John 17 Devotional

John 17: 20 – 21 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Application: Could you imagine watching a movie without any conflict? What type of movie do you think it would be? What do you think the movie would be about? A scriptwriter once told me, “Without conflict there is no point in having a movie. No one would want to see it.” This was a very interesting comment to me. I began to think about it, and I realized all my favorite movies were full of conflict and intrigue. So, I could not argue with the screen writer on that point, but where I could argue with him was that conflict is fine for entertainment, but it’s not ok for people’s lives. You see, there is probably just as much conflict in the movies as in the real world, but conflict in our lives is not very entertaining. The dictionary defines conflict as mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands, which can result in fights, battles, and wars. We all face conflict on a daily basis; whether it comes from within ourselves or from those who dislike us. We all face it. Let me repeat this point. Every human being who has ever taken a breath of life has had to face some type of conflict and so do you! Now, imagine this, since we live in a world that accepts conflict as the “way it is”, what type of impact would it have on a person if he or she would see a group of people living together and no conflict existed? Well Jesus thought this would have a big impact. Check this out. Jesus thought that having a group of people who lived together without conflict was so important that He prayed to God for it. (And you know God always hears His prayers) Jesus said, “I do not pray for these [the disciples] alone, but also for those who will believe [Christians] in Me through their [disciples] word; that they [Christians] all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they [Christians] also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” Did you see what Jesus said? He said the world would believe that the Father sent Jesus to the earth to die for the sins of humanity if Christians can be one or live in agreement with each other. WOW! Is that not amazing? If we can all just get along, then the world will know that Jesus was telling the truth. You see the world knows that it could only be a supernatural power to bring a diverse group of people together. Therefore, unity with other Christians must be a goal for a believer’s life. Remember I asked could you imagine watching a movie without any conflict. Well do you know what God thinks about it all the time?

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 17: 20 – 21
2. Does every Christian get along with you? Why or Why not?
3. What can you do to develop good relationship with other believers?

John 21 Devotional

John 21: 18 - 19 When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you'll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don't want to go." He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, "Follow me."

Have you ever failed at something? When you failed how did you react? Did you give up and never try again? Or, did you get up, dust yourself off, and learn from your mistakes? You know most people would say our response is determined by our personality. And, I would agree with them. However, sometimes our failures are so bad we are powerless to do anything when we are put in the same situation again, and in those cases it is the very fear of failure that robs us of our ability to learn from our mistakes and robs us of our courage to try again. When we are in this state, we psychologically become reluctant to try again because we are fearful we will be identified as a failure and see ourselves as worthless. So instead of risking failure we become cowards and run from our opportunity to succeed and overcome life’s challenges. The shame of feeling worthless due to our ineptitude to pass our tests can drive one to self hate and eventually to self destruction. This can become a viscous cycle that requires repentance and the grace of God to over come. The funny thing about our walk with God is that our relationship with Him does not exempt us from any test. As a matter of fact, because of our relationship with God we will be tested even more. This is the reality that Peter is facing at the end of the book of John. Is it not interesting that the last story in the book of John is not Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, nor is it His ascension into heaven; but it is Peter’s restoration from his sin of denying Jesus, and the vivid declaration of how he would die. That is not how I would have ended it, but then again I am not its author. Nevertheless, Jesus after uncovering Peter’s lack of true commitment to Him, in vs. 15 – 17 describes Peter’s future in a gloomy way. Jesus said, “When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you'll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don't want to go." He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, "Follow me." Jesus was actually telling Peter that he would be executed when he got older. Scholars believe that Peter was crucified the in same manner in which Jesus was. I think the point John makes is Peter’s true commitment level to Christ would be revealed by the test he would endure through out the course of his life. Remember, Peter had already failed his first test when he denied Christ three times. Do you want to know something ironic? Jesus even told him that he was going to deny him. Nevertheless, by God’s grace Peter had another chance to redeem himself. So, here at the end of the book of John, Jesus basically tells Peter he would face the same test he had previously failed but at the end of his life. [Whoa! Imagine looking forward to that] Hold up that is not the key of this scripture the key is what Jesus did not say to Peter this time that is encouraging. Yes, I know it is very scary that Jesus is telling Peter he is going to be executed. And, I agree it is hard to find encouragement here. But, what Jesus did not say this time was that Peter would deny Him. You see, somehow Peter was eventually able to learn the one lesson every believer of Christ has to learn in this life. We can not pass life’s test in our own strength. We can only pass them through the power of God. Therefore, now in the last chapter of John Peter is facing his life’s final examination. Peter was being tested once more to prove his love for his Savior. Fortunately, in God’s mercy, He restored Peter and gave him a second change. And, just like Peter when we fail, God can restore us and give us a second chance as well; however, we must understand even though we have to continually take the test, which many we will fail, they do get any easier; therefore, it is essentially we learn how to trust God. Eventually, Peter passed his test. He did not deny Christ; moreover, he even asked to be crucified upside down. What a change of heart! What was the difference in Peter? When Peter was older he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he had learned how to trust in God’s ability and not his own. Friend, you will be tested all your life, and you will fail some of them. The point is will you get up and take it again! Well, will you?
Three action steps:

Take the time to memorize John 21: 18 - 19
Do you like test? Why or why not?
What test in life have you failed in life? What test have you passed in life?

John 20 Devotional

John 20: 30 - 31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Application: If you were going to make a story about a super hero, what kind of super hero would he or she be? Would they be strong, noble, and brave? Would they be smart, wise, and dependable? It is my guess that whatever attributes you would decide to give your hero they would be good. And, I guess it is safe to say that your hero would have very little flaws. It’s my guess that when you write your heroes’ adventures there would be a clear line between what makes your hero good and what makes his or her adversaries bad. While writing your story you probably would have to create a plot, in which by the time you got to the end of the story, people would desire to be just like the hero you wrote about. Ok, imagine this, after your story was written, imagine it being made into a blockbuster movie and making hundreds of millions of dollars because throngs of people watched it and daydreamed about being the hero you created. Wait a minute! Why isn’t the Bible written like that? Now let’s think really hard. Imagine if you were a disciple trying to write a story to make people believe that Jesus was the ultimate hero. Hold up, not just a hero but God, what kind of story would YOU write? Would you not show His power, His influence, and His courage? Would you not write it in a way that everything He did worked out just fine? Would you not write it in such a way that none of His adversaries where able to stand in His presence? And, I am sure you would write it in such a way that everyone would want to be Him and follow Him wherever He went! Well interestingly that is not quite what John the apostle did. In John 20: 30 – 31 he said, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” Wow did you read that? John wrote his gospel so that you may believe in Jesus and be saved. He wrote it so that Jesus would be the hero. That’s great, yet I am a bit troubled as I read what he said. I am troubled because when I read the Bible, I don’t see Jesus nor the disciples portrayed in a way that I WOULD WANT TO BE…Honestly, I see them going through so much... I see the disciples full of pride and arrogance, and I see the Hero at the end of the story hanging from a tree. When I see the types of stories the Bible depicts I say to myself THIS IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME BELIEVE IN JESUS? And, something deep in my heart says, YES! You see the truth is the Bible is not a made up story. It presents the truth the way it is. Often when you read it, you see your own self in its pages. And, you get a chance to see your true Hero facing everyday trials and going through them without moral fault. Remember John said he wrote it so that you may believe. Well, the fact that we see so many of the characters in the Bible making so many mistakes, makes reading the Bible much easier to believe because we see so many flaws in our own lives and in the lives of others. And, that makes it very believable. You see, John decided to record in his Gospel the very events good or bad that would lead you to believe that Jesus was the son of God. What’s the point? The point is Jesus is a Hero; it’s just that it is not our story to write, but it is His-story!

Three action steps:

Take the time to memorize John 20: 30 - 31
If you had to tell somebody about Jesus, what would your say?
what is the hardest thing to believe about the Bible and why?

