02/01          John 19:16
Then Pilate gave Jesus to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away.

POWER
Jesus surrendered himself willingly to be crucified.  He could have summoned a legion of angels to rescue Himself but He didn’t.  He went quietly and suffered willingly for our sin.  Our sin crushed Him but the power of God raised Him from the dead and He is now seated at the right hand of the Father.  What a Savior we have!

 

02/02          John 19:17-18
Carrying the cross by himself, Jesus went to the place called Skull Hill (in Hebrew, Golgotha).  There they crucified him. There were two others crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them.

SACRIFICE
He was our sacrifice to pay a price we couldn’t pay.  By the shedding of His blood He provided forgiveness for us.  Our responsibility is to ask Him to forgive us and believe in faith that He does.  This seems so simple and yet so many cannot make the move to believe that God loves them.

 

02/03          John 19:19
And Pilate posted a sign over him that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

KING
Jesus is KING of all things.  He is the KING of the universe and all creation.  Ask Him to forgive you and come into your heart.  Believing by faith that He has done this let Him walk with you and change your life.  A new life is a walk with the KING.

 

02/04          John 19:20-22
The place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and the sign was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read it.  Then the leading priests said to Pilate, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.'”  Pilate replied, “What I have written, I have written. It stays exactly as it is.”

CONTROL
Pilate thought he was in control.  All he had to do was appease the Jews.  God is in control.  He uses whatever he has to in accomplishing his purposes.  He used Pilate to finalize His dramatic rescue plan for mankind.  As the minions of Satan rejoiced at the death of the Christ, the Lord already knew it was another step in His redemption of mankind.  Thank the Lord for His merciful and gracious gift of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

02/05          John 19:23-24
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from the top.  So they said, “Let’s not tear it but throw dice to see who gets it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my clothes among themselves and threw dice for my robe.” So that is what they did.

CLOAK
Life is serious, difficult and often unfair.  When we come to the Lord He knows what we are facing and He will give us His power to deal with the difficulties of life.  Everyone has a hard time.  We choose how a hard time will change us.  Let God have control of your daily life and He will guide you through the difficult times.

 

02/06          John 19:25-27
Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Woman, he is your son.”  And he said to this disciple, “She is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.

JESUS
Dying on the cross Jesus was still concerned about His mother.  He is concerned about you.  He would that you would let Him solve your problems.  Focus your heart and mind on Jesus and He will give you the encouragement and solution that you need.  We are promised an abundant life in Christ.

 

02/07          John 19:28-30
Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, “I am thirsty.”  A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips.  When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

LIFE
Jesus gave up His life.  They didn’t steal it from Him because He willingly gave up His life as a sacrifice for us.  The world focuses on the negative side of everything.  Jesus calls us to focus on Him for He is light and life for a dying world.

 

02/08          John 19:31
The Jewish leaders didn’t want the victims hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath at that, because it was the Passover), so they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down.

FORM
People generally opt for the form of something versus the substance.  Jesus has just died, paying the price to reconcile the world to the Father.  What people don’t realize is that while they are busy with their activity focusing on the form of it they may very well miss the presence of the Lord Jesus.  At Passover the true Lamb of God spread His blood across the wooden cross and paid the price we could not pay to give us a gift we could not earn.  Jesus is Lord and He loves you.

 

02/09          John 19:32-33
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus.  But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was dead already, so they didn’t break his legs.

PROPHECY
Prophecy fulfilled, not a bone broken (Psalm 34:20.)  The Father is concerned about His creation.  He gave us this prophecy so that we would know that He was actively inserting His plans into our world.  He wasn’t distant.  He wasn’t uncaring.  In fact He cares so much for us that He gave His only son that we might have life.

 

02/10          John 19:34-37
One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out.  This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account; it is presented so that you also can believe.  These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and “They will look on him whom they pierced.”

WORD
God’s Word is written to us as a manual for life.  In it God gives us the things that we need to make the kind of life that will honor Him and serve Him.  Very simple yet mankind makes it very complex.  The truth is obey the Lord and He will give you guidance for your daily life.

 

02/11          John 19:38
Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take Jesus’ body down. When Pilate gave him permission, he came and took the body away.

DISCIPLE
There are no secret disciples in the family of God.  We are to be His representative here on Earth.  If I am filled with the Spirit of God I will overflow with a witness to Him.  Witnessing should be a part of my day to day life.  I spend time with Jesus and let Jesus express Himself thru me.

 

02/12          John 19:39-42
Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night, also came, bringing about seventy-five pounds of embalming ointment made from myrrh and aloes.  Together they wrapped Jesus’ body in a long linen cloth with the spices, as is the Jewish custom of burial.  The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before.  And so, because it was the day of preparation before the Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

GARDEN TOMB
In Jerusalem there is a place near the Damascus Gate called the Garden Tomb.  It resembles the description above.  It is a quiet garden in the middle of a lot of people and mechanical noise a restful place that gives one time to pause and contemplate.  I’ve visited this location many times when in Israel.  One thing I know He is risen and is not in any tomb.

 

02/13          John 20:1
Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

REALITY
Jesus is the Lord.  Mary and the disciples are going to learn that first hand.  We weren’t there 2,000 years ago but each one of us that have come into His Kingdom have experienced first hand the risen Lord.  Jesus is Lord.

 

02/14          John 20:2
She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and I don’t know where they have put him!”

MARY
Mary didn’t know that Jesus had risen.  It didn’t dawn on her at that time what had happened.  Until they see Jesus they are not able to comprehend God’s victory on the Cross.  Jesus is alive today and He is interceding for us with the Father.  He loves you.

 

02/15          John 20:3-5
Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see.  The other disciple outran Peter and got there first.  He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in.

ANXIETY
Anxiety was the emotion that John was feeling.  He was missing the Lord Jesus deeply and was feeling defeated.  What would they do next?  John wasn’t sure.  The cloth was there but Jesus wasn’t.  No sense of victory here but the truth was that victory was staring them in the face but their brain couldn’t comprehend what had happened.  Jesus had risen.  Death had been defeated.

 

02/16          John 20:6-7
Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying to the side.

WHAT?
What did this mean?  Peter wasn’t sure exactly what this meant.  At this moment Peter had not connected the dots.  For us it means salvation.  Christ died for you and me.  Christ rose from the dead by the power of God so that we could have His free gift of life-Life in Christ.

 

02/17          John 20:8-10
Then the other disciple also went in, and he saw and believed — for until then they hadn’t realized that the Scriptures said he would rise from the dead.  Then they went home.

BELIEVE
John believed that Jesus rose from the dead.  He saw the tomb.  He saw the resurrected Jesus.  Do you believe?  The witness is in the Word and in your heart.  The Holy Spirit will confirm to you that Jesus is alive and He is alive in you.

 

02/18          John 20:11-13
Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in.  She saw two white-robed angels sitting at the head and foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying.  “Why are you crying?” the angels asked her.  “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

LOVE
She had a great love for Jesus.  The Romans didn’t scare her.  Now it seems as though someone has stolen His body.  She didn’t have great theological ideas about Christ she was totally sold out to following Him and confident that the end result would be good.  She trusted Jesus but she hadn’t worked out what had happened yet in her mind.  She simply shared from her heart.  “Where did they put Him?”  We don’t have to be theological scholars to have a close, solid relationship with Jesus.  Our faith can be immovable.  If we believe, simply believe then we will be way ahead of where we would be if we were a doubting Thomas.

 

02/19          John 20:14-15
She glanced over her shoulder and saw someone standing behind her. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him.  “Why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”

SEE
Do you see what is going on in your life?  Have you taken God’s Word and measured you actions?  When we are looking for something different than what we see we often overlook what is right before us.  Are you living the life God called you to live?  If you aren’t go to Jesus and He will get you back on track.

 

02/20          John 20:16-17
“Mary!” Jesus said.  She turned toward him and exclaimed, “Teacher!”  “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.”

SEE
Jesus speaks and He is recognized.  He has risen and the first thing He does is to reveal Himself to His followers.  If you find yourself alone and a long way from Jesus, it isn’t because Jesus walked away from you.  Return to Him and let Jesus heal you.  Rejoin your walk with Christ.

 

02/21          John 20:18
Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.

TESTIMONY
When we see the Lord we will not let anyone stop us from talking about Him.  Witnessing is simple when you are in close communion with Jesus.  Just tell others what Christ is doing in your life.

 

02/22          John 20:19-20
That evening, on the first day of the week, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.  As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his side. They were filled with joy when they saw their Lord!

JOY
When we walk with the Lord our joy is complete.  Whatever happens to us we can overcome because our joy is in Christ.  He is Lord and He loves us and will never leave us.  Jesus changes the way we see our life for He has a plan for our life and no one or no thing can stop us.

 

02/23          John 20:21-23
He spoke to them again and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  Then he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven.”

PEACE
Jesus brings peace into our life.  When we are filled with the Lord we will have peace like a river flowing through us and touching every area of our life.  When we choose to go on our own we quickly find that peace has left us.  We don’t generate peace.  Peace is one of the resources we have when we are walking with the Lord.

 

02/24          John 20:24-25
One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin ), was not with the others when Jesus came.  They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

BELIEVE
Even though you have not seen Him you believe.  Claim the life of Christ in you and He will come and reside in you.  We accept Christ by faith and we live by faith.  We believe He is with us and He promises that when we believe He will be with us.  We can live with confidence that Jesus is with us when we follow Him.

 

02/25          John 20:26
Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. He said, “Peace be with you.”

PEACE
Jesus comes in and His peace is available for you.  Spend time with Jesus.  He will calm the chaos, clear out the fears of life and give us His peace and confidence.  We too will be able to say that there is nothing that can destroy us.  Jesus is in me and I have light for living.  He will guide me and equip me to deal with real life.

 

02/26          John 20:27
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

BELIEVE

Step forward and ask Christ to be in control of your life.  You have to give it to Him because He will not take our life unless we surrender it to Him.  In Christ we can do all things.

 

02/27          John 20:28-29
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.  Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.”

