Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: John 2:6-8

By

John 2:6-8    "And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.  (7)  Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.  (8 )  And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it."

This was Jesus' first miracle and it was performed at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Certainly it was a festive occasion and people of high degree were in attendance. They were having a wonderful time when suddenly it was discovered that there had been a miscalculation of the amount of wine. They ran out. Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to Him and said, "They have no wine."  This would be a time of great embarrassment for the parents to run out of any type of refreshment before the part was over.  What were they going to do? She turned to the servants and said, "Whatsoever He tells you to do - do it."

What would Jesus do? Of course, He already knew, but it's interesting when you think about what was available for Him. There were six waterpots of stone. Jesus told the servants to fill them with water and then draw out and give to the governor of the feast. They did it.  You are aware of this miracle and you know the governor said this was the absolute best wine of all that had been served.  But I want to think about the vessels that were used by Jesus: "six waterpots of stone." Those waterpots were used for the lowly servant to wash the feet of the guests who came into the house. Yes, those pots were commonly understood to hold water used for washing dust from feet.

Jesus used a common object to bear the best for others. The glory was not in the pots, but what was brought out of them. The glory was owed to God, through Jesus Christ, to show His marvelous power. What does this mean for us today?  "... we  have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." (2 Corinthians 4:6)  Yes, we are earthen vessels, but when used by the Lord, we can bear out the very best by being servants to others. "But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." (Matthew 23:11)  Lord, help me to be a faithful servant to you. Let me be like those waterpots of stone. Help me to be as those servants who did as you told them to do, that your glory may be seen and experienced by others.

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Psalm 88:1-4

By
Psalm 88:1-4  A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. "O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:  (2)  Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;  (3)  For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.  (4)  I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength" I've said this before and I will say it again (and probably more times before we get to the end of the Psalms) - I love the Psalms because I can surely identify with them. Most Psalms start in a low place and as the writer expresses his thoughts, the Lord begins to lift him up out of that dry place.  Though this entire Psalm is a fervent cry unto the Lord, the Psalmist tells us specifically in three verses that he cried daily unto the Lord. Just a few Psalms ago, we were reminded that God always hears our prayers. ...
Read more

Daily Devotion (Video): I Will Fear No Evil - Psalm 23:4

By
Read more

Daily Devotion: Knowing God By Bearing Fruit

By
Some will notice the title is not “Bearing fruit because we know God,” so to avoid getting sidetracked with that, we can start with the fact that we won’t bear any godly fruit unless our heart has been changed and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Also, to avoid confusion, I’ll be using the terms “bearing fruit,” “good works” and “service” interchangeably.  I took this article’s title from Part 7, of John Piper’s “Look at the Book” session on Colossians 1:9-12. I greatly encourage you to view that short video to get his excellent exposition on this subject.  When I saw the title of the video earlier this year, I got kind of excited because that’s the direction my thinking has gone in the past several years. My thinking was founded Biblically with verses on good works like Matthew 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven.” But I couldn’t expand it to expla...
Read more