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Lamb of God

Follow Day 3 Entering The Extraordinary

January 6, 2021 by Rebecca Adams Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Matthew 3
Genesis 11:24-12:4
Romans 4:1-11 

Follow, Day 3

Voices mingled together and eyes turned toward one focal point as fingers pointed and fathers lifted small children to their shoulders for a better view. A voice interrupted everything, somehow arching above all the whispered talk circling around those gathered by the water’s edge. The rhythmic splashes of people being dunked beneath the water, only to rise again, punctuated his booming speech.

“Repent!” The voice called aloud.
“The Kingdom of God is near!”
Urgency undergirded every syllable, leaving a nearly tangible sensation ringing in the ears of all who heard.

Suddenly, like an electric shock wave, the wild man pointed a hairy finger and with unmistakable clarity, spoke in an awe that captured rapt attention,
“Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Collectively, a gasp went up from the crowd as Jesus, the Christ, moved with purpose through the crowd. For the first time, the prophet’s voice trembled,
“I need to be baptized by You, yet You come to me?”
Jesus insisted, and joined the countless people humbled beneath Jordan waters and raised out, but as He did, the Spirit of the Holy God descended upon Him and the magnificent Voice of the Almighty echoed for all to hear, “This is my Beloved Son with Whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.”

Stunned, the crowd slowly dispersed as Jesus slipped away into the growing evening to enter His wilderness. The events at the Jordan would mark each of them forever, but for Andrew, whose curiosity demanded more, the internal wrestling had just begun.

It had been weeks since Andrew had witnessed the baptism scene that played on repeat in his mind. He needed answers.
Who was this Jesus?
Who was this man for whom the heavens opened?
What was His invitation?

Back and forth Andrew and his friend exchanged thoughts on Jesus as they walked the narrow path one afternoon. Full of un-earthly power and grace, Jesus walked past the two men deep in discussion, they suddenly paused and exchanged glances. As if readily understanding the other, they swiftly moved in, surreptitiously following several paces behind Jesus. Sensing their presence, Jesus half-turned and asked with a wide grin, “What are you looking for?” 

Insistent curiosity overcoming his stuttering tongue, Andrew stammered, “Oh! Rabbi! Well…”
“What he means is,” interrupted his friend, “Where are you staying?”

Jesus laughed and motioned with His arm for them to join Him. “Come and you’ll see.”

~~

“May the god Marduk and the goddess Zarpanītu the queen, look with joy upon the work of my good deeds and order the prolongation of my days, and discuss my years to be many; may they decree as my fate the protection of my offspring, the increase of my progeny, the expansion of my family so that they branch out widely….” (Ancient Prayers to Marduk)

Abram mumbled the familiar words, as he had countless times before. The discontent in his heart grew stronger, reaching to his hands as he tightened them into fists. He had wealth. He had influence. Offspring he lacked, and his heart seemed to die within him more each day at this knowledge.

How tired he was of accruing good deeds. How weary he had become of returning to his tent each evening to look into the eyes of his bride, Sarai, knowing she felt useless without children. What more could he do?! What else could he sacrifice? Why would Marduk refuse him? The anger inside threatened to overtake him, and he quickly stood, as if trying to flee from himself.

“Abram, go from your land…”

The voice seemed to fill his entire being, yet cut right through him at the same time.
Abram sucked in his breath and every hair stood on end.

“… go from your relatives and your father’s house…”

In all his years of bowing and sacrificing to Marduk and the numerous other Assyrian gods, not once had Abram felt enveloped in this all-surpassing Presence. As Abram stood frozen in the moment, the Voice swirled around him, commanding his attention, yet without force or pressure, simply as invitation. As the Voice spoke, Abram felt alive as if for the first time. Hope was kindling in dead places within him.

“… go to the land I will show you.”

Yes. Yes, I will go. Abram’s heart already beat with new passion. Joy gurgled up where anger had thrived. The more the Voice spoke, the more Abram knew he would never again bend his knee to Marduk. This invitation captivated the entirety of his being like nothing else.

