The Best for Last

And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.  John 2:10

Are you married?  If so, how long have you been married?  Newlyweds--you're excited on this new journey the two of you have embarked on.  Or are you like me--been married for fifteen or more years?   If so, maybe you've experienced a lull in your marriage, or worse, you're running on empty, just as the couple from Cana experienced at their wedding celebration.   Everything they had was gone...their resources had run dry.  This was a big problem!  Just as it is for any couple who has used up all their financial resources, or their emotional "banks" were depleted many years ago.    A problem?  Yes.  A Big Problem!

The Holy Spirit nudged me to "pause" at a verse that I'd overlooked in times past:   Verse five:  His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”  Mary knew Who to go to when the problem occurred--She went straight to her Son, Jesus!   And not only that, she knew to tell the servants, "Do whatever He tells you."   How many of us have loved ones who are in the presence of the Lord right now?  I do---many loved ones, including a dear sister.  We know if they could call us on the phone, they'd tell us, "DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU TO DO!"  We too, should be able to say to another struggling Christian brother or sister, "Do whatever He tells you, because He is worthy of your trust and is all powerful!"   Wow.  We are his servants, so we should be encouraging each other to Obey the Lord, ESPECIALLY in the midst of life's biggest storms!

Now, what about the "no more wine" situation?   Everything they had to offer was GONE.  Jesus told the servants to "Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. (vs. 7)  Now keep in mind these jars were typically used for ceremonial washing, not your "containers" for wine.  I wonder if we would just follow this simple command, and allow the Holy Spirit's Living Water to FILL us up to the brim and apply the cleansing power of Jesus' blood to our lives, would our lives then be a sweet outpouring of His love?  Hhmmmm.

Look at verse 8-- "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”  Draw out--- Aren't we supposed to be drawing out, or pouring out our lives as a living sacrifice to our Heavenly Father, the Master of this banquet?  Living for others' by lifting up Jesus, Who will in turn "Draw all Men unto Himself?"  Yes!  We are.   And oh, when our Master "tastes" of the sweet outpouring of our obedience to Him, through the filling of His Holy Spirit, will He not take the Bridegroom (our Lord Jesus) aside and reply, "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.” 

Our Lord wants to do the same thing for us in our marriages and in our lives.  He has a  specific purpose for us, as married couples, to serve Him and further His kingdom, and that purpose is something only we can fulfill.  It requires us to be cleansed by the saving blood of Jesus Christ, filled to the BRIM by His Holy Spirit, and then poured out---draw our souls out to all mankind and lift up JESUS.  "He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him."  (verse 11)  All so that others will put their FAITH IN HIM!

It is never too late!  He seems to be telling us that He specializes in saving the best for last! 

Oh Sovereign Father, the Master of this Banquet, we come to You with empty vessels that need to be cleansed by the ceremonial washing of Your Son's precious blood!   Please pour Your Living Water into our vessels, and then spill us out to be "tasted" by all You bring our way.  May others, AS WELL AS WE OURSELVES, remember our past, the futility of using up all our resources, and not relying on Your Holy Spirit to keep us filled to the brim.  And in remembering, may we see the marvelous miracle You have done in our marriages and families, for Your GLORY!  Jesus, You are our Bridegroom---we want our Heavenly Father, the Master of this Banquet, to tell You, "My Son, You saved the best (part of their married years) for the last!"  Get the glory out of the years we have left to serve You, in our individual lives as well as in our marriages!  As with Your miracle at the wedding in Cana, may this too be JUST THE BEGINNING of YOUR MIRACULOUS TRANSFORMING POWER in our lives!   The Best, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is yet to come! 
We pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen!

http://niv.scripturetext.com/john/2.htm