All posts by Rob Pallikan

Daily Meditations

Revelations from REVELATION [chapter 1]

Leave a comment

A revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what things must soon take place. ~REVELATION 1:1

Apokalypsis–The Greek word which opens this book comes from the verb apokalypto. Apo meaning away or away from, and kalypto meaning cover or veil. So it means to uncover, to reveal, to disclose. Thus our translation to Revelation or Apocalypse.

Interesting that the name of this book we find so confusing actually means an unveiling of necessary information, rather than a deliberate concealment of it.

Why so confounding then?

Well, part of that answer seems to come in this very first verse. The revelation is to show what must soon take place. Already we have our first of over 240 allusions to the Old Testament. The wording has its roots in Daniel 2:28-30,45-47 with the exception of the word soon. Daniel was writing (a few hundred years or so before Revelation) about what would transpire “in the latter days”, but John rewords it to say that these events will happen soon. John reiterates in verse 3: “the time is near.” What Daniel expected to occur in the last days, John is announcing as imminent, or beginning to occur now.

From G.K. Beale’s commentary:

There is no doubt that John saw the resurrection of Christ as fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel regarding the inaugurating of the kingdom of God. This indicates that what is about to be written concerns not just the distant future, but what is before us here and now….Therefore, John’s book is a prophetic work which concerns the imminent and inaugurated fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the kingdom in Jesus Christ.

This book we call Revelation was indeed written to, and immediately for, believers around Asia Minor living in the late first century under Roman domination—a starkly different context than our own in 21st century America.

And this is one reason it is a bit odd to us today. Being the only apocalyptic book of the New Testament, it uses language and imagery pretty foreign to us, but not so much to its intended first readers. As William Barclay commented, “it uses all the familiar imagery. It may often be difficult and even unintelligible to us, but for the most part it was using pictures and ideas which those who read it would know and understand.”

Another reason for our deciphering difficulty is that all apocalyptic literature is necessarily cryptic because it is attempting to describe the indescribable, to paint the unpaintable. John, like a good artist or poet, is painting a vivid picture in order to startle, challenge, and call to action–to be dissident disciples of Jesus Christ under the cruel rule of Domitian who demanded Caeser worship.

It seems to me that much of the book of Revelation is to encourage believers to persevere through brutal Roman rule, recognizing Babylon when they see it, and to absolutely avoid any collusion with it. This of course applies to believers in every generation and culture, so it isn’t like we have nothing to glean from this fantastic book. And it doesn’t seem that everything in the book has already happened either. . .

Daily Meditations

Revelations from Revelation [introduction]

Leave a comment
Illustration by Evangelia Philippidis

For quite a while I’ve been thinking about seriously digging in to Revelation, doing a “deep dive” as they say. As you no doubt know, it’s a rather intriguing book–probably the most fascinating book of the Bible, according to most readers. Then, in early December, I felt that unmistakeable Pneuma-nudge to read thru this apocalyptic book by John. And that I did.

It felt like a really fresh read. It was exciting and, somewhat surprisingly, greatly encouraging! The overall zeitgeist I took from my reading of it was that no matter how bad it may look, Yahweh is ultimately in control, and does indeed win in the end. Therefore, persevere, stay faithful no matter how bleak or depressing the world may look or get, or whatever trials befall you; keep trusting in the One who made it all by speaking it into existence, for He, our Father, is always with us and will not allow His children to be plucked out of His hand.

I just love how twentieth century commentator William Barclay summarized Revelation:

It’s aim is to tell of the terrible events of the Day of the Lord which will precede the new heaven and the new earth, and to strengthen mankind for the trials which should come. There is much that is obscure in the book of Revelation, but one thing it does say with absolute clarity is that in any time of trial, God is with his people, and that in the end victory is sure.

Amen!

