Tuesday, November 30, 2010

2 John DEVO: Hospitality Abuse

2 John:
This second letter from John also deals with false teachers and the dangerous influence they can have on believers. It is the shortest writing in all of the Bible – only 13 verses. It is written to emphasize Christ, Truth & Love as well. It is addressed to “the chosen lady and her children” – most likely a good friend of John in ministry.
John begins by emphasizing that we live lovingly and truthfully. To show love without truth is not helpful and to show truth without love is not kind. Balance is needed. Why? “…because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” You and I must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves or we can hinder the work of Jesus: “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.” This “chosen lady” may have, in trying to be loving, let false teachers stay with her resulting in damage to God’s work.
SO WHAT?!
*When you talk to people about Jesus, which is easier for you to share – Jesus’ love or Jesus’ truth? We must remember both, but if I’m gonna’ err on one it’s gonna’ be overemphasizing His LOVE! This letter warning could easily have been written to me. I do hope that when false teaching occurs that we will speak up. I’ve learned that to say nothing is to approve of what was just said!
*The only way to detect false teaching is to know the Truth. How much time are you & I spending in God’s Truth, the Bible? If we are to combat a world of deception, we must be filling our hearts & minds with what God says. Are you?
*How’s your hospitality? It means “lover of strangers.” Are you involved in loving strangers? That TRULY IS what God did with us!

Monday, November 29, 2010

1 John 5 DEVO: THE Relationship That Brings Assurance

Chapter 5:
What is the strongest thing you possess? Brains? Braun? Personality? Your truck? (hehe…) John says in this chapter that it is our FAITH!
John again stresses that love for God = carrying out His commandments – AND they’re not burdensome. I need to hear this because often I feel the heavy burden of ministry (Paul did too 1 Corinthians 11:28). But somehow it need not be my burden, but I am to “cast my cares on Him.” (1 Peter 5:7).
Then John begins a bit of courtroom talk as he uses the word testimony & testify 8 times in 6 verses. God’s testimony (the Bible) is true and is verified by multiple witnesses. Verses 11-13 were some of the first verses I memorized as a new believer and they have stuck in my heart! “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” These verses ROCK! Basically if you’ve got Jesus, you’ve got life, if ya’ don’t, ya’ don’t! And for us who do have Jesus it gets even better:
1) We can KNOW we have eternal life!
2) We can receive anything from God that He wants us to have!
“Jesus Christ – He is the true God and eternal life!”
SO WHAT?!
*How’s your faith? We don’t need big faith in a small god, but rather small faith in our BIG God! Never forget it!
*What “burdens” are you carrying right now that you need to give to Jesus? Take some time right now and pray them over to Him – you’ll be glad you did, He’s big enough to handle them!
*Are you 100% sure that if you died tonite that you’d go to heaven? I’m not talking 99%, I mean 100%. You can be! And it’s not based on how you feel or what kind of a day you had. It’s also not arrogance. It’s based in what God says in 5:13 and it’s TRUE! There is nothing that gives me more peace than to know my eternity is secure NO MATTER WHAT! Believers in Jesus totally have “Hakuna Matata” = No Worries! Ohhhhh yeah!!!!

Friday, November 26, 2010

1 John 4 DEVO: Relationship With The World, God & Others – Part 2

Chapter 4:
Relationships require trust and vulnerability. We are always at risk whenever we put our trust in another, therefore we are to exercise wisdom in relationships as well. That is what John is getting at when he says “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” False teachers attempt to lead truth seekers astray. Bad company can corrupt good morals and a companion of fools will suffer harm. So we are reminded that “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” God has made us overcomers because of Jesus in us – let’s never forget that we can choose to follow Jesus and not others!
Relationships also require love – and because we’re all sinners, they require the unconditional, sacrificial love of God: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him………that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” And what should our response to that kind of love be? “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” We are to demonstrate love for others in the same way!
John finishes this chapter with one of his constant themes – LOVE! He uses this term interchangeably with God Himself. “God is Love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” And as this occurs, we will love others. “Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”
SO WHAT?!
*May sound like a broken record, but do you and I LOVE God and LOVE others? Can we “prove” it by the way we live?
*How could you “lay your life down” for a Christian friend this next week?

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

1 John 3 DEVO: Relationship With God & Others – Part 2

Chapter 3:
The intimate relationship a believer has with God is founded on love. “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) This love God has for us is amazing and is described in the first two verses of this chapter. The best word is “lavished.” It means to expend in great amount without limit! WOW – that is totally what God did and does! And what is our response to God’s love? To intentionally live sinful lives? May it never be, “All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. No one who lies in Him keeps on sinning.” Throughout the Bible, a true relationship with our Creator develops into a transformed life.
Then, when we are transformed by God’s love for us, we love our brothers & sisters (11-15). And it means a sacrificial love: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” We can’t say we love people if we see their needs, have the ability to help them, but don’t! “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
John finishes this chapter with words that sound familiar to the vine & the branches in John 15: “The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”
SO WHAT?!
*Today (& every day) is a great day to give thanks. Let’s take some time today and write down some of the ways God has “lavished” His love on us. Then take that list and spend some time in prayer thanking Him! See mine here
*Jesus laid down His life for you and me. There is no way we could ever repay Him. But we can LIVE the rest of our days as a big THANK YOU LETTER back to Him. Let’s go for it!
*Who do you know in need that you can you show your love to in actions and in giving?

Give THANKS!