BELIEVE
The Lord’s promise to you is that He will be with you.  You will never be alone.  You do not have to face life by yourself.  The Lord Himself will stand with you and equip you to do the next right thing.  Come Lord Jesus.

 

02/28          John 20:30-31
Jesus’ disciples saw him do many other miraculous signs besides the ones recorded in this book.  But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life.

LIFE
Eternal life is difficult for us to comprehend.  In fact what we will have is life like Jesus had.  We will never be disconnected from the Father.  We will be into relationship with Him forever.  Come and accept what Jesus is offering.  Accept Christ as your Lord and Savior and live with Him.

01/01 Isaiah 63:7-14
7 I will tell of the LORD’s unfailing love. I will praise the LORD for all he has done. I will rejoice in his great goodness to Israel, which he has granted according to his mercy and love. 8 He said, “They are my very own people. Surely they will not be false again.” And he became their Savior. 9 In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years. 10 But they rebelled against him and grieved his Holy Spirit. That is why he became their enemy and fought against them. 11 Then they remembered those days of old when Moses led his people out of Egypt. They cried out, “Where is the one who brought Israel through the sea, with Moses as their shepherd? Where is the one who sent his Holy Spirit to be among his people? 12 Where is the one whose power divided the sea before them, when Moses lifted up his hand, establishing his reputation forever? 13 Where is the one who led them through the bottom of the sea? They were like fine stallions racing through the desert, never stumbling. 14 As with cattle going down into a peaceful valley, the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. You led your people, LORD, and gained a magnificent reputation.”
WITH YOU
God is with you. Christ came into our world and He is with us as we live our life. One day at a time. Day by day the Lord stands with us as we seek to grow in Him and follow Him. Surrender your life to Jesus for He knows the way.

01/01          John 17:19-20
And I give myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours.  “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony.

FOCUS
You are the focus of the Christ.  Jesus loves us.  As you begin the new year remember that Jesus is at work thinking about you, remembering you and seeking your best good.  Rejoice for we have a mighty Savior!

 

01/02          John 17:21-23
My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father — that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.  “I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are — I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me.

FILLED
Jesus is more concerned for us than we are for ourselves.  He knows what we need and is busy providing for our needs.  He wants to be a part of all that we do.  He is willing to listen to us as we detail our life and needs.  He will be patient with our incessant pleas.  He will fix our character.  He will heal us from our sin.  Jesus is alive and He wants to live in us.

 

01/03          John 17:24-26
Father, I want these whom you’ve given me to be with me, so they can see my glory. You gave me the glory because you loved me even before the world began! “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me.  And I have revealed you to them and will keep on revealing you. I will do this so that your love for me may be in them and I in them.”

FORTH-RIGHT
Jesus speaks so that we understand.  His words come from the very essence of life-for He is life and light for sin weary lives.  As the new year continues to unfold spend time with Jesus.  He will spend time with you.  He knows all about you.  He knows your needs.  Ask Him and trust His answer.

 

01/04          John 18:1-3
After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees.  Judas, the betrayer, knew this place, because Jesus had gone there many times with his disciples.  The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a battalion of Roman soldiers and Temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons, they arrived at the olive grove.

EVIL
Evil is always afoot.  Swirling around our lives is a foulness of evil that we too often miss.  Time in prayer with Jesus will keep us on the right path.  Obedience to Christ will clearly mark our path and we will not be overwhelmed by the trickery of the enemy.  We are at war with this world, the things of this world and need Christ to guide our path.

 

01/05          John 18:4-5
Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him. Stepping forward to meet them, he asked, “Whom are you looking for?”  “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. Judas was standing there with them when Jesus identified himself.

YES
Jesus answers us with YES.  Yes He will save us.  Yes He will listen to us.  Yes we belong to Him and nothing can separate us from His love.  Yes we are complete in Christ.  Yes our life is going to work out well.  Yes He is looking for us and looking out for us.  Jesus is Lord

 

01/06          John 18:6-7
And as he said, “I am he,” they all fell backward to the ground!  Once more he asked them, “Whom are you searching for?” And again they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

CHRIST
The Christ came into the world that mankind might be saved.  He didn’t try to duck His assignment and He trusted the Father absolutely.  His obedience to the Father is a wonderful example for us.  His walk is the path for us.  His life is the key for us to appropriate a Godly lifestyle.  Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior and will one day soon return for His children.

 

01/07          John 18:8-9
“I told you that I am he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.”  He did this to fulfill his own statement: “I have not lost a single one of those you gave me.”

ALWAYS
Jesus is always looking out for us.  It is important for us to spend time with Him so that He can direct our path.  Many heartaches and hurts could be avoided if we took everything to the Lord in prayer.

 

01/08          John 18:10-11
Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant.  But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup the Father has given me?”

OBEDIENCE
Even unto death Jesus was obedient to the Father.  He knew why He came to Earth.  His walk was a walk of complete obedience to the Father.  He endured the pain and the ignominy that His obedience brought.  He never wavered.  His life was a perfect life lived by one like us yet at the same time fully God.  Jesus Christ is King of all things and Lord of life.

 

01/09          John 18:12-13
So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up.  First they took him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.

FOOLISH
The priests and other religious leaders were the wise of Israel.  They were the lovers of God.  But their love had been derailed by sin.  In their sin they did not recognize the One that they claimed to follow.  All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.

 

01/10          John 18:14
Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, “Better that one should die for all.”

JESUS
Unknowingly the Jewish leaders had surrendered themselves to Satan.  They thought they were in control when in fact they were simply actors on the stage of human history.  The activity was totally under the Father’s control.  Do not be mislead, God is in Control.

 

01/11          John 18:15-17
Simon Peter followed along behind, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the courtyard with Jesus.  Peter stood outside the gate. Then the other disciple spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in.  The woman asked Peter, “Aren’t you one of Jesus’ disciples?””No,” he said, “I am not.”

NO
No was a word that reverberated throughout the rest of Peter’s life.  The question from Jesus to Peter was Peter do you love me?  Our love is expressed in the way we deal with others, especially those that mistreat us.  Must I minister to the unlovely, the poor, the widow, the outcast?  The answer is YES.  Don’t let NO trip up your ministry.  As you are given chances to minister to others take it and do it.

 

01/12          John 18:18
The guards and the household servants were standing around a charcoal fire they had made because it was cold. And Peter stood there with them, warming himself.

PETER
Have you ever boasted about something and later wish you hadn’t.  Peter was near where they were beating Jesus.  He knew it was only going to get worse.  When asked if he was a follower his fear encouraged him to lie and he did.  Three times Peter lied.  It was a bitter pill to swallow.  Proud, courageous, boastful Peter was a fraud.  Have you ever felt that way?  Go to Jesus.  Confess your sin.  Ask HIM to renew your strength and get you back on the right path.

 

01/13          John 18:19-21
Inside, the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them.  Jesus replied, “What I teach is widely known, because I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the Temple. I have been heard by people everywhere, and I teach nothing in private that I have not said in public.  Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said.”

RESPONSE
Jesus responded to the question in a kind and truthful way.  He knew what He would face and His strength came from the Father.  Even when He was prodded He didn’t strike back.  His grace and mercy are beyond comprehension.  He is a model for us to imitate.

 

01/14          John 18:22-23
One of the Temple guards standing there struck Jesus on the face. “Is that the way to answer the high priest?” he demanded.  Jesus replied, “If I said anything wrong, you must give evidence for it. Should you hit a man for telling the truth?”

TRUTH
The world does not recognize nor does it accept spiritual truth.  The Spiritual Leadership of Israel was standing before the Lord and they did not know it.  Be careful how you deal with truth.  Remember to apply spiritual truth to your self first and be hesitant to judge someone else.

 

01/15          John 18:24
Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest.

LIE
Each person involved in the persecution and subsequent death on the cross of Jesus was promulgating a lie.  They did not care about the truth they only were interested in an outcome that they could manage.  There was no faith.  There was no fairness.  Tragically we think that those people 2,000 years ago were so evil and yet even today we would do the same thing.  Why, because it was sin that killed Jesus on the cross and we continue to sin to this very day.  We must look to ourselves when we deal with sin.

 

01/16          John 18:25
Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire, they asked him again, “Aren’t you one of his disciples?””I am not,” he said.

FEAR
Fear makes us stupid.  Peter loved Jesus and yet here he was a second time denying Jesus.  There is no fear in God and we can live a life without fear.  If we have come to Christ in faith and believe that He has saved us we can live with confidence that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ.

 

01/17          John 18:26-27
But one of the household servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?”  Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed.

DENIAL
Do we do the same thing?  We promise Jesus that we aren’t going to do that thing that we do over and over again and then we do it.  At the time we are moving along our merry way but then the conviction of sin sets in and we realize that we have done it again.  Lord help me with my unbelief and evil ways.

 

01/18          John 18:28
Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas ended in the early hours of the morning. Then he was taken to the headquarters of the Roman governor. His accusers didn’t go in themselves because it would defile them, and they wouldn’t be allowed to celebrate the Passover feast.

FOOLISH
Foolish leaders focused on things and not people.  People count first with God.  Too often in the activities of man things become the focus.  God calls us to love the Lord with all of our heart and our neighbor as ourselves.  Just like the world today this was all about power and control and Jesus was evil’s pawn so evil thought.  In truth God was providing for our forgiveness in the midst of this evil persecution and trial.

 

01/19          John 18:29-32
So Pilate, the governor, went out to them and asked, “What is your charge against this man?”  “We wouldn’t have handed him over to you if he weren’t a criminal!” they retorted.  “Then take him away and judge him by your own laws,” Pilate told them. “Only the Romans are permitted to execute someone,” the Jewish leaders replied.  This fulfilled Jesus’ prediction about the way he would die.

CROSS
The cross was the preferred way the Romans executed someone.  It was cruel and painful and totally debased the individual.  Evil wanted the most horrible way possible to destroy the Christ, the Messiah.  The Lord redeemed what we could not imagine being redeemable.  Jesus is Lord.

