Jesus meets a man named Nicodemus, who is a Pharisee, one of the smart/educated men of his time, and tells him he must be “born again” to enter the kingdom of heaven. Nicodemus replies, “How are these things possible?” Then Jesus says to him John 3:8, ”The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

Jesus then said, “You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don’t understand these things? I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won’t believe our testimony. But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?” John 3:10-12

Aren’t we like Nicodemus on many occasions. Though we all know there are many mysteries in our world, we often will reject the things we do not understand. However, it is the things God tells us that we don’t understand that are the critical things to accept. Things like, Grace, Eternal Life, the Holy Spirit’s work in people, how God answers prayer, and the many miracles that occur in our world.

I recently read a quote that said, “Failure is a blessing when it forces one to depend less upon material forces and more upon spiritual forces.” This made me stop and think that this is how God would have us live. We should depend more on God’s power than the material things we can understand.

Dear Lord, We tend to think that we must know how things work in order to accept them. But you teach us that we must put our trust and faith in something we do not understand, which is your power and love. Help us make this shift. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

What is love? Pages and pages have been written about the answer to this question. For this note however, I want to narrow the question to what do we do when we love someone? Why do we drop what we are doing when our spouse or child asks for help? Why do we get up in the middle of the night when our relative or close friend calls with an emergency? Because we love them; We do what they ask.

In the same way, if we love God, we will do what He asks. In John 14:15 Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commands.” What does he ask? Follow his instructions. Keep his commandments. Believe what Jesus says and what is taught in the Bible. In Deuteronomy 5 God says he shows his love to generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. So, if we love God, we strive to do what he tells us to do. We find His direction in the Bible, and in our conscience.

Dear Lord help us to demonstrate our love for You by striving to do your will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

One of the challenges some of us have, is thinking, though incorrectly, that it is our job to “convert” people into believers.

Fortunately, our job is not to “convert,” people, it is sharing the Word, the Good News of Salvation that comes to those who believe, and leaving the Holy spirit to work in their hearts.

Paul tells us in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” and in Ephesians 2:8 he says, “by grace we are saved through faith,” and in 1 Corinthians 12:3, “…and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.”

We share the word. The Holy Spirit does the “converting.”

Dear Lord, Help us remember that you are the Savior, we are the witnesses. Give us the strength and wisdom to share your word so the Holy Spirit can bring your saving grace to those who hear. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Most of us are familiar with the parable Jesus tells of the three servants entrusted by their master with his money when the master goes on a trip, recorded in Matthew 25:14-30.

“The master gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.”

When the master returned, he congratulated and celebrated with the two servants who had invested the money (taken risk) and returned more, but scolded the one who buried the money.

The third servant said, “I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! …. “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.”

Jesus was describing how we should use everything we are entrusted with as we wait for his return. Whether the gifts we have are money, intelligence, influence, compassion, or others, we are to overcome our fears, and put these gifts to work on God’s behalf, without fear.

Dear Lord, help us overcome our fear of risking the gifts you gave us, to do your will, bringing you glory and sharing your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Most of us know the basics of the story of Job. Job was a faithful and wealthy man in the Old Testament. God allowed Satan to bring tragedy to Job, and he lost his family, fortune, and health. Through the book, Job attempts to understand why this tragedy was occurring, and his friends come up with a variety of theories why this is happening to Job. Though they cannot figure it out, Job remains faithful. However, as the suffering continues, Job begins complaining and questioning why God would let this happen to him, when he didn’t do anything to deserve it.

Finally a young man Elihu speaks up and tells Job, in my words, “Yes you are having a rough time, but stop complaining. God doesn’t owe you, and it is arrogant for you to think that being good is some kind of gift to God”

In Job 35:12 he tells Job, “And when they [the oppressed] cry out, God does not answer because of their pride.”

We cannot know why God chooses to let us or others experience bad things, and we cannot think if we do good, somehow God is obligated to give us what we want. We should do good out of love and obedience, regardless of the consequences.

At the same time, however, Elihu continued in Job 36:15, “But by means of their suffering, he [God] rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity.”

When we experience tragedies, we need to come closer to God, searching for his comfort and guidance. Elihu’s comments are a valuable message for us all, particularly when we suffer. Take some time to read Job 32-27. It is full of relevant lessons for us today.

Dear Lord, We know you love us, but help us not forget that you are God and we are not. We cannot understand the complexities of your plan, or the reasons for events in our lives and the world. Help us trust you and draw closer to you in adversity, and teach others to do the same. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.