(Translated version, original article written in Chinese by Pastor Mickey Hsiao)
Worship
By singing praises and hymns, awake your soul, open your heart to the Lord, and prepare yourself to welcome the presence of God and receive the Word of God that will be given to you.
Thanksgiving
Petition with thanksgiving to God for a wonderful day and pray sincerely for a focused Scripture reading time! (Do not rush into reading the Bible without starting with prayers!) (e.g., you may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what will you be speaking to me today?)
Scripture Reading
Get the following items ready in advance: your devotional notebook, paper, pen, and/or electronic devotional articles so that you can easily write down the Bible verses, questions, and thoughts you have noticed! You are encouraged to open your Bible and vocally read out the scriptures (Try to practice this reading method daily or once a week)!
Scripture Reading: John Ch. 2 (ESV)
Meditation
Take a moment to quietly reflect on today’s Scriptures. Through such exercises, let God’s Word be gradually written into our hearts and be inscribed to our mind.
Devotional
Read the devotional articles prepared by CBCLWA (*Read the Bible first before reading any devotional materials.)
(vv.1-12) The first miracle recorded in the Bible that Jesus did was at a wedding reception in Cana. Jesus’ mother and his disciples were there with him. Jesus performed a miracle turning water into the best wine. What can we learn from this miraculous change to an element (turning water into wine)?
- Invitation: Jesus and his disciples were invited to attend.
- Difficulty: The prepared wine has run out.
- Obedience: Things were done as Jesus commanded.
- Glory: Glory of God was revealed through miracles.
- Results: Jesus’ disciples believed in Him.
Miracles are the signs of God, in which there is God’s sovereignty to show God’s actions and glory, so that people may know Jesus better. They understand that they must come to Jesus, knowing their own constraints, and be willing to obey God’s will. On the contrary, if you just want to see if there is a miracle, you are unlikely to believe it even after seeing a miracle because you won’t believe it as God’s action. Or perhaps you have no interest to follow God’s will nor waiting to humble yourself. According to the answer Jesus gave the Pharisees, there is no other miracle, only Jonah’s miracle can be shown (which is the miracle of Jesus risen from death).
So how do we deal with the argument from those who would only believe in Jesus by seeing his miracles? In addition to the above discussions, there was a case where God’s miracles and wonders were seen by the Israelites who came out of Egypt into the wilderness. Yet this group of Israelites were always complaining and they fell and perished in the wilderness in the end. Obviously, seeing miracles alone does not guarantee that someone will eventually believe in God. Also, don’t forget this reminder. God is not your vending machine. Had you received everything you asked for then you were a god!
(vv.13-25) It is recorded here that Jesus first cleansed the temple when he visited Jerusalem for the Passover. When Jesus saw the crowd selling items and others setting tables exchanging money in the temple courts, he made a whip out of chords, drove out all cattle and sheep from the temple courts, overturned the tables, and so on. Can you imagine Jesus’ emotion and expression when he saw these scenes? I’ve seen a film made based on the account of John’s Gospel. I can’t forget about this part of the firm and I deeply remembered the angry eyes of the actor and his actions. Jesus must have been really angry!
What are the likely symbolic cattle, sheep, and pigeons in modern churches and in the hearts of believers? What could be trading tables and silver coins? What are the reasons and things that hinder your worship or keeping you from getting closer to God? In 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” Have you ever wondered if Jesus would be worried if he came to our synagogue and dwelled in our hearts? Jesus said, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” May our synagogue and our body (the temple) be cleaned and be dedicated to the Lord alone.
When the Jews questioned why Jesus had driven the cattle and sheep out of the temple courts and overturned the tables, Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Jesus said with his body as the temple, that He was the Son of God, that He came to save the world with the sacrifice of His body. Neither the Jews there nor His disciples there understood what Jesus said. Jesus’ disciples did not remember what He had said until Jesus had risen from the dead.
Brother and sister, have you ever waited patiently for God’s time? In the scripture, this Passover is generally believed to be the first Passover when Jesus began his mission. How long did it take the disciples to remember Jesus’ statement that his body is the temple? May we keep God’s Word in our heart frequently. In God’s time, our faith will be strengthened when we remember God’s Word.
Pray
Give thanks to God for His enabling us to read the Scriptures and for our response for living out the Word of God today! (e.g., You may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what/where are you going to lead me to today?”)