~~

Both Abram and Andrew were living ordinary lives, yet the God of the Universe met them exactly where they were with an invitation to enter into the extraordinary. The moment of decision was unexpected for both men, but for the One who called them out of their mundane and into purposeful living, it was perfectly timed.

Following the Lord often looks a lot more like waiting with expectation in our mundane than searching for signs in the sky. The Lord knew each man. He alone knew the deep longings in their hearts. And He alone knew both how to meet them, and when.

For Andrew and Abram, their humble acceptance of God’s invitation opened the door for much more than they dared hope or imagine.
God alone was more than enough for all their searching.

Jesus came to us without pretense, humbly submitting to the Father’s plan of sacrifice and through Him, the way was cleared for every heart to choose to follow. Whether you’re sitting at a crossroads of big life decisions, feel stuck in a place you never intended, or wavering at the threshold of total trust in Jesus or choosing to keep living life your way, the Savior invites all of us to humbly follow.

Trust His heart.
He knows where He’s leading.

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Follow Week One! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Posted in: Beloved, Enough, Follow, God, Hope, Jesus, Kingdom, Trust Tagged: Come and See, Entering, extraordinary, Humble Acceptance, Lamb of God, New Passion, repent

Cross Day 10 John The Disciple

April 12, 2019 by Tawnya Smith 2 Comments

Read His Words Before Ours!

John 1:1-18
John 6:27-35
Isaiah 53

Cross, Day 10

In the beginning was….

The Word. The Logos. The Image.

The very expression of Yahweh sent from heaven, to dwell among us. (John 1:14)

This Light in all of its mystery and life,
knelt down to our world to expose our darkness.
(John 1:4-9,  3:19-21, 12:46)

The very Lamb of God sent to take away the sins of the world, to make all things new,
to bring men back to God. (John 1:29)

Standing on the banks of the Jordan, watching Jesus, son of Joseph the carpenter, be baptized produced a mixture of anticipation and uncertainty in me.
Could this truly be The One Isaiah said would be given to us?
Could this be Israel’s redemption?

“For a child will be born for us,
a son will be given to us,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
He will be named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace
.” (Isaiah 9:6)

I, John, give testimony of this Word made flesh.
As John the Baptizer prepared the way, Jesus of Nazareth has come to reap the harvest of God’s kingdom. (John 3:22-30)  He called us to follow Him. First inviting Andrew, then Simon Peter, Philip and Nathaniel, then my brother James and myself.

We marveled at the speed at Jesus’ glory-following, as we baptized one after another.
James and I, known as the “Sons of Thunder”, were like a lit canon of untamed zeal and ambitious devotion.

In those early days, I could be foolish and harsh, shutting down those who didn’t fit my expectations. (Mark 9:38-41) Other times, I was arrogant and presumptuous, expecting honor for following Jesus. (Matthew 20:20-24)
My heart was on fire, but oh I had so much to learn of Jesus’ perfect balance of grace with truth.

Jesus was ushering in a new Way, a new Kingdom.
Yet, there was an ancient familiarity to Jesus.
Something in His presence, His words, His essence, spoke of Yahweh’s long prophesied suffering servant who would come and be broken, overcoming sin and oppression, for our nation. (Isaiah 53)

He called Himself the Light (John 3:19),
Living Water (John 4:10),
the Bread of Life (John 6:35),
and the Good Shepherd (John 10:11),
progressively showing us greater dimensions of Himself.

We’d seen prophets and teachers before, but Jesus was different.
Jesus performed signs, miracles and wonders no man had ever done. From healing those with life-long diseases and displaying authority over nature, to feeding thousands with hardly any food and even bringing Lazarus back from death itself.
Truly we were awestruck with each move He made!

