Day 20 - Isaac and the offering
May we constantly respond to the grace that God has shown us in giving us His Son.
Read: Genesis 22
THEME: There are some incidents in Abraham’s life that are hard to explain unless we see how God’s grace towards us can make us gracious towards others.
There is no more challenging incident in Abraham’s extremely eventful life than the offering of Isaac. Abraham was not an isolated man. His household was established in the midst of Canaanite tribes, all of which embraced a catalogue of disturbing practices, with sacrificing children to gain their gods’ favour high on their lists.
As Abraham set out with a knife in his hand, and Isaac walked beside him with firewood on his back, neither had any idea what God was about to do. That great phrase ‘God Himself will provide’ was yet to reverberate in their hearts. But Abraham knew the grace of God and that Isaac alongside him was the child of promise, so he spoke boldly to the young men accompanying them saying, ‘the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you’.
The ram that took Isaac’s place on the altar was a testimony to us all, not just to Abraham and the tribes that surrounded him. And somehow Isaac must have seen an expectation of God’s intervening grace in his father’s caring eyes as he endured the whole symbolic ordeal.
We should be grateful that we do not live in the Canaan of Abraham’s day but we still live in a needy world and must be grateful for the grace of God, which in Christ has made the ultimate provision for us.
May we constantly respond to the grace that God has shown us in giving us His Son.
Day 19 - Ishmael and Isaac
May we never put self-interest ahead of graciousness.
Read: Genesis 21
THEME: There are some incidents in Abraham’s life that are hard to explain unless we see how God’s grace towards us can make us gracious towards others.
It was unwise of Abraham, even in the face of many years of childlessness, to take Hagar, the serving maid that Sarai presented to him, in the hope of hastening God’s plan for him to become the father of many nations. It led to 13 years of silence from heaven.
God then spoke to set things in motion for the arrival of Sarah’s son, Isaac. The tension between the two boys soon became evident and Abraham found himself in the midst of a dilemma. With so much past history, it was hard to have the two boys in the same house. Abraham could have resolved the situation harshly, seeking to remove the fruit of his impatience in order to preserve his reputation. But his reputation was not uppermost in his mind. He cried out to God for Ishmael and with the pain of separation once again staring him in the face, he took hold of the grace of God, knowing that the God who had been gracious to him years earlier when Lot had gone his own way would be gracious to him now.
In following God’s counsel, Abraham proved yet again that obedience and grace can go hand in hand. It is all too easy to resolve life’s problems in harshness whilst seeking to protect our reputations. Abraham found a better way. He never denied his responsibility but acknowledged the grace of God.
May we never put self-interest ahead of graciousness.
Day 18 - Lot and the rescue
May we today find ways of extending God’s grace to others.
Read: Genesis 14
THEME: There are some incidents in Abraham’s life that are hard to explain unless we see how God’s grace towards us can make us gracious towards others.
Although, when choosing land, Lot believed he was selecting the best, it turned out to be the worst, with two very sinful cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, right in the midst of it. It was also a region renowned for strife, with rival kingdoms fighting over the territory.
On one occasion Abram had had to mount a rescue, riding hard with his friends and household to release Lot, and his fellow inhabitants of Sodom, who had been taken into captivity. It was on his return from this battle that Abram was blessed by Melchizedek, God’s High Priest, named as King of Righteousness and King of Peace.
In his commitment to Lot, Abram never wavered. Years later when God determined to judge Sodom, Abraham stood and prayed over the city, believing that even a handful of righteous people, as few maybe as Lot’s wider family, could bring a sinful city to repentance.
Abraham was not presuming upon the grace of God in thinking in this way (as we know, an unrepentant Sodom was destroyed) but he did know the power of God’s grace in his own life and wanted to extend that grace to others.
May we today find ways of extending God’s grace to others.
Day 17 - Lot and the land
May we today respond to the grace of God in our own lives in a way that makes us gracious.
Read: Genesis 13
THEME: There are some incidents in Abraham’s life that are hard to explain unless we see how God’s grace towards us can make us gracious towards others.
Abram had set out for a land that God had promised to show him and had graciously taken his orphaned nephew Lot with him. God had made no specific promises to Lot but, through Abram’s generosity, Lot had ended up with flocks and herds of his own. When tensions occurred over grazing rights, Abram thought it appropriate for Lot to have his own land.
