Before I even begin writing this morning, I know this message is for me.  Maybe it doesn't apply to you.  That would be wonderful.  As my pastor says, "If it doesn't apply, let it fly." Even if it doesn't apply to you personally, I'm sure you know someone who is either rebellious or stubborn (those qualities usually run with one another).  You don't have too look far in society to find someone like that!  Those who have been catapulted to fame and should be role models for us often display those qualities.  What qualities do we display?  Hopefully, those of humility and submission to the Lord. (Psalm 138:6, James 4:7)  

Is there anyone rebellious among us?  The word for rebellion really has its roots in the Hebrew word, "marah," which means bitter.  When we become bitter, we become unpleasant and hard to deal with.  Now, is anyone among us bitter about anything in our lives?  If so, on whom does that bitterness fall?  Although we may not want to admit it, it falls on God.  He has all things under His control.  (Acts 17:28) We can make poor choices and bring unfavorable circumstances upon ourselves.  But, in essence, God still has the last word when it comes to what happens to us.  He is also able to change things in an instant.  If we truly trust Him with out lives, we will not become bitter and thus rebellious.  (Proverbs 3:5)  When we start to depend on our own understanding of situations, we get onto a slippery slope.  If we don't come to our senses and fully trust God, we will be headed straight toward the pit of rebellion.  The dictionary indicates a rebellious person as someone resisting authority and control.  If we are resisting God in any way, we can consider ourselves rebellious.  As Samuel told Saul, the sin of rebellion is like that of witchcraft.  Are there any witches among us?  I trust not. But, if we are rebellious, what does that make us?  Witchcraft is not a light thing in God's eyes.  One of the earliest commandments dealing with holiness strictly forbade it.  (Leviticus 19:26)  In the last book of the Bible, we are reminded that the place for those who will not repent of their witchcraft is in the lake of fire forever.  (Revelation 21:8)  Now that's a pretty scary scenario.  

How about being stubborn?  Is anybody here stubborn?  The root meaning of that word is, "to peck at" and "to stun or dull."  You know, like the proverbial "hen-pecked" husband who gives in after the constant pecking which makes him stunned and dull.  Perhaps the hen should make some notes here.  The dictionary says that stubborn people are unreasonably or perversely unyielding in character or quality.  The synonyms given are, "pigheaded" and "mulish."  That reminds me of a little song we used to sing called something like "Swinging on a Star." One of the verses goes like this:  "A mule is an animal with long funny ears.  He kicks up at everything he hears.  His back is brawny but his brain is weak.  He's just plain stupid with a stubborn streak."  Just think of that!  When we are stubborn, we act like a dumb mule!  That same song goes on to remind us that we don't have to grow up to be a mule and that we can be better of than we are.  Isn't that the truth!  God has made us in His image.  (Genesis 1:27)  It's only sin that distorts His image and turns us into things like witches and mules!  Even though we have sinned, Jesus wants to make us into a new creature.  (2 Corinthians 5:17)  A creature without the qualities of rebelliousness and stubbornness.  Saul had acted rebelliously and stubbornly.  Samuel was forthright in telling him that he was dabbling in witchcraft and idolatry.  He had placed his own ideas and agenda before that of Gods.  In short he disobeyed God.  Not completely.  Just not fully.  The Lord did not look on Saul's partial obedience as true "obedience."  (1 Samuel 15:17-19)  Saul, on the other hand, thought he could pacify God by offering many offerings.  It seems that offerings are not a suitable substitute for obedience.  Our offerings should come out of obedience.  Not instead of obedience.  (1 Samuel 15:22)   Are there areas of our lives where we are operating in partial obedience, keeping just a small area set aside for ourselves?  This will hinder us from living the holy lives that God wants us to live. (Romans 6:19)  As I said earlier, as soon as God put this scripture on my heart, I knew I would have some serious checking to do.  How about you?  If you don't, there are tons of others out there who could use your prayers on their behalf in this area!   

