Sunday, July 2 

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST - John 2:8b-10 NIV 

   They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."  

The master of the banquet, not knowing that Jesus had turned the water into wine, tasted the wine and said, “WOW!�?nbsp; Then he called the bridegroom aside, to commend him on what was, to him, an apparent change of tradition.  He was amazed that the wine was so good!  After all, this was not normal procedure.  Normally, the good wine was served first, then after everyone was drunk, the cheap stuff was brought out since no one would notice at that point.  But the wine the servants had brought out was even better than the first that had been served. 

Our lives aren’t much different from that wedding at Cana�? We stumble along, living a poor substitute for the abundant life Jesus has for us, doing everything we can to find happiness in things, in people, in our work... and totally missing the joy that’s right there before us.  It's only when we finally run dry, when everything else is gone, when there's nowhere else to turn�?only then do we turn to Jesus.  We're not talking just about the unsaved here - we're talking about Christians, too.  Christians who depend on themselves, their jobs, their friends, their self-esteem, their money�?for happiness�? Christians who seem to be intent on waiting until everything else is gone before seeking the best.  Christians who are so busy looking for happiness, they pass up joy for years, only finding it late in life when they could have had it all along. 

Are you so busy looking for happiness that you can't find any joy?  Are you saving the best for last?  Why?   

From Bonnie Ricks, Dogwood Ministries, Inc.