God’s Greatest Work

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

             Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:  “Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.  And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17: 1-4.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            Throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ, he continually referred to an hour; a time that had not yet come.  None of his disciples knew what he was referring to in this scripture; it wasn’t until after his resurrection that they understood he was speaking about his crucifixion.  Jesus accomplished so many good works; the healings, the miracles; and yet his greatest work would be the cross.  He is looking forward to when God will raise him up to a place of honor.  Jesus says, “and this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”  The cross tells us about God; the cross is an invitation; a love-letter sent out to every human being, inviting them to fall in love with the creator of all things.  Have you accepted that invitation yet? 

             As an oil painter, when I paint I don’t paint merely for my own pleasure; I am always mindful of those who will see the painting when it is finished.  Every sculptor who sculpts a masterpiece, doesn’t put it in a storage locker when he completes it; rather, he puts it on a pedestal, or places it on display in a museum, or in the center of some fountain in a city square.

             When the Hubble space telescope captured the first images of the distant Galaxies, with their beautiful colors, nebulae, and gas clouds large enough to swallow the sun, we saw first hand, some of God’s creation.  When the electron microscope was pointed into a cell, we discovered that it was more complex than the space shuttle.  When we see a brand new baby most don’t realize they began as a single cell, no bigger than the period at the end of a sentence; all of the information on how to build your dad, your grandmother, your son or daughter, was held within that single cell; a genetic blueprint from which even you were formed.  God created those blueprints.  Yet, within this enormous universe, out of every work ever displayed, Jesus Christ upon the cross is God’s masterpiece.  We can still look to that masterpiece today and admire God.  He loves us, and his work of love was accomplished by way of crucifixion.

             “Lord Heavenly Father, we praise You.  Your work upon the cross is what we look too, and we see Your glory, and we thank You.  Father, continue to help us to look to You in love.  Help us to pick up our crosses daily so that others would see Your Glory in our sacrifice as well.  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.”

Doing the Word of God

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

       “But why do you call me Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6: 46.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

       The term ‘Lord,’ or ‘Master,’ is a title that implies supreme authority.  Every master employs servants; and a faithful servant obeys his master without question.  An unfaithful servant says he will obey but doesn’t.  Although the faithful and the unfaithful may both hear the word of God, hearing alone accomplishes very little.  Many atheists have read the bible; even those who hate Christ may have some knowledge of scripture; the devil himself excels in his understanding of divine truth.  Yet understanding and knowledge are meaningless without genuine obedience.  What distinguishes the faithful from the unfaithful isn’t years of contemplation or careful study; rather, it is the application of God’s word to daily living.  Only those who fully implement the teachings of Jesus Christ can truly call themselves servants of the living God.

       Jesus said, “You are the light of the world […] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  Some time ago, after reading this scripture, I chose to implement it; I bought brownies for the coffee shop employees and attached a card thanking them for their wonderful service.  I then delivered brownies to the bank employees.  I also purchased and delivered a small snack to an acquaintance who works at the grocery store; and another to a friend in the coffee shop.  I gave a gift to an employee at the gym.  I then bought and delivered a toy to the church office for the toy drive.  While answering the prayer lines at the church I gave gifts to everyone in the front office.  When I arrived at work later in the day, I handed a gift to my co-worker.  Then I shared my dinner with the client I was working for at that time.  Because I had been obedient to the teachings of the Lord, he used me to bring Him Glory.  Being exposed to God’s commandments is important; but applying them is perhaps even more critical.

       Reading the word of God is merely half of an absolutely essential task.  To listen to a sermon is to receive inspiration that demands application.  Faith in its most complete form is an action.  Faithful servants are therefore those who hear the words of Jesus Christ and do them.  If you desire obedience, become familiar with your masters teachings; read His word daily, and seek to carry out His desires in the lives of all those you meet. [Note:  In the bible, ‘The Sermon on the Mount’ is the most concise and condensed summary of the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Become acquainted with this section of scripture.  The discourse begins in Mathew Chapter 5 verse 1, and ends in Mathew chapter 7, verse 27.]   

       “Lord Jesus Christ, we want to be doers of Your word and not hearers only.  May Your inspiration find its application in our lives.  Teach us Your precepts and fill our hearts with Your commands.  Give us the opportunities to accomplish Your will in this world.  May all of our deeds exemplify Your love for others.  May we lay down our lives to serve You; our Lord and our master!  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 name, amen.”  God bless all of you.

Receiving the Message

~ servantone1

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 was speaking directly to God in the presence of his disciples.  He identified his task, and acknowledged that it had been completed.  His task was to make God known to all those willing to listen.  The true children of God listened to Jesus, accepted him as God’s messenger, and received his words as the very words of God.  God gave those children (the disciples), to Jesus, to teach, to love, to protect, and to nurture.  Today, God is still selecting people out of the world, to be his eternal possessions.  Anyone who accepts the message of Jesus Christ, has become a true child of God.  We believe his words are God’s words; we believe his ways are God’s ways; and we believe his followers are God’s followers.  Those who follow God are saved, but those who choose to ignore His message will perish.

          In 1912 the Titanic slipped beneath the icy evening waves of the Atlantic Ocean; nearly 1000 people joined it on its journey to the bottom of the ocean depths.  There weren’t enough lifeboats to carry all of the passengers; but no one needed to die.  Most are unaware that there was a large ship named ‘The Californian,’ less than 20 miles away that evening (close enough to have saved most of Titanic’s passengers.)  ‘The Californian’ received distress calls from the Titanic (via radio and lamps;) they also saw 8 distress flares, and 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 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 in to 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 would speculate that the Captain simply didn’t take the messages seriously.  He heard the reports, but he 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 very cold world.  Some see the signals, and they are drawn to him.  They see Jesus, and realize that he is God’s message, and because they believe 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; for that they will perish in darkness.  Jesus Christ is God’s message to you.  Will you respond to that message?  Those who respond follow Jesus and dedicate their lives to spreading his message to others.  The initial response is your belief?  Do you believe today that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and that by your faith in him you have eternal life?

          “Lord heavenly Father, we come before You, and we ask that You please accept our allegiance to You and to Your Son.  We desire to be Yours, and we believe Your message, and we accept Your word.  We await the life you have promised, 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 in to life.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.”  God bless all of you.