Are there things in life that we want so badly that we ignore the warnings we receive from God and those He sends into our path?  (Hebrews 3:15)  Who is it that we are listening to?  Is it our own lustful desires for the way the world lives or is it God's Word as we read it and hear it preached?  (Romans 6:12)  We do have a choice.  We can ignore God's advice or take it.  Which will it be?  Do we want to be like others and adhere to the traditions of men or do we want to be in line with God's Word?  The people of Israel had a desire to be like other nations.  They had the most perfect law and the most perfect and powerful King any nation could have but they ignored that fact.  They were a holy nation but they forgot their identity.  (Exodus 19:6)  We also have a King that provides everything we need if we seek Him first.  (Matthew 6:33)  We are, in Christ, a holy nation.  (1 Peter 2:9) Yet, many times we turn to formulas or man-made traditions of the past and our relationship deteriorates into a form of religion. (Mark 7:8)

God says we are like sheep.  Sheep are not very smart.  But, the good thing about the sheep is that the Shepherd loves them.  (John 10:15)   He loves us so much that He was willing to die for us.  Sheep wander off all the time if they are left to their own devices.  (Matthew 18:12)  All of us, like sheep, have wandered off at some time or another.  That's what the Word says. (Isaiah 53:6)  So, why would we want to trade such a great loving relationship with our Shepherd for something else?  Moses realized the fact that God had favor on His people but He also realized that these people were unruly and stubborn.  (Exodus 34:9)  Human nature has not changed since that time.  (Romans 3:23)    Moses realized the need for God's presence with His people if they were to go anywhere.  The Israelites had forgotten the order given in Deuteronomy 10:16 to cleanse their hearts and stop being stubborn.  Dumb and stubborn is a deadly combination!  How is your heart this morning?  Is there some desire that overshadows the only One capable of fulfilling all your Godly desires?  I'm sure I can use a check-up here.

God had promised to lead the Israelites and had done so consistently even though they complained all the way.  He called them to worship Him alone.  But, they constantly rebelled in that area.  We, too, can choose to rebel so long that we think nothing of our sin and willfulness.  God will answer any and all of our prayers.  They should all be prayed from a pure heart and in His will.  However, if we insist on something for long enough, against the call of our conscience, He will give it to us.  But, it won't be the pretty thing we think it's going to be.  Is God sending you a warning this morning about something you insist upon doing or having even though deep down inside you know it isn't His will?  Have I been there?  Yes.  I have.  It is not a good place to be and never a place to set up camp.  Paul had the same struggle.  (Romans 7:15-17)  We, many times, do not do what we really want to do; while we do the very thing we really don't want to do.  By God's grace, we need to control our desires and choose to do those things God is calling us to do.  If we remain in sin's camp, insisting on our own fleshly desires, at some point God will turn us over to the wrong things we crave.  (Romans 1:24)  Insisting upon things that are not of God will lead in a downward spiral in which God walks away and leaves us to the thing we so desired.  (Romans 1:26)   He has called us away from the things of this world to come into His presence.  (2 Corinthians 6:17)  In His presence is fullness of joy.  (Psalm 16:11)  What other king or thing that we desire could be greater than His presence?  Like the Israelites, we can insist on our wants despite the warnings.  Or, like Paul, we can fight the good fight of faith and remain in the presence of the King of Kings who is able to supply everything we need.  (Philippians 4:19)  Which will we choose?   

In the verses just prior to Psalm 106:23, we are given a list of the great and wonderful things the Lord did for the people of Israel.  Then comes a very sad statement.  After all of these things, they forgot God, their Savior!  (Psalm 103:21)  It sounds pretty incredible doesn't it?  These are the people that saw the Red Sea part and then walked through it themselves!  These are the people that could have gone into the promised land.  Yet the Bible tells us they refused to enter.  (Psalm 106:24)  If you would have asked one of them why they were refusing to enter, they probably would have asked you what you were talking about.  They might have said, "I didn't refuse to enter."  They didn't get it.  To be honest with you, I'm sitting here right now praying that I will truly get it.  They refused to enter the land of promise because they wouldn't believe God's promise to care for them.  This morning, do you fully believe that God can and will take care of all your needs?  Physical?  Emotional?  Mental?  Spiritual?

Moses seemed to be one of the only ones in that whole group of thousands of people who really believed.  God was pretty angry with His wayward children.  He had done so much for them but all they seemed to do was disobey and complain.  (Psalm 106:25)  Although He loved them and greatly desired their love in return, He had given them choice after choice and chance after chance to believe that He would provide.  They didn't believe and their attitude and actions proved it.  Can you imagine having the courage to step between an angry God and those He was about to destroy?  Moses took the chance.  He stepped between the Lord and the people.  Then he begged God not to destroy them.  Moses stood in the gap.  Psalm 106:23 in The Message says this:  "Fed up, God decided to get rid of them- and except for Moses, his chosen, he would have. But Moses stood in the gap and deflected God's anger, prevented it from destroying them utterly."

