22 May Daily Manna
TEXT: John 1:35-51
KEY VERSE: “Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?” – (John 1:38)
Many people are often masters of their emotions and passions. They expertly mask their true feelings and motives thereby deceiving those who judge them from outward appearance.
Jesus, of course, can read all hearts. But often, He wants to be sure of the conviction of those who come to Him. Here lies the reason for His question to Andrew and his companion. They did not know Jesus until John the Baptist pointed Him to them, raising their curiosity about Him. Perhaps, taken aback by His question, they only wanted to know where Jesus lived. That initial encounter had a massive impact on them; hence, they began to tell others about Him.
Andrew brought his brother, Simon, to Christ who promptly gave Simon a new name, Cephas, or “A stone”. The next day Jesus personally called Philip to follow Him, and, he too, was so excited that he brought his friend, Nathaniel to Jesus. Nathaniel had no excuse but to bow to the lordship of Jesus. Hence, he confessed, “thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”
Our motives matter before God. Oblivious of this fact, many people often think that following Jesus in itself is enough. We must never seek to use following the Lord to simply fulfil our own purposes, for then we would be asking Him to follow us. Seeking His glory must be our goal; for only then can we receive all that we would ever need in life. We must project His agenda, not ours. And His agenda is for souls to be brought into the Kingdom.
22 May Daily Manna – THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Seeking God’s glory secures our interests.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 6-7