Abram could have allocated some lesser territory but in his graciousness, as he and Lot stood on a hilltop surveying a vast panorama, he allowed Lot to choose whatever he perceived to be the best.
Abram accepted Lot’s choice without a hint of complaint and, once they had separated, God said, “lift up your eyes and see – all that is to the north, south, east and west I give to you and to your descendants”.
The God whose promise had sustained Abram in his journey and inspired his earlier generosity, was once again showing him the grace that was making him gracious.
Graciousness may at times appear costly but we have a God who is infinitely gracious and it is His grace that inspires and liberates us.
May we today respond to the grace of God in our own lives in a way that makes us gracious.
Day 16 - Parental Respect
May we be gracious in showing respect to our households.
Read: Genesis 11
THEME: There are some incidents in Abraham’s life that are hard to explain unless we see how God’s grace towards us can make us gracious towards others.
Abram (as he was then) first enters the biblical record when his father, Terah, was still head of the household. God had spoken to Abram about leaving his country and family and it seems he had shared this with his elderly father, as it was the whole family that uprooted.
Now some have argued that, in having the family accompany him, Abram was acting in disobedience. It is interesting, though, that there is no record of God upbraiding him for this. Abram’s family was traumatised by sorrow. Abram’s father had lost one son and was facing the loss of a second. Moving out of Ur and setting up home in a city that shared the name of the one they had lost was no doubt therapeutic for them all. There was no need for Abram to be in a rush if in his obedience he could be gracious.
When we are young we are often in a rush and some of us slow down little in the years that follow. There is, however, a graciousness that can be shown when life is taken at a more measured pace.
When Abram’s father died, Abram did move on. Obedience and graciousness do not have to be mutually exclusive. Abram sensed the grace of God in permitting his step-by-step departure and found the scope to show graciousness to his grieving household.
May we be gracious in showing respect to our households.
Day 15 – The wedding guests at Cana
Maybe we should look for more opportunities to explain why the new wine is better.
Read: John 2:1-12
THEME: The first two chapters of John’s Gospel record significant encounters at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Meetings that were noteworthy for Jesus were even more important for those He met.
The wedding guests at Cana were a diverse group and though they all benefitted from the ministry of Jesus they no doubt came away from the event with a range of different impressions.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, would have left weighing Jesus’ strong sense of timing. He clearly wanted to help but in saying ‘My hour has not yet come’ He was obviously aware of His ultimate redemptive assignment.
The waiters, disciples and family members of Jesus would all have seen His miracle-working power. We know that His disciples went away believing but the waiters may well have left discussing their nervousness when presenting the contents of six large water pots to the Master of Ceremonies. And maybe for His brothers it marked the start of their troubling process of re-assessment – Son of God, or just a brother?
So what of the Master of Ceremonies? He tasted the good wine without knowing where it had come from and congratulated the Bridegroom on its quality, questioning why the Groom had saved the best wine until the inferior wine had gone. As for the Groom himself, he would have just been grateful to have saved face before His wedding guests and might well have headed off with his Bride without knowing the full story.
As we go about our daily lives, it’s worth remembering that many people are experiencing the goodness of God without fully realising it.
Maybe we should look for more opportunities to explain why the new wine is better.
Day 14 - Philip and Nathanael: a ‘bringer’ and the ‘brought’
Let us maintain the integrity that opens the way for true demonstrations of God’s power.
Read: John 1:43-51
THEME: The first two chapters of John’s Gospel record significant encounters at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Meetings that were noteworthy for Jesus were even more important for those He met.
Philip, like Andrew, was a ‘bringer’. Andrew had brought Simon Peter to Jesus and in their later ministry Andrew and Philip continued as ‘bringers’, often working together. Philip was involved at the feeding of the five thousand when Andrew brought the boy with his loaves and fish to Jesus, and shortly before the cross it was left to Philip and Andrew to try to introduce some Greeks to Him.
Philip’s career as a bringer began the day he met Jesus. He wasted no time at all in seeking out Nathanael who greeted his enthusiasm over Jesus with a sceptical response. Philip had described Jesus as the fulfilment of the Old Testament law and the prophets but when he had added that he came from Nazareth, Nathaniel had exclaimed ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’
Philip’s ‘come and see’ strategy then worked well. As they approached Jesus together, Jesus commended Nathanael for his lack of guile and, after the briefest of exchanges, Nathanael was saying to Jesus, ‘You are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.’