 

01/20          John 18:33-35
Then Pilate went back inside and called for Jesus to be brought to him. “Are you the King of the Jews?” he asked him.  Jesus replied, “Is this your own question, or did others tell you about me?”  “Am I a Jew?” Pilate asked. “Your own people and their leading priests brought you here. Why? What have you done?”

PILATE
Pilate was mean, evil, wicked and bad.  There was no compassion in his heart.  He cared little for the Jewish leaders but was in a tense relationship with Rome therefore he acceded to their demands.  There is no innocence here.  Evil is alive and well on Planet Earth.  You should know that in your journey you may run into pure evil.  When you do RUN for you cannot bargain with evil.

 

01/21          John 18:36
Then Jesus answered, “I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”

JESUS
Jesus knew why He came and what He was supposed to do.  How about your life?  Have you come to grips with your life goal?  Are you letting daily problems distract you?  Keep your focus on Jesus and you will hear Him as He guides your every step.

 

01/22          John 18:37
Pilate replied, “You are a king then?” “You say that I am a king, and you are right,” Jesus said. “I was born for that purpose. And I came to bring truth to the world. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”

BIBLE
The Bible reveals God’s truth to us.  The Holy Spirit galvanizes that truth in our soul.  The Lord Jesus enables us to live the truth of God.  Without Him we will get off base immediately.  Biblical truth without Jesus creates the Inquisition.  Everything we do must be under the control of Jesus.

 

01/23          John 18:38-39
“What is truth?” Pilate asked. Then he went out again to the people and told them, “He is not guilty of any crime. But you have a custom of asking me to release someone from prison each year at Passover. So if you want me to, I’ll release the King of the Jews.”

EVIL
Evil comes gently and quietly into our midst.  Be careful what you accept as truth.  Be careful that you are not being fooled by its offer.  Do the next right thing.  Pilate was committing the evil and acting as though he had nothing to do with it.

 

01/24          John 18:40
But they shouted back, “No! Not this man, but Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a criminal.)

CROWD
Those that were members of the crowd were foolishly manipulated as though they were not individually responsible for the group decision.  We cannot avoid the guilt of complicity with evil by melting into a group.  It was the group that did it, etc.  You and I did it.  We accused Him and condemned Him.  Out of our sin we met the limitless love of God in Jesus for the Father raised Him from the dead defeating death and providing life for us.

 

01/25          John 19: 1-2
Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip.  The soldiers made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head, and they put a royal purple robe on him.

JESUS
He could have called a legion of angels but He didn’t.  He knew the suffering we go through because of our sin and He chose to take our stripes, our pain and give us life.  His choice-our blessing.

 

01/26          John 19: 3-4
“Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, and they hit him with their fists.  Pilate went outside again and said to the people, “I am going to bring him out to you now, but understand clearly that I find him not guilty.”

JESUS
Claiming that he wasn’t guilty when it was his responsibility did not relieve Pilate of his guilt.  You too cannot avoid responsibility for your acts by claiming I didn’t choose.  The truth is we either choose to follow Jesus or failing to choose we have chosen not to follow Jesus.  There is no middle road in eternity.

 

01/27          John 19:5-6
Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said, “Here is the man!”  When they saw him, the leading priests and Temple guards began shouting, “Crucify! Crucify!””You crucify him,” Pilate said. “I find him not guilty.”

CONDEMNED
They thought they were condemning Jesus to death.  His death under the power of God became life.  Satan was defeated.  We are given the opportunity to choose life.  We can choose to follow Jesus and follow Him or we can choose to go our own way.  Following Jesus results in an eternal relationship.

 

01/28          John 19:7-9
The Jewish leaders replied, “By our laws he ought to die because he called himself the Son of God.”  When Pilate heard this, he was more frightened than ever.  He took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked him, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave no answer.

WHERE?
Do you know Jesus?   Do you know that some people don’t even want to know Jesus, in fact more than half of the world population doesn’t know Jesus.  Pilate was always trying to stay on the right side of power.  He was nervous about Rome since they had called him home twice to lecture him on the way he ran his business.  His concern I think was who Jesus knew in Rome or was he related to someone that could get him, Pilate, in trouble with Rome.  Jesus is from God, fully God and fully man, the eternal Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

 

01/29          John 19:10
“You won’t talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or to crucify you?”

POWER
Pilate thought he was in control, that Rome was the real power in this world.  The real power is God.  God was at work in Christ to provide for reconciliation with a dead, lost world.  Jesus is the real Lord.  Rome was passing away.

 

01/30          John 19:11-12
Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who brought me to you has the greater sin.”  Then Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders told him, “If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is a rebel against Caesar.”

JESUS
The real power is Christ.  Jesus is able to do whatever we need to bring us to the Father.  His grace is sufficient.  We live under His grace and mercy.  We live because we have been born again by the power of God.  Our life belongs to Christ.  Remember as you go through this day that Jesus is standing with you so that you might have an abundant life.

 

01/31          John 19:13-15
When they said this, Pilate brought Jesus out to them again. Then Pilate sat down on the judgment seat on the platform that is called the Stone Pavement (in Hebrew, Gabbatha).  It was now about noon of the day of preparation for the Passover. And Pilate said to the people, “Here is your king!”  “Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him — crucify him!””What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked.”We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.

GUILTY
People are guilty of their sin.  Without Jesus we are dead in our trespasses and sin.  Without Jesus there is no forgiveness of sin.  You cannot reason your way into God’s Kingdom.  You cannot work your way into God’s Kingdom.  The only way to the Father is through Jesus.

12/01          John 15:1-2
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

WISDOM
Too many times I’ve made decisions without consulting the Lord.  The aftermath is that I’ve had to seek the Lord to get out of the mess I’ve made.  We need a close relationship with Jesus to guide us on God’s plan for our life.  This is a constant need for us to accomplish what the Father has marked out for us to do.  I cannot produce without the life of Christ indwelling me.

 

12/02          John 15:3-4
You have already been pruned for greater fruitfulness by the message I have given you.  Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.

JESUS
Jesus is our life.  He gives us life and enables us to walk a Godly path.  His wisdom, His strength and His peace are necessary for me to maintain a Godly walk and a Godly life.

 

12/03          John 15:5
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

NOTHING
Jesus doesn’t say we can do some things or little things.  He said we can do nothing without Him.  I need time with Jesus.  I need time for Him to lay out His plans for me.  I need to listen to Him.  I need Jesus in every aspect of my life.

 

12/04          John 15:6-7
Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.  But if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted!

FOLLOW
We are called to follow Jesus.  We can be confident that the Lord will listen to us and will respond to our needs.  But we have to ask.  Spend time with the Lord and talk with Him about your needs.  Remember to ask before you act.

 

12/05          John 15:8-9
My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father.  “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.

FRUIT
Have you ever wondered what fruit is?  Obedience to Jesus produces fruit.  We sow, the Lord waters and Jesus gives new life.  When we introduce Jesus to others we are working in the garden of life and the Lord is responsible for giving new life.  We are responsible for sharing Jesus.

 

12/06          John 15:10-11
When you obey me, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

JOY
Joy is not an emotion it is a position.  When we are doing what the Lord says and living the way the Lord commands we will experience His joy.  This world cannot take away our joy for our joy is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

12/07          John 15:12-13
I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you.  And here is how to measure it — the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends.

OBEY
I have a choice.  I can do what Jesus asks me to do or spurn His love and ignore His command.  The Christian life isn’t difficult.  What is difficult is trying to live like the world and call myself a Christian.  It shows when I am not living like Jesus says.

 

12/08          John 15:14
You are my friends if you obey me.

TEST
This is a test.  It is a simple test.  It is a test that we will know absolutely without any doubt and beyond any misunderstanding whether we are a child of God.  Am I obeying Jesus?  If I obey Him I belong to Him.  If I don’t obey Him I am not His child.

 

12/09          John 15:15-16
I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn’t confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.   You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

FRIEND
Jesus calls us His friend.  What a friend we have in Jesus.  It is more than a slogan.  It is a reality.  As you go through your quiet time remember that Jesus is your friend.

 

12/10          John 15:17
I command you to love each other.

OBEY
The charge is to love one another.  We will have to be under the control of Jesus Christ to love others.  Some are unlovely, some are different, some are impossible and so on but the call to OBEY is love each other.  Put that idea in your heart and go do it.

 

12/11          John 15:18-19
“When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you.  The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don’t. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you.

WORLD
The world, the flesh and the devil are constantly pulling at us to go their way.  Follow Jesus.  We are called to be like Him and to do the things that He would do.  Follow Jesus.

 

12/12          John 15:20
Do you remember what I told you? ‘A servant is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you!

LIFE
The Christian Life is a call to surrender to Jesus and to serve Him by serving others.  We evaluate our situations in life based on His call of us to be a servant.  Surrender and obey are two things that we too often forget as we live a Christian Life.

 

12/13          John 15:21-22
The people of the world will hate you because you belong to me, for they don’t know God who sent me.  They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.

SIN
Sin destroys people.  Sin enslaves, accuses, abuses and misuses people.  Jesus delivered us from sin.  The lost are still in bondage to sin.  Remember when you suffer for Jesus sake that the lost always act like the lost for they are dead in their trespasses and sin and do not know the Lord.  They are guilty of their sin but without Jesus they cannot do anything about their sin.

 

12/14          John 15:23-24
Anyone who hates me hates my Father, too.  If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be counted guilty. But as it is, they saw all that I did and yet hated both of us — me and my Father.

TRUTH
Jesus tells us the truth.  We can know exactly where we stand.  Do we love Jesus?  We cannot separate the Godhead for Jesus identifies Himself, the Father and Holy Spirit as ONE.  Jesus is Lord.

 

12/15          John 15:25-27
This has fulfilled what the Scriptures said: ‘They hated me without cause.’   “But I will send you the Counselor — the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me.  And you must also tell others about me because you have been with me from the beginning.

