Maybe you've heard of this verse?  Is it possible you haven't?  No way.  This is a Bible verse that is displayed on bumper stickers, key chains, and T-shirts, and held up on signs by enthusiastic fans at sporting events.  This is a verse that is used by Christians and non-Christians alike in a wide variety of contexts.   If you really examine this verse, however, it will change your life, and will certainly change the way you view and treat other people, particularly non-Christians. 

The Context: What brings Jesus to reveal the reality in this Scripture?  It all started when a powerful yet humble man named Nicodemus came to ask Jesus some questions at night.   Nicodemus was a big shot back in his time.  He was also, however, someone who if we lived back then, we might have thought was a lost cause in terms of following Christ.  Even if he was a co-worker, we might not have wasted our time witnessing to him because we would think he was too far gone to ever listen to us.  We certainly would have been wrong.   

John 3:1-3 tells us that "Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.  He came to Jesus at night and said, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God.  For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.'  Jesus replied, 'Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again.' And this leads to a discussion between the two men that culminates with Jesus explaining to Nicodemus that "the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." (John 3:14-15)

Now remember that while Nicodemus came humbly as a student, in real life he was a teacher, a ruler of the Jews.  So why does John tell us that he came at night?  Remember the basic rules about the Bible, when details are included they are probably important.  Nicodemus probably came at night, alone, because he didn't want anyone to see him, given his position of power in the Jewish community, and perhaps his newly developing faith.  He was an unlikely candidate to have sought out Jesus to ask Him these questions.  But he made the journey anyway, in the dark of night, because he sought the truth.  And what did he learn?  The key to salvation! 

            Now if you were a Christian back in the time of Nicodemus and knew his position in the Jewish community, you might have thought that this is a guy who would never come around to following Jesus, so why waste time on him?  But you would have been terribly wrong!  And you may be wrong about the people around you in your life who you think are too far gone to ever be saved.

            Remember these verses if you ever catch yourself thinking like that.  You never know what is in someone's heart.  Who knows?  You may be right where you are in your life to be available to speak to the people like Nicodemus in your workplace, within your circle of friends, at your service organization, or within your own family!   Make a ministry out of everything you do, because you never know who may be seeking Jesus!

Lord please heighten our awareness to the people you have placed around us.  Help us to be more attentive during the day in order to take note of the people with whom we interact, and how they may be seeking you.  Please constantly remind us of your love for the world, and the role we can play in being available to the seekers among us.  In your name we pray.

            The Psalmist chooses the metaphor of a well-placed tree to describe the righteous man.  He shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water.  Let us learn today the lesson of the fruitful tree, to which the righteous man is likened.   In ancient Israel, as in modern times, certain trees evoked a sense of grandeur, of magnificence.  A tree may have been growing in the same place for hundreds of years, bringing forth fruit with regularity and providing both beauty to the landscape, and, underneath, a place of shade from the scorching heat.  

            What is the secret of such a tree?  The strength of such a tree is out of sight, underground.   In plain view are the blossoms and the fruit, the thick branches and the lush foliage that seems impervious to drought.  But we all know that the strength of a tree is in its roots.  In this case, the tree has been fortunate enough to be planted on the edge of a river.  Apparently the reference is to a major waterway, not an intermittent stream, for there is no hint that this tree ever knows the atrophy of vegetative life that comes when the water recedes. 

            To be like such a tree - such is our birthright as Christians.  In a world of rootlessness, the promise is that we may be solid, stable and unmovable.  In a generation that is haunted by the meaninglessness of life, we are promised adequacy.  We are to live among a fearful, even panicky, culture with quiet confidence.  The righteous man may be surprised, but is not dismayed.  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee.  (Isaiah 26:3).

Unlike the tree, which has no say in where it is planted, we men and women may choose where we will walk and where our roots will go down.  The psalmist tells us how we may know that we are planted in an opportune spot.  He says, first, look at your source of wisdom - do you take your counsel from the ungodly, from the world?  If so, you are planting yourself in a hard place, for you will become like those who counsel you.  The disciple, when fully trained will be as his master. (Luke 6:40). 

Second, says the psalmist, look at your friends. With whom are you taking your stand in life?  Are you standing in the way of sinners?  Do not think that you can preserve your integrity when you are joined to those who think nothing of your God. Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers. ( II Cor. 6:14).  Their lot will be yours if you allow yourself to become one of them.  If you are to be in the world (and certainly you must be), let it always be in the Master's way.  He was a friend of sinners in order that they might drink of His living water - never so that He could find His life in them or their things. 

