Day of Praise

Fri, 01/20/17, "Day of Praise"

After a wonderful baptism counseling session with a six-year old and his parents on Thursday, I couldn't help but replay the following devotional for Friday. 

"Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, 'What do you want?'" - John 1:38

I remember when a five year old boy came up to me with two things: a smile and one of his parents. He had a request. He wanted me to hear him answer nineteen faith questions that his parent was about to ask him. The questions ranged from understanding creation as the handiwork of God to describing the faith concept of one God in three persons, otherwise known as both the Trinity and also the greatest mystery of the Christian faith. 

This was a five year old, remember. 

I listened. He perfectly recited the responses to nineteen faith questions. 

And he never once stopped smiling. 

Why?

Because he's been taught to love and want God's Word. 

When you couple the two things that God made us to hunger for (1 - the pleasing of our parents, in accord with God's Word, and 2 - knowing God intimately by way of knowing His Word), then you get a young kid who loves to make his parents happy by showing others how much he knows God's Word. 

This young boy will become an adult who will love to make His Heavenly Father happy by sharing the Word of God with others. 

This will be because this young boy has been taught to want what we was made by God to want. He wants to please God and know God through His Word.

What do you want? 

Jesus not only asks the question in today's verse, but he asks the question strategically as does any good counselor. And Jesus is a good counselor. Indeed the best. 

What do you want?

Though it may be worded slightly differently, in substance, Jesus asks the same question ("What do you want?") at three critical places, according to God's Word in the Gospel of John. Jesus asks, "what do you want?", 1) as the first words out of his mouth at the start of his public ministry, 2) as basically the first words out of his mouth at the start of his passion when the leaders come to arrest Jesus, and 3) as basically the first words out of his mouth at the start of his resurrection life. 

Hmmm.

Do ya think the question "What do you want?" is critical to good beginnings?

Do ya think the question "What do you want?" is critical to getting off on the right foot?

The vast majority of people reading this Day of Praise are not little kids. So that beginning that is the beginning of our lives has passed us by. 

But the vast majority of people who are reading this devotion are doing so at the start of this day. Jesus teaches us today that there's a critical question for good beginnings and getting the day off on the right foot, namely, the question, "What do you want?" 

Sooooooo? What will it be? What is it? What do you want?

A smiling little boy has already answered the question for all of us. 

In our heart of hearts, what God made us to really want is to know God our Father and to please Him by knowing His Word. 

So, as the demands and requirements of life in this world come at you today, don't forget to make time for what you really want. 

Pursue the Word of God. 

"Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, 'What do you want?'" - John 1:38

Praise God!