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” In Thursday’s DEVO I challenged all of my readers to make a list of all the things that God has lovingly “lavished” on them. So here’s my list of some things I am grateful for:

• My salvation in Jesus
• My Bible & God’s promises in it
• My wife/girlfriend Jean (details here)
• My son Drew
• My daughter Jessica
• Good health
• My job at Redeemer
• My military friends & all US military
• Friends
• Family
• Students
• The 10 Students who have trusted in Christ since July!
• Pastor Mitch
• The Katy Area Youth Ministries Network Gang
• The SYM Inside Track Team
• Katy Pastors
• Our missionaries
• D&J”s teachers
• Neighbors
• Laughter
• Food to eat
• Clothes to wear
• Our home
• Trials
• Music
• JJ (my truck)
• Jean’s Rav 4
• Games & Sports
• Our country
• The Katy community
• KISD

1 John 2 DEVO: Relationship with God, Others & the World

Chapter 2:
Sin is a horrible thing. It tears apart & destroys relationships. Yet, as terrible as sin is, how much greater is God’s grace! “But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” Thank you Jesus!
God – What shows that we have a relationship with God? “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.” Pretty clear huh?!~
Others – What shows that we have a correct relationship with our fellow brothers & sisters in Christ? “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness.” Again, pretty clear huh?!~
The World – What is our relationship to be with the world we live in – it’s system & attractiveness? “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” One more time, pretty clear huh?!~ John goes on to tell us that our desires for the things of this world - “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” – aren’t from God.
The chapter ends with a warning against false teachers who disguise themselves as believers - what I call “make-believers.” These people look, talk & act like believers, but eventually they will deny Jesus, be liars, lead people away from God and themselves ditch God. Beware & Be Strong: “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.”
SO WHAT?!
*Do you & I keep God’s commands? No – not fully. But would our lifestyle show we are living to please Him? If you aren’t sure, ask a close friend. But pray first, that we will accept their answer!
*How are you actively showing love to your brothers & sisters in Christ? Do you pray for them, show compassion, serve them, share their burdens, sacrifice for them? It’s never too late to start!
*Take a look at your checkbook, credit card statement and your weekly schedule. What do these things show that you love? Jesus told us “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also!” Is it time to reset priorities?
*Finally, all over the Bible we get the message that we are not to play games with God. So let’s all do each other a favor and not be “make-believers.” Let’s be “all in” for Jesus!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

1 John 1 DEVO: Relationship with God & Others

Introduction:
The book of 1 John is a book on Relationships: Relationship with God, Relationship with the World, and Relationship with Others. It was written by the apostle John in approximately 90 AD to believers in Ephesus to address false teachings. It is very practical as well as very black & white. Some of the repeated words/phrases and how often they are used are: Love (35), Know (33), World (22), Jesus/Christ/Son (37), Dear children/friends (15), brothers (15), Life (14), Sin (14).
John writes to reassure believers in their faith and to teach them to discern truth from error, both in doctrine and lifestyle by presenting a clear picture of Jesus Christ!

Chapter 1:
Fellowship is an amazing thing. It’s not the same as socializing, but has the idea of sharing in the joys of Jesus with other believers. To do so, you must have Jesus in your life. In the first three verses, John explains how (through our senses) this “Word of Life” is revealed in Jesus (1), experienced by those who trust in Christ (2), is shared by those who know Christ (3) and brings joy (4).
And what is this message? “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” Then he addresses three false claims that were causing problems:
1st Claim (6): “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.” – Translate: “The way I live doesn’t affect my relationship with God.” Truth is, it DOES affect us. Remedy = “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
2nd Claim (8): “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Translate: “Deep down I’m not that bad.” Yes you are and so am I! And if Jesus is the truth (Jn 14:6), then Jesus is not in us, and we are not believers! Remedy = “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
3rd Claim (10): “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” Translate: “If I’m not a sinner then God’s a liar – take your pick.” Ummmm…..I’m gonna’ go with God on this one!
SO WHAT?!
*How does knowing that Jesus is “The Word of Life” impact you? How does denying Christ impact our relationship with others?
*To confess” our sins means to “agree” with how God sees them. How often do you spend time confessing your sin? Lord, help us to make confession as regular of a practice as we make sin! Help us to keep accounts with you short!
*Does JOY describe your relationship with Jesus? If not, what does? How does our intimacy with Jesus (or lack of it) affect our relationship with fellow believers? Lord help us to get right with You regularly so we can be right with others!

Monday, November 22, 2010

John 21 DEVO: Resurrection Life & Restoration Life

Chapter 21:
Talk about going from ultimate high to ultimate low. Jesus has been resurrected, they got to see Him and he gave them their calling “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you…” (20:21). And what do they do? They look at each other and go back to what they know “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” Jesus was not with them and they went back to what was comfortable and familiar. The worst place to be in life is outside of God’s will. Maybe that’s why these experienced fisherman didn’t catch anything all night.!?~
Jesus had something bigger for them – so he shows up and asks “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” They don’t recognize it’s Jesus (go figure), but frustrated tell Him “no” and then go with His suggestion and suddenly have the biggest catch of fish ever! Yeah, this will make you recognize it’s Jesus!
So they meet on the beach and have what I call “The Last Breakfast.” The had caught 153 large fish and ate together with Jesus. Totally cool that God records the number of fish they caught. Maybe it’s because He wants them to understand that He came to make them “fishers of men” and that every “fish” is significant to God!~ This is truly resurrection living. Jesus is wanting them to see that His calling on someone’s life goes far beyond their occupation!
The book of John concludes with an incredible scene of restoration. Peter denied knowing Jesus three times and once he realized it he was devastated. If Peter was at all like you and me, he probably felt continual guilt about it. And because Jesus offers true forgiveness, even of the guilt of our sin, He takes time to love & restore Peter. Three times Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me?” – correlating, I believe, to the three times he denied His Lord. To no one else does Jesus tell to take care of His little ones. What a great honor for Peter!
Now – ya’ gotta love what happens next! Jesus then predicts the kind of death Peter will die, so Peter looks around, sees John and says “Lord, what about him?” HA – I’d have probably asked the same thing! Jesus basically says He’s in charge of how John goes – you just live for Me!
The Gospel of John, which has had 20:31 as it’s theme, now concludes with this: “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”
SO WHAT?!
*What is your current occupation? Full-time student? Engineer? Accountant? Coder? Regardless of your occupation in life, if you are a believer, your higher calling is to Know Jesus & Make Him Known! Occupation is natural living. Representing Jesus is the abundant, supernatural, resurrection life that God calls all those who are His! Let’s live it!
*A while back, our church had a guest preacher who challenged us one Sunday to write down the names of people we wanted to see come to Christ and to pray for them. I was in charge of gathering those names and making prayer lists of them. I counted them twice to make sure but guess how many we had? Yep – 153 “fish” whom we committed to pray for! Numbers DO matter to God!