God has been looking for those who will stand in the gap.  (Ezekiel 22:30)  I believe He is still looking today.  As I look at scripture, it is not very often that He has found those who are willing to come to Him on behalf of those who have gone astray.  We would all have been destroyed by now if it weren't for Jesus.  He not only stood in the gap, but He took the sin that was keeping us from the Father and died with it so we could go free.  (Romans 5:16)  Not only do we now have abundant life here on earth (John 10:10) , but we are promised that we will not suffer destruction at the judgment. (John 5:29)  Jesus stood in the gap for you and me.  He stood long enough to pay the supreme price for our sins.  He's still in the gap for us as He sits beside His father.  (Romans 8:34)  Now, it's time for us who have been shown such grace to stand in the gap for those who have not yet seen the Light.  How can we begin to do that?  First of all, we can pray for the peace and salvation of Jerusalem.  God instructs us to do that in Psalm 122:6)  We can stand in the gap for those who do not yet know He is their Messiah.  Secondly, we can stand in the gap for our own country. Alexis DeToqueville, wrote the following after visiting our country in the 1800's.  "Upon my arrival in the United States, the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention, and the longer I stayed there, the more I perceived the great political consequences resulting from this new state of things.  In the United States, the sovereign authority is religious; there is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America.  Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and power."  (Democracy in America, 1831)  De Toqueville also wrote, "America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, then America will cease to be great."    After reading this and considering the state of affairs in America today, I have no doubt that we need some who will stand in the gap for this country.  How about you?  (1 Timothy 2:2)  So far, I would say that there are plenty of positions in the gap which are just waiting for us.  That doesn't even count the numerous ones in our families and acquaintances that are without the love and hope of Jesus.  (Matthew 9:38)  It doesn't count the myriad of believers who are going through some very difficult trials, some even being persecuted and others tortured.  (Ephesians 6:18)  Besides that, and here is a hard saying, there are our enemies.  (Matthew 5:44)  Who will stand in the gap this morning? 

"He that would be angry and sin not, must not be angry with anything but sin." (cf: Ephes. 4:26)

-Thomas Seeker

-Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations

Is that what makes you angry?  Is it sin that makes you angry or is it something else.  Like maybe not getting your own way?   If there is anything besides sin (in yourself and others) that makes you angry, as Archie Bunker used to say, "Stifle it."  God lets us know that those who control their anger have great understanding.  What does that say about us if we have fits of temper and bursts of rage?  Especially if it is about anything except the things that God hates?  It only shows that we have no understanding and are yielding to the things God hates rather than being angry about them.  The Psalmist indicates that we are to stop our anger and turn from our rage.  At least, the kind that is due to our selfishness.  (Psalm 37:8)  Do you have a quick temper?  If God's Word is true, and it is, you will make mistakes.  Ever been there and done that?  Had a temper tantrum and only made a bad situation worse?  I have. Not a good thing!

Understanding is very important in God's eyes.  At least twice in scripture He says that He looks down among us here on earth to see if anyone has any real understanding.  The inference is that, if we have understanding, we will be seeking for Him.  If we are really seeking for Him, we are looking in the wrong place if we have allowed ourselves to go where our temper wants to lead us.  (Psalm 14:2, 53:2)   Both times, he repeats the fact that He found not a single one.  We had all gone astray.  We tend to get consumed with what we want and that, to put it bluntly, is lust.  It is also idolatry.  Why would we, God's children, need to be consumed with lust?  We have a God who has promised that He is working out everything in our lives for the good if we will just love Him and walk in our purpose.  (Romans 8:28)  We have a God who has told us that He is able to supply all of our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus!  (Philippians 4:19)  We have a God who has assured us that He will give us things that are way beyond even what we could think of to ask or begin to believe.  (Ephesians 3:20)  We have a God who as given us the promise that, if we seek Him first, everything else will be provided.  (Matthew 6:33)  We are children of the Most High God.  With Him all things are possible.  (Mark 10:27)  Nothing is impossible. (Luke 1:37)  Do you, do I, really understand these things about our God?  These are just the tip of the iceberg as far as God's promises for the lives of His children are concerned.  Do we have understanding?  If so, why do we get angry?  Why are, even those who profess to be Christians involved in fighting and striving?  In ugly acts of temper and rage?  Why do we make ourselves subject to unhappiness when we are told by God that we will be happy if we will just seek His wisdom and understanding?  (Proverbs 3:13) 

