Category Archives: Common things

Shadows, the good kind.

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Last week, we discussed how shadows can be harmful to our faith. We can be afraid of the shadows in life. But we also know that God is light and the shadows have no power against God. Click here if you want to read last week’s post.

Ponder your shadow for a moment.

Other than our vision, how else do we perceive a shadow?

You can’t touch it. Rather, it touches you. Do you feel it?

It makes no sound and you certainly can’t taste it.

But can a shadow interact with our physical world?

As with most (probably all things) things, we can look to God’s Word for some answers.

Dealing with shadows is no different.

Here are the verses in Acts that originally prompted me to write about shadows in the first place.

“12The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.” Acts 5:12-16 NIV

Did you catch v. 15? Apparently, there was power in Peter’s shadow!

I see a process here. If I may, let me break that process into each step.

  1. Verse 14 says that “more and more…believed…” God was doing miraculous work in peoples’ spiritual lives.
  2. Verse 15 states, “As a result…”. Result of what? The salvation that these people were experiencing. The people must have been thinking that God can heal physical issues as well as spiritual issues.
  3. Faith was being bolstered by the numbers of salvations. When people get saved, there is always rejoicing.
  4. Due to this new hardy faith, people were taking physical action. It seems that action will follow a decision.
  5. This action led them to find the disciples, specifically, Peter. Verse 12 explains the interest in find these men.
  6. Faith surpasses proximity. Peter did not even need to touch these people. God’s power finds people of faith.
  7. Physical healings took place. God will sometimes meet spiritual needs before physical needs. Other times, it is reveresed. Either way, it was evident that there was an outpouring of God’s power.
  8. God gets the glory. Regardless of how the healing happens or even if it spiritual or physical, God is the one who is doing the healing. Yes, Peter was involved but God only because God chose to use him in this moment.
St Peter Following St John As He Heals The Sick With Shadow" Paper Art, 34"x46" - Traditional - Prints And Posters - by Global Gallery

While we live through our days, we encounter negative shadows practically every day. But God is so faithful. He can turn bad, fearful, and scary shadows into live-giving shadows.

First of all, look to God. Desire Him, not what He can do.

Once we get that priority straight, God can start to move us through the process I described earlier.

Because God is all-powerful and equally mysterious, He will do what He wants, when He wants to.

Keep close to Him and enjoy the ride!

A life lived for God is never lived in disappointment!

Jars

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Cup. Pencil. Hat. Blanket. Socks. Couch. Jar.

And the list goes on. That list being the ordinary, boring, even mundane things of our lives.

But even if these things are mundane, they can be important.

Check out these verses from John 2:

“6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. b7Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.”

My previous post explained the miracle that Jesus performed.

This post shows us that the normal everyday things can be used in miraculous ways.

These jars were common in every household. Servants would use the water to wash feet. Nothing special about the jars.

Until Jesus got a hold of them.

I like the next part. They filled them to the brim.

When Jesus is requesting something of you, go all out!

You can read the rest of the story on your own. I just wanted to highlight the use of the jars.

We all have jars in our life. The simple things. The mundane things.

In the hands of Jesus, they could provide miracles. We don’t always know what Jesus will do but we can always be ready.

Here are my jars Lord. They are filled to the brim.

Components of a Miracle

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Ever experienced a miracle?

Before we talk about miracles, let’s review:

  • John 2 starts with a wedding.
  • It was in a small town not far from Nazereth.
  • Jesus was there.
  • His mother and disciples were also present
  • They had all been invited

For a more detailed review, here are links to the first three posts:

Better than a Golden Ticket

Golden Ticket = Invitation

The “Gold” in Golden Ticket

Now on to the miracle!

I wrote this line as a teaser in the last post:

The Messiah can bring meaning through miracles.

My thoughts on miracles are this:

All miracles require Opportunity and Ability

Initially, there must be a need for a miracle; opportunity.

In this story, the wine has run out. Not a good thing.

The host would have been disgraced. Many people would be disappointed or even upset. The festivities would have to be cut short. The reputation of the couple would be tarnished from this disaster.

In short, they needed more wine. The opportunity has presented itself.

Flip the coin, we need to identify the ability half of this miracle.

Up to this point, Jesus has not performed any miracles of which we are aware. He is relativity unknown. But his mother is there.

Luke 2:19 tells is that Mary “pondered these things in her heart…”

I think that Mary knew who her son was when he was born. Having children of my own, I know things about them that no one else does. My wife, their mother, just knows our kids.

Moms just know.