Friday, November 19, 2010

John 20 DEVO: Jesus is ALIVE!!!

Chapter 20:
As painful as reading the last chapter was, it pales in comparison to the WHOOHOO of this chapter! What separates Christianity from all other beliefs? The Empty Tomb! Our Leader is ALIVE! My good friend Greg Stier puts it this way: “You can visit the graves of every founder of every other religion, and unless someone dug them up and sold them on E-Bay, they should still be there. Jesus’ grave was a three-day rental, and it has been empty for nearly 2000 years.”
What a great scene – The ladies head to the tomb, see the stone rolled away and go tell Peter & John. They run to the tomb. John, apparently in better shape than Peter, gets there first but doesn’t go in until after Peter, but when he does he sees & believes! Then they just leave?!~ But Mary sticks around (just like a mom) and is greeted by two angels AND Jesus (whom she doesn’t recognize – God only knows why). So Mary gets the honor of seeing Him alive first – coolz!
Later, Jesus “drops in” on His disciples. (Apparently, resurrected bodies can go through walls as the scared disciples were locked in their house.) The first thing he says is “Peace” – Yeah – they’re freaking out! They are overjoyed to see him and go to tell Thomas who was not there. He is a bit skeptical until he sees the nail driven hands and pierced side of Jesus and says “My Lord and my God! Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” – This is AWESOME stuff!
Then we come to our theme verse that I have referred to over and over again in these Devos: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” – DOUBLE AWESOME!
SO WHAT?!
*As a follower of Christ, my entire faith depends on the resurrection! If Jesus is still dead, then I’m still stuck in my sin and headed to hell! But 1 Corinthians 15 is clear – Jesus DID rise from the dead, was here for 40 days and MANY saw Him alive after He was dead! Believe it! Jesus is ALIVE and all the “other guys” who led belief systems are not.
*The disciples literally saw Jesus alive and believed. But isn’t it cool to know that when you & I, who don’t literally see Jesus, believe, we are called blessed (29).
*Ready for a challenge? Why not give out a “Gospel of John” booklet to your friends this holiday season? I just ordered #50 of them from CBD for people to give out. If this book is written so that people can believe in Jesus and have eternal life, then what greater gift could we give them?!~

Thursday, November 18, 2010

John 19 DEVO: Crucifixion, Death & Burial of Jesus

Chapter 19:
This is a painful chapter to read regarding the suffering that Jesus endured along with His crucifixion. Jesus was stripped, tied to a post & beaten with whips made of leather straps & shards of metal & glass that would rip the skin and expose muscles, veins & bones. The mocked Him with words, slaps & a crown of thorns. Horrific! Apparently, Pilate had Jesus flogged in an attempt to draw sympathy & have Jesus released. Didn’t work: “As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”
Ticked at Jesus’ silence through it all, Pilate says, “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.”
Pilate then turned Him over to be crucified. They made Him – in His shredded condition – carry His own cross, the very one He would die on, up a hill. TONS of scriptures are fulfilled, some of which are: Isaiah 53:3-6, Psalm 22:18, Zechariah 12:10, Psalm 34:20.
Jesus tells John to take care of his mom (27) and he did. Finally, “Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” The chapter ends with “At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.”
SO WHAT?!
*Lets all take a few minutes today to get away, read this chapter again, and thank our Lord.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

John 18 DEVO: Betrayal, Arrest, Abandonment & Trial

Chapter 18:
Because of our purpose in 20:31, John produces evidence to substantiate that Jesus IS the Christ. All the shame and the scorn aimed at Him confirmed, rather than disproved, Jesus & His mission – “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (1:29).
First came the betrayal & arrest. Judas leads a large group of soldiers (probably 500+) and religious leaders to arrest Jesus. This group was ready for problems with Jesus & His followers. But Jesus made it clear (when Peter cut off the the dude’s ear) that he wanted no problems when he told Peter “Put your sword away!” And frankly, I think Peter was going for the head and the dude ducked! Peter was not a surgeon!
Next to having a friend turn on you is having another friend abandon & deny you – and multiple times. It’s not as if Jesus was not feeling lonely enough going thru this trial stuff, then to have His closest buddy deny knowing Him – ouch! “You are not one of his disciples, are you?” They asked Peter. He denied it, saying, “I am not.” It also must have devastated Peter to hear that cock crow and realize what he had just done!
Amidst all of this Jesus is being put on trial. Over & over again they find no fault in Him (duh). He finally gets to Pilate and at one point Jesus tells him, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Then Pilate asks a question that ALL PEOPLE must answer: “What is Truth?” (John 14:6!)
SO WHAT?!
*Ever been betrayed by a friend? Then you know the hurt. Ever been the betrayer? Trust is broken, pain is inflicted and major relational damage is caused. Sometimes, in the case of Judas, the damage is eternal. I pray if you know of anyone you’ve done this to that TODAY you would go make it right – as best as you can.
*Don’t give up on friends when they hurt you. What if Jesus had given up on Peter? A big chunk of our new testament would be missing! Peter became one of the biggest leaders in the early church for Jesus!
*How do you determine truth? Believing in something doesn’t make it true – you can believe gravity doesn’t exist, but dive off the roof of your home and you’ll find out pretty quick it does! Then what makes things true? Truth! And you have to discover it if you want eternal life! Lord, make us truth seekers!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

