As the Falling Rain

N ot desiring Heaven? Isn’t that— well, bad? Wrong? Even sacrilegious? Isn’t it backwards ?    Yes, it is— depending on how you look at it.    But, what if even Jesus didn’t desire Heaven? If you’re thinking that sounds totally wrong, consider the following quote: “Jesus did not count heaven a place to be desired while we were lost.” — The Desire of Ages by Ellen G. White, p. 375 [416-417].    Wow! Jesus could not be totally happy in a perfect heaven while we were lost and miserable in a sinful world! Doesn’t that show His amazing love for us? He didn’t want to stay in heaven if He could do something to save us!    Yet. . . so often I want to stay in my “comfort zone” while there is a perishing world about me. In my mind, reaching out to others and helping them is beautiful, wonderful, even easy ! But, when push comes to shove, I freeze up and my mind goes blank. I can’t think of things to say to people. I wonder if th...

How far would you go to find the Messiah? If you knew He was on earth would you travel any distance to give Him your homage? Would any distance any obstacle seem small? Would any sacrifice be small enough for the King of kings? Or what if the ones to announce His coming to you were mere shepherds? Would your pride be hurt because you weren't the one who was chosen to hail His advent? We often hear how the wise men traveled a great distance to find Jesus- and when they found Him, they discovered a mere baby in the care of poor peasants! No mighty potentates were in attendance; no great men were before them worshipping the tiny King. But did they turn away? Did they reject Him because He didn't meet their expectations? No! They had read the Scriptures, they had the witness of the Holy Spirit, they had seen His star. Yes, He was the One they had come so far to find! Often we hear, too, of the priests who did not welcome Jesus at His birth. They were offended because mere sh...

The account of the five loaves and two fishes is an amazing story! Imagine being in a secluded area with five thousand men to feed (not including however many women and children must have been there!), and you only have five loaves and two fishes! What would you do? When this happened to the disciples, they just wanted to send all of the people away. But Jesus told them, " Give ye them to eat " (Luke 9:13). The disciples responded by saying, " We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people" (verse 13). Jesus then told the disciples to have all of the people sit down in companies of fifty. Then taking the loaves and fishes, He blessed them, and gave them back to the disciples. Then the disciples gave it to the people. Afterwards, from the multiplied five loaves and two fishes, they took up twelve baskets of fragments! It's the same with us really. We may feel that we nothing to share with people. Or...

"Now it came to pass on a certain day, that He went into a ship with His disciples: and He said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed He fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled [ with water,] and were in jeopardy. And they came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then He arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And He said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of Man is this! for He commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey Him. " Luke 8: 22-25.   Recently, I read this, and it made me wonder, Where is Jesus in the storms of my life? When the disciples were in the ship, Jesus was with them; they were not alone. But. . . where is Jesus in my "storms"— like when I lose someone or something dear to me, or if I...