Fool for God

When Jesus was presented to Herod, the scriptures say Herod was "greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see Him".  

Herod was pleased to see Jesus for the wrong reasons, he wanted to satisfy his curiosity, nevertheless, he was pleased.  Finally, an influential man who can make a difference in the case against Jesus.  All that Jesus had to do was perform a miracle, preach a sermon and Herod could have made it all go away.

The scriptures say, "but Jesus gave him no answer".  

Why didn't He do something?  One miracle, one sermon, was all it would take to change the whole thing, and probably even convert Herod in the process.  But Jesus was silent even though it cost him much... His ministry, His dignity, His good name and His life.  

The silence of Jesus did NOT please Herod.  What took place after that, caused a chain of events that started to change the lives of billions of people.  

"But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong" (1 Corinthians 1: 27).

Jesus was silent because He was aware of a greater truth;

Jesus knew God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.  The world says only fools trust God when you can trust the influence of the powerful. So He chose to do the foolish thing, He chose to trust God.

Jesus knew, God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  The world says, it is the weak who try to please God who is a "killjoy" when you can enjoy all that the world has to offer.  So He chose to do the weak thing, He chose to please God.  


Jesus knew obedience to God and inner responses to the Father releases a power that goes beyond time and life itself.  So He became a fool for God.


How I wish, what I know in my mind becomes a truth in my heart, and when I make choices in life, I will have the supernatural power of God to give inner responses even though it could cost me much.  I know I am not capable of it, and the chances are, I will take the easy way out.  But deep down inside my heart, there is a tiny seed that God has planted, which desires to please Him and Him alone.  So I wait for the day that the Lord sets me free from myself completely to be a fool for Him.

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me".  (Psalm 51:10)

Jesus or Miracles?

Recently I saw a video clip from a movie of St. Peter where St. Peter and the disciples went back to fishing after Jesus was crucified. When they returned empty handed, a man on the shore shouted out to them to cast the net on to the other side... they did as they were told, and drew in a net full of fish.

When St. Peter recognised the man on the shore was Jesus, he jumped into the water, and swam towards the Lord... leaving the fish, the boat and his friends behind.  This was the was not the first time that St. Peter left a boat full of fish to follow the Lord.

Leaving behind the net full of fish meant letting go of some extra cash... the "break" he was waiting for... proof that he is not a "loser" after all... a reason to celebrate... In short, he let go of the miracle to hold on to the Lord.  No wonder he was chosen to take the place of Jesus in the church!

The incident spoke to my own heart. Often I get distracted by the blessings and the miracles, and I come very close to holding on to them instead of the Lord. Often I think of taking a break from Him to enjoy His blessings in my life...

When I go before Him in prayer, He begins His usual "open heart surgery" and I begin to see how easy it is to hold on to the miracles and blessings instead of Him, how easy it is to serve Him without having that intimate relationship with Him, and how easy it is to walk away from Him... and having been there before, I know what it could cost me.

As I continue to sit at His feet, He makes me realise, that no one or nothing is worth leaving Him for. And He gives me the wisdom to let go the blessings, that I may hold on to Him.  He makes me realise, the greatest blessing and miracle in my life is Jesus Himself.  

What would I do without Jesus in my life?  I don't want to know...