"Eminent Works"

 "Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?" (John 10:32 KJV)

  "How amazing are the deeds of the LORD! All who delight in him should ponder them. Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. He causes us to remember his wonderful works. How gracious and merciful is our LORD!" (Psalm 111:2-4 NLT)

 I know it might not seem like such a big deal, but Jesus was being very gracious and merciful to these Jews, considering the power He could have used to catch their attention. It reminds me of the movie, 'The Resurrection of Gavin Stone,' as Gavin continually questions why Jesus humbled Himself, not showing off who He was and not demonstrating all of His power. 

 Something to think about, as we struggle in our fight to overcome certain desires and sins. Not that we have any power within us, except the Holy Spirit, who does not control us as if we were a robot; but He is gracious and merciful, always prompting us, always patiently waiting for us to do what is right. He could, if He wanted to, throw us down on the ground, making us bark like a dog, or roll around and act like an idiot; but He is a Gentleman and always magnifies the gracious mercy of God's love! 

 As to all that other stuff, I haven't yet figured out where that stuff comes from. But I do understand what it means to be slain in the Spirit, and it is probably not something that you brag about if it happens to you. If that makes you uncomfortable, I am sorry, but I just do not believe that the Holy Spirit works in ways that are out of our control. 

 As for these Jews, they are acting out what they have been instructed in, and their control comes from another source; one a little less gracious and merciful...

"We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece - throughout both Macedonia and Achaia. And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don't need to tell them about it, for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God's Son from heaven - Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment." (1 Thessalonians 1:4-10 NLT)