Jacob's Well

It was a typical blistering Saturday afternoon in the middle of August in Tempe, Arizona and Bobby was making his way down a rural stretch of road that was void of any buildings for over 50 miles. Bobby had decided to go out for a ride on his new Honda Motard motorcycle and was planning on enjoying a few hours of wind and road.

Fifteen minutes into the ride, Bobby noticed another biker parked on the side of the road. It looked like the guy was having some sort of trouble, so Bobby stopped and asked the guy if he needed any help.

After over an hour working on the Harley in the 115 degree heat, Bobby eventually helped the guy get his bike working well enough to ride. Bobby insisted that he'd follow the guy home (45 miles from the current location) to make sure he made it back without any difficulty.

Before the guy on the Harley turned down the street toward his house, he waved Bobby over and handed him his business card. Bobby pulled out his wallet and did the same. Each gave the other a silent wave and off they went in separate directions. Bobby never even considered the fact that he had gone out of his way. He was in the mindset that if a fellow biker needed help, then he would help. It was just an unwritten rule of the road.

* * *

What this story doesn't tell you is that the guy on the Harley was actually the CEO of the same company that Bobby worked for. It wasn't until Bobby got home and cleaned out his pockets that he read the business card. He nearly choked on his Coke when he read the title... "CEO".

After reading the business card, Bobby's shock must have closely resembled the Samaritan women who spoke with Jesus at Jacob's Well in John 4. Here Jesus tells her that He knows who she is, the number of husbands that she's had, and that He is the Christ. I can't help but try and picture the look that must have been on the woman's face when she heard those words. I'm sure you could have heard a pin drop.

The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

John 4:25-26

The point is that we never really know who we are going to meet throughout our journey in life. Many people that we meet, might only be placed in our lives for a short time. Others might be with us for many years. However, one thing is for certain...we will all see Christ one day and stand before Him to give account.

As you walk down this road in life, allow others see Christ in you so that you can see (and enjoy) the surprise on their face as you remain obedient to God and emulate the footsteps of Christ.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

"I thirst"

After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

John 19:28 (KJV)

For six agonizing hours Jesus suffered and carried upon Him the sins of the world as He was crucified. The "thirst" mentioned in John 19:28 was probably much more than a physical thirst, it was spiritual. Because Jesus was covered in our sins, He was separated from the Father and probably felt completely empty inside.

As human beings, we all have felt emptiness in our lives. These feelings can be brought on by disappointment, despair, guilt, loss, uncertainty, etc. Yet, throughout the Bible the Word of God continuously hits on one key point...Love.

God thirsts for our love.

Time and time again we are given chance after chance to redeem ourselves and ask for forgiveness. If God were not a loving and forgiving God then none of us would stand a chance at gaining eternal life.

It's easy to validate this statement because the most well known verse in the Bible proves it.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:16 (KJV)

This point is also echoed in the words that Jesus spoke to St. Margaret Mary Alocoque when He said to her..."I so ardently thirst to be loved by men in the Most Blessed Sacrament that this thirst devours me..."

Do you thirst for Christ? Are you empty inside, do you feel alone, unmotivated or maybe just a little afraid of what's next in your life?

Then take a moment to quench your thirst by reaching out to Jesus.

If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

John 7:37 (KJV)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Jesus' First Miracle

In John 2, Mary, Jesus and his disciples attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It is assumed that Mary might have been in some way related to the family of the bride or groom. This makes even more sense when Mary tells Jesus that the wedding party had run out of wine. Jesus responds by saying…

4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.

At that time, the term “Woman” was used out of respect and it seemed that Jesus was either implying that his time to work public miracles had not yet come, or that the time for Him to die for our sins had not yet arrived. Either way, Mary turned to Jesus for help as she certainly believed that he could do something. So, Mary turned to the servants and said...

5 Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

Then Jesus said…

7 Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

Essentially, this was Jesus’ first miracle where he turned over 30 gallons of water in fine wine and it was the beginning of a very long string of miracles that he performed while He was with His Apostles. For the Gospel says...

