GOD Morning! Fair Weather Friends / December 27, 2016

GOD Morning!

Fair Weather Friends

December 27, 2016

John 2 AMP

Miracle at Cana

2 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;² and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was all gone, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no more wine.” ⁴ Jesus said to her, “[Dear] woman, what is that to you and to Me? My time [to act and to be revealed] has not yet come.” ⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” ⁶ Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification (ceremonial washing), containing twenty or thirty gallons each. ⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ Then He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter [of the banquet].” So they took it to him. ⁹ And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had turned into wine, not knowing where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew) he called the bridegroom, ¹⁰ and said to him, “Everyone else serves his best wine first, and when people have ^[c]drunk freely, then he serves that which is not so good; but you have kept back the good wine until now.” ¹¹ This, the first of His signs (attesting miracles), Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and revealed His glory [displaying His deity and His great power openly], and His disciples believed [confidently] in Him [as the Messiah—they adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him].

¹² After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.

First Passover—Cleansing the Temple

¹³ Now the Passover of the Jews was approaching, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And in the temple [enclosure] He found the people who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting at their tables. ¹⁵ He made a whip of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; ¹⁶ then to those who sold the doves He said, “Take these things away! Stop making My Father’s house a place of commerce!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written [in the Scriptures], “Zeal (love, concern) for Your house [and its honor] will consume Me.” ¹⁸ Then the Jews retorted, “What sign (attesting miracle) can You show us as [proof of] your authority for doing these things?” ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ²⁰ Then the Jews replied, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and You will raise it up in three days?” ²¹ But He was speaking of the temple which was His body. ²² So when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered what He had said. And they believed and trusted in and relied on the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

²³ Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in His name [identifying themselves with Him] after seeing His signs (attesting miracles) which He was doing. ²⁴ But Jesus, for His part, did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people [and understood the superficiality and fickleness of human nature], ²⁵ and He did not need anyone to testify concerning man [and human nature], for He Himself knew what was in man [in their hearts—in the very core of their being].

This morning, verses 23-25 are standing out to me.

The Message Bible puts it this way:

^23-25 During the time he was in Jerusalem, those days of the Passover Feast, many people noticed the signs he was displaying and, seeing they pointed straight to God, entrusted their lives to him. But Jesus didn’t entrust his life to them. He knew them inside and out, knew how untrustworthy they were. He didn’t need any help in seeing right through them.

Jesus didn’t entrust His life to humans. Great counsel for everyone. There is a very short list of folks with whom I would entrust with my life. I won’t name them here for fear that I might accidentally omit someone special.

I have some great friends. I have some great acquaintances. I have fun and meaningful times with these folks. But would I entrust my life to most of them? No.

We all have a need to be noticed. We all have a need to be loved. Sometimes, someone will come along, as the folks in these verses, and notice us and even entrust their lives to us. But while it feels good to be noticed and loved, we must realize that most of the time, most folks’ love is temporary.

I know someone who is always making new best friends. His whole reason for living is wrapped up in friends. And he is always losing friends. It’s a cycle. Euphoria and pouring himself into his new friends, and then a few months later, devastation sets in when the friends are not as “close” as they seemed to be. And then it’s on to some more new friends. And losing them. And on and on.

In my twenties, I poured a lot of time into friends at the expense of my family. I am not close with even one of those friends today. But my family is still here by my side.

Maybe your situation is different. Maybe your family can’t be trusted with your life. Maybe there never has been one person who could be trusted with your life. I don’t know what that feels like. But I know Someone who does know what it feels like to have no support. At all.

What I would say to you is stop seeking validation through friends. Just be generous with your time and your love as Jesus was, without regard for what you will receive. Most friends are not going to be there for you in your darkest times. This is simply a given. And something that Jesus understood firsthand.

He loved unconditionally. Even though He knew that every single person would turn their back on Him in His darkest hour.

I believe His joy was found in loving. Not receiving love. Because He knew that most of the time, love is fleeting. Here today, gone tomorrow.

The only One you can trust completely is Jesus Christ. He will never leave you. Ever.

“Dear Jesus, please help that one today who is struggling with self-esteem issues. Please show her that most of her so called friends will fade away. And You will be still standing there with arms outstretched, beckoning her to come home. Please show her what real love is. Please show her how to love like You loved with no strings attached. Please help her to hold her head high and know that she is loved unconditionally. Your love never fails. Thank You, Dear Jesus. AMEN.”