DAY 2 - Do Whatever He Tells You
DAY 2 - Do Whatever He Tells You
Read slowly. John 2:1 through 11
At the wedding in Cana, the wine runs out. Mary brings the need to Jesus, then says something to the servants that has guided followers of Jesus for centuries: Do whatever he tells you.
What Jesus tells them to do does not sound spectacular. Fill six stone jars with water. These were large containers. Filling them meant repeated trips, heavy lifting, and ordinary work. Then Jesus tells them to draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. The servants have to move before they know what Jesus will do.
The servants cannot make water become wine. They cannot control the outcome, manufacture a miracle, or guarantee that obeying will protect them from embarrassment. Their responsibility is simpler. Listen. Fill. Carry. Jesus is responsible for what only Jesus can do.
We often want an assignment that feels important. God often gives us an act of obedience that feels ordinary. Tell the truth. Make the call. Apologize without defending yourself. Show up. Give quietly. Serve when nobody notices. Open your home. Ask someone for help. Begin the conversation about baptism. None of those actions looks like changing the world. Neither does carrying water.
Do not miss who knew where the wine came from. John says the master of the banquet did not know, but the servants knew. There is a knowledge of Jesus that comes only through obedience. You can watch from across the room and admire what he does. Or you can carry the jar and discover that he was at work in the ordinary thing he asked of you.
This does not mean obedience forces God to give you the outcome you want. Faith is not a lever that makes God perform. The servants did what Jesus said because he was worthy of trust. That is still the reason we obey.
You are not responsible for the miracle. You are responsible for the next act of obedience.
Ask yourself
Your Next Yes
Choose one action you can complete before this time tomorrow. Make it specific enough that you will know whether you did it. Send the invitation. Schedule the conversation. Make the gift. Ask for help. Begin the application. Do the ordinary thing and leave the outcome with Jesus.
Pray
Jesus, I spend too much time asking what will happen if I obey. Teach me to trust you with the result. Show me the simple thing you have placed in front of me. Give me humility to do work that feels ordinary and courage to move before I can see what you will do with it. Amen.
Read slowly. John 2:1 through 11
At the wedding in Cana, the wine runs out. Mary brings the need to Jesus, then says something to the servants that has guided followers of Jesus for centuries: Do whatever he tells you.
What Jesus tells them to do does not sound spectacular. Fill six stone jars with water. These were large containers. Filling them meant repeated trips, heavy lifting, and ordinary work. Then Jesus tells them to draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. The servants have to move before they know what Jesus will do.
The servants cannot make water become wine. They cannot control the outcome, manufacture a miracle, or guarantee that obeying will protect them from embarrassment. Their responsibility is simpler. Listen. Fill. Carry. Jesus is responsible for what only Jesus can do.
We often want an assignment that feels important. God often gives us an act of obedience that feels ordinary. Tell the truth. Make the call. Apologize without defending yourself. Show up. Give quietly. Serve when nobody notices. Open your home. Ask someone for help. Begin the conversation about baptism. None of those actions looks like changing the world. Neither does carrying water.
Do not miss who knew where the wine came from. John says the master of the banquet did not know, but the servants knew. There is a knowledge of Jesus that comes only through obedience. You can watch from across the room and admire what he does. Or you can carry the jar and discover that he was at work in the ordinary thing he asked of you.
This does not mean obedience forces God to give you the outcome you want. Faith is not a lever that makes God perform. The servants did what Jesus said because he was worthy of trust. That is still the reason we obey.
You are not responsible for the miracle. You are responsible for the next act of obedience.
Ask yourself
- What ordinary act of obedience have I dismissed because it did not feel important enough?
- Am I waiting for God to give me a more exciting assignment before I obey the one already in front of me?
- What outcome am I trying to control instead of leaving it with Jesus?
- What would it look like to do what Jesus has said within the next twenty four hours?
Your Next Yes
Choose one action you can complete before this time tomorrow. Make it specific enough that you will know whether you did it. Send the invitation. Schedule the conversation. Make the gift. Ask for help. Begin the application. Do the ordinary thing and leave the outcome with Jesus.
Pray
Jesus, I spend too much time asking what will happen if I obey. Teach me to trust you with the result. Show me the simple thing you have placed in front of me. Give me humility to do work that feels ordinary and courage to move before I can see what you will do with it. Amen.
Posted in Daily Devotional