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Topic: No Hidden Agenda, Please!
[DCLM Daily Manna 22 May 2020 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: John 1:35-51
35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?
39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.
44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
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47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Key Verse: “Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?” – (John 1:38)
MESSAGE:
Many people are often masters of their emotions and passions. They expertly mask their true feelings and motives thereby deceiving those who judge them from outward appearance.
Jesus, of course, can read all hearts. But often, He wants to be sure of the conviction of those who come to Him. Here lies the reason for His question to Andrew and his companion. They did not know Jesus until John the Baptist pointed Him to them, raising their curiosity about Him. Perhaps, taken aback by His question, they only wanted to know where Jesus lived. That initial encounter had a massive impact on them; hence, they began to tell others about Him.
Andrew brought his brother, Simon, to Christ who promptly gave Simon a new name, Cephas, or “A stone”. The next day Jesus personally called Philip to follow Him, and, he too, was so excited that he brought his friend, Nathaniel to Jesus. Nathaniel had no excuse but to bow to the lordship of Jesus. Hence, he confessed, “thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”
Our motives matter before God. Oblivious of this fact, many people often think that following Jesus in itself is enough. We must never seek to use following the Lord to simply fulfil our own purposes, for then we would be asking Him to follow us. Seeking His glory must be our goal; for only then can we receive all that we would ever need in life. We must project His agenda, not ours. And His agenda is for souls to be brought into the Kingdom.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Seeking God’s glory secures our interests.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 6-7