11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

God bless you. And this is for His Glory.

Perfection...or lack thereof

At times, I can’t help but feel like a hypocrite. There are situations where the stresses of life take over and I act in a manner that is far from being a Christian. I know that this is part of being human, for we are not perfect. Actually, no one is perfect except for God. However, I always end up feeling like I let Him down, my family down, and even myself down when I act in a foolish manner.

Why is it so hard to love our neighbor as ourselves? Why is it so hard to resist saying something in response to something that was said to us? Why is it so hard to put other people first?

Each day we are faced with temptation. The devil’s hatred of God is beyond our comprehension and he works 24/7/365 to try and get us to sin. It is through sin that the devil wins these small battles that take us farther away from God’s grace. However, through faith and perseverance, it is up to us win the war. By “winning the war” I am referring to resisting temptation, obeying God’s words, and bouncing back when you’re faith is down. We do this with one goal in mind - so that we have a chance to pass though the gates of Heaven on our day of judgment.

So how do we win the war against sin? First and foremost, we must familiarize ourselves with God’s word, i.e. the Bible. We must commit ourselves to thinking and acting in the way that the Bible tells us to. This is indeed a repetitive act and becomes much more than a “one time shot”…it is a lifetime commitment. The hard part is more in the execution than it is in absorbing His word.

27My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

28I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

30I and the Father are one."

John 10:27-30


Final Thoughts -

When we think about it - doesn’t if feel better when we do something good? In times when we inadvertently distance ourselves from God, doesn’t something just not feel right? We will all be judged on our actions, our in-actions, and the thoughts within our hearts.

So, the next time you are about to respond or act in a highly emotional manner consider the following verse from the Book of Romans before you act.

16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.

18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

Romans 12:16-19

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Doubts

There are going to be times when each of us has our doubts about our faith. Just like any other day, some are good and some...not so good. We are human, not perfect like God and therefore will slip every once in a while. The key is to not let our downward slide go on for too long.

One of the definitions behind the sin of Sloth is laziness. And as I've stated in my prior posting on Sloth, this laziness is physically, mentally, and spiritually. Let me repeat - it is a spiritual laziness toward the Lord. Think about why we were put on this earth. Was it for our pleasure or God's? God created man to obtain joy and pleasure through our obedience to Him. Our job is to glorify His name every day through our actions or our inactions.

When I listen to the versus in the Bible, I can't help but think about how divinely wise the Lord is in His teachings. There is no way that these verses could have been crafted by the hands of men. The scriptures were guided by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The devil wants us to doubt. He loves it when we start "thinking" about how the earth was created or how ridiculous it seems that the earth was so vastly populated by just two human beings. He plants the seeds of doubt within us in the hope that we will loose faith and slip.

I'd argue that staying spiritually strong is tougher than anything a person can do. Why? Because it is not easy to carry ones cross. It is not easy to follow the path of the Lord. But, if we stay faithful and obediently follow his words, we will be rewarded.

Stay strong in your faith my friends. For it's not how many times you slip in your faith...it's how many times you're willing to get back up and keep fighting.

14For many are called, but few are chosen.

Matthew 22:14

Final Thoughts -

Even some of the men closest to Jesus Christ had their doubts. Even after witnessing countless miracles, some of Jesus' Apostles still may not have fully been convinced that he was the Lord. And do not doubt that the devil was working overtime to turn them - and in fact did turn the one named Judas of Iscariot (for this was God's will).

I leave you with this passage from the Holy Gospel according to John:

Jesus Appears to Thomas

24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"

But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"

27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

28Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

29Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

John 20:24-29

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Crucifixion

From the Gospel of John - Crucifixion

So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Gol'gotha.

There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.

Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."
Many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.

The chief priests of the Jews then said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'"

Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written."

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfil the scripture, "They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots."

So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag'dalene.

When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!"

Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the scripture), "I thirst."

A bowl full of vinegar stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth.

When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished"; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.