Next, says the psalmist, check your attitude.  Do you view life with a haughty look?  Are you sitting in the seat of a scorner?  Scorners are never near the waters of life.  They dwell in the dry and arid regions of their own supposed superiority.  They are clouds without water ... wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. (Jude 12,13). 

Finally, having given us three counsels of warning, the psalmist tells us the secret of the righteous man, the key to his prosperity.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law doth he meditate day and night.  Take note that he does not come to the Word of God as a matter of dreary duty.  Yes, in the beginning, it may have been so, for it has been well said that delight is found on the far side of discipline.  But the universal testimony of choice servants of God is that in their study of God's Word, the road of discipline sooner or later led them into the path of delight and blessing. 

Today's verse seems particularly apt for the Christian lawyer. Will we receive its teaching?   Daily we are forced to choose to whom we will listen - who will be our counselor.  Walk not in the counsel of the ungodly. Often it seems that our success in a matter will depend upon advantageous alliances with others.  Do not stand in the way of sinners.  And scorn is second nature to us, because we have spent years developing our skills in diminishing the arguments of our opponents. Beware of sitting in the seat of the scornful.  

Let us give ourselves anew to the Word of God.  May it be observed of us that it is our delight to study the Scriptures, and that in our spare moments we are often to be found meditating on them. If we make this our lifestyle (and only if), we can claim the promise of Psalm 1 - that we will become, sooner or later, like trees planted by rivers of water, and others will find blessing and abundance in our lives and in our practices. 

Heavenly Father, I want your Word to be my constant delight.  I am enrolling now in your school of obedience.   I have much to learn and unlearn if I am to be like a tree planted by rivers of water, but I take heart that I have Your Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.   I turn now to Your Word, and ask that you transform it into living water from which I may drink my fill.   Amen

The paralyzed man in Capernaum on his own, didn't stand a chance of getting near Jesus.  He probably couldn't have made it near Jesus even if he could walk!  But this lucky man has friends that believe in Jesus and his ability to perform miracles, and have the determination to get their friend to Jesus for a miracle, at all costs.  So what do they do?  "Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on."  Now think about that, how in the world were these four friends were able to pull this off?  We might say this was a miracle in and of itself.   

These men couldn't carry their friend on a mat announcing "excuse me, pardon me, coming through" and part the crowd so they could carry this man through the throng of people.  If that had been possible they would have made a normal entrance through the front door! Instead, undaunted by the challenges posed by the thick crowd, these friends had such faith and determination they were somehow able to get their paralyzed friend through that throng of people and up on to the roof.  Great, now what?  Jesus, the healer, is inside the building below, and these guys are on the roof!  This is a little bit of a problem.  But not too big of a problem for these four.  Because these four men did what real friends do, they didn't give up.  We are told: "They made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it" Can you imagine this?  We don't know whether they carried tools with them, or whether they dug their way through with their bare hands.  And we don't know how long it took them, but we can imagine that it probably wasn't easy, digging your way into a building from the roof instead of entering through the front door like normal people!  But with faith and perseverance, the friends did it in order to achieve healing for the paralyzed man. 

Now, once they dug a hole, what do they do with their friend who is paralyzed?   Do they just drop him in?  No!  They tackle another perseverance test.  They lowered him down through the opening lying on a mat.  This involved strength, teamwork, and coordination.  They also had to be careful not to drop him onto Jesus or someone else in the room! 

This was a feat that was accomplished all for the love of their friend, driven by their faith in Jesus.  How far do you go for your friends?  Does your faith in Jesus inspire you to go out on a limb for those you would like to see healed physically and spiritually?  Take a look around you in order to identify others who might benefit through your faith in Christ. 

Lord, please bless us with a fresh look at those whom you have placed around us. Please allow us to enjoy the rich blessings of friendship, shared faith, fellowship, and growth through Godly brothers and sisters.  May you guide our steps this day, and bless our walk with you, as well as our spiritual walk in your world.  In your name we pray.

Some friends end up saving lives; physically and spiritually.  This is the kind of friend we want to have for ourselves, and the kind of friend we want to be for others.  The kind of friends that a paralyzed man back in the time of Jesus was fortunate enough to have when Jesus came to town. 

When Jesus returned to the town of Capernaum and the people heard about it, this was big news.  The great teacher and healer is back in town!  This likely caused quite a wave of excitement because we are told at the end of the previous Chapter, Mark Chapter 1 that "Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places.  Yet the people still came to him from everywhere." Imagine that level of popularity.  Jesus was like a mega rock star, he couldn't go anywhere without attracting throngs of people!  And the crowds didn't just want to catch a glimpse of him, get his autograph, or take a photo (or a sketch) with him, they wanted his healing power.  They wanted miracles.  And that's what they were getting.   

