Nicodemus was right on!! As I read John 7:25-53, I found myself getting a little annoyed at the different people and the way they responded to Jesus or about him. They had questions, opinions and comments but no one bothered to look for an accurate answer. That's why when I finally got to Nicodemus, I wanted to shout "Amen!" ("'Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?'" Verse 51, ESV). But as I thought about this passage I realized that really, it's not too difficult to act like those people. So many times we take what someone else says about God or the Bible and simply accept it or count it as true (a teacher, self professed Bible expert, even someone who hates the Bible and wants to argue about it, etc). We have free access to all the answers right in God's Word. We just need to take the time to open it up and read it.
So with all that said, I want to tell you "thanks" for being part of Powered by 4 because you're already taking steps that those people in John 7 didn't bother with. And if your Bible reading is great, not so great, a struggle, or hit and miss, let me encourage you to stick with it. And just so you know, I've been struggling with my reading the last couple of weeks but reading and interacting with you each day is truly an encourager for me. So let's keep on keeping on together. Tami W.
thanks for your encouragement.my girlfriend is not a christian.i have recently come to God. she has lots of q's but refuses to look in the Bible n I have felt deflated and discouraged today.thanks for your encouragements n emails prompting me to read and study God's word.God bless u.
Cal.
I'm right there with ya! I want to go further with the Lord into truth. I pray for Him to open my eyes and give me understanding that I would really know His word and that it would come to life in me. Well, that's a great prayer but you gotta spend time IN IT for God to answer that prayer! I do open the word of God every day but I find myself flipping around the pages and not just committing to a particular passage or chapter. I just need to be patient in reading. So often I want to find something that intrigues me and challenges me, as opposed to just reading along trusting God to point those things out when it's time. Those are my very profound thoughts for the day :) I appreciate reading the blog and everyone's comments...thanks.
I'm struck by the fact that the pharisees DID know the scriptures very well and this ultimately was (part of) their undoing. They couldn't get past the Galilee thing. They thought they knew all the facts and these did not fit with their theology. I think this can be a big trap. We can be so sure of our own personal (or denominational) theologies that when something doesn't fit, IT must be wrong, because WE certainly could never be! The pharisees even knew Messiah comes from Bethlehem from the house of David, but they never asked Jesus himself if HE was from Bethlehem. I once heard someone ask, "If what you believe isn't true, would you want to know?". That is a powerful question when you think about it. Many people are happy to not know and I think that applies to the pharisees (Nicodemus excluded).
It seems that the pharisees didi not go straight to Jesus for their questions about Him, and I wonder if we make the same mistake.
Often the bible can become a substitute for God- we look to the page alone when we have the living Christ to go directly to.Our relationship with Him is the key, not our relationship with the bible.
Cal, we're so glad P4 has been an encouragement to you. That's wonderful! And we'll be praying for your girlfriend--that she'd be more open to hearing from God's Word. Tami W.
I am so glad I join the P4 this week. I have been reading the lessons and answering the questions and it has made a great different in my life. At the end of my day and into the evening I look forward to clicking onto the blogs to see what everyone has to say about the daily lesson. Your words of encouragement have made a different for me. dg.
Let me say thanks for this forum,it made me fall in love with Jesus all over again.not that i stop loving Him,but it was a challenge to get to the word of god.I realize how much i miss it and fellowship with Him,much thanks and praise God,who really answers prayer.Nicodemus had to of been listening to Jesus and following His teaching in order to have taken action,may be fearful at first.but this i think is an example of what the bible says No one comes to christ unless the spirit draws him,i believe nico was being draw,no doubt.