John 19 Devotional

John 19: 28 – 30 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Application: Do you have a hard time obeying instructions? Ok, do you listen and do what you are told whenever you are told to do something? You may answer…well it depends on what they are telling me to do. In other words, you will do what people ask you to do with conditions. To be honest, most of us are like that. We do what we are told with conditions. Let’s think for a minute. What are some of the conditions that determine whether we respond in obedience to what we are being asked to do? Well, I would say the main conditions are based on who is saying it, how they are saying it or, what they are asking us to do. More often than not, the factor that determines whether we will obey any request is how much inconvenience it cost us. Ok, most of us learn how to obey instructions at home. The people who will probably tell you what to do the most in your life will be your parents or guardian and God. And, usually how well we obey our parents is indicative of how well we will obey God. That is why the Bible says “Children obey your parents that you may live long upon the earth.” If you don’t learn to obey your parents, it is almost impossible to obey God. Learning to obey your parents will ultimately help you to obey other people who may have authority over you in your life as well, like your teacher or a police officer. The principle of submission is essential for a successful Christian life. Without learning how to submit to authority and obey instructions there is no way you will be able to stay in God “perfect” will. NONE! Friend, there will come a time in your life where you will hear God for yourself and besides Him telling you how much He loves you the next thing you will hear the most from Him are requests. And, God has a lot of request. Do you know what? He needs you to obey them, everyone one of them to be exact. There will not be one single command God asks you to do that is not just as important as the next. Jesus highlights this point as He was taking His last breaths of life on the cross. The Bible says, “…knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” Did you see that He said “It is finished…” not after He was tortured, or crowned with thorns, nor when He was put on the cross. Jesus said “…It is finished…” after He took a drink of juice! Imagine that, His entire life’s mission and work would have all been derailed if He had failed to take one simple drink on the cross. Jesus said that it was finished because drinking the juice was the last act He was instructed to perform in fulfilling His call. You see, every action of Jesus was in obedience to God and designed to fulfill God’s will upon the earth. Friend, we will never be perfect in this life, and we may never be. But, the truth is because Jesus was perfect we don’t have to. Nevertheless, God does require us to do our best in obeying Him. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” Do you see…we prove our love to God when we do what He says! That’s the point of trusting God, of loving Him, of being called His friend. If we do what He asks us to do, we know we love God and so does He. Ok, let me ask you this again. Do you listen and do what God tells you to do? Or, let me say it like this; do you love God with conditions?

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 19: 28 – 30

2. Has God told you to do anything before? Did you do it?

3. What is the one thing that God could ask you to do that you would have a hard time doing?

John 18 Devotional

John 18: 37 – 38a Jesus answered, "You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice.” Pilate said, "What is truth?”

Application: Do you daydream? When you do it, what do you think about? Do you daydream about being a hero, being a princess, living happily ever after, or maybe making the last shot in a championship game? Let me ask you something. What is difference between your daydreams and real life? The answer to that is TRUTH. When you are daydreaming you are in control, and you have the ability to craft the outcome of your dream. However, in life we find out we don’t have that same control, and in life when we are faced with difficult decisions we need something stronger than our own imagination to get us through. We need the truth. Have you heard the saying that reality is stranger than fiction? What that saying means is the truths about the way things are in life are weirder than our imagination. Have ever you been in a situation where events happened in such as way that you knew it could not have been a coincidence? The fact is what you are noticing in these situations is intelligence or that Someone is directing events in your life. The truth is for all of us, there is Someone guiding our life, and that seems weird. Ironically, Pontius Pilate was in a very perplexing situation when he was judging Jesus; he found himself in a situation that was more than just a coincidence. He found himself in situation where he was somewhat aware that God was directing his life. You see, when the Jews brought Jesus to Pilate, who was the Governor of the Provence of Judea, they knew even though they were oppressed by the Romans, they had the power to influence the outcome of Pilate’s judgment of Him. And, everyone knew it especially the Jews. You see, if Pilate did not agree to execute Jesus, the Jews would start a revolt, and Pilate would be executed. So, Pilate was under political pressure to kill Jesus even though he knew Jesus was innocent. (John 19:6) What was even more ironic was that Pilate was also divinely warned by God in a dream his wife had, NOT to kill Jesus because He was innocent (Matt 27:19). Seems weird, well it sure did to Pilate? Pilate needed help, and the only person who could help him was looking him in the face. The funny thing is Pilate even believed that Jesus was sent from God. He also wanted to release Him (John 19:11 – 12) But, because he did not accept the truth and trust that God was in control of the situation and would protect him, he was unwilling to let Jesus go free. You see we often come to this point in life where we are at a crisis point; where we have to do the right thing regardless of the consequences. During these times God is trying to point to something in us. He is trying to get us to realize the truth! What is that truth? God is who he says He is and He is always in control! As a result of that truth, we need to depend on His strength and not our own. This is truth; this is the ultimate reality for everyone! And, it is this truth that Jesus was communicating to Pilate in court. Jesus said “…I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice. "Pilate said, "What is truth?” and so the conversation ends. Pilate who is standing face to face with truth (John 14:6) does not accept it. However, Pilate is not alone. We often find ourselves in the same situation when we are tempted to sin…cheating on a test, lying to your parents, having premarital sex are all indicators that you don’t trust God, and you don’t think that He is in control. When we sin we think we know what is better for us than God does. And, that is a lie! Therefore, the people who are truly willing to accept truth, regardless of consequences, are the ones who will hear Jesus’ voice and trust Him with their lives! Are you willing to accept the truth? Stop daydreaming and just do it!