So with that level of notoriety, Jesus is back in Capernaum and word of his return has spread like wildfire.  So he goes into a house to teach.  And while he is teaching inside, outside it is basically a mob scene.  We are told that "they gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door" as Jesus was preaching the word inside.   Imagine what that frenzy of people must have looked like. 

Also in Capernaum, is a man who is paralyzed.  On his own, he doesn't stand a chance of getting near Jesus.  Under the circumstances even if he could walk he wouldn't be able to maneuver through this crowd.  But this paralyzed man is in luck.  In fact he is more than lucky, he is more than fortunate, he is blessed beyond belief, because of his friends.  He has friends who believe in Jesus and His ability to perform miracles, and have the determination to take him to Jesus for a miracle, at all costs.

Now of course we know the end of the story: the paralyzed man is healed and forgiven by Jesus, all due to the efforts of his faithful friends.  Jesus "saw" the faith of these men.  Can your faith be seen?  Do you actively pray for and allow Jesus to work through you for the benefit of those around you so that your faith is visible?  If not, I have great news for you.  You can start today!

Lord, please bless us with a fresh look at those whom you have placed around us. Please allow us to enjoy the rich blessings of friendship, shared faith, fellowship, and growth through Godly brothers and sisters.  May you guide our steps this day, and bless our walk with you, as well as our spiritual walk in your world.  In your name we pray.

How many of you have heard the saying "with friends like these who needs enemies?"  How many of us have actually said that to someone else based on an experience we have had?  And if we haven't said it, most of us have at least thought it.  That's a terrible feeling to have about someone, isn't it?  That we just can't trust some of the people we call our friends.  Let us, however, focus for a minute about a different kind of friend.  The kind of friend that can alter the course of your life.  The kind of friend that can help save your life.  The kind of friend we want to have for ourselves, and the kind of friend we want to be for others.  The kind of friends that a paralyzed man back in the time of Jesus was fortunate enough to have when Jesus came to town. 

            Mark Chapter 2 verses 2-12 begins with the setting of Jesus entering Capernaum.  This passage is not only about one of our Lord's spectacular miracles, but it is also about the phenomenal effort of this paralyzed man's four friends, that helped to make this miracle possible.  In verses 2-5, we hear that "A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.  They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.  Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.  Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.  When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven." 

Now by the way, why doesn't the passage end there?  What would you be thinking if you were the paralyzed man right about now?  Did Jesus just say that my sins are forgiven?  OK guys, pull me back up.   No, he wanted to be physically healed, because as human beings we often lose sight of the fact that our human condition pales in comparison to the value of having our sins forgiven.  That paralyzed man and his friends probably wanted him to walk.  But Jesus didn't just want Him to walk, because those of us who can walk can still walk right into hell!  Unless our sins are forgiven, which of course was the paralyzed man's greater need.

So what ends up happening in this passage?  Jesus sensed the paralytic's greater need, which is the need that we all have in common, for forgiveness of our sins.  What happened, however, when Jesus forgave the sins of the paralyzed man?  Some of the teachers of the law that were present in the room called it blasphemy for Jesus to state that he can forgive sins because they believed that only God alone could do this.  But Jesus read their thoughts and in order to show them that He has authority on earth to forgive sins, he says to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home," which is exactly what the man did, in front of everyone. 

We love that powerful story.  But what made this great miracle possible in the first place?  The faith and faithfulness of the four friends.  What does this have to do with you?  Take a look at the people God has placed around you in order to gain a fresh perspective of what kind of friends you have, and what kind of friend you are.  May you continue to be blessed by Jesus working through you to the benefit of your friends, and may you be a vehicle through whom Jesus can bless others. 

Lord, please bless us with a fresh look at those whom you have placed around us. Please allow us to enjoy the rich blessings of friendship, shared faith, fellowship, and growth through Godly brothers and sisters.  May you guide our steps this day, and bless our walk with you, as well as our spiritual walk in your world.  In your name we pray.

