Jesus Manifests His Glory

Have you done all you can?

By now you and I have both bumped headlong into one of life's realities: times and circumstances come on us that defy our wisdom, knowledge, ideas, and other resources. We do our best and our most, but still the problem remains unresolved and we still remain in a quandary. For clarity's sake, consider the following examples.

Emotional. Sam and Samantha (unrelated) seemingly have been unable to control and direct their emotions properly of late. His feelings of failure, uselessness, and depression deepen despite all the reading he's done, all the counseling he's accepted, and all the improvements he's pursued. For her part, Samantha has spun around and around in the whirlpool of anger, bitterness, and harsh speech. She knows these are wrong, she hates them, and she's tried valiantly but unsuccessfully to overcome them.

Relational. JoAnn was first aghast and incredulous at the rancor and mistrust that exists between Jon and John. Then she was mad, disgusted, and even contemptuous. Finally she decided to try being a peacemaker and a reconciler between her two younger cousins. She had right attitudes, good ideas, and abundant patience...but she used them all up, and still the enmity continues between the two fellows.

Financial. Curly's auto insurance was two weeks overdue, his job was scheduled for elimination in one week, and his dentist was pressing him about the one-year-old bill. Curly no longer owned a stereo or computer; he'd had to sell those. His bank account was empty and his credit card full. All the job leads so far led only to disappointment.

Physical. Sally was not only tired of being tired, she also was sick of being sick. Prescription drugs and herbal treatments seemingly produced similar results: nothing. She exercised, she slept. She took two of these between meals and she swallowed four of those with meals. She monitored and controlled her blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol. She minimized her stress. And still she was ill and fatigued.

You get the picture by now, right?!

But what is the solution in situations where our efforts, abilities, and resources have failed to bring us solutions?

Jesus.

Can He still use water to replace your exhausted supply of wine?

Do you have a limit?

Up above we focused on the obvious limits we have when it comes to resolving difficulties and challenges. Do we also have obvious limits when it comes to doing the will of God?

Mary told the servants at the wedding, "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it" (John 2:5). Good advice, to be sure. But wouldn't they have been justified in drawing the line at the silly notion of putting water in wine bottles? I mean, that surely was the limit. As a servant, I certainly would not have lightly risked my master's wrath when he learned I was trying to fool the guests by serving them water.