James tells us that all of our fights and strife come from one thing.  It's our own lusts at war within us.  Then the war within us gets out by way of our temper and rage and affects those around us. (James 4:1-2)  We begin to act like heathens even toward our brothers and sisters in Christ!  What has happened to our understanding of the fact that we have a God who is more than able to provide for all of His children?   Do you suppose there is an element of pride involved here too?  (James 4:6)  He says, we don't have what we need or want because we don't ask for it.  It takes humility to ask God for something and then wait patiently for it.  We have to admit that we are not capable of supplying our needs by ourselves and that we are walking in a plan that was made for us, not by us.  And, we certainly have to admit that we are not in control of any other human beings.  We can't even control the smallest member of our own bodies!  (James 3:8)  Understanding tells us that we also don't always know what to ask for because we are consumed with our own little world.  (James 4:3)   We want what we want, forgetting that we are supposed to be crucified with Christ.  (Galatians 2:20)  If this sounds a bit harsh and judgmental, it is not.  James was speaking to the church when He wrote about anger and strife.  God was speaking to His people.  He was speaking to people that He loves with an everlasting love, when He spoke about those who lacked understanding.  It appears that He never stopped looking for just one who would put everything else aside, seek Him, gain understanding and cease from unproductive anger.  He finally sent the perfect One to show us the way.  Did Jesus get angry?  Yes, He certainly did.  But, was it ever because He didn't get His own way?  Did He show anger when He was disbelieved, lied against, mocked, scorned, beaten, and even nailed upon a cross and killed?  No.  His anger came out only against sin.   (Matthew 21:12-13, Matthew 23:27)  Can we be angry?  Yes we can and we should be angry with exactly what God is angry with, the sin that steals, kills and destroys the lives of mankind.  Can we go off, half-cocked and do something about it in our own strength?  I don't think so.  First of all the power of sin is so great, unless we go in the strength of the Lord, we will be destroyed.  What we can do, is put on all of God's armor and go to battle against the flesh and the devil.  (Ephesians 6:11)  We can be angry but we cannot sin by striking out at another person. (Ephesians 6:12)  Above all, in our anger, we must not ever think we can do a right thing in a wrong way.  We cannot change things for the better by allowing ourselves to sin when we become angry.  (Ephesians 4:26)  Is there something in your life that really gets under your skin and makes you lose control?  Maybe it really is something that needs to be changed.  Why not take it to God this morning in humility?  Why not be willing to ask Him if He wants that something changed?  Then be satisfied with His answer and His timing.  It could be, and probably is in some way, that part of the something He wants changed is ourselves! At any moment in time, if there is something that we want but we are not getting it, it's time to humble ourselves before God.  It's time to lay aside our own agenda.  It's time to cleanse ourselves and purify our hearts before Him.  (James 4:8-9)  The promise He gives is as true as all the other things we have seen in His Word this morning.  When we have given up our anger and our own way, in humility before our Father, He will lift us up. (James 4:10)  When He lifts you up, nothing can put you down.  Isn't that worth giving up anything, except sin, that makes us angry?