John 17 DEVO: The Lord’s Prayers

Chapter 17:
Matthew 6 & Luke 11 are called “The Lord’s Prayer” – a pattern Jesus gave us of how to pray. Here we have The Lord’s Prayers. In most of the Bible we don’t get a whole lot of the content of Jesus’ prayers to his Father but in this chapter we do. We get to see some pretty intimate conversation between Jesus & His Dad! Basically, Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples and finally, you & I!
In praying for Himself, Jesus has His Father’s purpose in mind, “Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you…... I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” Jesus always prayed for not His will but His Father’s.
Then He prays for His disciples, “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.” Whoah – how totally encouraging for the disciples to hear this! And he asks His Father to protect them! The disciples would remain here and would face tough stuff – so He asks to be their refuge & strength, always there in time of need. I’ll take prayers like this anytime!
Finally, Jesus prays for “those who will believe in Me through their message” – that’s you & me! He prays that we be unified and united with Him. Why? “I want those you have given me to be with me where I am.” God soooo wants us to be with Him in Heaven someday! And Great News – He provided that way through Jesus!
SO WHAT?!
*Prayer can be a great revealer of our heart. What we pray for, how we pray and the time we give it. So, how’s your prayer life? God wants to have intimate conversations with us – and here’s the cool part – ANY TIME! The more we pray, the more we show our dependency on God. Let’s depend on Him often & always.
*How cool is it that Jesus prays for us and wants to spend eternity with you & me!~ Take some time today to thank Him.

Monday, November 15, 2010

John 16 DEVO: The Holy Spirit

Chapter 16:
The Holy Spirit is the 3rd Person of the Trinity. He is more than a “Force” to be with you, He is God who lives inside every believer. 12 times in verses 7-15, “he” or “him” is used because the Holy Spirit is a person – not your conscious, not a force, but a person. What are some things he will do? “He will be our Advocate…….. He will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment….. He will guide us into all the truth….. He will not speak on his own…..He will speak only what he hears…..He will tell us what is yet to come…..He will glorify Jesus…..He will make know to us stuff from Jesus” And He doesn’t have far to go ‘cause He lives in us!!!
Next, Jesus explains He is leaving to His disciples and how eventually it will lead to joy. I can’t imagine having spent 3 years in intimacy with Jesus (GOD) only to hear He’s gonna’ leave – this must have been heartbreaking and Jesus knew that. So He gives comfort, “A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”
Jesus often spoke in parables & stories so that only those who truly wanted to seek Him would understand. BUT someday He will speak plainly & simply to us and we’ll get it – I am TOTALLY looking forward to that day because I’m usually one of the dense ones whom Jesus has to clearly explain things to!
Then Jesus ends with this, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
SO WHAT?!
*Ever called the Holy Spirit an “it”? Yeah, me too. We must remember HE is a REAL person who REALLY lives inside every believer! So next time you feel outnumbered, under educated or unqualified, remember God is in you and one plus God is always a majority!
*Right now, if you’re a believer, Jesus is getting a room in heaven ready for you and me. Until then, he wants us to, by His Holy Spirit’s strength, live a fruitful & meaningful life for Him! Take some time today and write down what your weekly schedule looks like and then ask: “Lord, how can I organize my life so You can spend my time, talents and treasure for You, not me?” (Thanks D-Gray for this one!)

Friday, November 12, 2010

John 15 DEVO: Jesus – The True Vine

Chapter 15:
Jesus is God – The Living Water, The Bread of Life, The Light of the World, The Healer of Blindness, The Resurrection and The Life, The Way, The Truth and The Life, and here in chapter 15, The True Vine (Yep - 20:31 again!).
This is an amazing chapter that uses a vine metaphor to explain a believer’s connectedness to Jesus & how their fruitfulness is directly related. Jesus is The Vine, God is the Gardener and true believers are the branches. Basically here’s the deal – those not connected (dead, fruitless branches), God cuts off, even throws into the fire (an illusion to judgment). And those who are connected (live branches), He prunes so they will produce even more. “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Those not connected to the LIFE in the Vine are dead and dying and can’t do a thing. “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
Jesus goes on to explain how this looks: “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love……..Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends………..I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit………Love each other.”
To finish the chapter, Jesus explains to His disciples that they will be hated! They hated & persecuted Jesus and the world will do the same to His followers. “Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.” Why? Because Jesus IS God! But take courage, God is sending His Advocate, The Holy Spirit to those who hate us to testify about Jesus! Kinda’ like a big brother who sticks up for his siblings!
SO WHAT?!
*Ok, so I’ll ask the obvious, are you connected with Jesus? I’m not talking about knowing things about Him, or going to church or being involved in your student ministry. A relationship with Jesus begins by acknowledging you’re a sinner & that can’t make yourself right with God. But by grace through faith, you believe Jesus took the penalty for your sins when He gave His life on the cross and you received that free gift of forgiveness. THEN you become connected forever. If you haven’t yet – believe & receive today! If you have already – whoohoo – let’s be producin’ fruit for Him!
*Pruning hurts. The stuff God allows us to go thru is pruning in our lives is His pruning. This is done NOT to pick on us but to make us more fruitful for Him! Is there anything you are going through right now where you think God is being unkind? Spend some time in prayer asking God to give you strength and to help you see what He is doing. Most likely, He is preparing you for even greater things!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

