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?

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 3:9-13

⁹And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. ¹⁰And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. ¹¹Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. ¹²Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. ¹³And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

We often hear in leadership circles that it is the responsibility of the leader to cast the vision for the people and to motivate them to the point where they will remain committed to the vision until the mission is accomplished. Along with casting the vision and motivating people, the leader is required to manage their effectiveness in accomplishing specific tasks along the way. Leadership is a challenging endeavor to say the least. For the Kingdom leader that challenge is magnified. We can add to the list of leadership responsibilities for the Kingdom leader the challenge of imparting faith to those in whom they lead. Imparting faith is a different action in contrast to inspiring. To impart faith is to give an individual a clearer perspective of an unseen reality, but to inspire an individual is to motivate them to accomplish the task they see before them. Imparting faith is a challenging endeavor to say the least, especially imparting the type of faith that would put ones life in jeopardy. However, the advantage for the Kingdom leader is that he or she is bringing one to faith in the living God. And because this is a living faith, God has the responsibility of producing results Look at the text in vs. 3: 10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you…” The text is making God’s intention clear. God is about to perform a miracle—the parting of the River Jordan (vs. 13)—and the sole reason for this miracle is so the Hebrews would know that God is with them and that he would not fail them. In this instance the Hebrews were asked to believe that Joshua was speaking for God and then they were required to believe that God would accomplish what He said He would. The faith imparted to the Hebrews opened up the door for God to move miraculously for them in the future as well… the rest of vs. 10 says “…and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.” So what was Joshua’s responsibility in this? Look back at vs. 9 “And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” You see Joshua imparted faith by simply gathering the Hebrews and speaking God’s words. And, the rest of the process is up to God. It is the responsibility of the leader to cast vision, motivate, manage and inspire them to remain committed to the vision until the mission is accomplished. Additionally for the Kingdom leader he or she is required to impart faith to those in whom they lead. However, the advantage of this task is that the Kingdom leader is responsible only to speak God’s word and then leave rest up to God.

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 3:7

⁷ And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.

It is especially important to have a balanced perspective when it pertains to the Kingdom of God. Many times when people articulate what they would consider the values of the Kingdom, without truly understanding the heart of the King, they derive false conclusions and end up in frustration. God’s heart is souls and he will do everything righteously possible to save them. How do we know that? John 3:16 states "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.” God cares so much for people that he is willing to take any measure to make that happen even exalting a leader at the risk of him or her falling into pride. Every believer should know how much God hates pride…Proverbs 6:16-17 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: ¹⁷ haughty [proud] eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood…” Pride is the cancer of the Kingdom of God. However, anyone knows that being exalted is one of the fastest ways of developing a spirit of pride. Yet, we see two amazing things about God’s decision to exalt Joshua that gives us a balanced perspective on being exalted in the Kingdom. 1) God trusted Joshua to handle the type of fame that would come his way because of his success as a general. 2) Joshua’s exaltation was for one purpose. Verse 7 says “so they may know that I am with you.” So, we understand that God does not have any issues exalting His Kingdom leaders; however, they must be trustworthy and understand that the only purpose for their fame is to make the name of their God famous! It is imperative to understand God cares so much for people that he is willing to do anything to save them; even exalting a leader at the risk of him or her falling into pride.