Joseph had a big, big dream.  Well, actually he had two dreams, each confirming the other.  He was so excited when he had the first one that he promptly blurted it out to his half-brothers. (Genesis 37:5)  There was just one problem.  Joseph had favor with his father.  Does that really sound like a problem?  Not to begin with.  We all want favor with our Heavenly Father and He has promised to give it to us.  But Joseph's brothers weren't all they should be when they got out away from home and Joseph had reported their wrong doings to their father.  (Genesis 37:2) Being the youngest and having been the proverbial, "tattle-tale," he wasn't exactly in the rest of the brother's good graces.  Not only that, Joseph's father had done something for him that was usually done for the eldest, not the youngest.  Because he loved Joseph more than any of the others, he had gave him a very fine robe.  It was beautiful.  You could see Joseph coming.  His father's favor was written all over him.  So was his Heavenly Father's favor.  This undeniable favor that was written all over Joseph had a very negative effect on his brothers.  To put it bluntly, they hated him.  They had nothing good to say about him.  They were jealous of him because of his father's partiality.  (Genesis 37:4)  Don't you know that some of those around you will not take kindly to you when they see that you have God's favor upon your life?  When you have a dream that is bigger than life, they will not jump with joy as you explain it to them.  If they are not seeking to live lives pleasing to our Heavenly Father, they will be angry because the Light in you will expose their darkness.  If God gives you good gifts, they will be jealous.  Just like Joseph's brothers, you may be hated and no one may buy into that dream God put in your heart.  In fact, there's a good chance someone or many may try to extinguish it.  First of all, a good lesson to learn is that we should share our dreams only at the urging of God and only with those He directs us to share them.

 Joseph's dream had to do with all of his brothers bowing down to him in the future.  Little did Joseph know when he was excitedly telling them all the details of his dream that there were other details in his own life that God had not spelled out.  (Genesis 37:5)  He would go through much pain and suffering to see this dream come to pass.  Well, after telling his brothers all the details about the first dream, they really hated him all the more.  Then God gave him another dream confirming the first one and adding a small detail.  This time there was the inference that they would all bow down to him and so would their father.  (Genesis 37:9)  Obviously, these dreams were put into Joseph's heart because they were true.  They all played out and we see the outcome later in scripture.  However, before anything came to pass that indicated that those dreams would be fulfilled, Joseph underwent some painful situations.  He did indeed end up in the palace but he did it by way of a pit. (Genesis 37:23-24)  His family did, indeed, bow down to him but not before it was proven that he would not become bitter by being broken.  No, Joseph did not become bitter.  He became better! 

Joseph's brothers hated him so much that they wanted to kill him.  (Genesis 37:18) At least most of them did.  Others had some hesitation but they still wanted to get rid of him somehow.  When God has put a dream in your heart, no person or devil can remove you before God has completed His plan for you. (Philippians 1:6)  The dream that God has placed in you is far bigger than you could do by yourself.  (John 15:5)  It is so big that you will need a well developed character to handle it properly and even to see it to its fulfillment.  God will help you with that just as He did for Joseph.  (James 1:4)  Joseph truly was used mightily of God.  He was blessed mightily of God.  (Genesis 39:2)  But, it took going from the pit to Potiphar's home, and to the penitentiary before He finally got to the palace.  (Genesis 41:41)  It took being rejected by his own brothers, being sold into slavery and being separated from his beloved father for many years.  Big dreams and big blessings have a price.  Resistance will come.  When it does, we are to resist right back but only after submitting ourselves fully to God.  (James 4:7)  Ememies will threaten.  We have to stay alert at all times.  (1 Peter 5:8)  Through it all, Joseph remained faithful to God and full of integrity.  God used everything his enemies brought against him for good.  (Romans 8:28)  First to refine him and test his character (James 1:2-3) and then to help the very ones who tried to take him out!  (Genesis 50:20)  Are you in a pit or a penitentiary of sorts this morning?  Does it seem that your dreams are dead?  That's not the case at all, if you're still breathing.  Jesus, our Redeemer, wants to bring restoration to your life.  (1 Peter 5:10)  This dark place you may be in is only refining and testing your character.  (Romans 5:3-5)  When we are tested will we, like Joseph, come forth as gold showing that we are able to handle the fulfillment of the dream God has given us?  (Psalm 17:3)  By God's grace and with His strength, we will.  God gave Joseph favor even in the pit and the penitentiary.  He will do the same for you and me too if we are focused on Him and never doubt that He has a purpose for everything that we walk through.  What the enemy has meant for evil in your life and in mine, God will turn to good if we are faithful and refuse to let go of our dream.  What dream has God placed in your heart?  You are not too young or too old to obtain it.  There is no one and no thing that is strong enough to take it away from you.  God is for you so who can be against you?  (Romans 8:31)  Dream big, and continue to run the race.  (Galatians 6:9)  We serve a big, big God!  (Luke 1:37)   

