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Today: Proverbs 12:28; Proverbs 13:1-9; John 14; 1 Samuel 14:24-52; 1 Samuel 15
John 14
The movers came yesterday and carted away all our furniture. We close on June 1 so for the next week we’ll be camping out in our empty house on sleeping pads.
I’ve talked openly about my emotional battle with this move, how difficult it has been to say goodbye to our beautiful house and garden. But this past month has been full of astounding victory, peace and joy. Now as I sit in my empty house I feel only deep gratitude and profound contentment. God has worked an amazing miracle in my soul! I am so thankful for my previous struggle because otherwise I wouldn’t have experienced such a miraculous shift.
A couple of mornings ago, I was sitting on my porch playing my guitar and worshipping. As I was singing, I noticed a piece of paper with something written on it sitting on a box (our whole house was full of boxes!) across the room. I could not tell what it was or read the writing, but in my spirit I heard God say, “That paper has a message for you. Read it after you finish your time with Me this morning.”
So I did. The paper was a laminated card from Craig’s grandmother’s funeral in 1990 (!!!!). Of course, we’ve been sifting through and rearranging our entire lives as we prepare to move. Craig probably ran across this funeral card somewhere as he was boxing things up. But when I later asked him about it, he had no memory of seeing it or putting it on that box on the porch.
My message was the verse on the back of the card:
“Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:1-3
And then the very next day, guess what verse showed up in my scheduled Bible reading for that day??? I just LOVE it when God does things like that!!
Thank You, Jesus, for that comforting message right now as our lives are in upheaval. Jesus has a plan for us. We don’t know what it is but He does. We don’t need to be anxious or troubled. He’s got this. We only need to trust Him…
John 14
John 14 contains some of the most beautiful promises of Jesus. It also contains yet more examples of Jesus claiming to be God and to be the only way to salvation…
First one:
“The one who has seen Me has seen the Father.” John 14:9
And:
“The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.” John 14:21
Yet another one:
“If anyone loves Me, he will follow My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.” John 14:23
The we’ll save the most well-known for last:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
Interesting fact about John 14:6. The Jewish Tabernacle was divided into three main sections referred to as “The Way” (the single entryway into the Tabernacle); “The Truth” (the Holy Place containing the lampstand, table of showbread, and the altar of incense); and “The Life” (the Most Holy Place which contained the Ark of the Covenant, where the presence of God dwelled). When God gave Moses such specific instructions about how to build the Tabernacle, He was actually foreshadowing Jesus. And when Jesus made this statement to the Jewish listeners, they would have immediately understood the connection to their temple layout. They would have clearly understood that Jesus was implying that He was the single way to access the Most Holy Place, the presence of God.
1 Samuel 15
“Does the LORD have as much delight in burnt offering and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22
I always cringe inside when I hear people say something like, “Me and God, we have an ‘understanding.'”
Nope.
Doesn’t work that way.
People are always trying to make deals with God to get something THEY want by telling God they will do something they think HE wants… God, if you give me this, I will do this… God, if you do this for me, I promise I’ll never do that again… King Saul was trying this sort of dealmaking with the LORD in 1 Samuel 15. God had told Saul to destroy EVERYTHING in Amelek. But Saul kept the good stuff for himself. Then when got caught eh said he only kept it to sacrifice to the LORD.
Yeah, right, Saul…
Nope.
Doesn’t work that way.
God is in charge, period. He has a plan and His plan is the THE plan whether we understand it, or agree with it, or not. WE don’t get to make deals or bargains with God.
