God Might Be In It

I admire the Pharisee Nicodemus. He was able to recognize that God was working through Jesus after observing His ministry to the people. Nicodemus saw that Jesus would not have been able to perform the miracles He did without the help of God.

Jesus' ministry was a radical ministry. It wasn't built on rules or traditions like what the Jews were practicing at the time. It's foundation was love and forgiveness. Jesus didn't view God as apart or aloof from man, but He regarded the Lord as His Father someone with whom He could have a close relationship with. Jesus performed miracles that boggled the mind and told His followers that they could do the same.

Many learned men who witness Jesus' ministry chose to ignore the glory and focus on what they knew. They knew Scripture. They knew tradition. They knew the rules of man. Jesus was out of the box. He didn't line up with what they knew.

So, instead of seeing the God working in Him, they chose to see how Jesus didn't fit. They chose to focus on how Jesus was out of line with tradition and their rules. They missed that Jesus was creating a whole new space of love and grace.

But Nicodemus recognized that God was moving in a new way, and he came to Jesus to get answers. He came to Jesus to fill in the blanks. The resulting conversation is the cornerstone to our salvation ministry.

I love that God can use new and different things for His glory. He uses foolish things to confound the wise. Though He always remains the same, the Lord uses ways we could never imagine to display His glory and love.

Many of the Pharisees of Nicodemus' day missed out on recognizing who Jesus was. They were so caught up in what they believed to be correct, they missed when the answer to their greatest prayers showed up on their doorstep.

Don't allow your preconceived notions about what it means to be a Christian, or what ministry looks like, or how you think things should be keep you from experiencing a move of God. Don't dismiss something as unholy just because it's not done in the way you think it should be done.

Look beyond what you know and seek the presence of the Lord. You may be surprised how He has chosen to manifest Himself.

Verse of the Day: There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. John 3:1, 2