TELL
When you are filled with the Holy Spirit and focused on Jesus you will tell others what is happening in your life.  The activity of Jesus in our life will so overwhelm your mind and heart that witnessing will be as simple as breathing.  What is hard is trying to tell others about what Jesus is doing in your life and He isn’t doing anything because you have walked away from Him.  It is hard to fake Christ likeness.

 

12/16          John 16:1-2
“I have told you these things so that you won’t fall away.  For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a service.

OFFENSE
The world will take offense at you talking about Jesus.  It is lost and a lost world wants no part of spiritual things.  Remember when you talk about Jesus some folks will respond negatively.

12/17          John 16:3
This is because they have never known the Father or me.

TRUTH
There is no fence sitting with God.  We either accept Him or if we don’t accept Him we have denied Him.  Spend time with the Lord and obey Him.

 

12/18          John 16:4
Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember I warned you. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.

EVENTS
We waste a lot of time trying to discern the future.  If we do the best we know and in doing that are obedient to the Lord we will always be right.  What we do now determines what we will do in the future.  Our actions reveal who we are and what we will do.

 

12/19          John 16:5
“But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and none of you has asked me where I am going.

FOOLISH
The apostles heard Jesus but didn’t understand Him.  We read God’s Word but don’t understand it.  The Bible is absolutely personal.  It is speaking about and to us.  When we read it we need to understand that the Lord is revealing human nature to us and we should beware of the warnings or we may fall prey to the evil in the world or the evil one.

 

12/20          John 16:6-7
Instead, you are very sad.  But it is actually best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Counselor won’t come. If I do go away, he will come because I will send him to you.

HOLY SPIRIT
We are filled with the Holy Spirit of God.  He will guide us.  He will quicken our hearts and protect our minds in Christ Jesus.  The Lord is with us and His wisdom, mercy and grace accompany us as we move through life.  The Lord is alive and He lives in us.

 

12/21          Matthew 1:18-25
Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit.  Joseph, her fiancée, being a just man, decided to break the engagement quietly, so as not to disgrace her publicly.  As he considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.  And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  All of this happened to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel (meaning, God is with us).”  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded. He brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a virgin until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

JESUS
Jesus is Lord.  We don’t make Him Lord because He always was, is and will be Lord.

 

12/22          Matthew 2:1-6
Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him.”  Herod was deeply disturbed by their question, as was all of Jerusalem.  He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law. “Where did the prophets say the Messiah would be born?” he asked them.  “In Bethlehem,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not just a lowly village in Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ”

JESUS
Jesus is the reason for the season.  Spend time with Him and you will spend less time wandering and wondering.

 

12/23          Matthew 2:7-12
Then Herod sent a private message to the wise men, asking them to come see him. At this meeting he learned the exact time when they first saw the star.   Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”  After this interview the wise men went their way. Once again the star appeared to them, guiding them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!  They entered the house where the child and his mother, Mary, were, and they fell down before him and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  But when it was time to leave, they went home another way, because God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

JESUS
Jesus knew what He was doing when He willing stepped down off of His throne in Glory and accepted the Father’s call to come and die for mankind.

 

12/24          Luke 2:1-7
At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.  (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  All returned to their own towns to register for this census.  And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.  He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was obviously pregnant by this time.  And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.  She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the village inn.

JESUS
Jesus is always focused.  He does the Father’s work and maintains His watchcare over us.  Life in Christ is real life.

 

12/25          Luke 2:8-20
That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep.  Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened,   but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news of great joy for everyone!  The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!”  Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others — the armies of heaven — praising God: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to all whom God favors. ”  When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on, let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.  Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.  All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often.  The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said.

JESUS
Jesus gives life and bestows peace, joy and grace on each of us.  If we don’t ask Jesus to give us life then we are dead in our trespasses and sin.

 

12/26          John 16:8-9
And when he comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.  The world’s sin is unbelief in me.

SIN
Sin is pervasive in the world.  It touches every single person, everything in the world.  It is diplomatic, automatic, subversive, sensual, and whatever else it needs to be to enslave you.  We cannot save our self from sin.  Only Jesus can deliver us from sin and He does it willingly and completely.

 

12/27          John 16:10-11
Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more.  Judgment will come because the prince of this world has already been judged.

SIN
Sin is evil.  Sin is real.  You sin, I sin, everyone sins.  We cannot escape it.  We can go to Jesus and ask Him to forgive us our sin, cleanse us from unrighteousness and bring us into the family of God.  It is His free gift that is priceless and free.  You can have forgiveness by asking Jesus to save you and forgive your sin.

 

12/28          John 16:12-13
“Oh, there is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now.   When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

JESUS
Jesus saves us from our sin.  He gives us life and light for living.  He will guide our way.  Jesus will equip us to be obedient and we can choose to be obedient.  Jesus is the way the truth and the life.  In Him we have everything we need from God to lead a Godly life.  Trust Jesus with your life.

 

12/29          John 16:14-15
He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me.  All that the Father has is mine; this is what I mean when I say that the Spirit will reveal to you whatever he receives from me.

JESUS
Jesus lives with us.  He indwells us.  He enables us.  Jesus gives us what we need to lead a Holy Spirit filled life.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one and in Him, Jesus, we are saved from the world and transferred from death to life.  Jesus is Lord.

 

12/30          John 16:16
“In just a little while I will be gone, and you won’t see me anymore. Then, just a little while after that, you will see me again.”

PRESENT
Jesus is here with us.  He loves us.  He is seeking our best good.  Talk with Jesus.  Ask Him for the things you need.  He will not let you down.  He will deliver you.  Obey Him, trust in His promises (7,000+) in the Bible.  Claim those promises day by day and live your life for Christ.

 

12/31          John 16:17-18
The disciples asked each other, “What does he mean when he says, ‘You won’t see me, and then you will see me’? And what does he mean when he says, ‘I am going to the Father’?  And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.”

TRUST
There are times we will not understand what Jesus is calling us to do.  Trust Him. Trust Him with your life.  Give Him your obedience.  Listen to Him and serve Him.  Jesus is worthy of all of our life therefore follow Him and do as He says.

11/01          John 13:1-2
Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He now showed the disciples the full extent of his love.  It was time for supper, and the Devil had already enticed Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to carry out his plan to betray Jesus.

BETRAYAL
Judas betrayed Jesus as a matter of the course of his life.  He loved money more than he loved the Lord.  He loved his way better than God’s way.  What way are you traveling?  Are you surrendered to the Lord and going His way or are you caught up with self and doing your own thing?  We cannot follow the world and serve Jesus.

 

11/02          John 13:3-5
Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.  So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.

FAITH
Faith is what we believe to be true and act upon it.  If we love God and know He is in charge we will live like Jesus lived.  We will serve Him faithfully.  If we do not have faith that the Lord is in control we will follow our own way, living like the world and miss what God has for us.  Serving God is easy if we are focused on Jesus.

 

11/03          John 13:6-8
When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, why are you going to wash my feet?”  Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now why I am doing it; someday you will.”  “No,” Peter protested, “you will never wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “But if I don’t wash you, you won’t belong to me.”

GIFT
Jesus models the gift of servant hood.  Serving frees us to be of value and to grow in value.  Service is the opposite of the world.  The world only seeks to be served.  When we follow Jesus we see the value in everyone and seize the opportunity to be of service to them.  People need help and Christ followers are helpers.

 

11/04          John 13:9-10
Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”  Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you are clean, but that isn’t true of everyone here.”

CLEANSING
Cleansing of our soul is the done by God.  If we are trying to “fix” our life by making ourselves good enough then we are on the wrong track.  Only the Lord Jesus can forgive our sin.  Only the Lord Jesus can “fix” what is wrong in us.  Go to Jesus and tell Him your troubles and let Him cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

 

11/05          John 13:11-12
For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”  After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing?

EVIL
There are evil people in the world.  You know some evil people and may even have befriended them.  Who are they?  Anyone who has not asked Jesus to come into their life is outside of the family of God and is dead in their trespasses and sin.  They may seem to be good but in fact they are not.  Be careful who you follow.  Pay attention to the ideas that you let have control of your mind.

 

11/06          John 13:13-15
You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true.  And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.  I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

FOLLOW
We study God’s Word so that we can know what Jesus did.  We are to live as He lived, totally submitted to the Father.  I know that I will make mistakes and fail.  I go to Jesus for direction, guidance and forgiveness.  I begin again to follow Him.  Our growth involves a lot of correction.  Follow the Lord and you will grow.

 

11/07          John 13:16-17
How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them.  You know these things — now do them! That is the path of blessing.

AGENDA
What is your agenda?  Are you striving to be important or are you seeking to elevate Jesus?  The world wants to be important.  We want to tell everyone about Jesus.  Submit your agenda to Jesus and follow Him.

 

11/08          John 13:18-19
“I am not saying these things to all of you; I know so well each one of you I chose. The Scriptures declare, ‘The one who shares my food has turned against me,’ and this will soon come true.  I tell you this now, so that when it happens you will believe I am the Messiah.

LORD
Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of God and He is the One referenced in Scripture.  Call upon Him and you will be saved.  Follow Him and you will grow and be used and useful in the kingdom.  Get to know Jesus and it will equip you to lead an abundant life.

 

11/09          John 13:20
Truly, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.”

JESUS
Jesus is Lord.  He is Lord of life and Lord of all.  He is the creator and the bright and morning star.  He is the alpha and the omega.  He is door and what we find on the other side of the door.  Jesus is Lord and He is able to give us hope and joy and lasting peace.  Follow the Lord.

 

11/10          John 13:21-26
Now Jesus was in great anguish of spirit, and he exclaimed, “The truth is, one of you will betray me!”  The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he could mean.  One of Jesus’ disciples, the one Jesus loved, was sitting next to Jesus at the table.  Simon Peter motioned to him to ask who would do this terrible thing.  Leaning toward Jesus, he asked, “Lord, who is it?”  Jesus said, “It is the one to whom I give the bread dipped in the sauce.” And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.

