John 4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
Oh Friends, the ole fella must be losing it yes, or the Good Lord has some higher plan that I’m not privy to! Else why would I miss an appointment with a knee surgeon that I’d waited four months for, especially when the old knees are really acting up? Monday September 13 2010 has been circled in my day timer, with an explanatory note for four months, but for some unknown reason, I got it in my head that the appointment was on Tuesday, not Monday. To tell the truth, Monday never entered my consciousness at all, although I looked at the day timer several times to ascertain the appointed time. And the story gets even more ridiculous: While preparing some stuff to take to the doctor today (Tuesday) I happened upon the letter from the referring doctor, informing me of the time and place of the appointment with the specialist. I read it, and put it with the other paperwork that I planned to carry. A few seconds later though, I took it out to make sure that I had all the pertinent info. Hn! Lo and behold it wasn’t until 9.30 p.m on Monday night that my old brain recognized the words ‘Monday September 13 2010 @10.00 a.m.‘ The sad part is the words were printed in bold type, just like I’ve done, so that it would stand out. To make matters worse, I knew that Tuesday was the 14th, because it’s my young daughter’s birthday. But do you think I could make the day distinction between the 13th and 14th! Ah Lord eh! Oh Friends, I certainly hope that’s a sign from the Lord for something better, because I can’t imagine waiting another few months to see the medic, as the knee problems have become very annoying; not only painful, but very unpredictable. And though the pain can be awful at times, it’s the unpredictability that’s really driving me crazy. I’ll be half decent for a few days, then suddenly, with no warning or any external stress, I’m in excruciating pain, hobbled, barely able to walk. But don’t worry people, the ole fella’s not giving up, he’s in for the long haul because I know that in my weakness, I’m made strong through God’s strength. But I can still use a sign or two, as to what the Good Lord is up to. (smile) I’m like the nobleman with a sick son in Capernaum, who, hearing that Jesus was nearby in Galilee, rushed up there and pleaded with Jesus to come down and heal his son who was close to death’s door. ‘Then Jesus saith unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.’ But the man kept pleading, until finally; ‘Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way, thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.’ (John 4:50) Oh my Friends, how many of us today would have believed so easily eh? Not too many, is my guess, since like Jesus said, we all like to see signs and wonders before we believe anything. But unfortunately, if we’re to become successful Christians, we can’t always look for signs and wonders before we believe. Why? Because Jesus’ philosophy runs counter to that. We have to believe in Him first; have faith that He is God’s Son, and will do what He’s promised, without really seeing how or why. That’s the difference between the true believer and the pseudo Christian. One doesn’t have to see to believe; the Good Book is chocked full of examples of promises made and kept, plus numerous signs and wonders done, even when it seemed highly unlikely. If we consider ourselves followers of Jesus and take the Good Book seriously, then that should be good enough for us. The nobleman believed Jesus’ words and departed. On the way home he met some of his servants who told him that his son was alive, and, I guess out of curiosity, he asked them at what time the child began recuperating. ‘And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth; and himself believed, and his whole house (household).’ (John 4:52-53) Friends, the signs and wonders for that man came after he believed. Many of us though, are like the people in Capernaum when Jesus was there teaching: ‘They said therefore unto him, what sign showest thou (will you perform) then; that we many see and believe thee? what dost thou work?’ (John 6:30) Signs do make certain things more believable, but Christians are not supposed to operate on that low level. Jesus wants to take us higher, and that’s what faith is all about; believing without seeing, or only seeing it in your mind’s eye, not in physical manifestation. As Bruh Paul so wisely stated: ‘it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching (the message preached) to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.’ (1 Cor.1:21-25) Oh Friends, I don’t know if what I’ve written makes sense, because I’m still somewhat miffed at myself for missing the appointment, and will be more so when I try to stand up and the ole knees behave cranky. But I’m sure you all are wise enough to pick any sense there is out of the nonsense. (smile) Anyway, time and space have run out, so we’ll continue this topic tomorrow, God willing of course. Till then, please walk safely in steadfast faith, and may the Lord bless us all more than we ask or imagine. Much LOVE!…if you need to see to believe…then your faith is not up to scratch…