Now this book is not without its controversy, obviously. It has been notoriously difficult for a very long time. Way back in the fifth century Jerome said that Revelation contains as many secrets as words. It’s the only book in the New Testament which John Calvin did not write a commentary on. And did you know that Martin Luther, at least early in his career, did not even regard it as Scripture?? “I hold it,” he said “to be neither apostolic nor prophetic…My spirit cannot acquiesce in the book…Christ is neither taught nor known in it.” Dang. But years later Luther would write that Revelation provides assurance that “through and beyond all plagues, beasts, and evil angels, Christ is nonetheless with his saints, and wins the final victory.” Way to turn the ship around, Martin.

Some principal points to keep before us which may be helpful as we embark: Revelation has more allusions to the Old Testament than all other books in the New Testament put together. Therefore, one of the main keys for understanding Revelation is to understand how the Old Testament is used in the book. And as far as the 30,000 foot view, there are three main theological messages:

  • Willingness To Suffer For Christ Is The Path To Ultimate Victory
  • The Sovereignty Of God In Human History
  • The New Creation As Fulfillment Of Biblical Prophecy

So these are just a few of my personal revelations as way of introduction. I thought it would be interesting, and hopefully encouraging, to share something learned from each chapter as we take a look again at this mysterious last book in the Bible. (My goal is to do at least one chapter per week, maybe with some other short, non-Revelation reflections sprinkled in. We’ll see how it goes.)

To be clear from the outset, what I’m not interested in is predicting the end of the world. I’ve been decidedly turned off from that nonsense ever since that pamphlet “88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be In 1988” circulated around my high school and freaked a bunch of people out. If my memory serves me correctly, the so-called “rapture” did not occur that year. There have been many dubious predictions since, complete with bumper sticker reminders.

What I am interested in is doing some excavating of this mysterious writing, reading it in context as best we can, and listening for what the Spirit of Jesus might want to say to us thru its interesting language and vivd imagery.

Let us wonder together. . . .

Articles

Afraid of Silence?

Leave a comment
My view as I type this….

I’m sitting here this morning on day 6 of our paradisaical vacation on the island of Providenciales in Turks and Caicos. In case you’re not familiar, it’s about 400 miles southeast of The Bahamas, and 100 miles or so north of Haiti/Dominican Republic. It’s absolutely Edenic gorgeous, and not overly crowded to boot–pretty dreamy. In fact, Grace Bay Beach here is consistently, and currently, ranked as “Best Beach in the World” by Tripadvisor.

This particular morning I sit in silence with Papa Yahweh, doing some lectio divina in John 14, then simply sitting still as the waves of the Atlantic Ocean sweetly serenade me into holy tranquility….perhaps my favorite song. As I enjoy so vividly our good God’s wonderfully excellent handiwork in this richly uninhibited atmosphere, in which it is so conducive to calm and for hearing the whispers of Pneuma, these thoughts come to mind:

Coming to a place such as this is much like entering the Divine Presence of Jesus in reverential silence. Who in their right mind would not jump on this if given the opportunity??

Being afraid of, averse to, or avoidant of silence, is kind of like being averse to going on a paid vacation to paradise. What you find there is too good not to go. It’s worth overcoming whatever obstacles may be blocking your way. Maybe you’re nervous about flying, or being away from your family or work, or getting sick while you’re there…

But if you do indeed push thru and make it to the island, you realize that no sacrifice was too small to get there. The beauty, the air, the sound of the ocean; it’s all magnificent, and extremely favorable to regaining perspective which may have been lost, and clearing your mind of accumulated clutter.

Now this doesn’t mean that everything is smooth as glass to get there. You may have to wake up super early for that morning flight. then there’s the layover, going thru customs, finding your luggage and a ride to your abode for the week. But again, once you get to that house on the beach, you realize just how worth it all of the hassle was, just how small those obstacles look in the rear view mirror now, with the ocean right in front of you.

I think this metaphor illuminates nicely the rich experience of silence with our Maker, Father, Friend.

It might take a minute to get there, but once you settle in with Jesus alone, with the gaze of your heart transfixed on Him, open to what His Spirit would like to say to you or give you, it is then that you realize and experience what we’re made for–communion with our Creator.

