What?

Devotion

2-8-10

WHAT?

 

The lady standing in line in front of Sally seemed very frustrated and almost angry as she waited her turn to check out.  Sally wondered what was going on in this lady’s life to make her express her feelings in public.  She thought she would say hello and help her get her mind off of waiting, maybe it would open the door to minister to her.  Sally leaned forward and said, “The store is really busy tonight, aren’t they?”  The lady replied with, “Yeah and I wish that checker would hurry up, I need to get out of here.”  Sally listen as the woman complained about everything under the sun.  She talked about how important it is for people to be considerate of others and not to be so slow getting their work done.  She was sure the checker needed a few lessons in speed checking. 

 

Sally tried to change the topic and asked her, “Where do you work?”  The woman’s reply totally threw Sally for a loop. “I work here, and I am that checker’s boss, that’s how I know she needs some more training.”  “You are her boss?” Sally asked with surprise. “Yes I am and I have never seen anyone move so slowly.  I don’t know what I was doing when I hired her.”  “What’s her name?” Sally asked.  “I don’t know what her name is, she is just a checker.  I don’t have time to know the names of all the little checkers that come and go.  I am busy with other bigger details?”  Sally didn’t know what to say next so she just stood there for a moment in thought and prayer.  Then suddenly she spoke up.

“Excuse me mam, but I would like to ask you another question.”  “Go ahead,” the lady said.  “Well I was wondering, if you are the checkers boss and you didn’t even know her name, how can you pass judgment on her?  Are you sure there isn’t a reason she is moving slow?  I just don’t understand how you could be the boss and not understand your own employees.  You have the hand book, you said you even interviewed her and yet you know nothing about her, not even her name.

 

This story reveals a truth about so many who called them believers, or Christians.  They say they believe in God, they go to church, they buy up all the excitement and the fellowship and yet the One they are there for they do not even KNOW His name.  What am I talking about?  Well let’s look at John 3:10.  Here, Jesus is talking to Nicodemus and has told him about being born again in order to see the Kingdom of God.  Nicodemus cannot understand how it is possible to be born again.  Even after Jesus explains he still doesn’t get it.  That is when Jesus says a very powerful statement to Nicodemus.  Look up verse 10 of John 3 and write it below.

 

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Notice what Jesus calls Nicodemus.  He calls him ____________________________________

 

Jesus is amazed at the fact that Nicodemus is a teacher of Israel and yet does not understand the things of God.  How can that be? 

 

What about us?  We say we are believers in Jesus Christ and yet do we, or to make it more personal, do you understand the things of God?

 

Are you willing to understand God’s thinking?

 

Are you willing to abide by His will?

 

Do you have a personal relationship with Him?

 

Do we know not just His name, but do we know Him?

 

Do we call ourselves Christian with no interest in getting to know the One who served us to His death on the cross?

 

In the story of the boss and the checker, the boss didn’t know his employee just like the teacher of Israel didn’t know the things of God.  She said she was the checker’s boss but knew nothing about her, not even her name and therefore truly had no connection to the checker, only the name boss, over her.  We cannot live on just the name “Christian,” we must KNOW the one we say we are working with, Jesus.  We must know His ways and call Him by name just as He calls us by name. 

 

God loved us so much that He came to earth Himself to take on the form of man and to die on the cross as the payment for our sins so we could one day come and dwell with Him forever in Heaven.  He knows who we are, but do we know who He is?  Really?

 

God’s question to Nicodemus was almost a “What?” question.  What do you mean? How can this be possible?  Jesus knew that if a man called himself a believer in Him that they would also seek and know the ways of God and abide by them.

 

He is calling us all to stop, look and listen to what He is saying to us.  What is the question He is asking you today about your relationship with Him? 

 

Will He say, well done My good and faithful servant or will He look with sadness in His eyes and say, “What?”