WISDOM
We need wisdom from the Lord to make good decisions.  Daily we need His wisdom.  We need it to maintain good personal relationships.  We need it to fight sin.  We need it to stay on the right path in life.  We need His wisdom to fight disappointment and failure.  Every day in every way we need wisdom from the Lord.

 

11/11          John 13:27-30
As soon as Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry. Do it now.”  None of the others at the table knew what Jesus meant.  Since Judas was their treasurer, some thought Jesus was telling him to go and pay for the food or to give some money to the poor.  So Judas left at once, going out into the night.

ATTACK
Without Jesus we would be under attack by demons and minions of Satan all the time.  The Lord is with us and He will shield us.  When you feel like something heavy is weighing upon your mind ask the Lord for peace.  Stay close to Jesus and He will shelter you from attack.

 

11/12          John 13:31-32
As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for me, the Son of Man, to enter into my glory, and God will receive glory because of all that happens to me.  And God will bring me into my glory very soon.

SURRENDER
Jesus consistently puts Himself under the Father’s control.  His will is to do the will of the Father.  Surrender control of your life to Jesus.  Let Him guide you.  Ask Him to give you wisdom to know the next right thing to do.

 

11/13          John 13:33-35
Dear children, how brief are these moments before I must go away and leave you! Then, though you search for me, you cannot come to me — just as I told the Jewish leaders.  So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.  Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

LOVE
People are people.  They can be difficult to love.  The Lord calls us to love one another not because we are lovely but because we love Jesus.  When Christ is in control of us He will give us the wisdom we need to see others the way He sees them.  Look around.  Those are the people you are called to love.

 

11/14          John 13:36-38
Simon Peter said, “Lord, where are you going?” And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.”  “But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I am ready to die for you.”   Jesus answered, “Die for me? No, before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.

WHO?
We are critical of Peter but do we do any better?  Remember that secret sin that only you know about?  You give it to the Lord and vow never again and before you hardly get the words out of your mouth it pops its ugly head up.  We make excuses and act as though we are exempt from God’s rules.  We are not and we must learn to fight against sin especially sin in our life.  Confess your sin and walk away from it to Jesus.

 

11/15          John 14:1-2
“Don’t be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me.  There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly.

ETERNAL
Jesus is here with us right now.  He will be with us tomorrow.  He will never leave us.  When we die we will immediately be with Him in eternity.  Jesus is Lord and He is forever.

 

11/16          John 14:3-4
When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.  And you know where I am going and how to get there.”

SOON
Jesus is coming back soon.  How long is that?  With God it is the blink of an eye.  With man it seems long.  When measuring in eternal measure Jesus is coming back soon.  Be ready for we do not know the day or the hour.  Jesus is coming back.

 

11/17          John 14:5
“No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We haven’t any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

ASK
Thomas was curious and courageous.  No one else was asking Jesus what He meant and they all wanted to know.  When you face a perplexing issue ask the Lord to solve the issue, fix the issue or give you the energy, wisdom and strength to deal with the issue.  Do not be afraid for the Father loves you.

 

11/18          John 14:6
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

ONE WAY
There is one and only one way to the family of God and that is through the man Jesus Christ.  He is Lord of life and death and will be with us from the first moment we believed unto eternity.  One way that we come into the family of God: Lord forgive me of my sin and come into my heart.  Thank you Lord for saving me.

 

11/19          John 14:7
If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is. From now on you know him and have seen him!”

GOD
We know God because we know Jesus.  Jesus is God and in Him all of the Godhead exists bodily.  We can know the Father because we have professed Jesus as Lord and believe that He has saved us.  Jesus is the only way to the Father.

 

11/20          John 14:8
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied.”

JESUS
They didn’t understand.  They were trying to understand but they didn’t believe in Jesus yet.  They would soon but now they are still thinking in worldly terms.  We have everything we need to eternal life and living life right now in Jesus Christ.

 

11/21          John 14:9-11
Jesus replied, “Philip, don’t you even yet know who I am, even after all the time I have been with you? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking to see him?  Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me.  Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of what you have seen me do.

OBEY
Jesus calls Philip to believe.  Note that obedience is the key to the relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  We must believe Jesus if we are to obey Him.  Our society today thinks that they have the inside track on knowledge.  They do not.  Jesus is Lord.  He is Lord no matter our belief.

 

11/22          John 14:12-14
“The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.  You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it!

ASK
Ask Jesus.  When trouble comes and you are faced with complex problems ask Jesus what you need to do.  Then when you know what should be done you will do it.  Obey the Lord, ask Him what you need to be His person right now.

 

11/23          John 14:15-17
“If you love me, obey my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you do, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

OBEDIENCE
The Lord wants us to obey Him.  The reason, because He knows what we will face today so He will equip us to face today’s challenge.  We know so little about wisdom and spirituality.  His call to us is simply to obey Him and He will lead us in the right path.

 

11/24          John 14:18-20
No, I will not abandon you as orphans — I will come to you.  In just a little while the world will not see me again, but you will. For I will live again, and you will, too.  When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.

JESUS
Jesus is here with us.  He resides in us and knows the intimate details of everything we do.  He will not abandon us when we mess up.  He will look out for us when we get everything right.  Jesus is here and He is seeking our best good.  Do you believe that?  You should.

 

11/25          John 14:21
Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them.”

OBEY
Obey, do what the Lord says and things will go right for you.  Walk in obedience with the Lord.  Live in obedience to the Lord.  When you obey you are doing exactly what the Lord said for you do.  People count with Jesus.  Let’s make sure that we are focused on the task and obeying the Lord.

 

11/26          John 14:22-25
Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”  Jesus replied, “All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them.  Anyone who doesn’t love me will not do what I say. And remember, my words are not my own. This message is from the Father who sent me.  I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.

OBEY
The children of God obey Him.  They do the things that the Lord points out as things that are basic to our faith:  Love the Lord with all of your heart, love one another, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and many more that we know to do.  If we don’t obey God then the Scripture says that we are not children of God.

 

11/27          John 14:26
But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative — and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit — he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.

EXCUSE?
There is no excuse for us.  We are charged with a responsibility for sharing the Gospel.  We are to live and take it to the world.  If we don’t do it we have failed to obey the Father.  When we are filled with Jesus we simply tell about our relationship with Him.

 

11/28          John 14:27
“I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

FEAR NOT
Do not fear.  Whatever you are facing is in the Lord’s hands.  He will protect you and is committed to you throughout eternity.  Nothing can take you out of His hands.  Do not fear for in Christ we can have confidence and peace of mind and heart.  Jesus loves you!

 

11/29          John 14:28-29
Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, because now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am.  I have told you these things before they happen so that you will believe when they do happen.

BELIEVE
Think about all the things we believe.  Believe in Jesus for He created all of those things and is in charge of all things.  He loves you and gave up His life for you.  Take time to get to know the Lord and He will walk with you through this life.

 

11/30          John 14:30-31
“I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the prince of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.

POWER
All things are under the power of the Lord.  There is nothing to great for Him to deal with.  Take your troubles and you joys to the Lord.  He will console and comfort you.  Jesus will never leave you alone nor ignore you.  He knows all about you and still He loves you.  Take heart for the Lord is near.

10/01          John 11:46-48
But some went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.  Then the leading priests and Pharisees called the high council together to discuss the situation. “What are we going to do?” they asked each other. “This man certainly performs many miraculous signs.  If we leave him alone, the whole nation will follow him, and then the Roman army will come and destroy both our Temple and our nation.”

PRESERVATION
The leaders thought that they were preserving the nation.  They were no following God nor were they trying to do what God said to do.  They were listening to themselves and doing what they selfishly wanted to do.  Their words said one thing and their intent said something else.  They were the guardians and they had violated God.  WE must be careful how we think.  We need to make sure that the Lord is leading us when we purpose to do something.  We certainly want to follow Jesus in all we do and say.

 

10/02          John 11:49-50
And one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said, “How can you be so stupid?  Why should the whole nation be destroyed? Let this one man die for the people.”

GOD
God is in control.  He had a plan.  These men followed His plan for the redemption of mankind.  It was required that Jesus sacrifice His life so that we might have life.  Christ is the Holy One of God who died for our sin.

 

10/03          John 11:51
This prophecy that Jesus should die for the entire nation came from Caiaphas in his position as high priest. He didn’t think of it himself; he was inspired to say it.

CONTROL
Jesus is in control.  Does your life feel out of control?  Give it to Jesus and let Him put you life in sync with the Lord.  This will change everything for you and will equip you to do anything the Lord has in mind for you to do.  It will also give you peace, joy and strength, three things money cannot buy.

 

10/04          John 11:52-53
It was a prediction that Jesus’ death would be not for Israel only, but for the gathering together of all the children of God scattered around the world.  So from that time on the Jewish leaders began to plot Jesus’ death.

EVIL
Evil has a way of thinking it is in control.  All it does is destroy everything in its path.  These men thought they could control Jesus.  What they never realized is that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were bringing to all of mankind the way of salvation.  Come Lord Jesus.

 

10/05          John 11:54
As a result, Jesus stopped his public ministry among the people and left Jerusalem. He went to a place near the wilderness, to the village of Ephraim, and stayed there with his disciples.

PROGRESS
Jesus knew what was going on and He had a plan.  The fullness of time would reveal His plan.  He knew the right time to begin His final journey to Jerusalem.  He also knows the right time to work in your life.  Talk with Him.  Let Him work on your heart.

 

10/06          John 11:55-56
It was now almost time for the celebration of Passover, and many people from the country arrived in Jerusalem several days early so they could go through the cleansing ceremony before the Passover began.  They wanted to see Jesus, and as they talked in the Temple, they asked each other, “What do you think? Will he come for the Passover?”

PEOPLE
People count with the Lord.  He died for us that we might have an eternal relationship with Him.  Relationships are important.  Be sure you spend time with Jesus and He will spend time with you.

 

10/07          John 11:57
Meanwhile, the leading priests and Pharisees had publicly announced that anyone seeing Jesus must report him immediately so they could arrest him.