Everywhere people murmured, questioned, and speculated if Jesus really could be the Christ. Many disputes broke out among the Pharisees, wearying us with their constant questions. After a particularly heated debate, Jesus brought the final word on His identity with one cataclysmic statement,
“Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am”. (John 8:58)

Did He say what we think He just said?
The Pharisees began picking up stones to kill Him.
We all knew exactly what Jesus meant.
So did He.   

Could I believe that standing before us was the great I AM?
The Same who appeared before Moses in the burning bush?
The very God whom our people have been serving from the beginning of time?

The unbridled passion of my discipleship was finally met with unwavering and sincere belief. Yes, my heart only knew one answer.
This Jesus was indeed the Son of God,
the Chosen One, the Christ,
the very expression of Yahweh.

Each glimpse of glory made my heart swell all the more, and yet ache as we watched hostility and hatred from Pharisees grow toward our long-awaited Messiah. We had grown to not only follow, but truly love Jesus. Why?
Because He first loved us. (I John 4:19)

He came not to be served, but to serve us. (Mark 10:45)
It was a stunning paradox that rattled my heart.
Little did we know we were on the cusp of His greatest service to mankind.

It began one night in the garden.
Soldiers and traitors came to arrest Jesus.  I, along with the other disciples scattered in shameful fear.  From afar, we watched a whirlwind of accusations, threats, beatings, mockery, torture and insults hurled at our beloved Jesus.

Was this really happening?  Weren’t we all just riding the wave of His glory-wonder? Weren’t we just feasting together, safely tucked away in the upper room?

And yet, it was happening and His words began to echo through our hearts.
“A little while, and you will see me no longer…”
. (John 16:16a)

Standing at his blood-drenched feet, nailed to a crucifixion cross, I knelt in heart-aching horror.  Beside me was Mary, Jesus’ mother.  With pounding hearts, we both stared up, hanging on every mustered word He could give.  When Jesus assigned me the honor of caring for His mother, and taking her as my own, a rush of new energy and devotion came over me, even as we failed to understand this mystery before us.

With His last breath, darkness covered the earth.  And our hearts.

But the Word still reverberated. “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while and you will see me” (John 16:16)…… “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19)

In a daze with wrung out hope, our hearts nearly burst within us come Sunday morning! Mary Magdalene came running through town spreading the word that Jesus’ tomb was empty, she’d actually seen his face, and that He was alive!  Later that evening, her words were confirmed. The Lord Jesus Christ appeared to us in flesh and bone!  We, the disciples were stunned and shocked back to vibrant life, now with unshakable fervor.

It all became so much clearer now. Jesus truly was the Lamb of God, sent to take away the sins of the world! What once was a hard saying, now nourished our souls.
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35) ….”For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.” (John 6:55)

He gave His flesh and blood as the final sacrifice for the sin of all mankind!
This was our rescue!  
This was our redemption!
The power of God raised Him back from death, conquering over sin and death once for all.  The promised Helper came like a rushing wind and with Him came our eternal peace. (John 14:16-17, 27)
This was our rest!

I made it my aim going forward to be a defender of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ with the same gracious humility our Savior demonstrated for us.
I will not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man gave to me. I walk with confidence in His Spirit knowing that on me God the Father has set his seal (John 6:27) to be a light and guide for the faith of others.

This is the Word and He dwelt among us.

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A Note About Cross
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters in Scripture and looked through their eyes as they saw the cross. We do our best to research the culture and times and all biblical support surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives as they watched the crucifixion, but we can’t be 100% accurate. These first-person stories are our best interpretation of how these characters viewed Jesus as He gave Himself up for us. Our hope is that by looking through their eyes, we will see the Cross differently as well, and be dramatically changed as we encounter the Savior!
Enjoy!

Don’t miss today’s Digging Deeper!     And we’d love to hear your thoughts from today’s Journey!    Comment Here!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Cross Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
Click the above image for today’s Digging Deeper!

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Cross!

Posted in: Cross, God, Gospel, Jesus, Kingdom, Love, Scripture, Shepherd Tagged: Lamb of God, redemption, rescue, sacrifice, The Word, Yahweh

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And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14