"Our Deflection"

"The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish." (Psalms 112:10)

 This might seem a little odd, but there is something about the need we must have to see what it is that we are missing out on; and I am not talking about pleasures and false happiness. Yesterday Pastor Rick was sharing on perception and how we sometimes cannot see the picture being displayed through all the noise and circumstance. The text was from John 11, which is where Jesus brings Lazarus back to life after he had been dead for four days. The focus of the message was about how many times it was said, "If you had only been here," as if Jesus had somehow missed an opportunity to heal Lazarus because He was not there. Oddly enough, by the time Jesus had received the message that he was sick, he was already dead; so at that point, it really did not matter if He hurried to go heal him. This would be the miracle that would push the Jewish leaders over the top; from this point on, they plotted to have Jesus killed. This is what we get to witness, the other side of love and compassion; which is the same thing that drove Cain to kill his brother Able. There was something else that I thought was interesting that Rick shared, it was the point about Lazarus being referred to as, 'The one whom Jesus loved.' Rick went on to mention how John never referred to himself by name, but only by, "The one whom Jesus loved." Love is never jealous when it comes to God's love for us and our love for one another; love rejoices in others being loved and coming to a loving relationship God. This is what grieves the wicked, because they cannot understand or believe that God loves them; instead they only become upset to see those who celebrate and seem to enjoy the love of God in their life. Basically, the wicked are those that are guilty of sin; they know that they are guilty and they are upset all the more to see anyone that might not be as guilty as they are. But if only they knew the truth; if only they could see what it is they are missing out on, only because they cannot accept the fact that God really does love them...

"Fear of the LORD lengthens one's life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing. The way of the LORD is a stronghold to those with integrity, but it destroys the wicked." (Proverbs 10:27-29) NLT