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
I have No Money for my Shopping Cart! The Forgotten Message, Part 2
Today's Bible Verse:
"'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)
I have No Money for my Shopping Cart! The Forgotten Message, Part 2
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