Listening to the Savior's Heartbeat

“There was reclining on Jesus' breast one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.” 

(John 13:23 NASB)

The disciple John, a young fisherman from Judea, made a life-changing decision when he decided to follow Jesus. He partnered with his brother James in this endeavor – forsaking his past, to strike out upon a new path – a path of trust, a journey of love, a discovery of redemption, peace and forgiveness. His young heart was eager and teachable, his spirit open to God, his heart willing to grow and serve.

As his journey progressed as a follower of the Rabbi, he listened, he questioned, he learned, he prepared and he remained faithful to the calling he had received from his Messiah.

John was known as the “Evangelist” and appropriately so as his life exhibited a commitment to learning, compassion for others and an intimacy with his Savior. He heard his Savior's heartbeat. He reclined at table with him during the Last Supper, and he never forgot the lessons he learned. He received free evangelism training from the Master Teacher Himself and then in turn shared that training with others through example and writings. His teachable heart became a leader's heart.

Now, two centuries later, we have his letters and writings, life-breathed from the Master Teacher to an eager young student-- “the one whom Jesus loved.” Inspired of God, the Gospel of John is alive with the story of God's redemptive work through His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. Today, these writings have the power to lead new believers down the same dusty roads that John and Jesus traveled together, experiencing life together, and spreading the good news through evangelism.

“If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31b-32 NASB)

Since 1893, The Pocket Testament League has been sharing John's Gospel and New Testaments to those in need thus spreading the good news to a hurting world. Helen Cadbury, it's founder said: “If only we could get people to read the Book for themselves it will surely lead them to Christ.”

Her vision lives on today through the vast outreach of The Pocket Testament League which inspires believers to listen to their Savior's heartbeat, to abide in His word, and to share that Word with passion and authenticity. The League equips believers with countless evangelism tools and educational materials to support this goal such as pocket versions of the Gospel of John, children's resources, training programs, daily devotionals, Bible studies, and website banners. All meant to equip Christ followers with the power of Jesus' word to heal, to encourage, to strengthen and to lead a hurting world into the saving grace of God's redemption plan.

From a Savior's heartbeat . . . to John's heart . . . to yours.  

Breathing - It's an Exercise in Trust

Ever feel like you just can’t breathe? 

 

Whether it’s the stifling heat of the summer, an over-exhaustive workout, or the stifling heat of your heart bursting into flames, it’s not a good feeling.  I’ve never had asthma or allergies, but I imagine it’s the same feeling at least to some degree.  There is this heavy, suffocating feeling bearing down upon your heart and there is no working through it – just wondering how and if the pressure building up inside your lungs and heart will ever release or get better.  It’s something like the flight mechanism that frightened deer and horses exhibit when a predator is on the hunt.

 

So where does my breath come from?  The breath of life, that mysterious exchange of oxygen within my lungs that somehow keeps it all going?  And, where does that awful weight come from that seems to act like a stifling steel weight upon my heart?

 

It's definitely a dilemma I now face, and while I know the source of my breath, it's a struggle to take in those deep, deep, life-giving and life-refreshing breaths, isn't it?  Instead, it's much easier to let those weights bear down on my heart and let them torture my soul.

 

But, then once again, something, ever so slight, came into view.

 

A glimmer of God.

 

A life-giving word.

 

"God's spirit is as close as your very next breath."

 

And where from?  Facebook of all places. 

 

And a very gifted teacher - John Parsons of www.hebrews4christians.com

 

A verse from this week's Torah (Korach) reveals another great Name of God: Elohei ha-ruchot lekhol basar (אֱלהֵי הָרוּחת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר), which can be translated "the God of the breath of all flesh" (Num. 16:22). The LORD is the Source of your breath, the One who exhales to you nishmat chayim (נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים), the "breath of life" that enables you to live (Job 12:10). The sages use the analogy of... a glassblower who creates a glass vessel. Just as the glassblower blows into a tube to form a vessel from molten glass, so the breath (i.e., neshamah: נְשָׁמָה) that comes from the LORD functions as spirit (i.e., ruach: רוּחַ) that forms the human soul (i.e., nefesh: נֶפֶשׁ). Note that the Name YHVH (יהוה) first appears in this connection (Gen. 2:7), a Name that means "God is Present" (Exod. 3:14) and "God is Mercy" (Exod. 34:6-7). Note also that each letter of the Name YHVH represents a vowel sound (i.e., breath), suggesting that God's Spirit is as close as your very next breath. Like the wind that cannot be seen, so is the spirit the essential part of your identity. Yeshua breathed on his followers and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22). (from hebrews4christians.com)