John 14 DEVO: Jesus – The Way, The Truth & The Life

Chapter 14:
Jesus is God – The Living Water, The Bread of Life, The Light of the World, The Healer of Blindness, The Resurrection and The Life, and here in chapter 14, The Way, The Truth and The Life (Again 20:31!).
The news of the previous chapter had made the disciples anxious. And since Jesus is the Good Shepherd, He gives them comfort, both in the future, because he’s gonna come back for them (1-14), and in the present, by giving them His Holy Spirit (15-31).
God’s house apparently has many rooms and Jesus is going there to prepare the ones for His kids. (I remember preparing rooms for each of our kids before they came into this world it was fun!) The disciples don’t get it (again) or how they would get there, so Jesus tells them “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In doing so, Jesus is claiming the authority to determine who comes and how one gets to heaven. Yep – He said He is THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life. In other words, heaven is MY home, I determine who comes there and if you know God you know Me ‘cause we’re one and the same!
Then Jesus says He is going to give believers an advocate, a representative for us – “The Spirit of Truth.” This Holy Spirit will live in us and be with those who are His! And how does Jesus describe those who are His? ”If you love me, keep my commands…… Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me….. Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” And again, Jesus sets the example, “I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.”
SO WHAT?!
*I remember my dad telling me about Chicago when I was a kid and then one day taking me there and it was as great as he told me it was! The Bible gives us glimpses of what heaven will be like and some day Jesus is gonna’ come back and take His kids there and it’s gonna’ be great! Are you excited? We should be!
*The way to heaven is exclusive: One Way = Through Jesus! There can’t be many ways. Allah, Buddha, Joseph Smith or even your friends may say their ways lead to God but that would go directly against the words of Jesus in verse 6. Why only one way? Read 20:31 again and you’ll see.
*The Holy Spirit is also called the Comforter. Jesus wanted us to have peace about our future because of what He did for us so He put Comfort inside each believer – how cool is that!?~ “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

John 13 DEVO: Jesus’ Ministry to His Disciples

Chapter 13:
John has been writing and showing that Jesus is the Christ. The first 12 chapters have centered on those who rejected Jesus. Now 13-17 will focus on those who believe in Him, His disciples. Last night, a good friend gave me a great reminder when he said, “Ministry is hard, messy and inconvenient.” This chapter kinda’ goes that way: Ministry (1-20), Pain (21-30), Ministry (31-35), Pain (36-38).
MINISTRY (1-20): Jesus is about to head to the cross. He knew His time was short and yet he wanted one more time with His disciples – Amazing Love! He makes a profound statement: “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” How could Jesus love Judas knowing what he would do to Him? Yet, He continued love & offer Judas a chance to repent! Then I thought, how can God love ME knowing how I’ve treated Him?!~ So Jesus serves them by washing their feet – a lowly and humiliating job. Foot-in-mouth Peter tells him no way until Jesus says he can’t go to heaven unless he does. Peter’s reply? “Then wash all of me!” Ya’ gotta’ love His zeal! Why this example? Because “no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” They needed to see servanthood.
PAIN: (21-30): Then the shocking word from their Master: “I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.” What amazes me is as they looked around, none of them had a clue to who it was until Jesus revealed it was Judas. This is a good reminder that our outward acts can fool people but never God! Then we read one of the most horrifying lines in the Bible: “As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.” It’s one thing to be demon-possessed, it’s a whole different situation to have Satan Himself enter. How painful it must have been for Jesus to reveal the heart of one He poured 3 years of His life into.
MINISTRY (31-35): “A new command I give you: Love one another.” To love others was not a new command, but to love them sacrificially like Jesus did was revolutionary! To love other this way will bring people to Jesus, unite believers and benefit society as well.
PAIN (36-38): Now it’s Peter’s turn as Jesus tells Him “before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!” Judas betrays and now Peter denies – both brought pain to our Savior. But don’t confuse the two, Judas had a heart issue, Peter’s heart was right and he was forgiven!
SO WHAT?!
*Jesus calls all of His kids to serve Him. He set the example. How are you & I involved in regularly serving Jesus? If you’re not, take some time today and ask God How you could be. Maybe check with your pastor or youth pastor and ask them.
*Is there anyone whom you feel as if you’ve let down? Someone to whom you’ve broken a promise? Why not give them a call and ask forgiveness and allow God to heal that hurt?! Restoring relationships is why Jesus came!
* Finally, I’ll end with the words of our Savior in verse 17, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

John 12 DEVO: Love & Hate, Belief & Rejection

Chapter 12:
The Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, brought mixed reactions in Jesus’ day and still brings those mixed reactions today! Here are a few in this chapter:
LOVE: Mary pouring out a years wages worth of perfume on Jesus.
HATE: Judas’ reaction towards Mary “wasting” the perfume. The chief priests planning to kill both Jesus & Lazarus.
BELIEF: “Many of the Jews were going over to Jesus & believing in Him.”
REJECTION: The Pharisees upset that the “whole world has gone after Him.”
LOVE: Jesus’ sacrifice – “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
REJECTION: When hearing God’s voice, instead of worshipping said “it had thundered.” And “Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.”
BELIEF: “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.”
Jesus finishes up with these words: “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”
SO WHAT?!
*What is your reaction to the Gospel? The good news begins with bad news: You & I are sinners that DESREVE eternal punishment in hell forever for our sins against a Holy God. Do you agree with this? We must if we believe in the good news of the good news – that Jesus took MY penalty for MY sins when he gave His life in MY place. So, we either believe & receive eternal life or reject & expect eternal punishment. The choice is ours.
*If you have believed & received, Ephesians 5:8 says “you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Does your life shine the Light of Jesus or do you still love dark living? God help us to Live in Your Light!