Jesus responded by saying that Nathanael would see even greater things, speaking of a wide-open heaven with the Son of Man (an interestingly humble re-identification given Nathanael’s use of ‘Son of God’) facilitating a flow of angelic ministry between earth and heaven. Surely there is a link here between guilelessness and truly seeing the power of God.
Let us maintain the integrity that opens the way for true demonstrations of God’s power.
Day 13 - Simon Peter: a brotherly introduction
God is in the business of speaking hope into all our lives.
Read: John 1:40-42
THEME: The first two chapters of John’s Gospel record significant encounters at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Meetings that were noteworthy for Jesus were even more important for those He met.
When Andrew brought his brother to Jesus, Andrew may well have been at an advantage. After all it was Andrew who had benefitted from John the Baptist’s input, and Andrew and his friend who were convinced they had found the Messiah after spending a day with Jesus. We do not know what Simon was expecting as Andrew insisted on this meeting. After all, the encounter has not become famous because of words spoken by Simon, as none are recorded, but for the promptness with which Jesus summed up Simon’s character and reset his future with five simple words, ‘You shall be called Cephas’ (or Petros, meaning a stone).
These words were definitely destiny-shapers. For as Jesus went on to shape Simon Peter’s life, these five words spoken at the outset secured a direction of ever increasing reliability for a man who was initially marred by impetuosity.
Sometimes when God speaks things into our lives we know that it will take time to grasp their true significance. Sometimes it is good to say nothing so that the power of God’s words and the effectiveness of His guidance can have their full impact.
God is in the business of speaking hope into all our lives.
Day 12 - Andrew: a follower finds fresh direction
We need to be journeying with Jesus.
Read: John 1:35-40
THEME: The first two chapters of John’s Gospel record significant encounters at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Meetings that were noteworthy for Jesus were even more important for those He met.
Andrew and a friend were standing with John the Baptist when John saw Jesus walking and pointedly said ‘Look, the Lamb of God’. The day before, when they had glimpsed Jesus, John had added ‘...who takes away the sin of the world’. What is more, these comments came after months of John telling all and sundry ‘He is the One who will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire’.
So it should come as no surprise that Andrew and his friend left John to follow Jesus. With so much on offer who could blame them! But after a few paces Jesus turned and asked them what they wanted. Being too polite to reel off their list they simply asked ‘Where are You staying?’, and that led to a day together, that turned out to be the first of many.
Now some think Andrew should have given Jesus that list: sins forgiven, a heart purified, a Holy Spirit empowering, and more. But it is easy for Christianity to become so commodified that our thinking lapses into ‘I’ll follow Jesus so I can get this’ or ‘I’ll try to keep pace with Him so I can receive that’. Of course, we need forgiving, purifying and empowering in order to have a close relationship with Him but it is the relationship that should be our aim.
‘Where are You staying?’ was a good question and ‘Where are You going?’ would have been a useful follow through.
We need to be journeying with Jesus.
Day 11 - John the Baptist: a meeting in the Jordan
The more widely we open our hearts, the more likely we are to discover the One we seek.
Read: John 1:29-34
THEME: The first two chapters of John’s Gospel record significant encounters at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Meetings that were noteworthy for Jesus were even more important for those He met.
When John the Baptist looked back to the day when he had baptised Jesus in the Jordan and had seen heaven open, he said ‘I didn’t know Him but God who sent me to baptise with water had told me that the One on whom I would see the Spirit descend and remain will be the One who baptises with the Holy Spirit’.
Now the interesting thing is that John and Jesus were related. Their mothers had met when they were pregnant and John’s mother had felt John leap for joy the day that Mary had visited to say she was expecting Jesus. This pre-birth encounter then led on to prophecies at John’s naming ceremony so that John was all set to announce the Messiah’s arrival. But it seems that despite all of this knowledge, John had not been able to bring things together in his mind. It took a revelation from God to bring home the truth when he was already out in the wilderness busy about God’s work.
We can too easily assume that having a few facts and figures and some impressive Bible knowledge will cause everything to fall into place. These are important but an open heart is important too. Even before John recognised Jesus as the Messiah, he had said ‘He who is coming after me is preferred before me and I’m not worthy to undo His sandal strap’.