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 18: 37 – 38a

2. What is truth to you?

3. Why do people see truth differently?

John 16 Devotional

John 16: 12 – 13 "I still have many things to tell you, but you can't handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is.”

Application: Have you ever gone to a movie and did not understand what was going on? Have you seen a commercial and felt lost as to its point? Or maybe you can remember being in class and having no idea what the teacher was talking about? How did that make you feel? Did you feel confused or maybe you felt frustrated? Usually when we get into circumstances like that our frustration drives us to look for someone to help bring clarity to the situation. As humans we take comfort in understanding. Why? Well I think it gives us a sense of control. Even a little bit of control can be comforting. Everyone likes to be in control; it’s part of being human. But, what happens when the questions we face can not be answered by anyone we know and can not be found in any books we read, or even through a www.GOOGLE.com search? Where do we go then? Well this is probably how the disciples were feeling as Jesus was talking to them. Think about it! He tells them in Chapter 13 that He would be crucified. In Chapter 14 He tells them that He is leaving them. Oh and in Chapter 15 He tells them that THEY would be persecuted. And, finally in chapter 16 he tells them that THEY would be killed as well. At this point, they are more than confused and frustrated; they are probably angry, shocked, and terrified. And to top it all off, they are feeling that way and Jesus is STILL there. Jesus knows this! That is why He gives them hope for the future. That is why he said, "I still have many things to tell you, but you can't handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is.” Jesus wants the disciples to know that there is a point to all of this. Even though he would not be there physically to answer their questions, He would be in them spiritually to help them make sense of their life. And, I think that is what He is trying to say to us. Just like with the disciples, he is not here physically and He knows we are going to go through difficult times. SHHH! Did you hear that? I hear the Lord saying, “I will be in you to answer any questions you might have. I will be here to help you gain control over your circumstances!” You see the Holy Spirit’s responsibility is to guide the believer to all truth. As a result of Him living in us, we have the ability to comprehend all truth through our relationship with Jesus. So, don’t be afraid of life, nor do you have any reason to fear death. Why? God is in control and because He lives in you He will give some of that control back to you. Oh, and this does not mean don’t study anymore! Sorry! ;-)

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 16: 12 – 13

2. Have you ever heard from God? What did HE say to you?

3. What does it mean when some one says the Holy Spirit guides us?

John 15 Devotional

John 15: 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Application: Have you ever studied hard for a test only to realize that you studied for the wrong one? Or, have you ever spent so much time building up your relationships with your friends that you hurt your relationships with your family? Or, have you ever saved up your money to buy something only to realize that after it was purchased it did not bring you the joy you thought it would? What is the common denominator in each of these examples? The common denominator in each example is misplaced effort that led to major disappointment and not to true peace. Jesus is attempting to teach His disciples how to obtain true peace in this Scripture and to avoid the conclusion of realizing at the end of their life they have misplaced their efforts and are majorly disappointment with their rewards. You see, at this point in Jesus’ ministry, He is about to be crucified and return to Heaven. And, He is trying to give His disciples some last minute advice to live by while He is physically away from them. What is the crux of His advice you might ask? Well it is this no matter what your life looks like obey what I [Jesus] have told you and you will find eternal happiness. Why was this important for His disciples to understand? Well, just like Adam and Eve were tempted to doubt God’s word in the garden, so are Christians tempted to doubt God’s word in the world. Jesus talks about this temptation in chapters 15 and 16 of John. In John 15: 5 He says, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Now the question you may have is, ‘what does Jesus mean when He says “…apart from Me you can do nothing?”’ Does He mean I will not be rich unless I abide in Him? No! Does he mean I will not be healthy unless I abide in Him? No! Does He mean that I will not have friends unless I abide in Him? No! Does He mean I will not be popular unless I abide in Him? No! Well, what does He mean? In order to answer this you must go to John 16: 33. Jesus says, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” To understand what Jesus is saying you must remember that the New Testament is written in Greek by Jewish men. So whenever the author who is Jewish says peace in Greek, he is refereeing to the Hebrew word Shalom. Shalom in the Hebrew dialect has a significant meaning to the Jew and for us. For, Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, and the absence of agitation or discord. You see, Jesus is protecting His disciples from living their entire lives trying to fit into the world and thinking that they are going to find peace or become complete. He is trying to protect them from working hard for the wrong things. For example, why sacrifice your time with God and your family who you will be with forever (forever is along time it’s like forever!) just to get a promotion that will not last longer than 50 years max! Jim Elliot said it like this, “He Is No Fool Who Gives What He Cannot Keep to gain That Which He Cannot Lose.” Jesus Christ, Jim Elliot and I are all talking about eternal rewards! Jesus is trying to get His disciples and us to study for the right test! You see, we cannot be complete without Jesus’ help, and we cannot obtain eternal happiness or Shalom trying to fit into a world that is vindictive to our God. Friend, there are many things a person can do in this life, but in order to give God glory we must abide in Jesus to ensure we have peace and eternal rewards! How do we abide in Jesus? Look at John 15:10, “If you obey my commandment you will abide in my love.” Thus the point of what I am saying is this, “if you want to truly be happy forever, obey Jesus words.” If you obey His words, you will find true peace forever. And, you will never have to worry about being disappointed again! Oh and, don’t worry you are studying for the right test this time!