So she tells Jesus (Ability) to do something about the problem.

And Jesus obeys his mother.

And performs his first miracle. Water into wine!

Now, this wedding, that was surely to be written off as a superb mistake, can be remembered as an event with special meaning!

The Messiah gave meaning because of the miracle!

Do ever feel like your life is like this wedding?

You are embarrassed because you failed.

Your reputation is tainted.

People are gossiping about you.

Your friends and perhaps even your family are disgraced.

Sounds you have plenty of Opportunity in your life.

If you invite Jesus, you now have Ability present in your life.

And, as far as this author is concerned, you have all you need for a miracle.

May the Messiah bring meaning into your mess through a miracle.

God bless you.

The “Gold” in Golden Ticket

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A man was wearing a new gold watch he received as a birthday present. While visiting a busy park, he bumped into another person. Only a few seconds passed before he noticed that his watch was missing. He turned to see the pickpocket running away. As loud as he could, he yelled, “AU, that is not your watch”

Hope you enjoyed the chemistry pun!

On a serious note, why is gold so valuable?

When you read the stories of the Bible and gold is mentioned, it means that the stuff made of gold is important. It has high quality. Perhaps it is the best that it can be.

It also represents royalty. Kings and queens wear gold, not commoners.

Jesus was at the wedding in Cana because he had an invite. His ministry, and by extension his power, was not known yet.

But we know more of Jesus because of what our Bibles tell us. Jesus is also the King of Kings. That means he gets to wear a crown.

A crown made of gold. The best kind of crown there is.

Another name for Jesus is Messiah. This mean that he is ‘the anointed one’, the Christ, the Savior.

When you invite the Messiah, he brings meaning into your life.

The ordinary wedding in Cana turned into a magnificent display of the power of God.

Jesus, the Messiah, brought purpose and meaning to that place.

He can do the same for you and I.

If you have read any of my blogs, you know that I typically will use alliteration. I think it helps to remember stuff. So, with that thought in mind, here is a preview of the next two posts:

The Messiah can bring meaning through miracles.

The Messiah can use the mundane to work miracles.

But for now, just know that inviting Jesus is the best idea. He is worth more than gold. There is always value when Jesus shows up.

 

Golden Ticket = Invitation

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This is just a picture from the internet. I did not take the time to watch the movie to see what the ticket actually looked like. No problem.

For my purpose, I am interested in the symbolism of the ticket, not the actual ticket.

Just hold that thought about symbolism for a moment.

Here are the two verses that begin in Ch. 2 of John:

“1On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ” NIV

Examine these words with me.

  • On the third day…Jesus had been baptized by John just three days prior. Before that, he was nobody. As in, he had not started his ministry yet. The crowds that yearned for signs and wonders had not yet formed. No one knew what Jesus could do…yet.
  • A wedding took place…weddings in ancient Israel were magnificent events. Lasting many days, there was much joy and feasting. It was common for many family and friends to be a part of all that was happening. Even though weddings are special occasions, they are not unique. They are common. It was normal for a wedding to occur. Along with being common, they were accessible. Anyone could get married or be part of the wedding ceremony. There was nothing out of the ordinary with this wedding.
  • At Cana in Galilee…just another small town. It was near where Jesus would have grown up. But really, nothing stand out about this location.
  • Jesus’ mother was there…perhaps the bride or groom was a family friend of the family. We simply don’t know the details. Mary’s presence is important though, as we will see.
  • And Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding...can you imagine a wedding where Jesus and his rugged band of brothers show up? Probably a single bridesmaid’s dream!

And now we come to the point.

Jesus was invited to a wedding.

Big deal, right? Maybe not at first but ponder this for a moment:

What if you invited Jesus to your ________________? (Put whatever occasion, event, or situation you would like in the blank.)

I ended my previous post with this question: If you were the one sending out golden tickets, who would you invite?

In the biblical story, did the happy couple realize just who it was that they invited when an invite was sent to Jesus?

I doubt it.

You and I have golden tickets to hand out every day.

Going to work or school. Making a meal at home. Spending time with family or friends. Playing golf or having a drink with an old friend.

You get the idea.

Jesus is anxiously waiting to get his golden ticket from you. He really wants to be a part of your life and mine. Yes, our messy, busy, crazy, screwed up lives.

You don’t have a clue as to the possibilities that Jesus brings from being present in your life. I don’t either.

But I think we could stand to find out. Don’t you?

My next post is where we will discover the possibilities of Jesus being at a wedding.

But for now, send out your own invites. Get those golden tickets out there!