The more widely we open our hearts, the more likely we are to discover the One we seek.
Day 10 - Nehemiah: chosen while cupbearer to a king
Let us be known as those who serve the Lord with cheerfulness.
Read: Nehemiah 2:1-5
THEME: We know that God is able to select whomever He wants to do whatever He chooses. He can also raise, mould and empower the least of us to do more than we can ask or imagine. Occasionally we get a glimpse of what catches His attention.
It seems strange to emphasise that Nehemiah was a cupbearer to a king when the Old Testament book that carries his name records the years he spent away from court overseeing Jerusalem and rebuilding its walls. But it was Nehemiah’s cheerfulness as a cupbearer in the Persian court (a role where tasting carried significant risks) that would have caught God’s attention, marking him out as a suitable governor for Jerusalem.
When news of Jerusalem’s devastation caused Nehemiah to feel downcast, the king was immediately able to recognise his change of disposition, given that this was the first time he had looked sad before his Persian master. After a brief conversation, which Nehemiah had preceded with an even briefer prayer, the king released his cupbearer from exile to spend a season in his homeland, serving God with his customary thoroughness and cheerfulness.
It should come as no surprise that it is in the book of Nehemiah that we read ‘the joy of the Lord is your strength’.
Let us be known as those who serve the Lord with cheerfulness.
Day 9 - Elisha: chosen to be a prophet in place of Elijah
Let us seek to have a servant heart and a willing disposition.
Read: 1 King 19:19
THEME: We know that God is able to select whomever He wants to do whatever He chooses. He can also raise, mould and empower the least of us to do more than we can ask or imagine. Occasionally we get a glimpse of what catches His attention.
When Elijah fled to Horeb in the wake of the threats that followed his Mount Carmel victory, he was given three anointing assignments. The only one he completed was the ‘anointing of Elisha' and he did it in an unconventional way by casting his coat over the young man‘s shoulders.
For Elisha that was enough! He stopped his ploughing and ran after the fleet-footed older prophet, keen to be his apprentice. So what was it about Elisha that caused God to nominate him?
It was probably his diligence, determination and optimism. There had only been one rainfall in three years and he had just hitched up twelve yoke of oxen to break up the rock-hard ground. He was handling a powerful team with skill and was ready for an even greater challenge. Elijah had been a loner but, now that the famine had ended and the king’s wrath was subsiding, many young prophets were being liberated from protective detention.
Elisha would be serving Elijah but with an eye to the future. Diligence, determination and optimism like Elisha’s will stand us in good stead.
Let us seek to have a servant heart and a willing disposition.
Day 8 - David: Chosen as a shepherd boy but destined to be King
Let us not be intimidated as we look to the Lord in the midst of our responsibilities.
Read: 1 Samuel 17:34-36
THEME: We know that God is able to select whomever He wants to do whatever He chooses. He can also raise, mould and empower the least of us to do more than we can ask or imagine. Occasionally we get a glimpse of what catches His attention.
It seems that David only just made it through Samuel’s selection process. Samuel knew he was in the right town with the right family, it was just that no-one was presenting him with the right son! To his family David was just an afterthought but to God David was a man after His own heart.
So what had God seen in David when the young man was tucked out of sight for days on end caring for Jesse’s sheep? It was not just his songs. Although a young man who could worship God and look after sheep at the same time was bound to catch God’s attention. There was also an extraordinary level of care, strong enough to have him chasing off bears and lions in a way that went beyond youthful enthusiasm.
To David, the sheep mattered, and in the face of that nothing was too intimidating. He knew how to look to the Lord and how to fulfil his responsibilities in a way that put his challenges into perspective.
Let us not be intimidated as we look to the Lord in the midst of our responsibilities.
Day 7 - Gideon: chosen when ‘thinking small’ seemed a good place to start
God can use us most when we show a strong commitment without growing too big in our own eyes.
Read: Judges 6:11
THEME: We know that God is able to select whomever He wants to do whatever He chooses. He can also raise, mould and empower the least of us to do more than we can ask or imagine. Occasionally we get a glimpse of what catches His attention.
