Refocus

John chapter 2 verse 1 says, "On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee..." It goes on to say that Jesus’s mother, Mary, was attending and that Jesus and His early group of disciples were also invited.

Weddings are kind of ordinary. Now, I don’t mean that they aren’t special. I mean, we all love weddings. I have several on my calendar right now that I’m looking forward to being a part of as a guest or officiant. They’re special in that way, but ordinary in the fact that they take place all the time, everywhere around the world. In fact, I’m walking through a place right now where outdoor weddings and receptions are held every single weekend during the spring and summer just a few blocks from my home.

They’re ordinary in that sense. But Jesus chose this ordinary occasion, this ordinary event to unveil his extraordinary miracle power. It will be the place where He, for the first time, performs a miracle. He took something ordinary and made it extraordinary. And I have to ask myself the question, “Why a wedding in Cana, why there, why then?”

And of course, nobody can know for sure, but I wonder if it wasn’t just the fact that He was invited there. And that makes me think, “How much of my ordinary life could become extraordinary if I simply invited Jesus to show up in those situations and circumstances?” My calendar today is full of things I need to do and remember, and places I need to be. How often do I live my life just going through the ordinary stuff of the routine of my life without a consideration that my ordinary life could become extraordinary if I just simply invited Jesus into it?

What’s on your calendar today? Are there soccer games for your kids? Are there appointments at work? Is there business travel? Is there time at the gym? What is it? What’s on your calendar today?

What if we invited Jesus to show up there?

Years ago . . . my life was comprised of laboring long hours with a day care service in our home, I worked 5 days a week, babysitting and caring for kids of various ages at a time - toddlers and preschoolers, drop ins before and after school, besides taking care of our own 4 boys. Then there’s the laundry, the cooking, the dishes, the messes – it all started piling up. I was also teaching Sunday School every week which I loved, but I was getting worn down.

I was laying on the couch grumbling and complaining at the end of a long day. Tired. Not sure if I was really doing anything well. I had withdrawn into the 'cave' of my mind, and was sulking and feeling sorry for myself because it seemed no one seemed to appreciate what I was doing, or how hard I was working. Pity party.

Louis aware of my condition, smiled and said, “I think I have a word for you from the Lord.”

I was thinking, YES! He’s going to take me away, we’re going to Kauai! A vacation!

He looked at me and quietly said, “Never tire of serving.”

What!? What did I hear you say? This is the word from the Lord?

I lay there on the couch, and began thinking about Louis’ words to me. I trust my husband and he wasn’t making light of my feelings but sincerely spoke what he heard the Lord say for me, ‘Never tire of serving. Never tire of doing what is good.’ It is a familiar verse for us . . .

2 Thessalonians 3:13. “Don’t’ grow weary in doing good.’

I spend time with the Lord every day in devotion, reading, praying, singing – but sometimes I need to just stop and listen and invite the Holy Spirit to examine my heart.

I thought of what I call the ‘3 p’s’ – and I knew it was time to pause - pray – praise and be with Jesus. I took some deep breaths, and let it all go. I began to sing and worship the Lord. I repented of my attitude. It’s when I am weak, He is strong. I strengthened myself in the Lord with songs of praise and worship! Just like King David in 1 Samuel 30:6

These days of quarantine and pandemic have been difficult. Emotional fatigue, physical weariness, and spiritual heaviness are beginning to take its toll. I think back to the wise words spoken to me so long ago, ‘never tire of serving, and doing good.’ Because it’s when we are loving God and loving and serving people, that we are sharpened and alerted to the Holy Spirit's promptings.

So, it’s again time to pause, pray, and praise and be with Jesus! Take time to strengthen myself in the Lord!

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed, fatigued, and burdened with spiritual heaviness? How do strengthen yourself?

2 Thessalonians 3:13 And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

1 Samuel 30:6 . . . But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

John 3:27• The Evil and the Ugly

By Randy Boldt – Crosspointe Ministries (TheJohnProject.com)

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In John chapter 3 verse 27, John the Baptist responds to his followers who are concerned that Jesus is upstaging John on the world scene by saying, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.” And he’s essentially saying, “Look, I don’t have any claim to fame here. There isn’t anything of prominence or ministry that I’m perceived to have that isn’t a gift from God.” And I love John for his heart and his humility.

