"Slight Pause"

"When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee." (John 7:9 KJV)

  "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." (2 Corinthians 4:6-7 KJV) 

 And I quote: "It becomes the followers of Christ thus to be steady, and not to use lightness." (Matthew Henry, regarding the practical side of John 7:9) Basically that is the situation and the complexity of this movement: It is called, waiting till it is time to move! 

 When would that be, you might ask! Did you? Okay, so if you study the movements of a clay jar that you might have stored on your bookshelf, how often does it move on its own? When it does get moved, it is usually when it's time to dust the shelf off or clean off the actual jar; but it takes someone to move it. We are like that jar! When it comes to being used by God, it is God working through us and in us; otherwise, it is us using the power of God practically and not by the power of His Spirit.

 Just to be clear, God still can use the practical work that is done; we haven't done anything that has gone to waste, (no pun intended!) There jars that are made to hold flowers, and then there are jars meant to put the trash in; your efforts are stored up somewhere, even if you practically did it on your own. 

 But seriously, this is something we must always pay very close attention to: It is me doing what I think or feel? Or is this God that is working in and through me? We must acknowledge this is the case: I am not the light, His Light dwells within me; thus, it is His Light that gives light through me! I cannot store up this Light, and then use it on my own; this Light in me is connected to Him, without Him, I am nothing at all!  

 Actually, a topic for another location; but it somewhat fits the narrative. Which reminds me of John's choice of words...

"As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table. His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. Then the Lord said to him, "You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy - full of greed and wickedness! Fools! Didn't God make the inside as well as the outside? So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over. 

"What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. 

"What sorrows awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces. Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on."" (Luke 11:37-44 NLT)