We do not know exactly when Gideon caught God’s attention, but we know when God caught Gideon’s. It was when Israel’s harvests were being devastated year-on-year and Gideon was secretly threshing wheat in a winepress. The Angel of the Lord recruited him by greeting him as a ‘mighty man of valour’.
To appreciate what God saw in this cautious man we have to ask, ‘Who other than Gideon was doing anything in the face of Israel’s annual harvest fiasco?’ A few handfuls of wheat may not have been much but at least his threshing was saying ‘Why should the enemy have all our grain?’
It was a small act of resistance that God was able to take and multiply, and God had other ways of keeping Gideon from becoming overly self-confident too as he set out his fleeces, rallied his army and then had to dismiss large numbers of his volunteers.
We need to remember that God never despises the day of small beginnings.
God can use us most when we show a strong commitment without growing too big in our own eyes.
Day 6 - Joshua: God’s choice for settling His people into the Promised Land
Let us make sure that pride and self-sufficiency do not make us prominent in a way that guarantees we will be overlooked.
Read: Exodus 24:13, 33:11
THEME: We know that God is able to select whomever He wants to do whatever He chooses. He can also raise, mould and empower the least of us to do more than we can ask or imagine. Occasionally we get a glimpse of what catches His attention.
Joshua was just a young man when Moses made him his assistant. He had led a select band against the Amalekites who were picking off Israel’s rear ranks as the newly emerging nation travelled towards Mt Sinai. As he fought, he knew that his victory was dependent on Moses’ prayers.
Shortly afterwards, when Israel, having been lined up on the lower slopes of Mt Sinai, wanted to back away from God’s presence, Joshua alone was prepared to climb up to the higher slopes and wait for Moses. But Joshua not only waited on Moses, he waited on God. When a tent was raised as a divine meeting place Joshua would continue there after Moses had left.
Sometimes we think Joshua first came into prominence at Jericho, or as one of the two spies who were positive about entering the Promised Land. We could say, though, that Joshua had caught God’s attention long before that with his humility and servant-heartedness.
Let us make sure that pride and self-sufficiency do not make us prominent in a way that guarantees we will be overlooked.
Day 5 - The serpent on a pole
It need be no different for us today. God still provides remedies in the midst of our wildernesses.
Read: Numbers 21
THEME: To live life well we need to know that God is watching over us and engaging with us, especially when times are tough.
Few things in the wilderness were tougher than the plague caused by snake bites, especially as it hit as they began to move north on the last stage of their journey ready to enter the Promised Land from east of the river Jordan. Part of the pain for the people was that they realised the plague would never have happened if they had stayed faithful to God and relied on His protection.
But with God it is never too late to repent and he provided them with a means of healing that has become a symbol for medical practice worldwide – a snake on a pole. In some ways the remedy was unusual. Moses made a bronze model of a serpent and wrapped it around a tall stake so everybody in the camp could see it. God then healed whoever was prepared to look in the right direction. What is particularly strange, though, is that the snake on a pole has become a symbol for physical healing when its application goes much wider.
Much later Jesus was to apply the snake on a pole symbolism to His own death on the cross. The children of Israel knew that the healing they needed had to include forgiveness for their rebelliousness and that knowing such forgiveness was a large part of the reason why their recovery was like receiving a new lease of life.
It need be no different for us today. God still provides remedies in the midst of our wildernesses.
Day 4 - The rod that budded
Sometimes God goes to great lengths to bring His reassurance to our lives.
Read: Numbers 17
THEME: To live life well we need to know that God is watching over us and engaging with us, especially when times are tough.
When times are tough God can set a new direction for our lives. This was certainly true for Moses’ older brother, Aaron. God was setting up a sacrificial system in the wilderness that would serve the children of Israel well in the Promised Land. A high priest was needed to carry out the most important sacrifices and Aaron was God’s choice.
There was, however, a problem. Aaron had led the people astray when Moses was receiving God’s instructions on the mountain. God had forgiven him but a dented reputation is hard to overcome.
Aaron was fulfilling his new role well. He had been washed, robed, anointed and consecrated and was enjoying serving God in the Tabernacle on behalf of the people. He loved the Holy Place lit by the golden lampstand with its carvings of almond blossoms and fruit, yet leadership comes at a price and some people questioned if he was the right man for the role.