CULTURE
Our culture always seems to think it has ultimate say in what and how we do things.  We are transient creatures; and none of us knows when the Lord is coming back.  The call for us, each one of us, is to be ready today, now.

 

10/08          John 12:1-2
Six days before the Passover ceremonies began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus — the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus sat at the table with him.

ALIVE
Lazarus was raised from the dead and now he is seated with Jesus at a meal.  We have been born again and we are alive in Christ.  We too can sit with Him and talk about anything that we need to talk about.  He will hear us and He will act.

 

10/09          John 12:3
Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with fragrance.

EXPENSIVE
Mary gave the best she had to Jesus.  It was a gift of the heart and devotion.  We need to see this in the appropriate setting-this was a significant gift and then elevated to huge by Mary wiping His feet with her hair.  Mary gave her all to serving Jesus.  It is a good picture for us to think about as we serve.  Our goal is joyous servant reviling in the blessed love of God.

 

10/10          John 12:4-8
But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples — the one who would betray him — said, “That perfume was worth a small fortune. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.”  Not that he cared for the poor — he was a thief who was in charge of the disciples’ funds, and he often took some for his own use.  Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did it in preparation for my burial.  You will always have the poor among you, but I will not be here with you much longer.”

EVIL
Evil is so very destructive.  It kills everyone it touches.  It causes those under its control to destroy themselves.  Judas is evil, evil, evil without any redeeming qualities.  When we live in service to the Lord we are on the road to changing society.

 

10/11          John 12:9-11
When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead.  Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.

DEATH
This was an amazing response by the Sanhedrin.  They truly believed that they could thwart God.  It is foolish for us to think that we can stop God.  God is good all the time.  We cannot change what the Lord purposes.  He knows the end from the beginning and is more than able to accomplish whatever He plans.  He gives us the opportunity to accept Him in our life.  It is our choice.  Once we choose Him nothing can separate us from Him.  Do not seek to derail the plans of God.    When we choose God we have peace, joy and a new relationship with Him.

 

10/12          John 12:12-13
The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A huge crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!”

EXCITEMENT
The people were excited.  It doesn’t mean that they were followers, they were just curious onlookers.  Maybe they would see a miracle.  But we don’t simply seek to see Jesus perform miracles for we are seeking to know Him.  We want to spend time with Him and let Him teach us the way we should go.

 

10/13          John 12:14-16
Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said:  “Don’t be afraid, people of Israel. Look, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt.”  His disciples didn’t realize at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered that these Scriptures had come true before their eyes.

FORETOLD
Everything about the life of Jesus was foretold in the Old Testament.  His life was a constant fulfillment of prophecy.  So you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior?  Believe and He will save you.  Believe and He will give you life and light for living.

 

10/14          John 12:17-18
Those in the crowd who had seen Jesus call Lazarus back to life were telling others all about it.  That was the main reason so many went out to meet him — because they had heard about this mighty miracle.

WORKS
Jesus saw His works as ancillary to His main purpose.  He came to save the Lost.  He knew we were in trouble and He came to fix it.  He did.  His death on the Cross gave us a picture of God’s love for us.  We can see how much He loves us and how much He cares.  Jesus loves you.

 

10/15          John 12:19
Then the Pharisees said to each other, “We’ve lost. Look, the whole world has gone after him!”

EVIL
Evil has many faces.  It can even encourage someone to move against God.  These people were working against God.  No matter that the Lord could redeem the situation these people basically were not redeemed.  Focus on Jesus.  Let Him deal with your life and situation.  Only in Christ can we come to the Father.  Let’s be careful how we live and make sure that Jesus is the center of our life and not we ourselves.

 

10/16          John 12:20-21
Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem to attend the Passover paid a visit to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, “Sir, we want to meet Jesus.”

JESUS
Jesus is Lord.  Do you want to meet Him?  Maybe you have met Him and have gotten weak in your relationship with Him.  Come to Jesus.  Do whatever it takes to let Him have control of your life.  Jesus is Lord.

 

10/17          John 12:22
Philip told Andrew about it, and they went together to ask Jesus.

SHARING
We should share Christ with those we know.  A question I always ask myself is who have I shared the Gospel with this week?  If we are filled with Jesus it will be second nature for us to share Him with the people we meet especially those that are friends.

 

10/18          John 12:23-24
Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.  The truth is, a kernel of wheat must be planted in the soil. Unless it dies it will be alone — a single seed. But its death will produce many new kernels — a plentiful harvest of new lives.

SURRENDER
When I surrender myself to Christ I will change.  Change happens because Jesus is actively seeking my best good.  Sometimes change is painful.  Sometimes change challenges the very best in us.  Whatever happens I will not be the same.

 

10/19          John 12:25
Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

LIFE
What kind of life do you want?  Are you willing to trust the Lord and do as He says?  If you are He promises that we will live an abundant life.  Are you living an abundant life?  Check your relationship with Jesus.  He is the source and the goal of the Christian life.

 

10/20          John 12:26
All those who want to be my disciples must come and follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And if they follow me, the Father will honor them.

OBEDIENCE
Do what the Lord says.  Live like we are called to live.  When we do that and continue to do that we are following the Lord.  Thinking about and acting out our actions in our minds and meaning to do it don’t get it.  A Christian life is a Christ like life.  If we are just planning to live like Jesus we haven’t hit the mark.  Obey the Lord.

 

10/21          John 12:27-28
Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from what lies ahead’? But that is the very reason why I came! Father, bring glory to your name.”  Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought it glory, and I will do it again.”

OBEDIENCE
Jesus lived to serve.  He served His Father obediently.  Not His will but God’s will was His focus.  Who are you serving?  Can you say not my will Lord but Your will?  Think about it.  What will it take for you to lead an obedient lifestyle?  Will you do it?

 

10/22          John 12:29-33
When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.  Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine.  The time of judgment for the world has come, when the prince of this world will be cast out.  And when I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw everyone to myself.”  He said this to indicate how he was going to die.

DEATH
Jesus died so that we might live.  He sacrificed His life to pay the price for our life so that we might be part of God’s family.  Eternal life came at a price we couldn’t pay and Jesus gladly paid it.  Claim His gift of eternal life for you.

 

10/23          John 12:34
“Die?” asked the crowd. “We understood from Scripture that the Messiah would live forever. Why are you saying the Son of Man will die? Who is this Son of Man you are talking about?”

SON OF MAN
They wanted an earthly king.  They didn’t understand what the Lord was doing.  Listen to Jesus.  He will explain to you what the Lord is calling you to do.  Be careful how you live and make sure that your life imitates the Lord.

 

10/24          John 12:35-36
Jesus replied, “My light will shine out for you just a little while longer. Walk in it while you can, so you will not stumble when the darkness falls. If you walk in the darkness, you cannot see where you are going.  Believe in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden from them.

LIGHT
Jesus is our light.  He gives us light for life so that we will be able to do those things the Lord has called us to do and not be overrun by darkness.  This world is a tough, dark place and we will never move forward if we aren’t walking in the light that Jesus provides.  We can do nothing without the Christ.  In Him is life and light so that we might walk properly.

 

10/25          John 12:37-38
But despite all the miraculous signs he had done, most of the people did not believe in him.  This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: “Lord, who has believed our message? To whom will the Lord reveal his saving power?”

WORLD
The world ridicules those who believe in Jesus.  We are called foolish and nuts because we name the name of Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  The world believes in money and power and refuses to kneel to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Be careful who you follow for the world is walking in darkness.

 

10/26          John 12:39-40
But the people couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said, “The Lord has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts — so their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.”

BELIEF
There is a point when people cannot believe.  It is because of their sin.  There is a path of life that leads people progressively further and further away from God.  Choose to walk the path that leads you to and with God.  Choose Jesus.  He is the way, the truth and life.

 

10/27          John 12:41-42
Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he made this prediction, because he was given a vision of the Messiah’s glory.  Many people, including some of the Jewish leaders, believed in him. But they wouldn’t admit it to anyone because of their fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue.

TESTIFY
When we are filled with Jesus we will tell others what He is doing in our life.  Focus your mind and heart on Jesus first then witness to others about His activity in your life.  Share Christ out of a full heart.

 

10/28          John 12:43
For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.

LEADER
A leader that is following Jesus must maintain His focus on Christ.  We cannot succeed in our mission or our ministry if we don’t let Jesus control us.  I can do NOTHING without Christ is an absolute truism.  Let Jesus have your heart, your mind and your actions.  He will always lead you in the right way.

 

10/29          John 12:44-46
Jesus shouted to the crowds, “If you trust me, you are really trusting God who sent me.  For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me.  I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the darkness.

JESUS
Jesus is God’s everything.  We find in Jesus everything we need for life today, and forever.  When we spend time with Jesus we are spending time with the Lord for indeed Jesus is Lord.  He is the light and our light.  Fellowship with Jesus and you will know real life.

 

10/30          John 12:47-48
If anyone hears me and doesn’t obey me, I am not his judge — for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged at the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken.

JESUS
Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  Without Jesus we are whistling in the dark not knowing our right from our left.  The world is dead in its trespasses and sin.  The world doesn’t know where it came from nor where it is going.  We are from God and we are going to return to God.  Jesus is the way of real life.  Reject Jesus and you are rejecting life.

 

10/31          John 12:49-50
I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me gave me his own instructions as to what I should say. And I know his instructions lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say!”

JESUS
Jesus tells us the things we need to live an abundant life.  He expects us to obey.  When we obey we walk in the light.  When we disobey we are wandering off into the darkness.  Jesus is God’s everything.  There is no other way to the Father.  Jesus is life.

09/1            John 10:1
“I assure you, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber!

THIEF
Look around you and think about the person to whom you are listening.  Are they a child of God?  Do they follow Jesus?  If they don’t they are dead in their trespasses and sin and are described in the Word as a thief and a robber.  It doesn’t matter how wise you are they think they are the are not wise about the things of God.  Listen to Jesus.

