Do you take Jesus at his word?

I'm doing a Bible study on the book of John with my Hello Mornings group.  Today we read a passage in John chapter 4, verses 46-54.  Have you read this one?  Jesus has returned to Cana, where on a previous visit, he performed his first miracle at the urging of his mother.  A royal official has heard that Jesus has returned and goes to find him.  You see, this man's son was sick...sick and almost to the point of death.  Can you just feel his heartbreak, his fear?  Can you hear the tremble in his voice as he begs Jesus to come, please come and heal his son?

And Jesus, perhaps with a look around at the crowd of people in the streets, looks back at the man and says, "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders you will never believe."  Let's hit pause here for a moment....

Is that true?  Do we need to see the flashing lights, hear the music mounting in tension and volume, see hands make spectacular signals, hear fancy words....do we need to see miraculous signs and wonders in order to believe?  Jesus does know the hearts of humans.  He knows we are a fickle people...slow to trust, slow to believe...in need of signs that say "Yes, this is it!"  But what if we didn't?  What if we just....believed?  What if we just took him at his word?  What if we let the Truth shed Light over us and just accepted Him?

Let's go back to our story in John's book.  The official says, "Sir, come down before my child dies."  And Jesus replies, "You may go.  Your son will live."  That's it.  "You may go."  What?  Really?  And what does this man do?  Does he continue to beg?  Does he grab Jesus' hand and pull him toward his home?  Does he stop in shock and say, "What?  You won't come?  Are you serious?" 

No.  "The man took Jesus at his word and departed."  That's IT!  A quiet, simple act of faith.  He took Jesus at his word.  Jesus does not lie.  Ever.  Did this man know that?  Probably not.  But he believed him.  He turned and headed back home to his son.  On the way, some of his servants came running up to him to tell him the good news that his son was still alive, doing better!  The man asked when his son had turned for the better, and they told him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour."  1:00 pm.  Goose bumps moment here, friends.  The man realizes that is the exact moment he was speaking with Jesus.  The moment that Jesus said, "Your son will live." 

Jesus spoke those words, simple words, and the son's fever immediately broke.  And the man believed!  He told his household what had transpired and they believed!  And this was Jesus' second miracle.

Friends, sometimes it just takes our simple, quiet acts of faith.  Take Jesus at his word.  He won't lie to you.  He won't lead you astray.  He won't tease or play games.  He speaks truth.  Jesus tells us we have eternal life if we believe in Him.  Jesus tells us he will never leave us.  Jesus tells us he will come again and gather us to him.  Do you take Jesus at his word?

Intentional Living...

It's the start of something new....something big....something intentional.  Over on my sidebar, you see a badge for Hello Mornings.  I am joining the challenge again to work "new" good habits into my life.  There are three parts to this challenge...regular, daily Bible study, and time with God; exercise; and daily planning time.

I will say that I try to have a daily time with my Lord already...some days that goes better than others, and honestly, some days it doesn't happen well at all.  Exercise is much the same...my goal is to get up each morning and either go for a walk or workout with a dvd....some days the lure of my pillow is stronger than the lure of fitness.  And I am NOT at all a daily planner...but how nice would it be to know what's for dinner each day, what appointments I need to get to, what goals I'd like to accomplish each day....  I tend to forget or double-book myself sometimes because I am just not as organized as I'd like to be.

This challenge builds in accountability in the form of a supportive group of other women.  We check in with and encourage each other regularly.  My group is on facebook, so it's easy to say hello, comment on a Bible study or give a "high five" for reaching a goal.  It also gives us an opportunity to pass along prayer requests.

That being said, my goals for this challenge are to work on more regular bedtime/rising times....I've gotten into a bad habit of staying up far too late at night, which makes it hard to get up in the mornings.  With school starting soon, my daughter will need to get up early enough to get to her zero hour class at 7 am...which means I also need to be up and moving long before that.  I want to find the best time for my quiet time with God, whether it be in the morning, or before I go to bed at night.  And I want to make a better habit of not only working out/walking more regularly but also eating healthier.  So, lots to work on, but as this is my second time in the challenge, I don't think any of those things are too far out of reach.  Daily life has a way of changing our "plans" but good habits make it easier to stay focused.

Philippians 3:12-15

Straining Toward the Goal

¹² Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

**edited to note...if you click on the Hello Mornings badge in my side bar, it will take you to the main webpage for this challenge!  :)