Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
When Jesus says “No!” to us, we must hear and heed. He may speak gently or forcefully, depending on our needs (and our spiritual hearing). Proverbs 27:6 is tough truth: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” Jesus is the best of friends (John 15:13-15), and His words are always the best. Proverbs 27:17 uses a strong metaphor to illustrate the power of such friendship: “Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Jesus does not waste His words; they are for our benefit. If He must speak sharply, He does so out of necessity. May we accept and appreciate all that Jesus says, including His rebukes.