Greater works

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"Greater Works" By Diane Webb

John 14: 12—"Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father".

Jesus declares that those who believe in him will do what he has done and even greater works than he has done. It's hard to imagine what could possibly constitute greater works than Jesus. He raised people from the dead, turned water into wine, fed thousands, and redeemed souls. "Believeth on me" is the key phrase in this promise. Believing on Jesus opens the door to greater works. Each of has at least one special gift or talent that, when rightly used in the name of Jesus, will constitute a "greater work than these". What area are you meant to be perfecting in the kingdom of God? What do you see as your "greater works"? Have you been told "I don't know how you do that" or "I could not do that" in reference to something you find easy? This tells you your talent or gift—your greater works. It is simple and no big deal for you but it's something everyone is not capable of doing. Meanwhile, you look over at someone else and think "I wish I could do that as well as they can". While everyone is looking over at everyone else no one is able to realize their "greater work". You may say, "But, Jesus performed miracles". We see miracles every day and are so use to it we don't call them miracles any more. We take for granted the amazing things people do in the name of Jesus. True, there is power manifested in the non-Christian world but it's temporary—the negative always outweighs the positive. When a miracle or great achievement is not of God, it ends up causing things to be worse in the long run rather than greater. We are empowered to make things greater through the gospel of Jesus. We have the opportunity to reach the entire world with missions, technology, and travel, as we spread the gospel. Although we are not all called to be preachers, we are all called to spread the gospel of Jesus. How we spread that gospel centers on one word—love. In Matthew 22:37-39 ^"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." That pretty much sums it up. We are to love God and love other people and doing so will lead to greater works. As we love God and others, we naturally spread the gospel out of this love. Remember the song line "they'll know we are Christians by our love" (Carolyn Arends)? If it does not demonstrate love then it is not Christian. Look at the example Jesus gave us in the Bible. He never yelled, put down, threatened, or guilt-tripped anyone. He loved people and it did not matter how those people treated him. He loved them when they did not love him back, did not listen to him, did not obey God's commandments, and did not say "I am sorry for hurting you". He is the only perfect example of Christian love we have. He is our example. Before every word you speak and everything you do, ask yourself "is this loving?" Our mission is not to hurt people in the name of God but to love people in the name of Jesus. This is how we spread the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is how we achieve our greater works.

 

Heavenly father, I know I don't always show love and do not always present a good example of Christianity; forgive me Lord for falling short; help me today to show the love of Jesus in my every thought, word, and action. Help me be a testament to what Christ has done for me and in my life. I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.