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 15:5

2. How do you abide in Jesus?

3. What is the one command in Matthew 5 – 7 that is the most difficult for you to do? Why?

John 14 Devotional

John 14:21 "The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that's who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him."

Application: How do you know if someone loves you? In one word it is Sacrifice. The Bible says, “There is no greater love than this: that a man would lay down his life for a friend.” You see if someone loves you, they will put your needs or desires ahead of their own. Now, I am not saying the only way you can be sure someone loves you is if they sacrifice their life for yours. What I am saying is if someone loves you, they will do their best even at the expense of their own comfort to meet your desires. You see if you are unsure if someone cares about you, look harder and ask this question, is anyone meeting any of my needs at the expense of their own comfort? I think you will find at least one person who is. Now let me pose this question to you; are you putting the desires of others above your own, or let me say it like this, do you love anyone? I hope you can say yes to this question because to be honest everyone cannot say yes to it. Some people love themselves so much they don’t even think to put the needs of others above their own. We normally call people like that selfish!! Well let’s keep on thinking! Let me ask you this, do you love God? Are you meeting any of His needs or desires? You may ask how is it that a God who has everything can have a need or a desire. And, I would answer that by saying theologically God doesn’t have any needs because he is all sufficient, which means he lacks nothing. But, because of His great wisdom, He has allowed those who love Him to have the capability to give Him pleasure or meet a desire He has! How do we give God pleasure? We do it by allowing God to use us to bring people to salvation in Him? Or to put it plainly, God loves the world and wants everyone to be saved in it. (John 3:16). And, He wants us to help Him do it. Listen, when people get saved God starts shouting! Zephaniah 3:17 explains God’s response to people’s salvation. It says "…He will exult over you with joy…He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Therefore, if you want to make God happy, help lead people to Christ! Do you remember what you went through before you believed in Jesus? Did anyone play a role in that process? If so, what did they do? Ok. Look at your saved friends. What did they go through before they believed in Jesus? Did anyone play a significant role in their salvation? You see, it is difficult to know what someone will have to go through before they believe in Jesus. That is why you must be willing at all times to obey God’s commandments! Why? Because different people may require different circumstances before they believe in Jesus. For some people God may tell us just to pray for them. But, for others God may tell us to give them something that we value. There are many possibilities. I think this is why Jesus said, "The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that's who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him." You see if we obey God, we will make Him very happy because our obedience leads to people coming closer to Him. Additionally, our obedience to God helps fulfill a desire he has that results in more intimacy with Jesus for us. Does that make sense? Don’t you get closer to the people who know how to make you feel good? When people get saved God feels great! And, if you had a part in it, that makes Him want to get a little bit closer with you. Friend, if we want to deepen our relationship with God or show our love for Jesus, we must obey His commandments. There is no question that God loves you, but the question you must answer is do you love Him? Well, do you?

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 14: 21

2. Do you love God? How do you show Him you do?

3. Go to Matthew 5 – 7 write down all of Jesus commands and post them in a place your entire family can see them.

John 13 Devotional

John 13 6 – 9 6 Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” 8 Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”

9 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!”

