Dana's Christian Journey

“I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” (Jn 4:32) ‘Who brought Jesus food in this remote place?’ the disciples asked. But Jesus was talking about the sustenance he received from his Father. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

Jesus lived in his Father… and his Father lived in him. Constant fellowship with God was the secret of his life. “I do nothing on my own but speak just what my Father taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” (Jn 8:28-29) “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” (Jn 7:16-17) “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” (Jn 14:10) “The Son can do nothing by himself, he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son does also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” (Jn 5:19-20)

Once Jesus spoke to a blind man, “Your faith has healed you,” and the man was healed. Another time he touched the eyes of two blind men and they were given sight. Another occasion he spit on the ground, made mud with saliva, put it on a blind man’s eyes, and told him to go wash in a certain pool. After the man followed the instructions he could see. Still another time he spit on a man’s eyes and put his hands on them. “Do you see anything?” Jesus asked. “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” So Jesus put his hands on the eyes a second time and the blind man could see clearly.

Why didn’t Jesus heal the same way on every occasion? Because the Father didn’t lead him to do it the same way every time. Jesus was led by the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit gives light and life and love and just the right thing for each situation.

And now he says to us, “‘If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” (Jn 7:37-39) Our drink, our food, our sustenance must come from the Son of God. We must learn to drink deeply of the Spirit. “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.” (Jn 6:63)

Several of us were talking about these things over the weekend. One person asked, “Can we live on earth the way Jesus did?” Another person answered, “Yes.” A third said, “That’s a little scary.” What do you think?

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5)

We’ve come to the end of another school year… which means an end to another season of writing. This summer will be my last of directing summer camp. Susan and I have worked together many summers and we would both appreciate your prayers for us, our workers, and all the kids who will attend camp this year. With two weddings fast approaching, we anticipate a summer to remember!

The last two writings reflected on a couple of Scriptures that seem to tie together: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain” and “we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” So what do you think about God’s handiwork? What kind of house is He building? Does the Creator of the earth, the moon and stars, the sun and planets, the universe and beyond know how to build a house? Since there is no ‘shabby’ work in creation, wouldn’t we expect the house God builds to be quite grand? “For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.” Hebrews 3:4-6

We are God’s house! The Creator is still in the process of building and He does not labor in vain. We are the stones He is using to build the greatest house imaginable. During my summers of high school and college I worked for Susan’s brother in construction as a stone mason. I saw Steve and others as being strong, ‘building artists.’ Laying rock is much different than laying brick as each piece is unique. The mason uses his hammer to knock off some of the edges before the stone is ready to fit on the house. I was not as talented as my boss, but he was patient with me and paid me according to the number of square feet I laid each day. One time I was about to finish a section of twenty or thirty square feet (which equated to twenty or thirty dollars) when the whole wall came crashing down. Three hours of work had gone to waste in an instant. Can you guess the problem? If you guessed ‘the builder’ you are right, but this was the builder’s error: the cornerstone had not been properly laid. When the weight reached a certain level, the cornerstone kicked out and all my work was undone.

We sometimes question whether we are proper building pieces for God’s house. We are all different with rough edges and imperfections… but our Builder knows exactly what He is doing. When we doubt, He says, “Just look at the Cornerstone. That Rock is perfectly laid and will hold more weight than you can imagine. Trust that I know how to build my house and daily offer yourself as a living stone to be shaped and placed as I see fit. One day everyone will marvel at my handiwork.”

“As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him — you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’” I Peter 2:4-6