And it made me think about my own life and the things that I consider to be my own that really aren’t. You know, I’ll talk about “my life” and “my future” and “my health” and “my family” and “my talents” and on and on. And none of those things are mine. Every good thing that has become part of my life is a gift from God. And I never want to forget that.

To be honest, the only things I can really claim as my own are the evil and the ugly. It’s correct for me to say, “my sin,” “my depravity,” “my selfishness,” “my lust,” “my prejudice.” That’s a nasty list, but those are the things I can claim.

I have been forgiven, and I am so grateful to God that He doesn’t see that stuff in me anymore. He sees the forgiveness of Christ over my life. But I never want to forget that, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.”

John chapter 3, the last part of verse 34 where he says, “For God does not give the Spirit by measure.”

I think a lot of people imagine the Holy Spirit to be like a substance that you could dispense in differing quantities or in varying concentrations, like you could get more or less of the Holy Spirit or be given a more or less potent batch of the Holy Spirit or dose of the Holy Spirit.

But the Holy Spirit is a person. He is either with us or He’s not. He’s either moving or He’s not. He’s either in us or He’s not.

Now later in the Gospel of John, Jesus will say to His disciples, “I must go so the Holy Spirit can come to you.” And some of His last words to His disciples will be, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and be transformed into My witnesses.” On the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church in fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy, Peter stands up and says, “This promise has been given to every believer.”

Now, behind me here, these buildings are being remodeled and restored to house a distillery and it’s tasting room. And I don’t drink alcohol, so I don’t have firsthand knowledge of this, but I imagine that when people come to visit here, they will not be given a cask or whatever they use to house this stuff and age it and all that. They’ll be given a sample of the spirits to taste.

Now, pardon my crude analogy. But you have not been given a sample of the Holy Spirit. You have been given His fullness. He, if you are a follower of Jesus, inhabits you fully. That means there is nothing, no challenge you could ever face that would overwhelm His power in you. There’s nothing you could ever walk through, no experience you could ever have that would be greater than His comfort to console you with and to carry you with.

You have not been given the Spirit by measure.

John 3:30 • I Must Decrease

By Randy Boldt – Crosspointe Ministries (TheJohnProject.com)

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“He must increase, but I must decrease,” such a succinct and profound statement of truth. In fact, so much so that I’ve decided to wear a paraphrase of that on my chest right now, loud and proud. He greater than I.

Now, John the Baptist was continuing to try to describe for his followers what was happening, this transition that was going on where the prominence of the ministry of Jesus was ascending and his own diminishing. And I think that sometimes when people read these words or hear them read, they imagine that John was engaging in some kind of grand and noble act of humility where he was stepping into the wings and giving Jesus the stage. But that’s not the case at all. In fact, he makes it clear that it’s not when he says, “He ¬must increase…this is the Son of God. He is the Son of God. He owns the room. This is His stage. This is His show. I am merely, and gratefully so, a spectator in this amazing display of the glory and grace of God before my very eyes.”

And when he talks about himself needing, he must decrease, he’s not talking about his value to God. He’s not talking about his worth. He’s talking about his role, that the right way to live, the only course of life that makes sense, this must happen, he says, “I must tuck myself in behind His lead.” That’s where life is lived best, when I allow Jesus to be my Lord, where He leads the way.

John 3:31 • Eternal Perspective

by Randy Boldt - Crosspointe Ministries (TheJohnProject.com)

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In John chapter 3 verse 31, John the Baptist says, “I am from the earth. So, when I speak, I’m speaking from a ground-level perspective. But He, Jesus, is from Heaven. He is above all. So, His view is unobstructed.”

In fact, in Isaiah chapter 55 verse 9, God says of Himself, “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so are My ways and My thoughts above yours.” And that’s good to know, because every single day that I live I am confronted by choices I need to make, situations I need to deal with that require a broader view than my own. I am from the earth as well, and so my perspective is obstructed in every direction. I can only see so far.

It’s like a mouse in a maze. It’s guesswork at best. I don’t know which way to go. But, the One Who loves me most and always has my best interests in mind is also the One who knows the end from the beginning – the One whose perspective is eternal in every direction, who knows exactly what to do in every situation, and can be trusted with the affairs of my life.

And so, right now, all over again, I choose to do exactly that, to look to Him for the guidance and direction that I need, and to trust Him for the wisdom that’s required in every situation I face.

Care to join me?