“On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine…’ Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.’ So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’” John 2:1-3,6-10
The wedding celebration week well underway, festivities over the first couple of days had depleted the hosts’ wine supply. Jesus’ mother, alert to their embarrassing plight, notified Jesus, who quietly worked His first recorded miracle to their happy relief. The unnamed wedding guests were the beneficiaries of this superb wine, and the master of the feast was gratified. The servants witnessed the audacious wonder in amazement. Mary was merely the human conduit, and Jesus the heavenly One. (Ephesians 3:20)
It is a beautiful thing to see that Jesus supplies beyond what we can imagine to bless us, but it is even more marvelous that He would take our ordinary and make it extraordinary to be a blessing for others. We are merely empty stone water jars with free access to the Lord’s ample filling. When we yield ourselves to be used by Him, what He then makes in us to flow through us can be poured out as His ‘best’ for any with whom we come in contact. (John 7:38; 2 Corinthians 4:7)
Consider that every aspect of Jesus’s miracle was for the benefit of others. His work drew attention to the master, and brought delight to the unaware guests. When we go about our work, whose good do we consider? Are we more concerned with what we can get than what we give? How much do we care about who gets the credit for a job well done? The Lord can uncover any untoward motives and transform them by His grace.
What needs do we observe around us that others may not know? Are we eager to help, and patient for God’s timing and work to be done in and through us? Could He be waiting for us to get rid of specific contaminations that have sullied us as vessels through whom He intends to pour His love and grace?
Are we feeling depleted, empty, stone cold, too ordinary for usefulness? Doesn’t God have the right to use us as He wants? Will we make ourselves available? When Jesus gets ahold and takes charge, the unexpected and marvelous happens. (Isaiah 64:8; Jeremiah 18:3-6; Romans 9:21; 12:1-2)
Father, I am at Your disposal to cleanse, fill, and pour out for others’ good and Your glory.
As the rain and snow 