Sometimes when you are enjoying a good life, you may not recognize when you are thirsty.  Unlike the Samaritan woman who clearly had a lot to gain by Jesus' offer of living water, maybe you are not in such dire straits.  Maybe you have a traditional family, a good job, a nice home, and maybe even a little bit of gas money.  But you still thirst!  You are missing something.  Is it a sign of failure to have nice things and still ask 1Jesus for living water?  No, it is a sign of spiritual maturity.  Even if life is going pretty well for you right now, this passage applies equally to you.  Because at times, all of us get thirsty, don't we?  We become disheartened.  We become dissatisfied with our jobs.  We may have all the money in the world and become depressed.   Have you ever wondered why you can possess a wealth of wordly possessions and still be unhappy?  Very simple: it is only through Jesus and His offer of living water that you can achieve salvation and true satisfaction in life!  And guess what, that kind of divine satisfaction is completely unrelated to your money, your possessions, or your worldly pursuits.  How great is that!

So if any of you feel today that you can identify with the Samaritan woman in any respect, remember that Jesus wants to give you the same honor that He gave to her.  He wants to show you unconditional acceptance, and quench your thirst for a better life.  His invitation to come and drink living water is extended to you, regardless of your circumstances.   You don't need to go through life empty, you too can be filled.  So don't be afraid to approach Jesus.  You don't need to come ashamed or defensive because you already have a comfortable life. Just come thirsty, and drink!

Lord, please give me your living water so I will not thirst.  Please remind me to keep my eyes on you and not seek satisfaction from the world or from worldly desires.  Please remind me that through my faith in you I can receive satisfaction far above and beyond anything I ever imagined in this world.  Only you can make me truly full so that I will not thirst.  In your name I pray.

Have any of you felt like the Samaritan woman at the well?   Maybe you don't have five ex-spouses and are currently living in sin, but maybe you have found yourself in circumstances that were not, shall we say, "ideal."  Maybe you are in a tough situation at work, having trouble with your marriage or your children, or simply feeling distant from God.  Have you ever felt that way?  Just feeling empty.  We all feel that way at times, don't we?  Maybe you are feeling that way right now.

The Samaritan woman was someone who really needed a drink of living water.  She jumped right on the offer Jesus made her.  It may have sounded unbelievable, but she was at a low place in her life where she was ready to believe.  She wanted to believe.  The offer of eternal life in this passage, however, is not reserved for the down and out.  For those who have hit rock bottom.  Sometimes people who are running on empty and most in need of living water are those who from the outside, seem to be full.  Do you know people like that?  From the outside, they look like they have it all.  A six-figure income, great job, attractive spouse, good health, and a beautiful home.   If you pay close attention, however, people who seem to "have it all" are not always happy people.  In fact, despite the ostentatious exterior, many well-to-do people are as desperate as the Samaritan woman at the well.  If they knew Jesus, they would implore him, "Give me this water so that I won't get thirsty again!" with the same fervor as the Samaritan woman. 

Everyone who seeks satisfaction from things of the world will be thirsty again.  Whether they seek satisfaction through relationships, alcohol, risk-taking behavior, achievements, or by becoming workaholics, they will never be satisfied.   Why go through all of that trouble when Jesus reminds us that "Those who drink the water I give them will never thirst" - how simple is that!  Drinking the water Jesus gives you "will become . . . a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  Don't wait until you fall upon desperate circumstances to ask Jesus for living water.  Ask Him today!  He is waiting to hear from you, and can do immeasurably more for you than you could ever ask or imagine!  (Eph. 3:20)

Lord, please give me your living water so I will not thirst.  Please remind me to keep my eyes on you and not seek satisfaction from the world or from worldly desires.  Please remind me that through my faith in you I can receive satisfaction far above and beyond anything I ever imagined in this world.  Only you can make me truly full so that I will not thirst.  In your name I pray.

     The habitual orientation to God to which the Scriptures point is not a work of the flesh.  We are told to pray always ... in the Spirit.  The commands of the New Testament (love as Christ loved, rejoice always, yield your members, to name just a few) are not legal tests of our devotion to God, but promises of what God stands ready to do for us.  The believer in Christ is not called to an endless list of duties, but to a previously unknown freedom to perform and do that which will someday bring eternal reward, and in this life joy unspeakable and full of glory. (I Pet. 1:8)

     Concerning the admonitions to pray without ceasing and to pray always, it is good to be intentional and to take practical steps to bring every thought captive to the knowledge of Christ (II Cor. 10:5).But we need always remember that it is the work of the Holy Spirit of Christ to teach us to pray, Who ceaselessly makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered (Rom. 8:26).  Even our prayers are properly the subject of prayer: "Lord, teach me to pray."  The same Lord who promised I will give you rest (Matt. 11:28), will undertake by His Holy Spirit to make us pray-ers.  Let us be bold to claim the promise that we may live our lives conscious of the presence of God.  

Moment by moment I'm kept in His love;

Moment by moment I've life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;

Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine.