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This was the first time Jesus had ministered in Jerusalem. Multitudes believed on Him when they saw the miracles He performed (v. 23). This looked like a perfect opportunity for Jesus to take these people and use them to spread the news far and wide that He was the Christ. Instead Jesus did just the opposite. He didn't want people proclaiming His gospel in their own ability.
This reveals an attitude of Jesus which is lacking among many Christians today. Jesus is more concerned with the quality of ministry than the quantity of ministry. In contrast, today's Christians often feel that "the end justifies the means."
We take new converts and place them in leadership--which is directly opposed to the Bible's instructions (1 Tim. 3:6). Many times movie stars or other famous people...
Jesus brought the message of "love your enemies" to the world and demonstrated it in such a way that some people have forgotten instances like this when Jesus showed anger. Anger can also be a godly emotion.
Ephesians 4:26, tells us to "be angry and sin not". This means there is a righteous type of anger which is not sin. This is why we are told to hate evil (Ps. 45:7; 119:104, 163; Pro. 8:13; Rom. 12:9).
Ephesians 4:26, goes on to say, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath". That doesn't mean that it's alright to be angry during daylight as long as we repent by nightfall. Rather, it is speaking of this righteous type of anger. We are never to let it rest. Don't ever put...
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Wow, we made through Jan and now here comes the FEB 2018 Chart with a little...
HAVE YOU EVER LET ANYONE CHEAT YOU OUT OF YOUR MIRACLE? SOME PEOPLE DO THIS AND DON'T EVEN REALIZE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE. HAVE YOU EVER WORRIED WHAT PEOPLE WOULD SAY OR THINK ABOUT YOU WHEN YOU ARE ASKING JESUS FOR YOUR MIRACLE? SOMETIMES THIS IS A PROBLEM IN RECEIVING YOUR MIRACLE. IF THE BLIND MAN IN MARK 10:48 HAD LET THE PEOPLE DISTRACT HIM, HE WOULD NOT HAVE RECEIVED HIS SIGHT. IT SAYS "And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me."
God has been represented as a God who is on a tight budget and who disapproves of us asking for anything more than just the necessities. However, this first miracle of Jesus disproves that.
Scholars suggest that a firkin was equal to about nine U.S. gallons. This would mean that six of these water pots would hold 162 gallons of wine. That's a lot of wine!
In a similar instance when Jesus was asked to provide food for the multitude, He once again supplied more than the need (Mt. 14:15-21; Mk. 6:33-44; Lk. 9:11-17).
These examples show the Lord's willingness to meet our needs with plenty to spare. God is not cheap!
Today, don't limit God to barely meeting your needs. If you have enough, then believe for...
Mary knew Jesus as no one else did at this point. The Bible supplies no details of the childhood of Jesus except his trip to Jerusalem at twelve years of age, but it is certain that Mary knew Jesus was no ordinary man. Her request of Jesus to provide the guests with more wine reflects her belief that He could do things others could not.
Her instructions to the servants were, "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." This shows that she not only knew Jesus could work miracles, but she knew His way of doing things did not always conform to conventional thought. Sure enough, Jesus told the servants to fill the pots with water and then take it to the governor of the feast.
This defied logic! Everyone there knew the guests wanted more wine, not water. Yet these servants, at Mary's...
HAVE YOU EVER REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT JESUS' NAME? NOT JESUS, HIMSELF, BUT JUST HIS NAME AND WHAT POWER IT CARRIES. LOOK WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT HIS NAME IN PHILIPPIANS 2:9-11 " Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
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Nathanael suffered from a skepticism that afflicts many people today.
However, it is to his credit that he came to the Lord and gave Him a chance to prove who He was.
We can only speculate what it was that Jesus saw Nathanael doing under that fig tree (v. 50), but it is very clear that it was something that proved beyond a doubt that Jesus was the Christ.
Jesus didn't rebuke Nathanael for his doubts, instead he removed them. The Lord has an answer for every doubt that we have. We need to be without guile before the Lord as Nathanael was (v. 47) and come to Him when we are plagued with doubts instead of running from Him or avoiding Him.
Jesus knows our frame. He remembers that we are but dust (Ps. 103:14). It is not a sin...