Aaron, along with the leaders of the other eleven tribes, had a staff he leant on that marked his experience and signified his authority. Moses took the twelve rods of the leaders and laid them in the tabernacle overnight. In the morning Aaron’s rod had budded and was covered with almond buds, blossom and fruit. What better confirmation could there be that Aaron, fully forgiven and fully restored, was serving in the right place.
Sometimes God goes to great lengths to bring His reassurance to our lives.
Day 3 - Water from the Rock
No matter how well we think we know the path through life, it is good to discover that God has miraculous ways of refreshing us day-by-day, wherever we are.
Read: Exodus 17
THEME: To live life well we need to know that God is watching over us and engaging with us, especially when times are tough.
We have already seen how important water is in the desert and forty years of preparatory wilderness living, while looking after his father-in-law’s sheep, would have ensured that Moses knew all the watering places the Sinai Peninsula had to offer. But twelve tribes of people need more water than one man’s flock of sheep.
The bitter waters made sweet at Marah had served well, as had the twelve wells at Elim. Now, once again, the people were thirsty. And Moses had yet to discover the secret of God’s supply.
In the end, all it took was a rock and a staff, and some of Israel’s elders to act as witnesses. The plan was simple – a rock would release water: the first time in response to a blow, then subsequently whenever Moses spoke to whatever outcrop God had appointed in the vicinity!
The revelation was going to be given step-by-step and the initial striking went well. The people drank water from the rock at Horeb. Later at Kadesh it did not go so well. Moses used his stave a second time, striking the rock when he should have just spoken to it.
The New Testament shows us that Jesus is our Rock, and because He was struck at Calvary, we only need to speak to Him to receive all the refreshment we need.
No matter how well we think we know the path through life, it is good to discover that God has miraculous ways of refreshing us day-by-day, wherever we are.
Day 2 - Bread from heaven
Let us be truly grateful for the true provision that he supplies from heaven.
Read: Exodus 16
THEME: To live life well we need to know that God is watching over us and engaging with us, especially when times are tough.
It is hard to believe that, within a few weeks of leaving Egypt, the children of Israel wanted to go back. It was, of course, a short-sighted delusion, but hunger can make even logical thinkers confused. And they were so famished that dreams of cooking pots and visions of fresh bread warped even their memories of slavery.
God’s generosity in providing manna – as fine as frost on the ground and as sweet as honey to the taste – was only part of His miraculous intervention. The fact that the children of Israel were gracious enough to share out their daily collections, and then benefitted by not having to gather it on the Sabbath, were miracles too.
More remarkable still was the fact that God continued to supply manna afresh, six days a week, while they wandered for forty years in rebellion. No wonder Moses told Aaron to place a jar of manna in the Ark of the Covenant, alongside the two stone tablets of the law. It was a powerful reminder of God’s faithfulness.
Years later, Jesus spoke of Himself as being God’s daily provision for our spiritual hunger. Yet ever since there have been those who have ignored His provision and conjured up false pictures of supposed plenty, hiding the reality of their spiritual hunger.
Let us be truly grateful for the true provision that he supplies from heaven.
Day 1 - Bitter water made sweet
Let us see the bitter made sweet.
Read: Exodus 15
THEME: To live life well we need to know that God is watching over us and engaging with us, especially when times are tough.
The victory at the Red Sea had led to a three day thirst-riven trek into the desert. Suddenly there was a glint of sunlight on some water ahead and hopes began to soar. Optimism was dashed, though, the moment the water was tasted. It was far too bitter for anyone to drink, and Moses bore the brunt of everyone’s complaining.
Within three days Moses had gone from national hero to a focus for discontent. God’s intervention was desperately needed, not so much to salvage Moses’ reputation as to quench the people’s thirst.
A few more days and they would have arrived at the oasis of Elim with its twelve wells and seventy palm trees, but God wanted to reveal His interventionist power. It is easy to walk away disgruntled from bitter water but it is another thing entirely to see bitter water made sweet.
God showed Moses a tree. Given the polluted environment, it did not look particularly flourishing or attractive, but Moses was inspired to uproot it and cast it into the pool. The transformation was instant. The unpalatable was made palatable and the people were refreshed.
Maybe today you will be in contact with bitterness and want to walk away. Two thousand years ago the cross of Jesus stood in the midst of a polluted environment and then as now the benefits of His reconciling death can be applied to any situation demanding transformation.
Let us see the bitter made sweet.