Monday, November 8, 2010

50 Things I Love About Jean!

'Tis the season of Gratitude!
I was challenged this past week to make a list of 25 things I appreciate about my wife. As I started to list them, I couldn't stop at 25. And since I'm always up for a challenge, here are my first 50!
50 Ways to Love Your Lover...
Babe - You're the Best because...
1. You love the Lord Jesus Christ!
2. You love me and have stuck with me since July 27th 1990!
3. You love Drew & Jessica!
4. You desire to be the best mom you can to both Drew & Jessica.
5. You make me absolutely PROUD to be your husband!
6. When you hold me I feel 100% at peace.
7. You have a sensitive spirit towards the hurting, the bummed and the outcasts.
8. Your smile – I love to see it and see it often!
9. Your willingness to manage the finances and with excellence!
10. You have mad organization skills! Your keeping of records and filing have paid off tons already.
11. You forgive me – 700 x 7……….…this is NOT a misprint!
12. You have been a faithful and supportive youth pastor’s wife!
13. Your emphasis on family.
14. You work REALLY hard all day long - not a lazy, bon-bon eating girl……ok, maybe chocolate!
15. You didn’t marry me for my money but for my love for you and Jesus.
16. For making our home a safe place to be.
17. You truly compliment my weak areas – and there’s a lot of them.
18. Your Bible is your guide for life and you look there for answers, comfort & encouragement.
19. The MANY sacrifices you have made for God, for me and for our family!
20. For knowing me – you truly do.
21. The traditions you work at making with our family.
22. You challenge me in my walk with Jesus.
23. You ask me about my day.
24. You always have a way of surprising me with your comments!
25. You never give up! A Freund value.
26. Your curves! You have taken care of yourself physically & you’re still my Babe!
27. Carrying Drew & Jessica for 9 months each and all that your body had to endure during those times.
28. Your cooking – even though I don’t tell you enough.
29. You still have spunk – and I love it!
30. Your cleaning – seriously, I like a clean house & it would be rough being married to a slob.
31. You let me know when you’re upset at me and why. Honestly, I’d hate to have to guess!
32. You make our house a home – you so added color to my black & white lifestyle.
33. You knew you were marrying a nerd and did it anyway.
34. You stick up for me & don’t allow people to speak bad of me – Always & Everywhere!
35. You value people over stuff and it shows every day!
36. The amount of time you spend helping Drew is phenomenal – and needed! You’re the best!
37. For decorating our home with cutsie stuff every season. I’m a guy and I just said this.
38. You never speak bad about me in public.
39. You’re a GREAT lover!
40. Loyalty is one of your best qualities.
41. You still laugh at my corny jokes & comments.
42. You have opened up your home to hundreds of students & families, still do weekly and are an amazing hostess.
43. The way you make birthdays & Christmas special for our family.
44. Your laugh is the best – and I love to hear it!
45. You are an incredible steward of the finances God has entrusted to us. You more than double & triple our ability to use His money!
46. You have always accepted & loved my side of the family.
47. You still go on dates with me and you still hold my hand when we do!
48. Who you ARE is what I love about you more that what you do.
49. You always make sure I look ok before I leave home ☺
50. YOU are the reason that God has allowed me 20+ years of impactful ministry in Katy!
So ok guys - why not sit down and make a list and give them to YOUR wife to let her know how much you appreciate ALL she IS and DOES!~ You'll be glad you did!

John 11 DEVO: Jesus – The Resurrection and The Life

Chapter 11:
Jesus is God – The Living Water, The Bread of Life, The Light of the World, The Healer of Blindness, The Good Shepherd and in chapter 11, The Resurrection and The Life! (Again 20:31!)
Imagine getting word that your closest friend is dying and is going to die, and you’re not gonna’ be there. That’s just the situation Jesus was in. He loved Lazarus & his family. So he tells his disciples that He, and they, are going back to see Lazarus. The disciples are scared because last time there the Jews tried to stone Jesus. He assures them that God will be with Him as long as He is doing His Father’s will (9-10). Then Jesus has to explain to his dense disciples (likewise with me) that Lazarus has died and He is going to resurrect him. And why? 20:31 again: “so that you may believe.”
Up to this point, 6 miracles have been presented but NONE of them compare to raising Lazarus from the dead! Jesus arrives and Martha tells Jesus “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus tells her Lazarus will rise but she’s thinking the last day and Jesus is thinking TODAY! Then comes one of the most powerful statement ever by our Lord, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? Yes, Lord, she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God…” (20:31 again). She then takes Jesus to Lazarus. Looking at His friend causes Jesus to cry. Then Jesus tells Lazarus to come out of the tomb AND HE DOES! There’s a first – an obedient dead man!
What was the result of this? It caused the Holy Heavies to get ticked because people were following Jesus and not them! From that day forward they plotted to arrest & kill Him!
SO WHAT?!
*What makes Christianity the ONLY way and the RIGHT way? The fact that Jesus is ALIVE! The leaders of all other religions – Mohammed, Joseph Smith, Buddha, Allah, etc… are ALL DEAD. Jesus is alive! We serve a RISEN Savior who is with us today and every day – what a huge reminder!
*And hey, if God can cause a dead man to obey Him, he can help us to do the same. Lord help us to obey YOU and not our own selfish desires!

