Encouragement

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Stuck in a Box

“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? Nathanael asked.”
(John 1:46 NIV 1984)

Do you know in this verse Nathanael was talking about Jesus? Nathanael stuck Jesus in the Nazareth box. Nazareth is in the backwoods of Galilee. Nothing happens there it is out in the sticks. Phillip wanted Nathanael to meet Jesus because he found Jesus to be a great man. Nathanael said Nazareth,
yeah right, that is the armpit of Galilee nothing good comes from there. Jesus had been discounted because he was put in the Nazareth box. Jesus had been lumped together, judged and labeled because of where he was from. Forget Jesus, Nathanael said, he is in the Nazareth box.

Boxes are not a fun place to be stuffed in. In Matthew 13:55-57, even after Jesus had performed numerous miracles, the people in his town stuffed him in a box. The box they stuffed him in was the one of us, we knew him when box. They did not accept Jesus for who he was and who he had become. Jesus the Son of God was put in a box, the, who does he think he is box.

Boxes make it hard for all of us. We know realistically, Jesus could never be placed in a box, pigeon holed, labeled or ignored because of where he was from or who thought they knew him.
Jesus had a mission and nothing or no one could box him. Jesus didn’t listen to the criticism or fold under to the stereotypes or generalizations people wanted label him with. Jesus wouldn’t stay in his box.

Does this happen to you? Are you the new guy? Are you in the new guy box? How long have you been in this box? Five, ten, twenty years. Are you in a gender, racial or religious box? Are you in the where you are from box? Are you staying in the box you have been assigned by others or even yourself? Are you being asked who do you think you are, when you begin to broaden your horizons? Are people telling you to get back in your box? Well it is time to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, Listen to the word of God as you read God’s Holy Bible. Let God’s message be louder than anyone else in your life. Do what God is calling you to do. Let’s not limit ourselves because of imposed or self imposed boxes. Get out of the box, follow Jesus, listen to the Holy Spirit and Soar.

God Bless
Ken Jones
THS <><

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