Application: Do you remember when your hero let you down? How did you feel? It happened to me, and I felt terrible. Looking back I wondered why I hurt so badly whenever they failed. After all it was not me that messed up! Well, I think it is because we identify ourselves with our heroes. It is interesting why we look up to the people we do. Maybe, there is something we see in them that we would like to see in ourselves, a look, a virtue, a quality. It is interesting to think about. Ah, our heroes…We rejoice when they succeed, and we mope when they fall short. Nonetheless, our heroes influence our lives, we take on their attributes, and we want to be just like them. And, I think that’s why we take it so hard when they don’t live up to our expectations. Why? Because when they are humbled so are we, and as their status drops in the eye of others somehow so does our own. Ultimately, their declining image lowers our own image, and that damages our pride. Peter was facing this same situation when Jesus was washing the disciple’s feet! After, washing the other 11 disciples muddy feet Jesus comes to Peter, “And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” If we can say anything with certainly it is this, Peter spoke from his heart and he was a very proud man! Now I am not condemning him, I wrestle with pride too. But, this instance was much deeper for Peter. He identified himself with Jesus’ ministry. He also assumed that Jesus was going to setup His Kingdom on the earth and he, Peter, would be able to have a privileged place of authority in Jesus’ Kingdom. But, in one act all his hopes for privilege status were dashed to the mud. Why, because the King of this coming kingdom was washing the feet of His SEVERANTS; The King!! Now, if the King was doing it that must mean everyone in this kingdom must have to do the same. Peter probably thought what kind of Kingdom is this? What is Jesus doing? At that point Peter had to come to grips that his hero had not met his expectations. And, as Jesus humbled Himself Peter would have to do the same. Peter’s dream of looking powerful and important in the eyes of others was coming down all around him. Peter had to understand that a hallmark of a disciple of Christ is one that ministers to other’s even past the point of humility. You see following Christ is not about notoriety; it is about meeting the needs of our brothers and sisters in the spirit of humility. Jesus confirms this by saying, “You address me as 'Teacher' and 'Master,' and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet. I've laid down a pattern for you.” What pattern?…a pattern of service! Last time, I wrote that the word servant meant “slave” actually the word is much deeper. It literally means under-rower. It refers to the slaves of the past who sat in the belly of the large ships and pulled at the great oars to carry the boat through the sea. This is the roll of a servant of Christ, not to seek the lime light or the fame, but to work in unison with the other believers in humility advancing the Kingdom of God. Do you know the good thing about Jesus being your hero? It is that He is not so high up that you have to strain your neck and eyes to see Him. Actually, if you want to see him, just look down; He’s probably right there, by your feet!

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 13 6 – 9

2. How do you know when you are in pride?

3. What can you do to cultivate humility in your heart?

John 12 Devotional

John 12 Devotional

John 12: 23 - 26 23Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24I tell you the truth, 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. 25The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Application: I remember being young and helping my grandparents plant vegetable seeds in their garden. I remember being in the dirt, I remember tilling the ground, and I remember all the bugs I had to fight away on those hot summer days. Honestly, I did not enjoy the experience, but what I did enjoy was the fresh vegetables that came out of the ground because of the hard work. Jesus was making a similar point when he described the fruitfulness of a kernel of wheat falling to the ground and dying. The spiritual point Jesus was making was “there is no harvest until there is a sacrifice.” Christ makes that point completely clear when He said, “…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.” Now, if He stopped here I don’t think anyone would have any issues with what He said. But, to make sure we don’t miss the point, He goes on to say, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” This is the principle of sowing and reaping. It is often used for money, but the principle ultimately references our life. You see friend, there is nothing in this life you can put above God. Not even life itself. Yes, it is possible that God could ask for that as well! Did you know there are more Christians being killed today for their faith in Christ than ever before in history? Statistics say there are now more than 200,000 Christians are killed each year for their faith in Christ. Now this is tragic. But, the truth is every Christian will not be killed for Christ. Remember how the Apostle John died? He died an old man. But, he still laid down his life for Jesus. You too must also lay your life down even if you are not a martyr for Jesus. How do you do that? I am glad you asked. Well, Jesus said it Himself! He said, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” How is this laying down your life? Well, the word servant is synonymous for a slave, and a slave is one who does not have any rights. Thus, if you give up all your rights to God so that no matter what happens you choose to respond in a way Jesus gets the glory, you are laying down your life for God. For example, remember when Christ said “if someone smacks you on the cheek, turn the other check so they can smack it as well?” Well your choice to give up your rights to defend yourself—your sacrifice, gives God glory. Now, you are a child of the King and as such, you have the right to demand that your Father judges anyone who hurts you. But, because you have laid down your life and are willing to let God get the glory, Jesus asks that you turn the other cheek. Your actions just planted a seed in your attackers’ heart. Now, because of your actions the person who smacked you has the opportunity of seeing God living in you and can submit to His call for their redemption. If you yield to God in this situation, not only will you be credited for the salvation of the person, you will be rewarded for your sacrifice. The point is that if you sacrifice for Christ, you will receive a great reward. Planting seeds is tough, but the rewards are worth it!