I know I hammer this silence thing a lot, but I can’t help but notice what a lack we suffer from, and how much I believe God desires to share with us. Talking with a close friend on this trip, he was telling me how he’ll sometimes try to start a small group time with just five minutes of silence, asking everyone to be still and wait to talk or write until the full five minutes is up; inevitably, someone will start writing something down only two or three minutes in, which gives some sort of unspoken permission for everybody else to start talking, and they’ve barely made it halfway thru 5 minutes of silence. At the other end of the spectrum, another friend on this same trip shared with me his monumentally transformative experience years ago at The Great Banquet, a retreat in which pretty much all outside noise is quelled so that you’re actually able to hear God and tangibly feel His love.

I’m telling you, we’re missing so much of what the Holy Spirit would love to give us. It’s like going to the airport and getting a coffee at the food court, but not getting on the plane. You just go back home and think, “Oh what a nice little getaway that was!”

Really?

You had tickets to literally the best beach in the world, but you settled for airport Starbucks.

Take the time, go thru the hassles, and break away to the island where Jesus wants to meet with you alone. It’s always worth it.

Daily Meditations

End of Year Impromptu Overnite Retreat at the Archabbey

Leave a comment

On December 30 I was riding peacefully in the backseat during our drive home from seeing family in Lexington Kentucky. I commented that it felt a little strange that I did not visit Saint Meinrad monastery this year, because it was the only year I hadn’t gone since first retreating there in December of 2011. Does the streak come to an end after twelve consecutive annual treks? That’s when our eldest, Gabriela, spoke up authoritatively, “You should go tonite. Just do it.” Wise words indeed! I considered it for approximately 3.2 seconds, and then made the phone call to reserve a room for that very evening. And how glad I am that I did.

It was exquisite driving through ever thickening fog at nite time for the final twenty miles of the three hour trip to the monastery. And those last eight miles winding through forest and farms was especially, eerily delightful. Upon pulling in to the guesthouse parking lot, you don’t know my elation at seeing only three other cars there–this is going to be solitude indeed! Walking around the campus later that nite, it had an almost spooky vibe as there was no other human to be found. Was I in a haunted religious ghost town? Are the spirits of the saints hovering around me? Have I seen too many movies? Probably.

As usual when I’m at this beautiful place of abundant prayer, I had an incredible experience of focused gaze upon Yeshua, and was blessed to receive, quite clearly, several “downloads” from Holy Ruach. By the end of this short (20 hour) retreat, I was given five charges to ponder on the drive home. These were:

•Let go

•Forgive yourself

•Deny yourself

•Write

•Life of Prayer

Let me just break each of these down briefly.

Let go of the small annoyances in daily life. In light of turning 50 in December, it’s beyond time to cease allowing myself to be bogged down with those minor grievances that I have little to no control over, and which do not really inhibit me from living a full life. So what if my youngest daughter leaves her dishes in the basement? So what if I see someone throwing their cigarette butt on the ground? These (mostly) innocuous actions are not worthy of my extended attention and energy; they only serve to steal my focus from far better places where it more appropriately belongs.

Forgive yourself for the little screw-ups each day that are gonna happen because you’re human. Like Brother Lawrence, confess every mess-up immediately to our gracious Lord, repent when necessary, and move on as if it did not happen—just as our God does. The enemy loves it when we remain (abide) in a state of self-focused deprecation, instead of abiding in Christ.

Deny yourself…something! I’ll never forget the time the Spirit asked me, in a somewhat playful yet sobering manner, “You don’t deny yourself anything, do you?” Wow. Conviction. I really don’t deny myself. For the most part I do what I want when I want. It’s good for your soul to not give yourself everything you want. It strengthens you to limit yourself.

Write to encourage others with thoughts, reflections, and gleanings from Scripture and life. Even if for just a few others, it’s valuable. There’s something quite efficacious about purposefully coalescing your thoughts into a legible form for others, for it fosters a particular crystallization of seemingly disparate ideas into a cohesive whole which reorients one’s center of view to a healthier and more life-giving perspective.

