Thoughts: Life's Mountains

Jesus taught that having faith the size of a mustard seed had the potential to move mountains, but that doesn't necessarily mean the entire mountain moves in an instant. There are many ways to move a mountain.

1. Dynamite--blow it up
1. What might be the impact of a sudden explosion?
2. A blast leaves a great amount of debris scattered over a wide area.
3. Blowing up the mountain certainly eliminates it quickly.
4. When might we need our mountain dynamited?
2.  Bulldozer
1. Definitely slower than dynamite, but the overall impact is also smaller. 
2. Care is taken to remove the debris one truck at a time.
3. Usually involves other people.
3. Shovel
1. This is by far the slowest way to move a mountain.
2. Can be done with one person.
3. Progress can seem almost non-existent. 

Here's a question: Do you really need to move the entire mountain? Have you looked at other options?

• Build a road/trail over the mountain.
• Go around the mountain.
• Dig a tunnel through the mountain.

 Before we go and tackle our mountain, we need to consider exactly why we must remove it.
List your current mountains

• Which one is closest?
• Which is highest?
• Which would be easiest to handle?
• Are there some closer than others?

*God has promised to be our guide through our mountains. Are you using your guide, or trying to tackle the mountain on your own?
*Are there others on your mountain?
*Sometimes God takes you through the mountain. You may emerge on the other side dirty and scraped, but you emerge safely.
*Sometimes when we pray for God to "cast our mountain into the sea," all we can see is what the mountain is doing to us and God can see how the mountain impacts others and so, instead of dynamite, He chooses a slower removal.
*If we keep our eyes on God, the mountains don't seem so high.

*When I was trying to learn to repel,I learned that the only thing that stood between me and the ground was the repelling rope and the one on belay. The rope incidentally had a certain amount of stretch causing a bit of uncertainty when I first leaned into it. The lesson I learned was that God isn't truly God until He is the only thing keeping me from hitting the ground. I needed to lean into Him. He will hold me, but that also means I have to make my way down the mountain, even if I start to fall, the Holy Spirit is on belay and will check my fall.

Thoughts: John 2:1-11 The Wedding at Cana

1.  Jesus' mother, Jesus and His disciples are at the wedding.
2.  The wine ran out.
3.  Mary must have been close (possibly related) to the wedding host family, otherwise why would the servants listen to her.
4.  Jesus had already been baptized by John.
5.  The wedding was at Cana (place of reeds) of Galilee.
6.  Wine represents joy in the kingdom of the Messiah.
7.  Cana was near Capernaum, about 4.5 miles NW of Nazareth.
8.  Mary tells Jesus they are out of wine. In the oriental world, that would cause major embarrassment to the host. Mary must have been close to the host, otherwise, why would she care about the wedding being ruined by no wine.
9.  Jesus' reply paraphrased, "Mom, what do you want me to do about it?"
10. Mary's response to the servants, "Do what He says."
11. If Mary was not familiar to the household, the servants would have gone to their master and talked to him instead of her.
12. The stone jars were for water purifying rites. Stone containers were not susceptible to ritual uncleanness. Generally wine was kept in wine skins or earthenware jars.
13. Each of the water jars held about 30 gallons, so 6 jars would have made about 180 gallons of wine.
14. The Jews always washed before eating and the water in these jars was for that.
15. Jesus, by using these particular pots illustrated that "true" purification was by drinking wine which actually represented His blood.
16. I'm sure the fact that these jars were stone was not an accident. Christ is the cornerstone.
17. 6 jars why not 5 or 7? God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. Thoughts?
18. Mary was asking for literal wine. Jesus was referring to His death.
19. Why do you think Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding feast?
             *I don't think this was an accident. If you consider it, Jesus' ministry begins with a wedding and will end with a wedding.
20.  Jesus was asked by someone close to Him (His mom) for a miracle. If we are close to Him, do we feel comfortable enough to ask for a miracle?
21. The next time Jesus is in Cana, He heals the son of a royal official. (Jn4:46-54). This was Jesus' second miracle.