Application:

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 12: 23- 26

2. What is the biggest sacrifice you have made?

3. What would be the hardest thing you would be willing to sacrifice?

John 11 Devotional

John 11: 39 – 40 Jesus said, "Remove the stone." The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, "Master, by this time there's a stench. He's been dead four days!" Jesus looked her in the eye. "Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

Application: Think about someone famous whom you look up to! Think! What made you think about that person or those people? Do they have some quality you admire in them? Have they overcome some challenge? Have they accomplished something great? What was it that made you think about that person above all of the rest? You know what is interesting about humans? We tend to trust those whom we look up to! Moreover, we tend to use the story of their lives as a tool to help motivate us when we face our own challenges. Well, regardless of the reason, that person has just received glory. And, usually the bigger the challenge or the accomplishment, the greater the glory! I think this is what Jesus was attempting to communicate to Martha at Lazarus’ grave. Jesus said, "Remove the stone." The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, "Master, by this time there's a stench. He's been dead four days!" Jesus looked her in the eye. "Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" And, with those simple words, Martha was privileged to see God’s glory. With a word, Lazarus who had been dead for four days was brought back to life. In Bethany, the same place where a thousand years earlier the prophet Elijah had been taken up to heaven without dying, the chains of death had been shattered again. Friend, regardless of what anyone tells you, death is the greatest tragedy to befall mankind. It is abnormal. From the time of Adam until now every human being has been born with the shadow of death lingering over his or her life. Think about it! Children have to grow up knowing that one day their parents will not be there for them, fathers have to live knowing they can’t protect their children from it, and wives have to live knowing that all of their natural relationships one day will come to an end. But, Jesus promised, "Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" And, what is the glory of God? Well, the Glory of God is that the great destroyer and equalizer to all humans, which is death, is no match for a simple word from God. “Come forth!” I believe Jesus allowed Lazarus to die and stay in the grave four days because He was trying to contrast man’s hopelessness to Jesus’ ability to bring God glory. The point: Nothing is stronger than God, not even death! Do you think people admired Jesus after Lazarus was brought back to life? I do! Why? Well, He looked the greatest challenge of humanity directly in the eyes and did not blink. You have got to admire a man like that. Remember I asked earlier whom do you look up to; well if you look a little higher you will see Jesus! “Come forth!”

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 11: 39 – 40

2. Do you admire Jesus? Why or Why not?

3. Has God received glory out of your life?

John 10 Devotional

John 10 25-27 …"I told you, but you don't believe. Everything I have done has been authorized by my Father, actions that speak louder than words. You don't believe because you're not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me.”

Application: Do you think you are a trustworthy person, why or why not? For most people trust is earned and in a world flooded with sin, it’s very difficult to trust anyone. Why? All are sinners and have fallen short of the Glory of God. Therefore, if everyone is a sinner, everyone has the potential to hurt you. I think it is hard to trust people, but every now and then I find someone who can be trusted. What standards do I set that allow me to consider a person trustworthy? Strength, Consistency, and Protection. You see, you can not tell if someone is trustworthy under perfect conditions. In actuality, you can only tell if someone is trustworthy under difficult circumstances. This truth is reflected in John 10: 22 – 27. The Scripture says in vs. 22 that during the Feast of Dedication, Jesus was in the Temple walking in Solomon’s Porch. Now, there is a lot of background with this, but I will only make 2 brief points. (1) The Feast of Dedication is an event commemorating when God miraculously kept a candle lit for eight days on one day’s supply of oil. You may know of this day, it’s called Hanukkah. (2) Solomon’s Porch, where Jesus was talking from, is the place of judgment where Solomon would judge the citizens of the “Kingdom of Israel” during his reign. Ok, with this background in mind let’s dive back into the text. Jesus is once again being challenged by the Jews regarding His identity. He, being the light of the world, responds once again in a way revealing the hearts of his inquisitors. Jesus responds to their questions about his identity by saying, “I told you, but you don't believe. Everything I have done has been authorized by my Father, actions that speak louder than words. You don't believe because you're not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” You see it is the background that makes Jesus’ words clear. Why? Well, it was God who kept the candle burning eight days on one days worth of oil, and these very people who are celebrating what God did with that oil are refusing to accept what He was doing in Jesus. The irony is, at this point in the Gospel of John, Jesus has performed several miracles, which all of Israel knows about. However, these Jews would not accept His words even though they had seen His miraculous actions. As a result, they are being judged as not being His sheep because they won’t accept Him; this is why He was at Solomon’s Porch. Even though these Jews did not believe Him, there were others who did. Remember these were difficult times. Jesus still had to go to the cross. However, Jesus remained strong, and consistent, and His actions proved he had the ability to protect them, even from the death, which will happen in Chapter 11. His actions spoke even louder than His words. Like wise, throughout history, there have always been people who have trusted God. These people have taken the time to get to know Him. As a result, they heard His voice. These people eventually realized He is strong enough to get them out of any situation they face, even death. They have learned, from their relationship with Him that God is consistent, will cheer for them, support them and believe in them even when they have given up on themselves. Finally, these people have learned to depend on him for protection; regardless of the valley they walk through, they will not worry because only He can keep them from any real harm. They choose to follow him because they are familiar with His voice and they have learned to trust it. Do you know what is interesting? Sheep are considered to be the least intelligent animal on the planet. They will even eat themselves to death if left alone. But, the interesting point is, even sheep, who are the “dumbest” animal on the face of the earth knows the voice of their Shepherd, what excuse do we have? BAAAA!

