I am beginning to go through the gospel of John in my devotions. Reading through the life of Jesus is one of the most helpful things in my walk with Him; observing how He relates to people, listening to His words, discerning His passion. This morning's reading in John 1 brought all these convictions.I was touched by Philip's persuasion in Christ's authenticity. When Nathaniel attempted to disregard Jesus on account of his homeland, Philip's earnest reply was "Come and see."
That response sparked some meditation in my heart. The world will always have motivation to disapprove Jesus and His dependability. In fact it is predictable in almost every conversation with an unbeliever to be refuted, "Well what about this?" or "what about that?" They rest on nonexistent "cracks" in the ceiling to justify their opposition or uneasiness about Jesus' reality. Our bold and happy defense against all disregard for our Lord Jesus should be, "Well, come and see..."
Jesus' dependability rests in His hands, not ours. When you have a personal encounter with the Lord, all unbelief and skepticism melts away. His perfect record and the truth of His person speaks for itself. Our purpose is to point to Him and invite people along with us to come and see Jesus for themselves.
Nathaniel's response after Philip convinced him to come along was momentous. Nathaniel proclaimed, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" (John 1:49) Jesus revealed it and he saw it. Philip didn't argue and debate with Nathaniel about Jesus credibility, no, he simply lead him to the real Person.
I want to be like Philip by beckoning people to come and see Jesus.
Me too. That's a cool analogy that the Lord showed you.
ReplyDeleteWow. That is one of the most profound things on witnessing that I've ever read. My dad's an atheist, and I so often fall into the trap of trying to pick apart the logic and reasoning to prove the Gospel to him, when it's all about just knowing God. You don't need philosophy to do that. You don't need a university degree or even literacy. You only need an open and willing soul.
ReplyDeleteIs it wierd that I've actually never thought about it this way? I think we live in a culture that's so saturated with these ideas of debate and logic that we've learned to disregard the value of a spiritual experience. Thanks for bringing that to my heart. It's changed the way I look at things for sure. :)
Oksana, glory to God. My heart goes out to you for your family struggle, and I pray right now for your father to see Christ for himself. God's Word is absolutely amazing in that it answers and calms every question our hearts ask. He has given us everything we need for life and godliness.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. They are such a blessing. :)
Wow -- that was really thought-provoking. I ditto Sharon's comment -- me, too! :) (And that was a really neat analogy.)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your heart on this blog, Kaysie -- it's a blessing to many, including me. You have very inspiring writings! Keep on using your talents to the glory of God! :) This is what I too desire to do -- He's given me the love (or should I adoration?!) of writing, and I want to be able to bless people with it -- bringing others to the knowlege of Christ and His amazing Love.
Noelle, thanks for your sweet encouragement! :)
ReplyDeleteIt brings me great joy to know that God is using my writings... glory to Him. And as a fellow writer yourself, continue your work and don't loose heart. I pray that God would bless you in this gift He has given you.
Thank you for taking the time to encourage! :)