If you were given the chance to choose one of the following things and it would be given to you, what would you choose?
· A large sum of money as a gift with no strings attached
· a promotion at work with an increase in salary and perks
· a new and improved body without aches, pains and bulges
· an invitation to meet and spend time with a celebrity
· an all expense paid vacation anywhere in the world
· the opportunity to hang around the Toronto Blue Jays on a game day
· receiving a word from the Lord.
Think about it for a moment…..which one would you choose?
While the things on this list would certainly be enjoyable and helpful, receiving a word from the Lord is the one that’s far and away the most priceless. Why do I say that? It’s because all of the other things are temporary, to be experienced for a season, while the word from the Lord is eternal and will stay with you to encourage and strengthen you.
This summer we have been doing a series of messages from the book of John called ‘Encountering Jesus’. Each week you have been introduced to people who were dramatically transformed after meeting Jesus. Our hope is that you have been inspired to see Jesus in an expanded way, as the one who not only has the words of life for us to live by but is life, our one true hope and solid foundation.
The question I asked you above can help you to measure how important Jesus really is to you. If you could only have Jesus in your life without any guarantee of anything else, would that be enough?
I’ve had to answer that question many times over the years. Faced with multiple options to choose from I’ve realized that my greatest need is always to get Jesus’ take on things. When I take the time to go to the Lord in prayer and the scriptures he always clarifies what I should do. A word from the Lord is the one thing that I know that I can hold on to even before all of the details get worked out.
This Sunday I am going to talk more about this with you. I want you to prepare yourself over the next few days by reading John 4:43-54. It’s the account of a man with a big need who encountered Jesus and got much more from the Lord than he could have imagined. He asked Jesus to heal his son and Jesus gave him his word. The father took Jesus at his word because somehow he knew that it was enough.
The whole story is fascinating and faith building. Not only was the son impacted by being healed and the father overjoyed with experiencing the miracle, but the whole household was transformed into Jesus’ followers. Think about all of the households in our community and their need to know Jesus and his transforming word. Let’s keep doing everything we can to introduce them to Jesus.
As always, I look forward to meeting with you on Sunday for worship. Be blessed….
Pastor Del