IN THE WORD DAILY

with Brother Rick

John 4: 47- 50

  When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.

V- 48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.

V- 49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.

V- 50 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.

In the text we see the sovereign mercy of the Lord. The man came to Jesus with a need. He was not Jew. He was not a man of God. He was not a religious man; at least we are not led to believe he was. He was just a stranger looking for some help. John 6: 37 says, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out”. Jesus is no respecter of persons; he will help anyone who will call upon his name. Romans 10: 13 says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”.

Notice in the text that the man came to Jesus in desperation and pleaded with the Lord to come else his child would die. How many of us have ever come to the Lord with this type of passion? How many of us have come to the Lord with this type of assurance? We know from verse 46 that the man traveled from Capernaum to find Jesus. It was about a 20 mile trip. He most assuredly had already consulted the doctors. He had probably done all he could think of to save his child, and now there was nothing left to do but turn to the Lord. The text does not tell us this but we know from history, other stories in the Bible, and personal experience that Jesus is usually the last place we go when we need help, especially for the lost.

There is one thing that we can bank on. When the man left Jesus and went to his home and found his son in good health, he knew he could depend on the words of the Lord. Verse 50 says, “And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way”. Notice one thing, this man believed the word of the Lord BEFORE he confirmed the miracle healing of his child. Can you say that about your relationship with the Lord? Do you believe the words of Jesus despite the outcome?

Do you believe the Lord when he says in Luke 6: 38, “Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again”? Do you believe the Lord when he says in Matthew 6: 33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”? Do you believe the Lord when he says in Matthew 11: 28, “Come unto me, all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest”? Do you believe the Lord when he says in James 4: 8, “Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you”? Do you see in all of these verses of scripture, we are required to act first before the blessing comes. In each of these promises from the Lord, we have to make a move toward God and his righteousness in order to receive. God is a God of proportions.

Did you receive a blessing at your church on the Lord's Day? Did the service and the preaching of the word move your heart and challenge your life? I’ll be willing to say that you received exactly what you put into it. If you worshiped with a pure heart and a joyful spirit, I believe that you were blessed beyond measure. But if you had other things on your mind and you were preoccupied, or if you started the day off with a bad attitude because some lost sinner wandered in off the street and sat in YOUR pew, I would be willing to say that you didn't get much from God.

What are you putting into your relationship with the Lord?

The street runs both ways, don’t wait on the Lord to do all the work, trust his word and move in his direction.

Have A Blessed Day!!!