SERVICES: SATURDAY 6PM | SUNDAY 9AM & 10:45AM. 

We Livestream at www.FaithFellowshipWeb.com/livestream, through the FFC App, and YouTube.

Leave the Stones Behind

Leave the Stones Behind
Words of Faith 12-9-16
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2016
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><

John 10
[31] Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, [32] but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?"
[33] "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."

This is a puzzling couple of verses. Remember that this took place during Hanukkah and Jesus was walking through Solomon’s Colonnade in the Temple area (10:22-23). This was a large paved area. There were no stones around this area. There were stones everywhere in Israel except this place. So where did they pick up these stones when they were suddenly convinced Jesus was blaspheming?
The verb translated "picked up" literally means "to carry." It seems clear that this group did not suddenly “pick up stones” where there were none. Apparently this group brought stones along!
This means that when the group gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly," (10:24) they really had no intention of hearing the truth. The stones were under their robes. Their minds were made up. They had not come looking for answers, they came looking for an excuse to stone Jesus.
Perhaps this is why Jesus answered "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me (10:25-26).”
I wonder, sometimes, how often we walk around with stones under our robes. Do we sometimes come to a situation with our minds already made up? Do we listen only for something that will confirm what we have already decided? Do we close our hearts to what God may want to tell us or what He may want to do with a particular situation? Jesus made it clear that that His sheep listen to His voice; He knows them, and they follow Him.
The Good Shepherd calls us to enter every situation listening. We are not to come with predetermined minds but with open minds to what God is doing. He will usually surprise us! We are to come listening for direction and then obeying, but most of all trusting that He is God.
He is in charge. He is at work. Even in confusing or uncomfortable situations-- perhaps especially in confusing and uncomfortable situations-- we are called to listen, watch and see just what God is doing and how He wants us to respond.

Lord, forgive me for limiting what I think You can do. Forgive me for deciding in advance my opinion about so many things, people and situations. Teach me to listen more carefully, trust more fully, and walk more diligently in obedience to You. In Jesus’ name.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2002, 2016
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an E-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an E-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.