Friday, November 5, 2010

John 10 DEVO: Jesus – The Good Shepherd

Chapter 10:
Jesus is God – The Living Water, The Bread of Life, The Light of the World, The Healer of Blindness & here, The Good Shepherd. (Keep going back to 20:31!)
Jesus declares Himself as the “Good Shepherd” who was appointed by God in contrast to the false shepherds of this time (Pharisees) who were self-appointed and self-righteous.
In doing so, here are some of His statements that stood out to me:
- There’s only one way to come to God: “The man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.” And “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”
- Jesus – no one else – provided that way: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”
- Jesus still saves people: “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also.” And “In that place many believed in Jesus.”
- Once we are God’s kid, we stay God’s kid: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”

- Jesus is God: ”I and the Father are one.”
- Jesus gives meaning & purpose: “I came that you might have life, and have it to the full.”
SO WHAT?!
*A shepherd cares for his sheep & knows them. Are you in charge of any others? Maybe, maybe not, but all of us as believers are to look out for each other. Are you checking in on how others are doing? Financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc??? Take a moment today and contact one of those peeps. It will mean TONS to them!
*Christianity is both inclusive and exclusive. Inclusive in that “whosoever believes in Jesus has eternal life.” Exclusive in that there is only one way and its by grace thru faith in the person & work of Jesus Christ. Is this what you believe? I hope so!
*Let’s continually Thank God that because we have believed & received we are His and we will forever be His!!!!!!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

John 9 DEVO: Jesus – Healer of Blindness

Chapter 9:
Another great chapter offering hope to those who don’t yet know Jesus!
As I read this chapter I want to sing “Blind man stood by the road & he cried…..” Anyway, I’ll spare you the pain! Jesus finds this guy who has been blind from birth. His disciples are wrongly thinking “Wowsa, what did his parents do for this to happen to him?!” It’s easy to think like this but Jesus instead tosses out the idea that God allowed this to happen so that at this time & in this place He could heal him (here’s mud in your eye) and point others to God!~ God’s thoughts are soooo not ours are they!~ And we see four different reactions to this healing:
The Neighbors were surprised and skeptical. (8-12)
The Pharisees showed disbelief and prejudice. (13-18)
The Parents believe but were afraid so they kept quiet. (18-23)
The Healed Man showed consistent, growing faith. (24-34)
Then Jesus turns the conversation to spiritual blindness (35-41). The healed blind man now responds “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.” Physical sight, which is temporary, had now become spiritual sight, which is eternal! The Pharisees are then ticked that Jesus for calling them spiritually blind. Truth hurts.
SO WHAT?!
*Because we live in a “cause & effect” world, it is easy to think that when we see problems that there is a cause. Ultimately it IS true because everything is a result of sin in our world. But not all effects are directly related to a cause in our own life. For example: WHAT IF……God has me to suffer all my life in order to be an example of perseverance to others?!~ Yikes! But I know people like this! Their example helps me keep on keeping on when stuff gets tuff! If you are one of thee people, please, somehow, be encouraged, God is using you!
*What are some things that you can be blind to? Yeah, yeah, I know, if we saw them we wouldn’t be blind to them! But I’m talking about things like people’s hurts and their lostness! You and I need spiritual eyes, so one of my daily prayers is “Lord, help me to see people the way YOU see them.” Would you make this a daily prayer too?
*Who are those in your circles of influence who are spiritually blind? Let’s ask God TODAY to open their eyes to see Jesus and to use us in the process!

John 9 DEVO: Jesus – Healer of Blindness

Chapter 9:
Another great chapter offering hope to those who don’t yet know Jesus!
As I read this chapter I want to sing “Blind man stood by the road & he cried…..” Anyway, I’ll spare you the pain! Jesus finds this guy who has been blind from birth. His disciples are wrongly thinking “Wowsa, what did his parents do for this to happen to him?!” It’s easy to think like this but Jesus instead tosses out the idea that God allowed this to happen so that at this time & in this place He could heal him (here’s mud in your eye) and point others to God!~ God’s thoughts are soooo not ours are they!~ And we see four different reactions to this healing:
The Neighbors were surprised and skeptical. (8-12)
The Pharisees showed disbelief and prejudice. (13-18)
The Parents believe but were afraid so they kept quiet. (18-23)
The Healed Man showed consistent, growing faith. (24-34)
Then Jesus turns the conversation to spiritual blindness (35-41). The healed blind man now responds “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.” Physical sight, which is temporary, had now become spiritual sight, which is eternal! The Pharisees are then ticked that Jesus for calling them spiritually blind. Truth hurts.
SO WHAT?!
*Because we live in a “cause & effect” world, it is easy to think that when we see problems that there is a cause. Ultimately it IS true because everything is a result of sin in our world. But not all effects are directly related to a cause in our own life. For example: WHAT IF……God has me to suffer all my life in order to be an example of perseverance to others?!~ Yikes! But I know people like this! Their example helps me keep on keeping on when stuff gets tuff! If you are one of thee people, please, somehow, be encouraged, God is using you!
*What are some things that you can be blind to? Yeah, yeah, I know, if we saw them we wouldn’t be blind to them! But I’m talking about things like people’s hurts and their lostness! You and I need spiritual eyes, so one of my daily prayers is “Lord, help me to see people the way YOU see them.” Would you make this a daily prayer too?
*Who are those in your circles of influence who are spiritually blind? Let’s ask God TODAY to open their eyes to see Jesus and to use us in the process!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

