Inordinately..

By Author: Terry Dashner
Total Articles: 105
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Inordinate

Terry Dashner.Faith Fellowship Church PO Box 1586 Broken Arrow, OK 74013

One of the greatest arguments for God's existence is man's ability to rebound from overwhelming losses to hope again. Whether the loss is material or physical, whether the loss is as extreme as a 9-11-2001 or the suddenness of an Asian Tsunami which sweeps away the lives of hundreds of thousands in a short span, man's ability to live again is testimony to hope found only in the God of all creation.

It's no great revelation to discover that you are subject to despair. If you have lived anytime at all in this world as a human being, you know that mortality is your present state and that you are at the whim of immortality. You have no assurance of tomorrow, but you must deal with what it brings your way. Within yourself there is no possibility of conquering your mortal dilemma—loss, great calamities, sickness, and physical death. But all is not lost. God has created man in His image and likeness. God gives supernatural hope, and man may find that hope in Him. When you turn outside yourself, outside of your ...
... mortal dilemma and look to God, you will find the resilience to hope and live liberated from the whims of circumstances.

Nowhere in scripture is this better illustrated than John chapter two—the wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Jesus does His first miracle there and changes water into wine. He changes the common into the uncommon. He turns the natural into a supernatural event. When God shows up, His hand can turn the most devastating circumstances into triumphs of victory. Yes He can.

Maybe you are someone in despair of living. Maybe you have come across a dire fate of circumstances, beyond your control. It seems—at no fault of you own—the failure has ambushed you, out of nowhere. Maybe you could use a rebound. God is an expert at changing despair into hope, depression into joy, dead ends into super highways of egress. You don't have to take my word for it. Experience it for yourself. God is as close to you—right now—as the mention of His name, Jesus. Call to Him, and He will answer you.

May I share with you three things regarding the Cana wedding feast that relate to the human dilemma of mortality? This won't take long, and it could help you.

First, the miracle that occurred at Cana was excess. The wine had gone dry—a very embarrassing situation to be in, especially at a first century, mid-eastern wedding. Whether through improper planning or just pure negligence on the part of the host, the situation just happened. It was an adverse situation that needed attention. But how does one remedy the circumstances without additional time, material resources, or a miracle?

In walks Jesus. Jesus willingly came to the aid of the host. He changed the water into wine for further use. But there is something strange about this, to say the least. Jesus didn't just make enough wine to fill the cup a second time. He created more than enough. By today's standards to furnish that much wine would be negligent—a liability of possible intoxication. Jesus gave to the party goers—inordinate amounts of wine. This is just like God. Our life is to be a wedding feast. God's love is given to us, the party goers, in extravagant amounts. His love is inordinate and intoxicating beyond reason.

Secondly, what is natural was changed into the supernatural. There were six, stone-water pots. These stone vessels were reserved for ceremonial water. The Jews were very religious people, during the time of Jesus. They used water to wash their hands before eating. The washing was significant. It reflected the need for everyman to be cleansed by the water of life. Yet there is a bit of irony here. The water that was meant to cleanse them spiritually could not help them in the time of their greatest need. They needed something greater than ceremonial water to change their dilemma. Only God could change what needed to be changed. And when He changed it, the change brought something entirely different than water. It brought wine, the prosperity of life. Jesus can change your circumstances, but your physical circumstances are not the real problem. The real problem is you heart. It needs to be changed into a new life in Christ. This can only be done by the hand of God.

Thirdly, this was the first miracle of Jesus. The original language is specific and colorful. The word in the Greek for first doesn't mean the first among many firsts. It means the first by which all other miracles are valued. In other words, the changing of the water into wine was not about supplying wine at a wedding party. The miracle was about the Glory of God being revealed to man. You see up to that time, no man had ever seen God with his own eyes. Because of this, there was no way to measure the genuine from impostures. Nevertheless, when Jesus comes on the scene, He is God in the flesh, and men behold God for the first time. And what is God seen doing? Is He seen condemning, cursing, and killing His helpless man? No! He is seen, for the first time through the eyes of man, revealing His Glory. His Glory is best defined by changing His man from common sinner into the uncommon righteousness of God through Christ Jesus.

I hope you desire the wine of change. God can change you and your situation for good. Let Him intoxicate you with His love for you

Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is coming soon.

Pastor T.

About the Author Pastors a small church in Broken Arrow, OK. U.S. Navy veteran of the Viet Nam era. Retired police officer with the city of Tulsa. Married 28 years. Father of three grown children and grandfather of two.