Seen as a Promise

Remember when I was pondering what love looked like?

Well, I found another thing to ponder. to mull over. to chew. Part of Alece’s comment on this post caused me to go “whoa! wait a second!”  She referred to the following as a PROMISE:

“My sheep know My voice and the voice of another they will not follow.”

Typically, I am/try to be positive, upbeat, excited about things. Except with this verse and other cut and dry type verses (like some in 1 John), my heart and head do a 180 toward “what if I’m not one of those sheep.” Not a good place. But, then, when I keep reading in the chapter I find…

“and I give eternal life to them and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” -John 10:27-28

Now as if seeing the first part as a promise wasn’t a big enough whoa…throw in the mix that NO ONE can snatch us out of His hands then I’m totally sitting in awe.

He keeps peeling back the layers, exposing new truths, and shedding lies…and I am ever in awe at how the Bible truly allows me to dig in and see all sorts of new things no matter how many times I’ve read a passage.

What are you reading lately? How’s God been leaving you in awe?

Works for Wednesday

Work=activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.

Ergon (Greek word): deed, doing, labor, work. From a primary (but obsolete) ergo (to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication, an act — deed, doing, labour, work.

John 6:27-29

“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”

Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

I read this passage and walked away wondering…Am I trying to make this so complicated? Am I trying to find a formula or isolate those areas that “work” for me rather than keeping it as simple as believing in Him? Maybe, just maybe, it’s more of a risk in trust to venture confidently with belief rather than reason, logic and oh, yes…experiences or what’s worked in the past. I don’t want to get what I’ve always gotten…I want to let Him take me places that go beyond what I can ask or imagine.

Just a few rough-edged thoughts…what do you think?