The Best Wine Ever - John 2:1-11

John 2:10  He said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” (NIV)

            I think it must have been the best wine ever produced in history. Why? Because the person who miraculously made it was Jesus, so He would make it the most perfect wine ever. It wouldn’t be mediocre or some of the cheap stuff folks now buy in supermarkets. It would reflect the sovereignty, power, and grace of God all in one, so it must have been the best wine ever made. Perhaps we’ll get to taste how good it was when we participate in the great Heavenly Feast that is yet to come.

            I like the process that Christ uses here. He has empty vessels filled with water which, when poured back out, has miraculously turned into wine. As well as being a miracle, I think it’s also a reflection of what Christ can do for each one of us. He receives our empty lives and fills them with His Living Water of God’s Word, and then, when we are ready to share this blessing with others, it is poured out and received as a wonderful wine of Christ’s mercy, grace, and love. In other words, He miraculously changes us in order to share the fruits of our faith with other people.

            Today, and throughout this coming weekend, we will be given opportunities to share our faith with our families and friends, acquaintances and strangers. Let’s hope and pray that what we pour out from our spirits will be something sweet and palatable, exceptional and life-changing.

Point to ponder

How has Christ changed the emptiness in my life? How have I shared my faith with others?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, thank You for filling our lives with Your love and grace, mercy and compassion. Grant us opportunities today to share these blessings with the people we encounter. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church website at www.erinpresbyterian.org. You may also send John an email at traqair@aol.com. John reads all the emails and enjoys your feedback.

Today’s image is one of John’s Communion drawings called ‘Epiklesis.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Wine.

Free Daily Devotions: Finding Forgiveness - Acts 3

Acts 3:19         Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the LORD.

We all make mistakes and need to forgive ourselves of past foolishness. Not one of us is perfect and, if you’re anything like me, sometimes the guilty burden of past events is hard to live with.

We’ve all said or did wrong things that have hurt or disappointed other people. We’ve all made selfish choices that we later regret. And we’ve all taken sinful paths that leave us empty and disillusioned, unfulfilled and dissatisfied with life. Failing is a part of being human and falling into sin is a daily event.

Forgiveness, on the other hand, is an important part of God’s daily grace. We can be liberated from our unloving ways through the presence of Jesus in our lives. When Peter urges his people to repent, he’s offering them a divine opportunity to be forgiven of what they collectively did to Jesus. He’s inviting them to confess their mistakes and seek God’s grace. If they choose to do this, they will be restored to God’s favor and given the glorious opportunity of beginning again.

That’s the kind of message that I need to hear each day. If I had to carry the burden of past mistakes, I would never be able to get through another day. Christ’s sacrifice allows me to come to Him to ask for, seek, and find forgiveness. Jesus restores my soul and refreshes my spirit each day. I can even forgive myself because He forgives me first.

I don’t know what kinds of heavy burdens you carry in your heart and mind, but this I do know: repentance works. If you truly ask Jesus today to forgive your past mistakes, He will completely pardon you and you will be renewed. This is one of God’s greatest promises. This is how Godly grace works.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we all have sinful secrets and have committed shameful choices in our lives. The past burdens us and we are made miserable by our own stupidity. Help us this day to turn to God, to repent of our ways and seek Your forgiveness. Restore us to God’s favor and refresh our lives from this time forth. In Your Holy Name, we sincerely pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Daily Devotions: Full of Hypocrites

Mark 2:17       On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Church people are not perfect and I have often heard the remark: “I don’t go to church because it’s full of hypocrites.” I agree wholeheartedly because all of the churches that I have ever joined or served have been full of sinful people like me. The church was created and established by Christ for sinners, not saints. There is no such thing as a perfect church or a perfect Christian, so part of the burden that we have to bear is that world will always point out our mistakes and gleefully call us hypocrites.

Even Jesus said it Himself, “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” There’s none of us too good that we don’t need Jesus; there’s also none of us so bad that He won’t welcome us into His fold. He is the Perfect One who calls imperfect people to His Kingdom. Christ is the Sinless One who invites sinners to God’s grace. Jesus is the One True Savior of all the world and history who seeks hypocrites to become disciples. That’s what makes grace so amazing; that’s what makes His love so wonderful.

On Sunday mornings, when people gather together to worship God, they look for forgiveness and healing, guidance and direction. They honestly know that they do not deserve God’s grace, but they also realize that Christ has the authority to absolve them from their sins. They come through the doors as proud and hypocritical sinners; they leave the church as humble and sanctified people.

So perhaps next time you or I hear someone say: “I don’t go to church, it’s full of hypocrites,” we should answer: “I know. I’m one of them. I need God’s grace and forgiveness each week. Don’t you?”

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for allowing hypocrites into Your Church. Thank You for calling sinners like us to God’s Kingdom. Forgive us when we fail and restore us to God’s favor. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Daily devotions: Godly Grace Matthew 5 v 45

Matthew 5:45b  He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

God’s grace will always remain a mystery to me. I want life to be fair, for the wicked to be punished and the good to be rewarded. I want righteousness to be blessed and brazenness to be condemned. I want the arrogant to be humiliated and the humble to be exalted. I want the pious to become powerful and for the unholy to be diminished. In other words, I want God to do what I want to do, instead of applying His grace to those who least deserve it.

When I stand up on my self-righteous pedestal and reproach others for being sinful, I seriously forget that I need God’s grace more than anyone else. When I feel smug about my faith in Jesus, I go down a road that ends up in pride and perdition. Instead of recognizing my sins and bowing before God, I shamefully roar and berate others for their godlessness. I am a hypocrite, in need of help and healing, humility and holiness, godliness and grace.

Each day, God causes the sun to rise on the evil and good. He does not separate them. He allows His grace to shine on all. Each year, He brings rain to the righteous and unrighteous. He does not distinguish between them, but rather God refreshes all. It’s both a mystery and a miracle to me. It’s a wonderful way of applying grace to an undeserving world full of undeserving people like me.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You died for this whole world in order to redeem it from sin and restore it to God. Sometimes we want to limit Your grace and define Your love. Forgive us for failing to truly recognize that grace is both completely unmerited and totally undeserved. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.