 

09/2            John 10:2-3
For a shepherd enters through the gate.  The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

SHEPHERD
The shepherd is known by his flock.  He has spent time with them, watching over them to keep them safe.  He labors for his flock.  He knows each sheep.  There is a bond between them.  They feel the shepherd’s presence and protection.  If we would like to grow in our knowledge of the Lord let us listen to Him.

 

09/3            John 10:4-5
After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice.  They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t recognize his voice.”

AHEAD
The shepherd knows where they are going and will take the safest route to get them there.  The sheep obediently follow the shepherd to where he is taking them.  Sheep don’t ask the shepherd where they are going.  Sheep don’t suggest alternate routes.  They listen to the shepherd and follow him.  Obedience is a key element in our growing in knowledge of the Lord.

 

09/4            John 10:6-8
Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant,  so he explained it to them. “I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep,” he said.  “All others who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.

KNOWING
When we know Jesus we know His voice and listen to His speaking to us.  He will equip and enable us to discern evil and guide us on His path for living.  The more we listen to Jesus the better able we are to discern the truth.

 

09/5            John 10:9-13
Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures.  The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.  “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will leave the sheep because they aren’t his and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock.  The hired hand runs away because he is merely hired and has no real concern for the sheep.

JESUS
Jesus is Lord.  He is Lord of all and Lord of us.  He came to pay the price for our sin.  He died for us on the cross and purchased us back from sin and separation.  Jesus is Lord and He is worth of all honor and praise and glory.  I thank Him for His deep, abiding love for me and for each of us that name the name of Jesus as our Lord.

 

09/6            John 10:14-16
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.  I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice; and there will be one flock with one shepherd.

JESUS
Jesus is concerned about our daily life.  The minute issues of living are important to Him.  He is calling us to spend time with Him and to submit all of our life to His scrutiny and assistance.  Bend your knee to Jesus by giving Him all of your life.

 

09/7            John 10:17-18
“The Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may have it back again. No one can take my life from me. I lay down my life voluntarily. For I have the right to lay it down when I want to and also the power to take it again. For my Father has given me this command.”

CROSS
The Cross is the picture for us of His sacrifice and our redemption.  He paid the price willing and as part of His plan to save mankind.  Jesus came for you.  Jesus died for you.  Jesus rose from the dead by the power of God and lives today so that you may have real life.  Jesus is Lord.

 

09/8            John 10:19-21
When he said these things, the people were again divided in their opinions about him.  Some of them said, “He has a demon, or he’s crazy. Why listen to a man like that?”  Others said, “This doesn’t sound like a man possessed by a demon! Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

JESUS
The tragedy of the human experience and the lostness of mankind blinds the eyes of people who need Jesus.  It is an humbling experience for a person to recognize their lostness.  Most often they will accuse and curse Jesus.  Sometimes they will do that to you.  Remember not to hold this against them for they are dead on their trespasses and sin.  Pray for them.  Pray that the Lord will send a Word or an experience that will draw them to Him.

 

09/9            John 10:22-30
It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah.  He was at the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade.  The Jewish leaders surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”  Jesus replied, “I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is what I do in the name of my Father.   But you don’t believe me because you are not part of my flock.  My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me.  The Father and I are one.”

JESUS
Jesus is God.  He and God are one.  When we stop and spend time with Jesus we are spending time with God.  The Son hides nothing from the Father.  Be encouraged for we serve a mighty Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

09/10          John 10:31-33
Once again the Jewish leaders picked up stones to kill him.  Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many things to help the people. For which one of these good deeds are you killing me?”  They replied, “Not for any good work, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, have made yourself God.”

JESUS
The lost cannot understand or perceive spiritual things.  The world hates Jesus because His presence points out their sin.  Sin is serious and must be confessed.  When you go to Jesus He will forgive you but you have to ask for forgiveness.

 

09/11          John 10:34-36
Jesus replied, “It is written in your own law that God said to certain leaders of the people, ‘I say, you are gods!’  And you know that the Scriptures cannot be altered. So if those people, who received God’s message, were called ‘gods,’ why do you call it blasphemy when the Holy One who was sent into the world by the Father says, ‘I am the Son of God’?

SON OF GOD
Jesus is the Son of God.  His life in word and deed confirmed that.  We can know that but it requires that we believe in Him.  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

 

09/12          John 10:37-38
Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work.  But if I do his work, believe in what I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will realize that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”

PROOF
Jesus said look at my life and what I have done.  That will bear testimony to my claims.  They didn’t believe Him.  He went to the cross to die for our sin.  They still didn’t believe Him but we have the opportunity to believe.  His act of saving us is a powerful today as it was that day He was raised from the dead.  We are offered eternal life in Jesus Christ today if we will believe in Him.

 

09/13          John 10:39-42
Once again they tried to arrest him, but he got away and left them.  He went beyond the Jordan River to stay near the place where John was first baptizing.

And many followed him. “John didn’t do miracles,” they remarked to one another, “but all his predictions about this man have come true.”  And many believed in him there.

TRUTH
Jesus brought eternal truth to mankind.  He came to show us what God was like.  God loves us.  He is seeking our best good.  The Lord is our Shepherd.  He wants to add us to His family and give us an abundant life.

 

09/14          John 11:1-2
A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick.

PEOPLE
Jesus is concerned about people.  He lived and died for each one of us.  His life is available for anyone to claim.  Life in Jesus is life indeed.  Do not struggle alone Jesus will help you.  He is a friend of the needy.

 

09/15          John 11:3-4
So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, the one you love is very sick.”  But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God. I, the Son of God, will receive glory from this.”

JESUS
Jesus is the Son of God.  If you have a relationship with Him, if He is Lord and Savior of your life then you are never alone.  You have access to the Lord of the Universe and He will never desert you.  Talk to Jesus and He will give you wisdom, mercy, grace and understanding.  Call upon Jesus and He will come to your side.

 

09/16          John 11:5-7
Although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days and did not go to them.  Finally after two days, he said to his disciples, “Let’s go to Judea again.”

PERSPECTIVE
Jesus knew what was going to happen.  He was listening to His Father and doing as His Father instructed.  He knew that God was good.  He knew that the Father would do the best for Lazarus.  He also knew that the Father would get the glory.  His perspective was different than Martha and Mary.  Our perspective of our lives can also be different.  We know in whom we have believed and we know that He is faithful and righteous.  Praise the Lord for He is worthy of all praise.

 

09/17          John 11:8
But his disciples objected. “Teacher,” they said, “only a few days ago the Jewish leaders in Judea were trying to kill you. Are you going there again?”

RATIONAL
They would be heading right back to where they had just had trouble and just to go see a dead man.  The disciples were not on the same page with Jesus.  Jesus loved with a love like the Father’s love.  The disciples feared like the worst non-believer.  They just were not getting what Jesus was trying to teach them.  What lesson is God in Christ trying to teach you today?  Slow down, change, give up all good lessons that at different times we need to hear and obey.  Let the Lord have control of your life.

 

09/18          John 11:9-10
Jesus replied, “There are twelve hours of daylight every day. As long as it is light, people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world.  Only at night is there danger of stumbling because there is no light.”

LIGHT
Jesus is the light.  When we follow Him we will not stumble or fall.  Instead of leading a life of doubt and disbelief we can trust Jesus and lead a life of confidence and strength.  Jesus knows each day the trials we will face and He will equip us to deal with our challenges in a way that will glorify God.

 

09/19          John 11:11
Then he said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”

SLEEP
Jesus did not fear death.  God is in charge of all things and over all things including death.  He spoke of death as sleep.  We can wake up from sleep.  Indeed one day all the dead will rise, some to go with Jesus and others to be eternally separated from God.  This is encouragement for us and a promise to us.  One day even though we will be different we will be with Jesus with a physical body.

 

09/20          John 11:12-13
The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, that means he is getting better!”  They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was having a good night’s rest, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

DEATH
Jesus defeated death on the cross.  The Lord raised Him from the dead and death will reign no more.  In the case of Lazarus Jesus was showing the disciples and us that God is in control of all things, even death.  Do not fear.  Do not let your heart be disturbed for nothing can take away your salvation in the Lord.  Jesus is more than able to deal with our life.

 

09/21          John 11:14-15
Then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.  And for your sake, I am glad I wasn’t there, because this will give you another opportunity to believe in me. Come, let’s go see him.”

BELIEVE
What will it take in your life to believe in Jesus?  Would a miracle do it?  Ask the Lord to open your eyes and speak to your heart.  He will show you many reasons to strengthen your belief.  Begin a daily prayer journal.  When the prayers are answered put a date and the way they were answered by the prayer.  In three months review your prayer journal.  You will be amazed at the hand of God as He reveals himself to you.

 

09/22          John 11:16-19
Thomas, nicknamed the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too — and die with Jesus.”  When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days.  Bethany was only a few miles down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to pay their respects and console Martha and Mary on their loss.

JESUS
Jesus knew what His disciples were thinking.  Still He brought them with Him and taught them.  He knew they wouldn’t understand the full import of what He was doing until after the resurrection.  He also knew that this event would impact us 2,000 years later.  Jesus is in the business of giving life.  He has given life to us, life from the Father that gives us eternal life.

 

09/23          John 11:20-22
When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed at home.  Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

JESUS
Jesus is the Son of God.  He is fully man and fully divine.  I don’t understand this but I believe it.  The Bible is clear that Jesus and God are one.  When I talk with Jesus I have talked with the Father.  The Lord is seeking my best good therefore He calls me to obedience.  Our daily life is to be organized by the Lord not negotiated by us.  Serve the Lord and serve Him whole heartedly.

 

09/24          John 11:23-24
Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”  “Yes,” Martha said, “when everyone else rises, on resurrection day.”

ETERNAL LIFE
When we come into the family of God we are given eternal life.  To be absent in the flesh is to be present with the Lord.  Life, eternal life, begins right now.  We are not waiting for the end time or our date of death, we are serving right now, right where God wants us to serve and the Lord calls us to serve Him and Him only.  We cannot serve two masters.  Jesus is Lord.

 

09/25          John 11:25-27
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again.  They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?”  “Yes, Lord,” she told him. “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.”

