Series: Committed
Message: Adaptability
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 58:6-11.
Read: John 11:1-27 — Re-read in the ESV translation for new insights/questions.
Reflect: Jon Paulien, in The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier on John, helps highlight the power in the meaning of “life” as expressed by John.
The word life is used in a number of ways in the Gospel of John. It is important, whenever possible, to distinguish the exact nuance intended. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, of course, eternal life is limited to the future, when Jesus returns in power and glory and raises those who believe in Him to a physical life that will never end (Matt. 19:29; 24:30,31; 25:46; Mark 10:30; 12:26,27; Luke 18:29-30) . . . Life in the Gospel of John is not primarily understood as physical existence but rather as the answer to humanity’s search for meaning and significance (pp.188-189).
You might have met people who always live in the future, who do not care about today, as everything will be OK tomorrow. They put little thought into planning, since everything will fall into place sometime in the future. You might have even met those who look so forward to the Second Coming of Jesus that they ignore all that Jesus has called them to do today. They know that planet earth will be re-created and so they do not worry about taking care of it today. This is the tension of life. We do not control it. As the poet, king, and prophet David shared:
The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away. —Psalm 90:10
Recalibrate:
Respond: Pray for wisdom.
Research: What are the best 1-2 books to help parents pass on health values to their Children? Who needs them?