Today's Text and Thought of Encouragement: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give your rest." Matthew 11: 28: K.J.V. "Jesus! I am resting, resting, in the joy of what Thou art; I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart. Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, and Thy beauty fills my soul, For, by Thy transforming power, Thou hast made me whole." Jean S. Pigott Today's Study Text: "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons (and daughters) of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1: 12, K.J.V. EXPLORATION: "He's My Friend" – Part 5 "I Believe In Him" "Man lost life by unbelief – by not believing God's Word; and we get life back again by believing." D. L. Moody (1884) If I had lived at the time when the "Word" came to earth, what do I think it would have taken for me to believe Jesus was the Son of God? Have I "received" Jesus into my heart? "One can believe in God with a very complete set of arguments, yet not have any faith that makes a difference in living." Georgia Harkness INSPIRATION: "You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life or death to you." C. S. Lewis It's a question, which I've asked myself on more than one occasion: "When Jesus came to earth, would I have believed He was really the Son of God?" "Would I have trusted the words He spoke to me?" There are times I've considered the options individuals had when Jesus arrived. As with King Herod, Jesus, even as a baby, was perceived to be a threat to the cruel ruler's power. Herod chose not to believe! How about Nicodemus? He wanted to meet Jesus but only under the cloak of darkness in some remote location. Quite possibly, if you or I had been blind like Bartimaeus, sitting and begging on the highway out of Jericho, we might have cried out, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me," because we felt we had no one else to turn to (Mark 10: 46, 47, K.J.V.). What I hope I would have done was join up with those "women who had been healed…who provided for (Jesus) out of their means. (Luke 8: 1-3, K.J.V.). What a testimony to the belief in Jesus that welled up within the hearts of those women. And then there was Simon (Peter) and Andrew who when "Jesus said unto them, 'Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men," they straightway "forsook their nets, and followed Him (Mark 1: 16-18, K.J.V.). That's the kind of response I want to believe is the one I would have had. As Professor Cynthia L. Rigby asks each of us today, "Do we recognize this One who entered into our midst? Have we received Him, really, for who He is?.. Will we become with Him, the children of God?" When you and I consider the hustle and bustle involved in our daily lives, I fear there are those times when the busyness of my own life, doesn't allow me to develop the close relationship needed to recognize the "Word" when He is moving in my world and longs to draw me closer to Him. This very point was emphasized by author Henri Nouwen when he commented in his book, With Burning Hearts, on how a simple encounter can lead to a relationship: "I have many memories of encounters with people who made my heart burn but whom I did not invite into my home…Interesting, stimulating, and inspiring as all these strangers may be, when I do not invite them into my home, nothing truly happens…It is one of the characteristics of our contemporary society that encounters, good as they may be, don't become deep relationships. Thus our life is filled with good advice, helpful ideas, wonderful perspectives, but they are simply added to the many other ideas and perspectives and so leave us 'uncommitted'…only with an invitation to 'come and stay with me' can an interesting encounter develop into a transforming relationship." If what you long for is a "transforming relationship" with Jesus, then as Philip instructed a man of Ethiopia, "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest (be baptized) and he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 8: 37, K.J.V.). This is the relationship I want to develop with Jesus – the Son of God. This is the friendship I want to have with my dearest and closest friend. There's an old hymn with the words by Emily E.S. Eliott which is often sung only at Christmas, yet today appropriately calls out to each of us to believe in the "Word" who left the glory of heaven to come and bring lifesaving power into your life and mine. The fourth verse of this melody is rarely sung but shares such a tremendous message: "Thou camest O Lord, With the living word That should set Thy people free; But with mocking scorn, And with crown of thorn, | 
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