Everybody is searching for something!  What are you searching for this morning?  (Psalm 14:2)  God tells us what to search for and He seems to want us to really understand it.  He repeated the same thing twice in His Word.  What does it mean to really search?  The King James Version translates the word, "search," as "seek."  That's what it means.  It's root carries the meaning of frequenting, treading or following.  Are you?  Am I, following the Lord and treading in His footsteps?  (Matthew 16:24)  Are we frequenting the places where He is?   (John 17:24)  It also carries the meaning of pursuit, inquiring, and questioning.  Are we pursuing His Word, inquiring of the Holy Spirit and questioning about what He would have us to do?  (Acts 17:11)  In addition, it denotes worshiping.  Are we worshipping the only One worthy of our worship?  (Luke 4:8)  Whatever specific thing you and I are searching for today, we will find when we first search for the Lord.  (Acts 17:28)  It is not just a one-time walk down a church aisle to pray the sinner's prayer.  That's just the beginning.  It boils down to what things we ask about, the things we question, and the things we pursue every day.  It finally boils down to what and/or who we worship.  What occupies most of your thoughts during a day?  What activities take up the most of your time?    Whatever or whoever that thing or one is, that is what and or who you are worshipping!  When I realized that, it started a process in me that has been changed my way of thinking and is becoming life-changing.  I didn't realize just how many things had crowded out my focus on searching for the Lord. (Matthew 13:22)  There's another interesting thing about this verse of scripture.  The King James Version says, "Seek the Lord, and his strength; seek his face evermore."  Although it uses the word, "seek" twice, "seek" is not translated from the same Hebrew word in both cases.  I have already mentioned the meanings behind the first use of the word.  The second use of the word makes it even more clear.  Its meaning has to do with searching out something by any method, but specifically in worship or prayer.  It includes striving after and procuring.  We are to search for the face of the Lord specifically in worship and prayer.  No wonder we are told to pray continually! (1 Thessalonians 5:17)    Search continually.  (Psalm 88:13) The word for "face," has to do with standing before God and being in His presence.  Wow!  We are supposed to continually strive to be in His presence where we will find divine power and strength.  Now that is worth searching for!!

We have so many issues in life.  The more blessings we have, the more issues we seem to have.  For instance, if you have several children (which are truly blessings of the Lord - Psalm 127:3), you will have more opportunity to have more challenges and issues in your life.  You can't help it!  Although God has put us here as stewards and earthly parents to take care of our children, He has still given them a will and an opportunity to make choices.  We can only do so much to direct that will and trust God with the rest.  (Proverbs 22:6)  The ultimate choices are up to them. (Deuteronomy 30:19)  That's one good reason right there that we should not be so consumed with them and their problems or issues that we lose sight of the One who gave them to us and His power to change their hearts and wills and to bring them through in victory!  Our job is to seek the Lord first.  

Yes, He has given us specific tasks and jobs to do here in this life.  We should do them mightily, as though we were doing them for Him.  (Colossians 3:23)  In everything we do, we should glorify Him.  (1 Corinthians 10:31)  But, some of those things require great strength.  Sometimes it's physical strength.  Sometimes mental strength.  Other times, emotional strength.  If we count on our own strength, we're sure to miss the mark and many times even fail completely.  (Psalm 44:3)  Only when we are searching for or seeking His strength will we find the stamina to finish victoriously.  Without Jesus and His strength, we become victims of the evil one who is much stronger than we are in the natural.  But, with Jesus and His strength, we become victors!  No more victims!  Victors!! Buried in the meaning of this word, "strength," are such things as force, security, majesty, praise, boldness, might and power.  It comes from a root word with such meanings as stoutness and prevail.  Yes, the only way we can and will prevail is to search for the Lord always and keep on searching.  Matthew 6:33 says that God will give us everything we need from day to day if we make Him our primary concern.  Matthew 7:7 tells us to ask, seek and knock.  That requires some searching, wouldn't you say?  This actually means a continual asking, seeking and knocking.  This word, "search,"  involves desiring and requiring.  Even begging.  What are you searching for this morning?  A better question would be, "Are you searching for the Lord this morning?"  If not, why not align yourself with the only One who can show you and give you everything you need?  If you're already there, praise God, just keep on searching the deep reservoirs of His Word.  When we get to the end of our journey, we will finally see Him face to face and know Him fully!  (1 John 3:2)  No more searching.  We will have found exactly Who we have been searching for! 

