John’s teaching about Christ, in these two verses, is very enlightening. Most of us have been to a wedding and understand that that day is for noone else but the couple, the bride and the groom. I am going to go to a wedding real soon as a best man, and it is a great joy. I am almost as happy for the groom as I was when I myself was a groom. (Well I only say this because it is my brother so it’s pretty awsome). But in all my joy it is not self centered. It is all for the ones getting married. I have been with him I have talked with him through many areas of his life. We have shared rooms and apartments. His life is moving forward and I am happy, and proud of my brother.
So how does this encourage faith? Marriage is a religious institution, first and formost. I would be glad if it would stay in the religious realm so we can stop debating over the definition. Marriage is a reflection of the relationship between God and His people. A relationship of submission, honor, love, and commitment. These are shown throughout scripture, especially in God’s relationship with the Hebrew people. Marriage should reflect God. Each meber should think first for the other and devote their lives to them. Often they break down because one member stops thinking of the other and devotes ther life to their own desires.
But this isn’t a teaching on a good marriage but a good friend. A friend brings the best out of you. A friend knows your desires, dreams, and hope and they will do all they an to assist you to getting there. That is why we need friends. A friend is the person encouraging you when it seems everyone else is against you. John the baptist was Jesus’s friend, and Jesus returned the same devotion when he says about John “no other man born of a woman is greater than he.” Now if that isn’t encouragment I don’t know what is. Just as in a marriage the friend must deminish their own desires for the sake of the other. In a healthy friendship this is mutual and it doesn’t seem like much of a sacrifice. Those that only take and never give drain a friendship, and both suffer.
The friendship of John and Jesus is one to reflect upon. We don’t hear much about their interactions but we do know that they were very close. This weekend consider your friends, and then compair it to that of John and Jesus. Enjoy that friendship as we enjoy the weekend.
I have been stuck in awe with this teaching Jesus gave to Nicodemus. (John 3:1-21) Here is a pharisee a teacher of Israel and he’s being taught by this traveling preacher. You could sit and reflect for months on these twenty-one verses.
Have you really thought about the whole idea of being born again? Its a term that is so used today we have forgotten what it means in many cases. And to be honest our understanding is much like Nicodemus’s. It is being born. It is labor, it is a process of being in one place and moved through to another. Think about it. It is more than just saying I’m a Christian. It is the process of being involved in spiritual labor. The time we acknowledge our faith in Christ is just the water breaking it isn’t the birth. That is when we as spiritual fetuses start to turn to God and make the journey to the next place.
From that point on we are in a place of transfer, movement, birth. First get these urges these nudges and pushes move. We may not want to but eventually we turn and move. Then we crown our head and mind enter into the realm of God. We begin to gain some understanding. Our eyes are opened into something strange and unknown we are no longer caught in a place where our only focus is ourselves. Next our shoulders and arms are freed and we begin to reach out to do various thing to pull ourselves into this new world. Next our hips emerge and our legs. I think you get the picture.
The thing is that God does most of the work. He provides the way and the means. This is why Nick had such a hard time with the teaching. He like us all thought we provide the means through our sacrifices. But the sacrifices aren’t our way to God they are our way to realise and recognize that God is really involved in every aspect of our lives, our finances, career, family and marriages. Our only place is to acknowledge that God the Father, through Christ, by the Spirit has done this for us. Then we should live accordingly.
Where does condemnation come from? It is our refusal to participate with the work God is doing. Condemnation is like a toddler throwing a fit and holding their breath till they pass out because they don’t get their way. When we think about it isn’t that really what our rebellion from God really is, throwing a fit because we aren’t getting our way?
Today imagine the process of being born again. Recognizing our various trials are like the contractions that are compelling us to the new life. Examine your life and see where we are rebeling and then ask God how we can embrace Him more fully in these.
The worst thing about summer nights are all the insects that seem to gather around the light. We have to be quick to shut the doors at night, or else our houses and cars would be filled with moths and “June” bugs. I really never thought that these annoying beings could teach us anything about life, but then I have found that I am wrong about many things.
Today I consider John 3:16-21, probably the most well known passage in the new testament yet do we understand it?
The fundimentals of the Gospel of Jesus is not that he died for our sins. Sure that’s part of it, but that is not the whole story. The main point is that Jesus came to the world. Have you ever thought of that? Jesus came; He taught, healed, turned water to wine, through tables, and died to shed light on our actions. I’m blown away by this.
Yet we forget this in all the religious aspect of faith. The lists of deeds that show devotion and the acts of service. These are good but are empty without the heart of the message. Jesus came to bring light but we loved darkness because our deeds were evil. This is where moths can teach us a thing or two. It is in their nature to gather around the light. It is annoying but it does show us something about our own natures. We get annoyed by light in many ways. We get annoyed by peopel that gather around the light, especially if they don’t gather around the light like we do. Moths don’t care they gather and want to get as close as posible. They will do whatever they can to get closer to the light. Yet we try to keep them away.
Many groups focus on the judgement of God. I think this misses the point. The gospel is that the Light came to the world not to condemn but to love and share. We condemn ourseleve through our actions. And how we embrace the light. Do we flap our arms to shoo people away or are we doing all we can to get closer and bring other with us?
Today I encourage you to examine your life as I will my own. Are my deeds pointing to the Light or am I pointing to darkness? Do I hide my actions or am I glad to admit to what I do?
May the Light of God shine on you this day!