heart during our summer "Miracles" series.
He points out that in the John chapter 2 miracle of water being turned into wine, Jesus never turns the water into wine. I know, this sounds redundant, but go look it up. At no point does Jesus command the water to turn, say a prayer and ask it to turn, or perform any physical act that might induce such a transformation. Instead, we see Jesus' mother instructing the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. Jesus tells them to fill jars to the brim with water, and when they follow his instructions, the jars overflow with wine. Make no doubt- Jesus is the source and the power of the miracle- but who does the miracle? When the servants do what Jesus asks them to do, they are the ones who literally do the miracle. And at the end of the miracle, we see that the master is pleased.
Is this perhaps a Biblical picture of what miracles look like? When servants of Jesus obey His commands, miraculous things happen. And the Master is pleaed. For me, this is motivating because I frequently find myself sitting around waiting for God to do something amazing. I'm waiting for Jesus to get up and go pour water into jars so it can become wine, when He has asked me to do the job. Throughout Scripture, God invites people to become part of the miracle- to act in obedience to Him and then watch while amazing things occur.
As you journey in simple obedience, may His power flow through you and lead you into miracles.
Nick
1 comment:
Very good words Nick. Now that we have the Easthills web site as our web page, I will read when you write. I may not comment, but I will always read it. Blogging is new territory for me.
Thank you for being my pastor.
Rene' Rennells
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