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 10: 25-27.

2. Do you trust God? Why or why not?

3. Are you taking the time to get to know him?

John 9 devotional

John 9: 24 -25

24They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind— and told him, "Give credit to God. We know this man is an impostor." 25 He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see."

Application: I don’t know what it is like to be blind, but I was once in the woods in Eastern Europe at night where it was really, really dark. And, I did not like it! I could not see anything. Being in the dark can be tough; similarly, I remember the difference I felt being in the dark in my room as a boy. I remember sharing a room with my brother and waking up at night trying to get to the bathroom. I would bump into stuff because I did not know where all the toys were. Eventually, I got used to going to the bathroom at night. (I think my brother getting his own room had a big part to do with that). When he moved out, I got comfortable with going to the bathroom in the darkness because I knew where all my things were. I was comfortable with my surroundings. However, if anybody came into my room and moved something around, I would have been in trouble. And, my entire family would have suffered as the sound of my fall reverberated throughout the house. Obviously, if I turned on the light, I would not have this problem. But, if I turned on the light, it might have woken me up more than I wanted to. And, I did not want to wake up. I simply wanted to use the bathroom and go right back to sleep. This scenario is similar to what was happening to the blind man and the Pharisees. The blind man, who Jesus healed, had been blind from birth. But, even though he was born blind, he never became comfortable with the dark! He wanted the lights on. How do I know that? Well, after Jesus healed him, the Pharisees tried to get him to lie and say that Jesus was a sinner! But, this was a man who had been blind all his life and had never seen anything. He was the last person on the earth who could lie about what he ‘saw.’ No this is a man that is going to tell everyone exactly what he sees. You see this man exhibited the actions of one who desired the light. He was so thankful to see and so thankful for what Jesus had done for him that he had to interpret accurately what he saw in Jesus. In this man’s heart he knew that Jesus was good. Everything within his heart was screaming—Jesus is a good man, he healed you didn’t he. And, because he could ‘see’ that Jesus was good, he had to respond honesty to the Pharisees questions about Jesus regardless of the consequences. The conflict for this man is the Pharisees stated whoever said Jesus was the Messiah would be kicked out of their church. For a Jew that was huge, but for a Jew who was born blind and had no income it was enormous. But, the Scriptures say, “They called the man back a second time—the man who had been blind— and told him, "Give credit to God. We know this man [Jesus] is an impostor." He replied, "I know nothing about that one way or the other. But I know one thing for sure: I was blind . . . I now see.” Interestingly, the Pharisees who were born with functional eyes were really blind. And, unlike the blind man, they were comfortable with the darkness. How do I know this? Well in vs. 16 one of the Pharisees asks the obvious question that the blind man also repeated in vs. 31. What was the question? How can a man who is a sinner do such signs [heal a blind man]? And, the obvious answer is ‘only God can do such signs; it is impossible for anyone else.’ Therefore, Jesus must be from God. Seems simple, but the Pharisees were comfortable with the dark. They did not want to see because if Jesus was right, then they would have to wake up and admit they were wrong. Therefore, they chose to reject Jesus and walk around in the dark. Sadly, the sound of their fall is still ringing in our ears. Here is the moral of the story, when you see Jesus for who He reality is, you see yourself for who your really are. Jesus is ultimate reality or He is the light that exposes everything. If you are honest in your assessment of whom Jesus is you are in the light. Why? Because you will see how dependent you are on him to be righteous but, an incorrect assessment of Him means you are in the darkness and you think that you don’t need Him, and you can get right with God on your own! The Bible calls that being blind or being in the dark. You see, I knew there was a good reason to be afraid of the dark!

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 9: 24 -25

2. What are some things you do differently when you walk in the dark in contrast to the light?

3. Pray for someone you know who is walking in the dark?