Skip to main content

Lessons from John

Lately I've been reading the book of John and have had more reflections jump out of me than I originally thought I would. I've jotted them down in my bible and then realized that I might as well capture these thoughts here too. Out of the four New Testament books about Jesus' birth, ministry, and death, I am most drawn to the book of John. There I can see the beauty in how God's Word is crafted together. John doesn't just tell what he saw, he points out the deeper purpose and connection that Jesus has to the Old Testament, to God, to Israelite traditions, and to the creation of the world! I invite you to journey with me as I chronicle my musings on the book of John!

John 3 - Nicodemus - Born Again
It's interesting how this chapter starts with Jesus teaching Nicodemus about the Spirit - how you need to be born in it and how it moves in ways unknown and unseen - then ends with John the Baptist teaching his disciples that Jesus has the Spirit!

John 4 - Samaritan Woman - Give me this Water
The thought of being filled with living water, and being like a "well" makes me see that being filled with God's spirit is not just for our own satisfaction. Just like a real well is meant to nourish more than one person, our being filled with the Holy Spirit is also meant to satiate other people. As we are filled, we should also be pouring out so that others can experience God too.

John 5 - Do you See Me - Suffering/Glory
I wonder what it must have been like to see a ton of people with disabilities in what may look like a picnic pavilion today or a main city square. The Jews here apparently mixed in and roamed by these people, so the disabled were immersed in their society. The people of this day were confronted by the everyday struggles of others and I find that interesting. Also interesting and sad is the thought that the physically-abled people around them didn't do much to help them. Today, it seems we don't allow those suffering to confront us with their reality - at least not in such a visible way. We have different types of "homes" or shelters for the "undesirables". People with mental illness, the disabled, homeless, elderly... Not to say that it isn't good to have places for focused care. That's a wonderful thing, but I just wonder if it also makes us less likely to see them and to care for their plight in life.

I also wonder about the verse in John 5:44: "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" It's a good reminder to do all that we do to make God happy. When we focus on pleasing God, our work is aligned with his purpose and our heart is in the right place. When we strive for our ambitions, only to gain the approval of people and their praise or attention, we reap an empty and shallow victory. People are fickle and change their preferences over time, so aiming to please people can move you from what is true and grounded in God. Seeking to please God builds true faith because it grounds us in something permanent and real and unchanging.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Please share your thoughts and reflections spurred on by this post. :)

Popular posts from this blog

Comfort in Discomfort

Our small group chatted recently about a comment our pastor mentioned a few Sundays ago. The comment left some of us scratching our heads and trying to understand how we really  felt about it. Our pastor said that he's noticed a common thread stated by people who experience hardships. They all said they would not change their bad experiences because they now value the good lessons they learned following their trials. The common sentiment was that the pain and hard lessons were worth it in order to grow. I intellectually understood this point, but my physical and emotional, pain-understanding being, disagreed! Do I want to experience hurt and discomfort just to learn how to lean into God and understand that He is my shelter and Comforter? The answer is no , not really. I'd rather just know it. Unfortunately, that's not the way it works. We live with our human nature, ripe with opportunities for exercising freewill. This freewill can positively and negatively impact our live...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Wisdom Walk

I'm reading Proverbs 4 and 5 and some of the takeaway points were: (1) learn about wisdom and instruction, (2) let your whole body be in submission to wisdom, and (3) embrace correction Proverbs 4 implores us to get wisdom and understanding. We learn from this chapter that King Solomon's "father" taught Solomon the value of gaining wisdom and the dangers of ignoring it. ( Proverbs 4:3-4 ) "Wisdom is the principal thing" which sets you up for promotion, honor, grace and glory. ( Proverbs 4:7-9 ) If we want all of these good things, we need to be given wisdom and shown the right paths. We need to be teachable. Proverbs 4 is written in a dual way where it's implied that Solomon was taught by his father King David. We can also read Solomon's words and see him speaking metaphorically as a "father" to us. This writing style was oddly soothing because it helped me get past the thoughts of - well, what should people do if they don't hav...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Expanse

I participated in a Zoom prayer call tonight with other women at my church and at the end I just had that feeling of loveliness. It felt good, it felt connected, and it made me want to connect with God even more. I opened my Bible and read Jeremiah 2:2 .  Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord, “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.” My thoughts after reading this was: Lord increase my wonder of You.  When things are brand new we have a strong urge to learn more, seek more, engage more. When the shine wears off, we become complacent and less interested. Maybe it’s because we feel we’ve learned all we need to know. Maybe it’s because we are too comfortable in the now. Maybe it’s because we can’t see the possibility of there being so much more for us to gain.  When it comes to my spirit and You, God, please open my eyes to see the expanse of all that you have for me to...
Post a Comment
Read more