John 8 DEVO: Jesus – The Light of the World

Chapter 8:
Jesus is God – The Living Water, The Bread of Life and now in this chapter, The Light of the World. John continues to give evidence that Jesus is the Messiah and how better than to record Jesus’ claim to be “Light” (which by the way is a theme in most of John’s writings). Light helps us to see things and see them more clearly. In this chapter, Jesus sheds light on the Pharisees misunderstandings.
First, trying to trick Jesus, they bring Him a woman who was caught in adultery. She was having relations with someone other than her husband and the punishment was death. Classic reply from Jesus, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Jesus first shed light on the judgmental attitudes of the Pharisees! And the older you get (as indicated) the more you realize how much of a sinner you are! So each of them dropped their stones & left. Then Jesus shed light on the adulteress by telling her to “go now and leave your life of sin.”
The rest of chapter 8 is about Jesus shedding light to the Pharisees regarding who HE is and who THEY are. He begins with a GREAT promise to believers: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus is LIGHT, they are Darkness. The Pharisees tell Jesus He can’t claim things to be true without other witnesses & Jesus tells them God is both His Father and His witness. They don’t get it because they have no relationship with Jesus “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” Jesus goes on to tell them a bunch of things they don’t get and don’t like:
- You will die in your sin.
- Where I go you cannot come.
- You are from below, I am from above.
- You are from this world, I am not.
- You are slaves to sin, I AM Truth that sets people free.
- God is my Father, the devil is your father.
- Before Abraham was born, I AM
SO WHAT?!
*Jesus did not come into the world to condemn people but to save them (John 3:17). You and I are not called to be judges who hand down sentences to sinners, but rather we are to show the mercy & grace to others that God has shown to us (Ephesians 4 :32). This past week, have you been wanting God to pass judgment on another person for their sin? Take a moment right now to ask forgiveness for throwing judgmental rocks. Then ask God how you can instead show Hi love, mercy & grace to them instead. Then DO IT!
*"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." (3:19) Lord, help us to Love YOU and Your Light!
*The Pharisees had knowledge OF God but no relationship WITH God. How about you?
*Finally, "Who's Your Daddy?!" Had to ask it!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

John 7 DEVO: Who IS This Jesus?!~

Chapter 7:
The theme from the book of John located in John 20:31 continues to be proclaimed: Jesus is God! Jesus’ brothers (James & Jude) wan Him to “put on a show” at the annual feast but once again, it’s not the right timing so Jesus declines. They go to the feast and Jesus secretly shows up anyway and begins teaching. “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?” Jesus is constantly exposing hearts, because hearts need changing!~
All of this brings a division as to who Jesus is. Some said he was a prophet. Some said He was the Messiah. Others were un sure, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?” And some wanted to seize Him, but because it wasn’t His time they couldn’t – Ha!
Finally we see the unbelief of the religious leaders in 45-53. No one was willing to agree who Jesus was (and IS) because by agreeing with what He said would go against all Jewish tradition and knowledge.
SO WHAT?!
*What is your motivation for following Jesus? The fear of the Lord? The things He does for us? My friends are a part of a church? It’s good to check our motives!
*What has Jesus exposed in you heart recently? An improper thought? A wrong attitude? Anger issues? Whatever it might be, lets humbly admit our issue, seek forgiveness and let His Holy Spirit transform us!

Monday, November 1, 2010

John 6 DEVO: The Bread of Life

Chapter 6:
In chapter 5, John describes Jesus as God, The Living Water, here in chapter 6, He is God, The Bread of Life. Kinda’ cool that he uses the two most necessary things that sustain our physical bodies to describe Jesus!
Jesus is ganna’ feed the crowd but first asks a question to test his disciples: "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" Phillip bombs the test and Andrew passes – good thing it isn’t the ultimate test! Phillip pulls out his “living by sight” calculator and basically says it can’t be done. Andrew, attempting to live by faith, brings Jesus a little boy with some fish & chips, figuring Jesus could do something with it! This is the second of three occurrences in John where we see Andrew bringing people to Jesus (1:40-41, 12:20-22). And Jesus DOES do something – he feeds everyone there and there are leftovers! Then he left because they were gonna’ try to make Him King. Throughout the Gospel accounts we often see Jesus leave or get away in order to avoid things that were not in line with His calling.
The next account that proves that Jesus is the Christ (remember our theme in 20:31) is His authority over creation. The disciples are out in the boat, see Jesus walking on water up to the boat and they freak out! Yeah duh – me too! He calms them and they go on – astonished at what they had seen!
Next we read how Jesus sees hearts, another proof of His deity. “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” How do we get this bread? “Believe in the one he has sent." And who did God send? “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Yep – the Christmas verse – John 1:14! Only problem is, many saw Jesus – The Living Water & The Bread of Life, and still chose not to believe.
All of this ticked off the Jews because Jesus was claiming to be God. So Jesus tells them, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh….I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…” They did not understand that Jesus was talking about being united with Him into a new living relationship by believing! Even some of those who followed Jesus left after hearing this because it was a hard teaching.
SO WHAT?!
*Living by sight is always easier and seems more practical. But we are called to live by FAITH! What are you & I believing God to do that, when it happens, there could be no other explanation for?! Live this way and watch God be strong! Sight living is boring, but as we live by faith, we get to brag on what God does!
*Many things distract us from all God wants us to be. Jesus chose to avoid many of the things that distracted Him from doing His Father’s will. How about you? What are the things that distract your life from God’s will? Technology? Gadgets? Parties? Pleasure? Stuff? The list is endless. Write yours down and ask God to help you stay focused on your life’s calling!
*Having a relationship with Jesus is a killer – you have to DAILY DIE to self! God wants no less than 100% of each of us. Is this a hard teaching for you to follow? It’s a good reminder that we need to be “all in” when it comes to our relationship with Jesus! There’s a hymn that goes, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back……Though none go with me, still I will follow…..no turning back, no turning back.” Good stuff.