Have you ever noticed that Mom's usually know what they're talking about?  Jesus's Mom was no different.  She saw something in her Son that she had confidence in.  There she was at a wedding where the host was in a most embarrassing situation.  He had run out of wine.  (John 2:1-3)  When we run out of anything, it's a good idea to speak to Jesus.  That's just what His mother did.  She spoke to Him about the problem.  Do you have any lack this morning that you need to speak to Jesus about?  Let me encourage you to do it, even before you finish reading this little devotional.  He is more than able to meet the need in your life.  (Philippians 4:19)  Not only that, He has promised to do so if we will just seek Him first!  (Matthew 6:33) 

In actuality, it may be that most of us are lacking in one specific thing.  Now before anybody gets up in the air about this, let me say that I am the first to stand in line for help in this area!  When Mary told the servants to do what Jesus said, she was speaking volumes.  When someone later asked Jesus what the greatest commandments were, He gave one as the greatest and another as the second, but equally, greatest.  But, they both contained the same element.  What is that element?  Love.  We are to love God with all of our being.  (Matthew 22:37-38)  Second we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  (Matthew 22:38-39)  Now, these are only two of the things He has told us to do.  How are we doing?  Do we really love God with all of our heart, soul and mind?  I'm not putting anybody down here.  It's a process and our love-walk should be increasing every day.  Loving someone in God's way means wanting the best for them.  Do we have God's best on our mind as we go about our daily tasks?  Or, do we just try to get our agenda taken care of even if it means a few slips or just a tiny lie or maybe just a smidgen of cheating?  Secondly, how do we love others?  As we love ourselves?  Some of us would do poorly if we loved others as we love ourselves!  What do you think of yourself?  Do you realize that you are unique?  A one-of-a-kind?  Created wonderfully and fearfully by the hand of your Creator?  (Psalm 139:14)  If not, then you don't love yourself as you should.  His workmanship is marvelous.  I didn't say that.  He did.  You should too!  That's really the way God wants you to love your neighbor.  Selfishness and being self-centered is not what I'm talking about.  It's just seeing yourself as God sees you and treating yourself accordingly.  Being balanced. Not thinking more highly of yourself than you should but, conversely, not putting yourself down all the time or being too hard on yourself.  Well, how are we doing by now?  We're supposed to do what He says.  Are we really loving God? Are we loving ourselves as God loves us, and others as He loves them?  As I said, I'm pushing my way to the head of the line.  I need more love.  Oops, pushing is not loving.  Go ahead if you were there ahead of me!

Another thing Jesus said is also easier said than done.  Also a process.  Also a necessity because He said to do it.  It is also born out of love.  (I can just see the line for God's love growing!)  Ok, here it is.  Obedience.  (John 14:15)  Jesus said, if we love Him, we will obey His commandments.  We already saw the first two of the greatest commandments.  Now He's still talking about love and how it relates to everything He said to do.  True love for Jesus will compel us to do just what Mary told the servants to do at the wedding feast.  Do whatever He says.  We're all in the process.  Doing whatever He says requires that we know what He says.  (John 8:31-32)  Praise God, we're seeking out what He says, even right at this moment!  Once we know what He says, our relationship with Him through His Spirit will remind us of what He has said.  (John 14:26)  Our minds are frail and we do forget sometimes but He has sent us a Helper to bring His words to mind.   God's love for us is so strong that He has not left anything out that we need.  The only thing left to us is a choice.  Will we, like the servants who were probably very flustered at the moment because they had run out of wine, make the right choice?  They did something very illogical in the natural but they made the right choice.  They knew they had a lack and they did exactly what Jesus said.  They filled water pots to the brim.  (John 2:7-8)  That took some great faith.  But, it paid off.  He does ask us to do some things that are totally illogical in the natural.  Most of them are hinged on love.  Such as "Love your enemy."  (Matthew 5:43-48)  That's about as easy as pouring water into a water pot and believing it will turn to wine, isn't it?  But, because Jesus said to do it, the water did turn into wine.  Not just plain wine.  But, the finest wine they had ever tasted!  (John 2:9-10)  Do you have a lack of anything this morning.  Jesus is the Living Water.  He wants you to come to Him as an empty water pot.  His desire is to fill you so you will never thirst again.   (Matthew 5:6)  When that is complete, His love will flow in and through you.  Love will replace the lack.  Running a little low on anything?  Do what He says!  Especially in the love department.  The result.  The finest you have ever had!!

