If Jesus loves life, how is it His followers so often don't?
Drums beating, feet stamping, flutes whistling in the evening light meet you head on with the aroma of roasted lamb, a cacophony of deep laughs and the din of what seems like a thousand conversations. This is a feast! A grand wedding celebration to be precise. So fancy were the hosting families that they even hired a MC to sort everything out and make sure everyone of their hundreds of guests remained entertained, well fed and had plenty to drink.
You can still find scenes like this today in the Middle East, and even if perhaps the hosts are not as affluent and may not have all the food, nothing can dampen the joy, dancing and liveliness of such momentous occasions. These guys know how to party!
Amazingly enough, this was the precise scene Jesus chose to manifest His glory to His disciples! It wasn't in a house of worship, on a lonely country road or in the presence of the religious leaders of the land, but in a celebration somewhere in the scenic rural area of Galilee.
They had run out of wine and... well you know the story. At the prodding of His mom, He ordered the servants to fill the jars (yes, jars... capable of holding gallons of liquid... and not just one, but many!) with water, and present the liquid to the MC and as they're on the way, unbeknownst to the MC, it has turned to wine; first class wine, refined, delicious, exquisite! "Why have you kept the best for last?" he asked incredulously after tasting it.
What is God telling you here? What is Jesus showing you about Him? Afterall, Jesus is the express image of the Father. Everyone before had vague premonitions of God's nature to offer on the table, ideas about God so affected by their experiences, culture and times but Jesus shows us today, in utmost clarity the will and nature of our Father in heaven.
I often imagine that Jesus was very lively and warm with children. I see Him walking on rocky mountains paths enjoying His time with the disciples and deeply savoring their presence. I see Him in the fields crouching down, delighting in the soil, the grain, the fruit, the song of birds, colorful beetles, buzzing bees, the gentle summer breeze, or the gurgling music of little streams - as He stands up He sighs with satisfaction looking at the beautiful vistas of the land; His creations!
If you had seen Jesus walking in the crowded urban zones He traversed, you wouldn't have seen a solemn looking man walking with an entourage of intimidating body guards; you would have seen the Son of Man, smiling, laughing, greeting and blessing people genuinely. You would have seen Life Himself, full of all that is good and whole in the Universe.
He is not just The Life... He LOVES Life too!
When you look at the people who follow Christ, do you wonder if perhaps we have missed something? Do we see life and the love of life manifesting naturally in ourselves? And why is it that we don't?
Perhaps it's time we stopped focusing on what we have to do for God and instead absorb the Gospel, namely, what Jesus Christ did for us. I think that when the Body (the real church made up of all who trust in Christ) makes this paradigm shift - from "What must I do for You, God." to "Thank You for doing everything You did and do Father!" then and only then will we relax and be able to exude the Life of Jesus so naturally in everything we do.
Today, enjoy life. Enjoy every moment. The people around you, the place you are in, even the most mundane details of your day. Jesus is with you, every waking and every sleeping moment. Your sins are fully forgiven. The details and troubles of Life, He has already taken care of. He Himself says, "Don't let your heart be troubled, nor let it fear". He says it because He is constantly blessing you! The Life Himself, lives in you. Let's start enjoying Him, enjoying Life and discover our inheritance!
By David Roiel
The Green Leaf Blog-Discover your inheritance!
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| Courtesy of Flickr - slack12 |
Amazingly enough, this was the precise scene Jesus chose to manifest His glory to His disciples! It wasn't in a house of worship, on a lonely country road or in the presence of the religious leaders of the land, but in a celebration somewhere in the scenic rural area of Galilee.
They had run out of wine and... well you know the story. At the prodding of His mom, He ordered the servants to fill the jars (yes, jars... capable of holding gallons of liquid... and not just one, but many!) with water, and present the liquid to the MC and as they're on the way, unbeknownst to the MC, it has turned to wine; first class wine, refined, delicious, exquisite! "Why have you kept the best for last?" he asked incredulously after tasting it.
What is God telling you here? What is Jesus showing you about Him? Afterall, Jesus is the express image of the Father. Everyone before had vague premonitions of God's nature to offer on the table, ideas about God so affected by their experiences, culture and times but Jesus shows us today, in utmost clarity the will and nature of our Father in heaven.
I often imagine that Jesus was very lively and warm with children. I see Him walking on rocky mountains paths enjoying His time with the disciples and deeply savoring their presence. I see Him in the fields crouching down, delighting in the soil, the grain, the fruit, the song of birds, colorful beetles, buzzing bees, the gentle summer breeze, or the gurgling music of little streams - as He stands up He sighs with satisfaction looking at the beautiful vistas of the land; His creations!
If you had seen Jesus walking in the crowded urban zones He traversed, you wouldn't have seen a solemn looking man walking with an entourage of intimidating body guards; you would have seen the Son of Man, smiling, laughing, greeting and blessing people genuinely. You would have seen Life Himself, full of all that is good and whole in the Universe.
He is not just The Life... He LOVES Life too!
When you look at the people who follow Christ, do you wonder if perhaps we have missed something? Do we see life and the love of life manifesting naturally in ourselves? And why is it that we don't?
Perhaps it's time we stopped focusing on what we have to do for God and instead absorb the Gospel, namely, what Jesus Christ did for us. I think that when the Body (the real church made up of all who trust in Christ) makes this paradigm shift - from "What must I do for You, God." to "Thank You for doing everything You did and do Father!" then and only then will we relax and be able to exude the Life of Jesus so naturally in everything we do.
Today, enjoy life. Enjoy every moment. The people around you, the place you are in, even the most mundane details of your day. Jesus is with you, every waking and every sleeping moment. Your sins are fully forgiven. The details and troubles of Life, He has already taken care of. He Himself says, "Don't let your heart be troubled, nor let it fear". He says it because He is constantly blessing you! The Life Himself, lives in you. Let's start enjoying Him, enjoying Life and discover our inheritance!
By David Roiel
The Green Leaf Blog-Discover your inheritance!
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