A life of prayer is meant for you to be lived, particularly in those “in-between” moments of life, like when you’re doing those tasks you don’t really want to be doing, at the places you’d rather not be, or (like in “let go” above) seeing people commit those annoyances which so get under your skin. These are the times I have found it especially important to pray, and to use that time specifically to intercessionally pray for others. I start with my immediate family, then move outward to extended family and close friends, beginning by praying for general blessings over them, working my way to the more unique needs of each individual. This I have found extremely helpful towards getting me away from thinking of myself too much, or from my dislike of whatever current undesirable situation I might find myself in, and preserve me from falling into grumbling and complaining. Also, it helps people from far away.

This has been a more personal reflection, I know, but I pray there is something encouraging and useful here for you.

Daily Meditations

No Wash, No Belong

Leave a comment

“I’m not going to have you washing my feet!” said Peter. “Never!” “If I don’t wash you,” replied Jesus, “you don’t belong to me.” ~JOHN 13:8

Whenever you’re not allowing Jesus to wash you, you’re not really His disciple.

In that moment, when you’re going at it on your own, going your own way, or following the logic and thinking of the world, instead of as first priority allowing Jesus to lead you and shape you and guide you, you are not His disciple. For a disciple is a follower, a student. Who are you a student of?

There is that washing of regeneration which converts your heart and mind and opens your eyes to who Jesus is, and then there are the ongoing washings of renewal which we need continually throughout our journey; for we can easily become sullied from the dirt of the world and eventually find ourselves in a quite unhealthy state, following another master and belonging to someone or something other than Jesus.

When you allow someone to wash your feet, it is like the ultimate submission to their servitude. It is no small task to submit to the Creator of the universe to be your servant. In fact, for some it proves too difficult. Sometimes, like Peter, we are way too “humble” to let the Lord serve us. But just think about the cross for a moment and realize how ineffably giving our Lord really is! How often Jesus wants to tend to us, to our wounds, and we deny Him the blessing.

How does this look? One way it plays out for me personally is these very writings. When I submissively ask Jesus what He would like to say, and humbly listen for His Spirit to speak, many times He serves me by giving me wonderfully divinity-drenched words which I could not come up with on my own. Thanks be to God.

Daily Meditations

Daily Foot Washing

1 Comment

“Someone who has washed,” said Jesus to him, “doesn’t need to wash again, except for their feet. They are clean all over…” John 13:10

Peter refuses, at first, Jesus’s offer to wash his feeties. But after Yeshua tells him that if He doesn’t wash him he doesn’t belong to him (an interesting thought for reflection itself–for another day), Peter responds basically with, “Well alrighty then! Not just my feet-get my hands and head and everything!”

Jesus’s response to this exclamation is really interesting to me. You can read it in the verse above.

In meditation upon these divine words, this is what I heard: You’re already clean because of your trust in Me; you don’t need to completely start over every day. You just need to let me wash the dust of the world off your feet that accumulates each day from walking in it. Otherwise you become susceptible to disease and sickness.

Without some form of daily renewal of your mind, the world’s thinking and priorities will indeed attach themselves to you.

This renewal can of course look a thousand different ways. For me it looks like sitting in silent nothingness, allowing Jesus to speak whatever He has to say to me that particular day, and set the record straight again on what is true about GOD, myself, and the world, and show me what are the lies I’ve heard that need to be discarded. Without this silencing of the many shouting voices vying for my attention, I simply cannot hear the beautiful voice of Jesus’s Spirit whispering to me.

Articles, Daily Meditations

Turks & Caicos Sunrise Sermon

Leave a comment
Looking out over the North Atlantic Ocean at Extreme Point in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands

The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.

PROVERBS 4:18 [NLT]

Hello there! It’s been a while….like 9 months. I pray this reflection finds you at peace in your heart.

