John the Baptist had heard with his own ears and seen with his own eyes
something completely amazing: "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of
the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This
is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" (Matt 3:17-17, NIV2).
There was no confusion. God Himself had referred to Jesus as His Son, whom He
loves and is well pleased with. How can anyone forget such a testimony?
Still, it happened: "When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the
Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, 'Are you the one who is to come, or
should we expect someone else?'" (Matt 11:2-3, NIV2)
Somehow we humans forget, and it's then that we start doubting. Jesus confirmed
that He was sent by His father through healings, truly unbelievable healings.
Had John the Baptist remembered the events during Jesus' baptism, there would
have been no doubt. (See
The Power from Above. The Forgotten Message, Part 1)
Mary, too, was made aware of Jesus' special position as God's Son long before He
was born. The angel who visited her declared: "You will conceive and give birth
to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the
Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end."
(Luke 1:31-33, NIV2). Mary never forgot these words from the angel. She took
them to heart and savored them. It's no wonder that when she attended a wedding
with her Jesus and realized the wine was gone, probably because the parents of
the groom and bride were not that wealthy, Mary didn't hesitate to tell Jesus:
"They have no more wine." (John 2:3b, NIV2) Then she addressed the servants: "Do
whatever he tells you." (John 2:5, NIV2)
When we savor the words from on high, nothing will daunt us. This is why I
delight in my Bible, love letters from my Heavenly Father. I live through them
and I cannot help but be filled with hope.
The evil one, however, will do anything to snatch these words away from us. His
goal is for us to fall into despair. He certainly forgets one little thing:
"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is
in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4, NIV)
Interestingly enough, somehow we humans have forgotten way too easily the proof
that Jesus was sent by God Himself: the multitude of healings. Still, in
our day and age, there are those who follow Jesus and perform healings in the
name of the Lord. Why should it be otherwise? If God is a God of healing, and He
is, why should He stop all healings after the apostles died? Would it be fair
that only the first century believers could have access to such healings, but
not the believers of the subsequent centuries? Here again we have forgotten.
It doesn't have to be this way. Hope is in the horizon. Our Father cares for us.
Jesus paid the price: "'He himself bore our sins' in his body on the cross, so
that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have
been healed." (1Pet 2:24, NIV2) "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he
was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed." (Isa 53:5, NIV2)
Do we believe in hope? Do we stand on faith? Are we ready to see the power from
on high? Do we believe that God truly cares for us? Then expect miracles from
above!
God provides for us in all things. In fact, His provision is overabundant.
Instead of focusing on our lacks, we are encouraged to focus on God's abundance,
and He will come through.
Just a few days ago, my wife sent me to the grocery store with a long list of
items. When I arrived there, I realized I had forgotten a quarter. At this
particular store, you need to insert a quarter into the shopping cart in order
to liberate it from its home. I didn't know what to do to get a cart, but I
decided to focus on the abundance of my Heavenly Father. I thanked Him for
helping me get a cart. Immediately a thought came to mind: "Go to a sales clerk
and exchange a 5$ bill for coins." I love it! However, when I offered the clerk
5$, she said, "Keep the money. Here is 25 cents for your shopping card." Wow,
way too cool! Thank you Father.
As I was approaching the shopping carts with my newly-acquired quarter in hand,
an elderly lady walked into the mall with a cart and headed straight towards me.
I had never seen her before, but I was shocked when she said to me: "I have
brought you a cart for free. Have a great day!" Then she entered the grocery
store with no cart, and I never saw her again. Now I had 25 cents in one hand
and a shopping cart in another. I did the right thing, I brought the 25 cents
back to the clerk. She was surprised when I told her my story. God is truly
overabundant. He wanted for me to be certain that all these events was coming
from Him.
If God cares for me enough to get me a shopping cart, even though I didn't have
25 cents, how much more important is it for Him to come to the aid of all His
children on earth?
Do you believe?
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
messages. HTML and plain text versions available.
The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.