When Jesus came to earth, He brought light to a very dark world.  When He came to earth, the world was in turmoil and darkness.  So much so, that the darkness tried to extinguish the Light but was unable to do so even though Jesus was in human terms, a helpless little baby.  (Matthew 2:16)  That's right.  As the song says, "Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there's something about that Name!"  Herod committed a heinous mass murder of thousands of innocent baby boys trying to extinguish the One who was and is the Light.  Herod eventually died but Jesus lives on!   Jesus is the Light of the world.  (John 12:46)  His desire is that we will put our trust in Him.  Most people love the darkness more than the Light.  What kind of people are we?  Putting our trust in the Light releases us from judgment. (John 3:19)  If we come under judgment, it is because we have rejected Jesus, loving the darkness of our evil deeds more than the One who came to deliver us.

What is in our lives today that would keep us from standing in the pure "Son-light?"  Is there a shade pulled down in some area of our hearts and lives that keeps the Light of the world out?  If so, will we let the Light dispel whatever darkness still lingers, hindering us from reaching our God-given purpose in this life?  There is a very old song that I used to hear as a little girl.  It was not a Christian song but the idea was right.  The words went like this:  "So let the sun shine in, face it with a grin.  Just open up your heart and let the sun shine in."  How about if we change "sun," to "Son" and know that when we open our hearts to the Light of Jesus, we will see His smile of forgiveness?  We will be able to face Him with a smile of joy on our own faces because He has taken all the darkness away!  Got any shades in your heart pulled down today?  Take those shades completely down.  Let the Son shine in.  Don't even try to block out any of His precious Light.  You'll be fighting a losing battle.  The darkness cannot overtake the Light.  We see this from the scriptural accounts of Jesus birth through and beyond the crucifixion.  It can and will try but it will not succeed.  If we choose to walk in disobedience, we are aiding the darkness. We've aligned ourselves with the wrong side.  We need to get back on the Lord's side.  His Light will eventually expose all of our darkness.  It's our choice to give up the darkness now or receive the judgment mentioned above in John 3:19.  The Light has come! It is not His intention to bring condemnation on any of us.  (John 3:17)  He came to take away our darkness. He came to lead us down the brightly lit path of peace.  (Luke 1:78-79)  If you are reading this and there are dark areas in your life, thank God, a light from Heaven is about to break upon you.  Will you receive Him?  Coming to the Light can feel a bit uncomfortable because light does expose darkness.  He may show you some things that are not right in your heart and your actions.  You will know that you deserve punishment - maybe even severe punishment.  But, the wonderful thing is this.  Jesus, the Light, took all your punishment upon Himself.  (Romans 3:21-26, Isaiah 53:4-6)  Praise God!  His Light is gloriously healing and freeing!

Light broke through the final darkness on the morning that Jesus rose up from the grave!  He took all the darkness of, not only our sin, but of death. (1 Corinthians 15:57)  That same Light that could not be held by the darkness of death is in you and me if we have chosen to receive Him.  That same resurrection power - the Light that broke through Hell and destruction, lives in you and me!  Jesus said that we should now be the light of the world.   It's Him living in and through us.  (Matthew 5:14)  We now have the assignment to continue bringing His Light to a dark world.  But, we must keep our eyes on the true Light.  If not, we may be deceived into thinking we have light but the light we think we have will be darkness.  (Luke 11:35)  What we gaze at will determine what is in us.  It used to be said that the eyes were the window of the soul.  God says it somewhat that way too.  He says that the eye is the lamp for the body.  (Luke 11:34)  If we continually look to the Light, we will be filled with the true Light.  If we are looking at evil things (and I admit it's hard not to do that with all that is in the movies, TV, billboards, magazines, etc.), we will plunge ourselves into darkness.  Why would we want to do that?  We need to open the windows of our hearts completely.  Then keep our eyes on Jesus.   God says that there won't be any more dark corners.  No more worries about having something in our lives exposed.  It will be as though a floodlight is shining on us and we will truly be His Light to this dark world!  (Luke 11:36)  Want to be radiant, like no make-up, cream or skin care can do?  Men and women, alike.  Look to the Light - be filled with the Light!  Some may be unreceptive, but shine anyway.  The darkness cannot extinguish the Light in you!!