Come and See...

"Can anything good come from Nazareth?"...


...Come and See.

These words struck me as I read a devotion from Max Lucado's book Grace For the Moment

"Nathanael's question still lingers, even two thousand years later... Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Come and see.

Come and see the lives changed:
The alcoholic now dry,
The embittered now joyful
The shamed now forgiven
Marriages rebuilt, the orphans embraced,
The imprisoned inspired...
Come and see the pierced hand of God touch the most common heart, wipre the tear form teh wrinkled face, adn forgive the ugliest sin. Come and see. He avoids no seeker. He ignores no probe. He fears no search. Come and see."

I have a few thoughts about this. First a little background on the town of Nazareth. At the time of Jesus the Roman Empire was the world dominating power. Nazareth was a tiny town on the outer reaches of the Roman expanse. Basically it was a nothing town. Like Shirley or Wilkinson Indiana. :) For "the one Moses wrote about in the Law and about whom the prophets also wrote" to come from here is almost humorous. It's hard to believe the Savior they had been eagerly awaiting could come from such a place. And I think that's exactly why God chose that specific town. Had God chose to come say to the capital, Rome, in a fit of glory and power he would have been affirming all that is not dear to his heart and true to his character. God cannot help but be humble. That is just his nature. Jesus had a humble beginning, a humble life, and a criminal's death. This is why many of the Jewis people rejected him then, and still many reject him today. Because Jesus is not the Messiah they were expecting. Everything about his character and his life exudes humility. I'm learning a lot on humility right now. It's not a destination. It's a journey. And you're never fully there...at least for very long. And the minute you think you're humble...you're not.

Thought Number two. I think it's true what Lucado says that "Nathanael's question still lingers..." I think at some point in our lives we all ask this question. Can this Jesus fellow really be legit? Could he really be God? Could he really save me? Could he really be what I have been longing for? And we all have someone in our lives that has said "Come and see." Come and see for yourself how good he is. How filling his life is. How wide his mercy and how deep his grace is. How humble his love is. Come, taste and see that the Lord is good. Come and see. See for yourself.

It's been a very busy few days for me. Packed full of activities, work, learning lessons, listening for God's voice, investing in others, and the list goes on. And I've had all day today to reflect on it and try to let my heart and brain process what all has been learned and experienced so far. One thing I learned a little bit about was selfless love. Love is searching through an entire room for a spider that was found in a girl's bed. Love is letting that same terrified girl sleep in your twin sized bed with you just so she's not so frightened. Love is having patience with another girl so terrified of the spider she's threatening to go home :)

I think i'm going to have A LOT more of these moments this summer. But they are so worth it.