JESUS SPEAKING
“I have manifested your name to the men whom you have given me out of the world. They were Yours, you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they have known that all things which you have given me are from you. For I have given them the words which you have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from you; and they have believed that that You sent me” (John 17: 6-8.)
INSPIRED THOUGHTS
Jesus began speaking directly to God in the presence of his disciples. He identified his task and acknowledged that it had been accomplished. His duty was to make God known to all those who were willing to listen. The true children of God heard Jesus, accepted him as God’s messenger, and received his words as the words of God. The Lord had given the disciples to Jesus; to teach, to love, to protect, and to nurture. Today, God is still selecting individuals out of the world, to become His eternal possessions. Anyone who accepts the message of Jesus Christ is a true child of God. Those who follow God are saved, but those who choose to ignore His message will perish.
In 1912 the Titanic slipped beneath the icy waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Nearly 1000 people joined the ship on its journey to the bottom of the ocean. Although there weren’t enough lifeboats to carry all of the passengers, no one truly needed to die. Most people are unaware that a large ship named ‘The Californian’ was less than 20 miles away that night (close enough to have saved most of Titanic’s passengers.) ‘The Californian’ received the distress calls from the Titanic (via radio communication and lamps;) they even observed nearly 8 distress flares, and the crew members later testified that the Titanic appeared to be listing in the water (leaning to one side.) No one but God knows why, but for some reason the captain of ‘The Californian’ didn’t seem to take these messages seriously; he returned to bed after hearing the reports. During an official inquiry into the captain’s actions, he remained elusive, continually changing his story; he even made attempts to doctor the log book and change their reported position on the evening of the tragedy. The real circumstances of his inaction were never clear. Many however went on to speculate that the Captain simply didn’t take the messages seriously. He had heard the reports, but didn’t believe them, and for that reason 1000 people lost their lives.
Jesus Christ, and the words that he spoke are God’s signal flares in a very dark and frigid world. Some see the signals, and they are drawn to Him. They see Jesus and know that He is God’s message, and because they believe in that message they are saved from death. Sadly, no matter how many flares He sends up pointing to His Son, most will never take God’s message seriously. Jesus Christ is God’s message to us all. Those who respond, will follow Jesus and dedicate their lives to spreading His message. The initial response is your belief? Do you believe today that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and that because of your faith in Him you have been granted eternal life?
“Lord heavenly Father, we come before You and we ask that You increase our faith. We desire to be Yours, and we believe Your message and accept Your words. We await the life You have promised us, and we ask that you strengthen us in this world to do Your work. Give us a desire to spread Your message to others, that we would make more disciples, and bring others out of death and into life. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.” God bless all of you!
Jesus Speaks 