We just returned Sunday from a most fabulous week in the jaw-droppingly beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands. What I observed there from Papa Yahweh was so meaningful to me, that I could not not share some of it. Our first morning on the island I woke up before dawn in order to see the sun rise over the ocean. It was so mesmerizing and exhilarating, that I got up early for the next six days, no matter how late we were up socializing the nite before, to witness this cosmic event of divine artistry from our infinitely talented Creator.

There really is something to intentionally absorbing the glory of God’s creative wonder–especially a wonder as magnificent as a T & C sunrise. An epiphany hit me some years ago that “in the beginning” God made everything to reflect Him, His nature, the spiritual journey, and the nature of life. (As opposed to it being we clever beings coming up with ingenious comparisons all on our own.) Some of these are fairly obvious, and some are even spelled out in Scripture for us, i.e. Vine and branch, the Spirit being like wind, trees planted by rivers, etc. And some reflections require a bit of work, observation, pondering, seeking…. I have found that the more time and narrowed focus spent in this holy excavation, the more memorable and long lasting is the truth which is revealed and implanted.

One of the first aspects I noticed  from this sunrise sermon was how difficult it was to actually grasp a sense of the change occurring before my very eyes. So I began staring at just one part of one cloud to try to capture even the tiniest difference being made above me, but after about ninety seconds I could not tell what had changed, even though the sky had grown a bit brighter and more beautiful. My eyes would then be drawn away from my focus spot and over to a new streak of pink and salmon that had pierced a dark cloud like a flame thrower shooting through the middle of the nite. “Oooohhh,” I exclaimed aloud, even though I was sitting by myself. And the Wind (Pneuma) whispered to me, “This is how it is with your journey toward Christ. As you inch ever closer, and it is quite important that you progress in this daily, you will typically not see the transformation in real time, but one day you may suddenly notice a wonderful shift in you or even those around you where you were not even looking.” As the wisdom goes, it is better to practice something everyday for fifteen minutes than for an hour and a half once every two weeks. The sun simply keeps peeking over the horizon, rising without stopping, and before you know it, it’s daytime. “Just keep swimming.” How important it is to draw closer to God every single day, putting forth concerted effort to grow in Christ likeness by placing ourselves in the direct rays of the Spirit’s divine energy.

Another aspect I saw in these mornings was that obviously everything got brighter–all around me became illuminated. The closer we draw near Jesus, the clearer the path becomes; we’re not groping around in the dark wondering what the right thing to do is. Also, our reflected light will fall upon more and more people around us, as we “rise”. But what I had not really thought of before was what became more difficult, and eventually impossible, to see. The stars–those things farthest away from me. Pneuma whispered into me again: That which is farthest from your center, your divinely appointed purpose, will fade away as you journey down the path of righteousness. And those closest to you, which you have overlooked due to your self-focus, will be illuminated, and their needs easier than ever to see. If you keep maturing, becoming a little holier than you were yesterday, eventually selfish desires will dissipate into near nothingness. The beauty of Jesus, absorbed more and more, overtakes and swallows up the allure of pleasing yourself, just as the sunrise overtakes the nite sky. Like abstaining from the processed sugar of say, Mountain Dew, you will gradually lose a hankering for it, and it may even become quite nasty to you. (But you must always be on guard against temptation!)

A really cool sidenote is that on about the fifth day after listening to Yahweh through His sunrises, I was reading one of the Tozer books I brought with me, and saw in it the verse above, Proverbs 4:18. It was so ridiculously fitting, that it was like Jesus Himself was giving me the most affirming hug of my life. “I’m here with you, enjoying this too! I’m so glad you’re seeing this.”

The vivid awesomeness that is the sunrise over the ocean is simultaneously energizing and calming. It starts your day most appropriately, and can even sustain you throughout the day, though you may need to take a moment or two in the afternoon to reflect in your heart upon the tranquility of that morning experience. How easy it would be to sleep in one day and miss this incredible gift, then another, until we start to forget the beauty that was once so deeply inspiring to us. Whether through laziness, or the anesthesia of the world’s stupid ways, we can find ourselves having missed the greatest part of the day, and then recognize we are merely laboring under that Sun which desired to be with us in peace and quiet a few hours ago. Oh how vital it truly is to return to our First Love, to the beauty of the most perfect love shown on the cross, every day.

