July 2024 – Page 2 – Paul Nordman

Signs of Life

A friend told me of a hilarious sign posted in an Alaskan bar, “Unattended children will be given five cans of Red Bull and a free puppy.” Another recalled this sobering dirt road warning in the remote reaches of Canada: “Choose your rut carefully. You will be in it for the next 25 miles.” Humorous or not, signs have purpose. Lane arrows lead us toward our destination, while mileage signs inform us about the distance ahead. Others warn us against inaction or indecision, e.g., “last chance gas; next service 100 miles.”

I find it interesting that the apostle John customarily identified Jesus’ miracles as “signs.” Case in point: “A large crowd was following [Jesus], because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.”¹ Now, dispelling sickness with a word is clearly miraculous, yet John penned “signs” as if to highlight a higher purpose than physical healing itself, namely the identity of the miracle worker, Jesus the Messiah. Listen to the people’s take: “Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?’”² Therein lay the ultimate purpose of Jesus’ signs — belief and life. John explains, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”³

So what signs of His authenticity does God provide today? He still performs miracles, and we can look back on a long trail of answered prayers. But let’s not discount the impact of His transforming presence in us, for “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”⁴ And Jesus promises, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”⁵ In short, people see change in people made new in Christ. Regarding her turn from atheism, for instance, a young friend told of her roommate’s transformation: “She was just mean, always mean to everybody. But when she became a believer, she changed, she actually became sweet. Her change was so great that I had to check out her Bible study.” Months later, our friend also became a new believer in Jesus Christ; she had read the signs and followed them to belief and life in Christ.

Let us likewise give ourselves entirely to the Spirit, that we would live as signs of new life.

Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to us. Use us, in turn, as signs of Your presence and power, that seeing Christ in us, others would also believe and live. In Him we pray. Amen.

¹ John 6:2 ESV, emphasis added
² John 9:16 ESV, emphasis added
³ John 20:30-31 ESV, emphases added
⁴ 1 John 4:13 ESV, emphases added
⁵ John 13:35 ESV, emphases added

Beyond the Oasis of “Good Enough”

“Let us press on to know the Lord.” — Hosea 6:3 ESV

In my career, I was fairly adept at using Microsoft Office apps — Word and Excel, in particular. They brought efficiencies to work processes, depth and flexibility to analytics, and effectiveness to communications. But once I attained a certain proficiency level, I stopped learning. These applications contained much more functionality, which would have advanced productivity even further, but having navigated steep learning curves, and gaining much through them, I came to the alluring oasis of “good enough,” and there I rested.

I think the allure of “good enough,” or perhaps “close enough,” limits us in a spiritual sense, as well. For instance, we might draw near to Jesus for forgiveness and mercy, but distance ourselves beyond earshot of His command to forgive those who offend us. Though we plea God’s blessings for ourselves, our flesh would prioritize our personal comfort over His call to bless others. These are common temptations, and not new. Consider Paul’s appropriate chastisement of the Corinthians, “I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?”¹ In this sense, we all sense that “good enough” is not good at all.

Then how do we move beyond the appealing oasis of “good enough”? How do we “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ”?² How do we think and act like the “mature” — “straining forward to what lies ahead . . . [and pressing] on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus?”³ I think it comes down to relationship, and we are called to relate well. Relationships are not formulaic, of course, but here are some healthy characteristics.

Trust openly. “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”⁴

Be honest about our sin. “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts.”⁵

Accept God’s complete forgiveness. “Let us draw near . . . with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”⁶

Be devoted to prayer.⁷ “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”⁸

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.⁹ “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”¹⁰

Spend time with God. “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.”¹¹

God calls us ever forward, far beyond our fleshy notion of “good enough.” Greater things await us. Let’s go.

Lord, lead us in love beyond immaturity, and draw us ever deeper into relationship with You. In Christ we pray. Amen.

¹ 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 ESV
² Ephesians 4:15 ESV
³ Philippians 3:13-15 ESV
⁴ Hebrews 10:22 ESV
⁵ James 4:8 ESV
⁶ Hebrews 10:22 ESV
⁷ Romans 12:12 NASB
⁸ Psalm 145:18 ESV
⁹ Colossians 3:16 ESV
¹⁰ Psalm 119:105 KJV
¹¹ 1 Chronicles 16:11 ESV