Oh Friends, the ole fella must be losing it yes, or the Good Lord has some higher plan that I’m not privy to! Else why would I miss an appointment with a knee surgeon that I’d waited four months for, especially when the old knees are really acting up? Monday September 13 2010 has been circled in my day timer, with an explanatory note for four months, but for some unknown reason, I got it in my head that the appointment was on Tuesday, not Monday. To tell the truth, Monday never entered my consciousness at all, although I looked at the day timer several times to ascertain the appointed time. And the story gets even more ridiculous: While preparing some stuff to take to the doctor today (Tuesday) I happened upon the letter from the referring doctor, informing me of the time and place of the appointment with the specialist. I read it, and put it with the other paperwork that I planned to carry. A few seconds later though, I took it out to make sure that I had all the pertinent info. Hn! Lo and behold it wasn’t until 9.30 p.m on Monday night that my old brain recognized the words ‘Monday September 13 2010 @10.00 a.m.‘ The sad part is the words were printed in bold type, just like I’ve done, so that it would stand out. To make matters worse, I knew that Tuesday was the 14th, because it’s my young daughter’s birthday. But do you think I could make the day distinction between the 13th and 14th! Ah Lord eh! Oh Friends, I certainly hope that’s a sign from the Lord for something better, because I can’t imagine waiting another few months to see the medic, as the knee problems have become very annoying; not only painful, but very unpredictable. And though the pain can be awful at times, it’s the unpredictability that’s really driving me crazy. I’ll be half decent for a few days, then suddenly, with no warning or any external stress, I’m in excruciating pain, hobbled, barely able to walk. But don’t worry people, the ole fella’s not giving up, he’s in for the long haul because I know that in my weakness, I’m made strong through God’s strength. But I can still use a sign or two, as to what the Good Lord is up to. (smile) I’m like the nobleman with a sick son in Capernaum, who, hearing that Jesus was nearby in Galilee, rushed up there and pleaded with Jesus to come down and heal his son who was close to death’s door. ‘Then Jesus saith unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.’ But the man kept pleading, until finally; ‘Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way, thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.’ (John 4:50) Oh my Friends, how many of us today would have believed so easily eh? Not too many, is my guess, since like Jesus said, we all like to see signs and wonders before we believe anything. But unfortunately, if we’re to become successful Christians, we can’t always look for signs and wonders before we believe. Why? Because Jesus’ philosophy runs counter to that. We have to believe in Him first; have faith that He is God’s Son, and will do what He’s promised, without really seeing how or why. That’s the difference between the true believer and the pseudo Christian. One doesn’t have to see to believe; the Good Book is chocked full of examples of promises made and kept, plus numerous signs and wonders done, even when it seemed highly unlikely. If we consider ourselves followers of Jesus and take the Good Book seriously, then that should be good enough for us. The nobleman believed Jesus’ words and departed. On the way home he met some of his servants who told him that his son was alive, and, I guess out of curiosity, he asked them at what time the child began recuperating. ‘And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth; and himself believed, and his whole house (household).’ (John 4:52-53) Friends, the signs and wonders for that man came after he believed. Many of us though, are like the people in Capernaum when Jesus was there teaching: ‘They said therefore unto him, what sign showest thou (will you perform) then; that we many see and believe thee? what dost thou work?’ (John 6:30) Signs do make certain things more believable, but Christians are not supposed to operate on that low level. Jesus wants to take us higher, and that’s what faith is all about; believing without seeing, or only seeing it in your mind’s eye, not in physical manifestation. As Bruh Paul so wisely stated: ‘it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching (the message preached) to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.’ (1 Cor.1:21-25) Oh Friends, I don’t know if what I’ve written makes sense, because I’m still somewhat miffed at myself for missing the appointment, and will be more so when I try to stand up and the ole knees behave cranky. But I’m sure you all are wise enough to pick any sense there is out of the nonsense. (smile) Anyway, time and space have run out, so we’ll continue this topic tomorrow, God willing of course. Till then, please walk safely in steadfast faith, and may the Lord bless us all more than we ask or imagine. Much LOVE!…if you need to see to believe…then your faith is not up to scratch…
SCRIP-BITS 