Daily Meditations

Lessons From The Aquarium

Leave a comment

He went off once more across the Jordan, to the place where John had been baptizing from the beginning, and he stayed there.

John 10:40

A little while back our aquarium started getting dirtier and greener day after day, and I wasn’t sure why. So I scooped out some water, took it to the local experts at The Reef, and had it tested. The nice knowledgable lady there told me that the H2O was quite high in nitrates, which means we were either overfeeding the fish, and thus, too much food was falling to the bottom and getting gross, or there was just a lot of fish poo in there from not changing the water enough. The prescription I was given was to do a 50% water change every week for about four weeks, and I should see things go back to normal and become clear again. And that is exactly what I did, changing half the water (instead of the normal 10-20%) every Saturday. After the first week–nothing. Still green and dirty. But, this was not terribly surprising, as I was told it would take a month or so. Week two: still no visible change. Hmmm, I thought for sure I’d see some change, a little more clarity. OK, I’ll keep with the program, trusting the expert, and the process prescribed. And it was after the third water change…that I saw only the slightest improvement. Well, maybe. It might have just been my optimistic imagination, since later in the day it really didn’t look much different than before. It looked much like the one in the picture above.

BUT! Three days later, after that third water change, I walk downstairs to take a look and see this:

I kid you not. It went looking from like the one in that picture at the top, to this actual photo of our aquarium totally clear. There was no incremental change, but a sudden clarity overnight in the third week. It was the coolest thing, and had me rejoicing like a little aquatic dork.

Many lessons and metaphors came to mind.

First off, I felt reminded to simply keep doing what you know you’re supposed to be doing. Even if you don’t experience immediate discernible growth, or notice a major leap forward every single day, keep persevering in what you know is healthy and right. Go back to the basics often, and keep it simple. I know that I need to stay in constant prayer, to immerse myself in Holy Scripture, serve others in need, obey the voice of the Spirit, and participate in mutual sharpening with other believers. I simply need to keep doing these wonderful things if I am to grow as a human being and closer to Christ. Ultimately, stay with what got you to a good place–the Lord–not methods or strategies, but Spirit.

Second, the process and results don’t always go the way you think they will go. I expected the tank to gradually clear up every week for about four weeks when it would then look the way it was before it became Dirty Greenville. That’s not the way things went down. There was no visible change for three weeks, then poof! Stay with doing what you know is good, even if things don’t go the way you think they should, or the way you prefer.

Third, it is wise to look to those who have gone before and know what they’re talking about. As a starting point, it is good to trust the trustworthy guides rather than guessing or Googling.

Fourth, when the aquarium was clear, not only could I again see all the fish inside, I could see all the way through to the other side. I could see the wall behind the aquarium. As we persevere in our pursuit of intimacy with God, we will more and more have the vision of eternity, seeing through this short life into our eternal one. We will live with the perspective of our eternal home rather than be tied down to the cares of this life. As has been said, you’re dead a lot longer than you’re alive.

I came across John 10:40 some weeks later, and was really struck by it, and how it related to this experience for me. Even Jesus went back to a starting point of sorts, to where someone who went before him began. Perhaps this is a lesson for us to return to where our life in Christ began. To never forget what–who–saved us. I love those four words “and he stayed there.” Sometimes we just need to stay put, be still, recognize who God is, and listen. Simply listen to the Spirit of Jesus. To catch the wind in a sailboat, you put up the sails and wait. You don’t jump out of the boat and start swimming.

Is there something you’ve strayed from or been neglecting that you need to return to?

Is there a place you need to stay so that you can receive what you need from God before moving on?

