December 22, 2013 (John 12, 13, 14)
From The Life Journal of Adam Proux:
Scripture: “But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in Him.” John 12:37 NLT
Observation: For over three years Jesus had been from town to town performing many miracles. Blinded eyes were opened, the lame were made to walk, water was turned into the best wine, storms that raged were silenced and stilled, and water was even walked on. Not to mention the thousands that were fed on the countryside with just a few loafs of bread and a couple of small fish. What about all the people that had been healed of various diseases? How could this very religious nation witness all of these wonderful acts of love and then desire to kill the Messiah they had been told to look for? Their hearts were hard and they could not understand, and their eyes were blind and they could not see.
Application: The way the Jewish nation rejected Christ and treated Him can be a very important example of learning for us. The Jews were so enamored by religion that all of their service had become about them and nothing about God. The religious leaders were more concerned about their public reputation and receiving praise from the people. They enjoyed their power and were determined to hold on to it even if it meant committing murder. They secretly planned and schemed for quite some time how they could take the life of Christ. But in the end they didn’t take His life, He gave it. So many times Jesus vanished from their midst and escaped their murderous plots of opportunity. Yet their eyes were so blind and their hearts so hard they could not realize the importance of his escape. Christ knew when His time had come and He did not fight against God’s plan.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me know when my time has come, help me be willing submit to You and not fight against Your plan. Open my eyes that I can see! Soften my heart so that I can understand. Help me not miss You among all the religious activities I do. Remind me often Lord, it’s not about me, it’s all about You, in Jesus name, Amen!