October 2nd

October 2nd -- John 21:15-25

Please read the passage! It's only 10 verses!

"If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" Rumors broke out this guy wouldn't die, so that he could be alive when Jesus returned. The disciples just grabbed what they heard and ran with it - in a totally wrong direction. Jesus was not at all saying that the disciple would be alive when he returned, merely that that was up to him, as well as possible through him. With God, the problem is never in the message, or how it is given - it is in the people who receive the message and how they interpret it. Often, we think we hear something from God. I'm sure most of the time we're pretty certain, we actually did. However, often I think what we hear is not really what He says. Often our own human understanding - logic, reason, emotion, etc. - gets in the way of His message. He tells us what we need to hear, but we hear what we want to hear. Then, since we're obviously happy "God told us" what we wanted to hear, we run with it without a second's hesitation. It can often get us into trouble. We need to be cautious and ask that He give us wisdom to be able to know His voice when we hear it, and strength to follow it when it tells us what we are meant to do and where we are meant to go. Pray about it. It works.

God bless! Shalom!