Daily Meditations

When Praying, Always Remember…

Leave a comment

Don’t worry about anything. Rather, in every area of life let God know what you want as you pray and make requests, and give thanks as well. And God’s peace, which is greater than we can ever understand, will keep guard over your hearts and minds in King Jesus. ~Philippians 4:6-7

William Barclay, born in 1907 in Scotland, is a favorite Bible commentator of mine. I find it very helpful how he relates the teachings of Scripture to real life, and how pithily he does so. Looking at his interpretation of Philippians 4:6-7 the other day, I found some reminders that are definitely worth sharing.

When we pray, we must always remember three things. We must remember the love of God, which only ever desires what is best for us. We must remember the wisdom of God, which alone knows what is best for us. We must remember the power of God, which alone can bring about that which is best for us. Everyone who prays with a perfect trust in the love, wisdom and power of God will find God’s peace.

I have found these three simple reminders so helpful to keep consciously in mind as I pray over “every area of life.” Remembering, and believing, that God wants, knows, and can bring about what is best for me is supernaturally comforting–going beyond human understanding. How wonderful it is to know we have a God like this….giving us ultimate perspective at every divine moment.

Barclay ends the section with:

The way to peace is in prayer to entrust ourselves and all whom we hold dear to the loving hands of God.

I pray this is an encouragement and an enhancement to your prayer life.

Daily Meditations

Does God Pick & Choose Who’s In?

Leave a comment

“No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws them...” ~JESUS in John 6:44

This has long been one of those slightly unsettling verses for me. It sounds as if God chooses to draw some people to Himself, but not everybody–only some. Now God is God, and so God can do whatever God chooses, therefore, I am not going to pretend to sway God over to my puny thinking. Yet, thanks to my solid Bible-study Baptist upbringing, I was always taught to “compare Scripture with Scripture.” And that’s where some of the rub comes in I suppose. A God who wills some to come to Him, but not others, doesn’t seem to jive with the tenor of the New Testament where we see that God does not want any to perish, but for all to come to Him, to the eternal kind of Life (2 Peter 3:9).

Meditating upon this verse, I received another view of it which I trust and hope was from the Holy Spirit. Perhaps an aspect which John the Evangelist was intending to communicate, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is that if it is something other than the Father which draws us, therefore something less than God, then we will not come to Jesus.

We will gravitate toward whatever it is that we’re actually drawn to.

For example, if you’re drawn merely by an eloquent speaker, then you are drawn to that speaker, who is not God. Or you might be drawn by a social justice cause. That is a good thing, but it is not THE THING. You will pour energy into that cause, maybe even for Jesus, but still not genuinely come to Jesus. You can be drawn by a great community of people, or the beautiful worship music and style of a particular church, but if you’re not drawn to the Father, then you will not come to Jesus and experience true salvation for your soul, or participate in Yahweh’s Spirit-powered Kingdom Life.

Now, we must state the obvious–God the Father can use whatever means He chooses to draw us to Himself–preachers, causes, music, churches, billboards, etc. And this happens every day. We have a good friend who was authentically drawn to God via one of those old school Bible tracts. Don’t think for a second that God can’t use those! What we’re saying, as a caution, is to make sure you check yourself to see what you’re actually captivated by. At the end, it must be God Himself, for God’s sake alone (see Mt.7:21-23 for one of the scariest passages in the Bible). So many times we’re taken up with an experience or a person or an event or an author, and we may think we’re drawn to God, but in actuality, we’re only drawn to that creature or created thing–which is a far cry from the Creator, from being filled with the only One who has all authority.

Therefore, I have to wonder if John had this thought at least partially in mind when writing this passage–to be a sort of litmus test; for if we’re truly drawn to God, we will see the light which is Jesus, the exact imprint and reflection of the Father, and submit to Him. In the context of our verse above, this was around a time when many were leaving Jesus. And not just peripheral followers, but disciples were leaving Jesus. Some were just there for the miracles, some for free bread, and thankfully a few were drawn by God Himself and stayed.