dillards

I think it is poetic and simpleness of the verse that just rings home with so many people. Every person has been created by God and He loves every single person... He doesn't want any of his children to perish. He desires for us to be with Him always. Salvation is a free gift, paid in full by Jesus if only we accept it.

I prefer "born anew"... Accepting the gift of salvation should change who we are- our actions, our attitudes, our beliefs, our lifestyles. We should see its impact in our everyday lives and actions. If someone is not changed by salvation, I am not certain someone is really saved. It changes us... we are no longer just earthly minded.

Q4. (John 2:6-10) Why did Jesus perform this miracle behind-the-scenes? Who was he trying to protect? What does the quantity of the wine tell us about Jesus’ glory? What does the quality of the wine tell us about Jesus’ glory? This is one of my favorite stories to recall when I am struggling with patience and waiting on The Lord... Jesus saves his best wine for last. Jesus loved the people at the wedding- that's why He was there so it makes sense He would want them to be happy and not embarrassed. He loved them. And He gave them way more wine than they would ever need for the celebration. He loves to bless people and His gifts are always more than we need/deserve/even ask for... Jesus doesn't just give "enough", He gives ALL.

Drunkenness is just another way of putting something else above God- others do same with cigarettes, food, their children, their careers... God gives us all blessings to enjoy. I enjoy food but I have to keep it in line so I do not become overweight. I enjoy my kids but I cannot put them above my worship for God. I think alcohol is the same when we enjoy the gift more than we do the One who gave it to us.

She cares for the family's reputation and is in need so of course, she turns to her eldest son. She is a widow at this point plus she must know Jesus is special after being with Him for 30 years. Of course, it was appropriate- it shows that we should go to Jesus for help in everyday life, not just in physical crises. He did not rebuke her, but I think He was just attending a celebration and He wanted the festivities to be properly placed on the new couple rather than on His powers to perform miracles.

The family used to be the central focus of life and I think that is something we have lost in recent generations. You needed your family working together even for basic survival. It's a downfall of modernization. We no longer depend on our family like man did in Biblical times, and really up until the industrial revolution. In the third world countries I have been in, family still is central in their life, but not something we still esteem in USA. Everyone is disconnected. Personally, I have never felt so disconnected from my family as I do today and we have no drama, no anger or bitterness... people have just drifted apart. Jesus obviously loved his family and friends and enjoyed spending time with them at festivities and joyous occasions. He knew His purpose on life but somethings are more important than building your career.

The passage in Daniel 7 predicts that Jesus will be the Son of Man. This is more than just a Son of David (one man, one lineage)... I think Son of Man is a declaration of his world wide dominion, his humanity in general and his suffering to save any man on earth. Jesus comes to restore our lost inheritance as only he can. Jesus' dominion will never end. He will claim victory and rule forever. It is God's promise to us. Jesus promises Nathaniel that he will see greater things as the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Jesus becomes the communication channell/the connection from Earth to Heaven. In the Old Testament, Jacob saw angels going up and down a ladder to Earth, but Jesus promises that angels will go up and down Himself... I don't know what else this could mean other than Jesus becomes the ladder. I think this is confusing for me... but it certainly was a good promise to Nathanael.

Despite my attempts not to, I too pre-judge people when/before I meet them like Nathanael. What good could come out of Nazareth... As I get older (and grow in faith thankfully) I do not judge people as I did when I was younger- for their upbringing, background, ethnicity, culture, life choices, etc... I was really only comfortable with people I perceived to be "good" like me. Jesus knows our faults even if we do not and loves us anyway so He said something that only Nathanael would know so he may be confident in who Christ is. Nathanael then proclaimed Jesus the Son of God... believed in Him and was saved.

What role does Andrew play in Simon Peter’s conversion? When Andrew saw the Truth, he of course wanted those whom he loved the most in this world to share in the good news and be saved too. So he sought out his brother. When we have blessings, its only natural to want to share it with those we love the most. Today, why do so many Christians substitute bringing a person to Jesus with bringing them to church? It's fear of ridicule. And pride. I don't like people to see how weak I am or how broken. We all want to put on a good face to the world but if we truly share our own testimony it shows how broken we are... how hopeless we are. I guess people don't think they have the power or the ability to lead someone else to Christ when we feel so tenuous in our own relationship with Him.

Following without knowing the destination is true faith. It requires ultimate trust in someone else. I think being with Jesus for me is keeping a running dialogue with Him throughout my day. It's so easy to be distracted, to be sucked into culture/physical world so I just try to talk to Him as my day goes by asking questions, by giving thanks for the little things like an awesome parking spot, and asking for strength. Septembermorn- I am no expert but I think Peter better represents the normal person than Paul. Paul is a rockstar, but Peter represents the average person. I see myself in him- I love him for his faults, his failings, yet he is so real so I can relate to him. I think the verse means that the church is built upon confessions, and Peter's confession is the example for us all. Peter was a successful fisherman before he met Jesus. Afterwards, he was a fisher of men.

It was John the Baptist. John was eventually thrown in prison which had to been the worst punishment. I picture John as the Grizzly Adams sort... he relished nature so being thrown into a dark hole had to been unbearable for John. It cost him his much loved freedom then ultimately his life.

I think the baptism that John performed on folks washed away their sins ... up until that point in time. But after Jesus's ascension when the Holy Spirit came down, only at that point could folks experience baptism with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit comes to dwell inside the person which is what happens at the point in time when someone "gets saved" today. We stop living for self and begin to live for our Creator.

Lamb of God is the sacrifice... The only sacrifice ever needed because Jesus was totally innocent but by His free will, he took all the blame/punishment on our behalf. He paid the price for every sinner that has ever lived, even those responsible for killing him. Jesus could have removed himself from the torture at any time, but He gave His life freely so that we can live!

I love this definition of meekness- being weak by your choice. I think that was John the Baptist. He obviously came from a decent family- his father was given the privilege of going into temple to pray at assigned time but John lived very simple life. He did not have fancy clothes and ate bugs, literally. John understood his role in life so much better than most of us... we do not live for our own selfish satisfactions. We are given life so that we may glorify and worship God.

John baptized the people so they could show an outward action of an inward change- much like folks in mourning used to cut their hair or put ashes on their skin. It was an action that made a declaration to the world. The baptism represented going down (giving up in death) the filth of sin and re-emerging cleansed and new.