John 1:47 – “Here is a true Israelite in whom there is nothing false.”
John 1:48b: “I saw you while you were still underneath the fig tree…”
Jesus called Nathanael a TRUE Israelite, one whose religion was honest and came from the integrity of his heart. He wasn’t a showman, but like a solid gold bar, he was the same on the inside as he appeared on the outside.
But this next statement is what really grabs my attention. I love how Jesus says, “there is nothing false” in Nathanael. He doesn’t say, “There is very little false,” but he purposely uses the word, ‘nothing‘. He goes on to point out his complete knowledge of Nathanael by letting him know that He saw him while Nathanael was under the fig tree being convinced by Philip to come see Jesus. When he was sitting under the tree, Nathanael was still in doubt that Jesus was anyone to be taken seriously. I think it’s cool that the Lord doesn’t hold our skepticism against us before we have a chance to meet him for ourselves. And there have been many times in my life, even after knowing the Lord,when my perception of God and his ways have been really incorrect. I”m glad that God doesn’t hold that against me and that He looks at the integrity of my heart – even in my ignorance. What a relief to know that I’m not disqualified by what I don’t know!
Jesus, your admiration for this internal and external integrity is obvious. Lord help me to be someone of whom You can say, “Here is someone in whom there is nothing false”!
Cecily is a mother to one daughter and three sons and a step mother to two daughters. She is a native New Englander, who, while fairly-well traveled, has never lived anywhere outside of New England. She loves the beach, the mountains, good food, and football (she’s been a BIG Patriot’s fan before it was cool to be one!). She loves to cook and you will most likely find her scanning PaleoOMG.com or Pinterest for her next recipe challenge. She is an avid fitness freak, indulging in Spin, Kickboxing, and Insanity classes along with running and working out at home.
But Cecily’s greatest passion is finding hidden treasures and bold Truth in God’s Word and teaching it in such a way that everyone can understand and remember what they heard. Nothing thrills her more than when someone comes up to her and says that they have been changed by something she taught (especially when they remember the message better than she does!). Cecily is a late bloomer in the blogosphere as she was very busy raising 6 children, volunteering in their schools, starting her career as an Executive Assistant, being the Worship and Arts director at her church and then recently taking the directorship of the Women’s Ministry. Life with 6 kids in a blended family posed more challenges than the Apollo 13 team had to face, and has given Cecily endless messages and potential blog posts! Cecily speaks at Women’s Conferences and at her church as a guest minister from time to time. Her husband John is a stalwart supporter of everything she does and is her greatest cheerleader. Now that the children are grown (they keep coming home, though!), Cecily has more time to write and speak about these wonderful life lessons regarding faith, blended family life, financial and marital challenges and the joys of watching God show off His faithfulness.
Women identify with Cecily because she has survived divorce, single-motherhood, being in the trenches blending a family, loving an addict, the stresses of ministry and marketplace jobs, and the life change of children growing up and becoming adults. Cecily has not only survived but thrived as a result of every difficult and unforeseen circumstance. She loves to boast about God’s faithfulness and the importance that her day-to-day, intimate relationship with Jesus has made through it all. She shares keys and practical steps that encourage women (and men!) to pursue the Lord for themselves and not sell their ability to hear from God short. Cecily’s favorite topics to talk and write about are Hearing God’s voice, Journaling for life, and Myth-busting.
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