Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning.
Monday, March 19, 2018
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Subjecta:Cain and Abel
Bible Verse:John 1:6-9 (NKJV)
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world."
Message:
The first thing that strikes a reader of this passage is that John the Baptist was sent from God. Think about the importance of this claim. A man claims that God has sent him (or others make the claim about him). Imagine someone today who claims that he was “sent from God” — would we believe him? Most likely, we would medicate him. If he didn’t bathe or cut his hair or beard, we would also call him “homeless” and write letters to the editor about how mental institutions for the indigent should be better funded.
But what if this person attracted a wide following? Then, we would read articles about what a fraud he is; parents would send out deprogrammers to get their children out of the cult, before the person could steal all their money. Homeland Security would investigate him.
Yet, John the Baptist did not show any signs of insanity. He specifically wore hard clothes and lived in the wilderness as a religious observation. Nor, apparently, did he accept large donations. He wasn’t trying to get rich. Nor did he claim to be something special; rather, he claimed that he was not this thing called “the Light.” His only purpose was to bear witness. That is, he wanted to state that a person was coming who was, actually, the child of God.
We are often challenged by people who think that Christianity was made up, fabricated, a fairly tale. But it doesn’t bear any of the earmarks of madness or of fraud. John the Baptist had nothing to gain by lying. He wasn’t seeking political power. He wasn’t seeking wealth. And the only reason to call him insane would be that you didn’t believe him.
We were given free will, and we can believe that John the Baptist was sent by God, or not. But we do know, with a fair amount of certainty, that he was neither manipulating people for some ulterior motive, nor out of his mind. I think that, all in all, if someone like him were to appear and I encountered him, I would take him seriously, especially if the Christ had not yet come to earth. What do you think?
Meditation
:
Prayer :
God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make me and all who confess your holy name people of this light. Make me faithful to your Word that I may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Christ our Lord.......Amen
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