SON OF GOD
When we talk and think about Jesus we are talking and thinking about our creator.  He is Lord of Lords and the one true God.  He was and is and always will be God.  Can you imagine anything greater than developing a friendship with the almighty God?  That is exactly what He gives us the opportunity to do, develop a friendship with Him.  Spend time with Jesus and He will spend time with you.

 

09/26          John 11:28-31
Then she left him and returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, “The Teacher is here and wants to see you.”  So Mary immediately went to him.  Now Jesus had stayed outside the village, at the place where Martha met him.  When the people who were at the house trying to console Mary saw her leave so hastily, they assumed she was going to Lazarus’s grave to weep. So they followed her there.

JESUS
Hurting?  Disappointed?  Experiencing burnout?  The world will chew us up and spit us out.  The Lord will never hurt us or disappoint us.  He will heal our psychic pain and our physical pain.  He loves us and is seeking our best good.  The Lord is good, all the time.

 

09/27          John 11:32-36
When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell down at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, he was moved with indignation and was deeply troubled.  “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.”  Then Jesus wept.  The people who were standing nearby said, “See how much he loved him.”

LORD
What will it take for us to realize that Jesus is Lord?  These people had observed His ministry up close and still didn’t understand what was going on.  Jesus loves us and it is amazing to see Him struggle with us.  What about you?  Are you where Jesus wants you to be?  Let Christ have control and He will take you to the right place in the right way each day.

 

09/28          John 11:37-39
But some said, “This man healed a blind man. Why couldn’t he keep Lazarus from dying?”  And again Jesus was deeply troubled. Then they came to the grave. It was a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance.  “Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them. But Martha, the dead man’s sister, said, “Lord, by now the smell will be terrible because he has been dead for four days.”

BELIEVE
Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved.  A simple statement that is hard for the majority of the people in world to accept.  Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?  This is the most important decision you will every make.  He will change your life forever.

 

09/29          John 11:40-44
Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you will see God’s glory if you believe?”  So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me.  You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so they will believe you sent me.”  Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”  And Lazarus came out, bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

LAZARUS
Raised from the dead this friend of Jesus walked again on the earth.  This miracle was easy for Jesus because He lived in complete obedience to the Father.  Sometimes we need an event like this in our life.  We have messed up and things are impossible.  Jesus takes the impossible messes we can make of our lives and fixes them.  Let Jesus have your impossibility today.  Ask Him to fix it.  Believe and He will.

 

09/30          John 11:45
Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.

BELIEVE
What will it take for you to believe?  Tell it to Jesus.  Let Him work with you and your impossibility.  Christ can change your life.

08/01          John 9:1
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.

JESUS
Jesus came looking for the blind man.  He knew what the day would hold and He knew how He would deal with the blind man.  When we spend time with Him He is preparing us for our day.  He knows what we will face and what we will need as we go through our day.  Spend time with Jesus.

 

08/02          John 9:2
His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

JESUS
Jesus knew that His disciples would be slow to get His message.  They were over and over again.  Jesus patiently listened to them and loved them and protected them to do the ministry He was preparing them for as He ministered.  Do not forget that the Lord loves you and He is preparing you each day for the plan He has for your life.  Go and live and spend time with Jesus.  Love the Lord with all your heart and your life will become and open book to you!

 

08/03          John 9:3-4
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.  As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

JESUS
We live in the light of Jesus Christ.  Everyone profits from His presence.  Without Jesus nothing would exist.  He loves you.  He is especially interested in your life and what you are dealing with.  Talk with Him.  Spend time with Jesus.  Let Jesus work with you on dealing with the life challenges that you face.  Let Jesus help you make good decisions.

 

08/04          John 9:5
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

LIGHT
Christ gives us life and with that life His light for seeing where we should go.  We spend time with Jesus we develop the ability to do the next right thing.  He equips us to fight against darkness and to mirror His light.  Stand in His light and you will never get lost.

 

08/05          John 9:6-7
Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes.  “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

OBEDIENCE
Jesus told the blind man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.  He did and he could see.  Are you careful to obey the Lord?  Are you living in obedience to the things of God that you know and understand?  All of us don’t know things about the Bible but it isn’t the things we don’t know that trip us up.  It is the things we know and do not do that cause us to stumble.

 

08/06          John 9:8
His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”

CHANGED
When we meet Jesus we are changed.  We are no longer dead in our trespasses and sin.  We are alive in Jesus Christ.  People can tell when we change.  People know that something has happened to us.  We simply need to tell others what happened to us.  When we meet Jesus we will tell people about our experience.

 

08/07          John 9:9
Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

SON
Jesus is the Son of God.  He is alive and is seated at the Father’s right hand interceding for us.  He knows who we are, where we are and what our greatest needs are.  He won’t forsake us nor will He abandon us.  Jesus is Lord and nothing takes Him by surprise.

 

08/08          John 9:10
“How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded.

WORLD
The world doesn’t understand spiritual things.  We cannot get into a debate about the finer points of life in Christ with the lost.  What we can do is tell them what Jesus has done for us.  He gives us new life.  He changes us from death to life.  We belong to the Lord and He will never leave us nor will He forsake us.

 

08/09          John 9:11
He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

LIFE
When Jesus gives us new life we are alive in Him.  We see Him, we know Him and we seek Him out.  We want to know Him and know Him better.  We spend time with Him for He has the keys of life.  We want to get guidance for living from Him.  Life in the Spirit is counterintuitive to the way the world thinks and lives.  We are alive in Christ and we can see and know the things Jesus talks to us about.

 

08/10          John 9:12
“Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.

KNOW
They didn’t know Jesus.  They thought of Him as someone they could manipulate or control.  They couldn’t for the Lord of all is in control of all and that includes the here and now and eternity.  We are on a stage acting out our life before the Ruler of the Universe.  He sees everything and knows everything.  He is not fearful or wringing His hands but instead is seeking to develop a relationship with His creation.  Jesus loves you.

 

08/11          John 9:13
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.

ALWAYS
Evil always seeks to destroy the works of God.  This man was now being hounded by the religious leaders.  They wanted to grill the blind man about what happened.  They were seeking a way to destroy Jesus.  Sometimes when the Lord tells us what He wants us to do we act like He is persecuting us instead of giving us life and light for living.  Watch carefully how you live.

 

08/12          John 9:14-15
Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath.  Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

MIRACLES
We sometimes miss miracles in our life.  The activity of God is on-going and always going-on.  The Lord is at work in your life in ways that you often do not understand or see.  Thank God for what He does in your life to give you light and life.

 

08/13          John 9:16
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner do such miraculous signs?” So they were divided.

HOW?
How can evil mimic the works of good?  It can’t.  A house divided will not stand.  Jesus is the author of all things good and valuable.  Evil never replaces good with good.  Jesus calls us to a higher standard.  Evil calls us to death and lower standards.  Evil destroys.  Jesus creates.

 

08/14          John 9:17-18
Finally they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.”  The Jews still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents.

UNBELIEF
People who do not want to believe in Jesus live in unbelief.  Nothing we can do will persuade them to change.  We pray for them but we also understand that belief is a personal choice.  Choose Jesus.

 

08/15          John 9:19-20
“Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”  “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind.

EVIL
Evil always questions the basics.  The questions come as innocent inquiry but they are straight from the pit of hell.  Has God said is a usual ploy.  There are 7,000 plus promises in the Word of God.  Read them and learn them so that you know what God has said.

 

08/16          John 9:21-23
But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.”  His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue.  That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

JESUS
We are responsible for our relationship with Jesus.  No one else can begin or develop that relationship.  The parents knew that they couldn’t answer for the blind man.  Neither you nor I can answer for a best friend or even our own child.  What will you do about Jesus?  Choose Jesus or you’ve chosen to ignore Jesus.

 

08/17          John 9:24
A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God, ” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

JESUS
Religious workers sometimes forget that they report to the Lord just like we do.  All of us have access to the Father one-way and that is Jesus Christ.  He is the Way, the Truth and the Life that we so desperately seek to live.  Christ is the good life.  We need to be careful when dealing with others especially the lost that we don’t take a position of instructing others as to what God thinks.  Jesus loves us.

 

08/18          John 9:25
He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

JESUS
Nothing is too hard for the Lord.  He is seeking to save the lost.  He would that all be saved.  Salvation is an individual decision.  Jesus saves but mankind has to choose Jesus to be saved.  Many that reject Jesus proclaim that they didn’t have a chance to accept Him.  This is generally a dodge for Christ says whosoever will may come.  When we come by faith believing that the Lord is faithful to His Word we are saved.  Anyone can do that and receive the same salvation that you and I have.

08/19          John 9:26
Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

MIRACLES
We waste a lot of time trying to figure our miracles.  They are simply God acting in our best interest.  Many miracles happen in our life that we never notice or realize.  Tragically we are not thankful sometimes for the miracles that we do notice.  A quiet voice whispers in our ear that we didn’t see or experience what we saw.  Our job is to obey God.  God’s job is taking care of us and He does that very well.

 

08/20          John 9:27
He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?”

QUESTION
Do you want to become His disciple too?  Are you a disciple?  Only you can make that choice.  Follow Jesus.  Let Him lead you.  Be His disciple.  Life will change.  You will change.  Serve the Lord with gladness.

 

08/21          John 9:28
Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses!

WHO?
The religious leaders can control Moses.  He can’t correct.  They don’t fear Moses.  On the other hand, they want to control God who they cannot control.  When God moves it is because He has chosen to move.  We cannot orchestrate the activities of God.  His Words to us: SURRENDER and OBEY.

 

08/22          John 9:29
We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

IGNORANCE
This is real ignorance.  Jesus testified where He came from and who He was.  The Holy Spirit by the activity of God testified as to His credentials when He healed the man blind from birth.  Moses acted as God’s emissary.  Jesus was the Son of God and He had given significant evidence to this claim.  Jesus is Lord.

 

08/23          John 9:30
The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.

MIRACLE
The testimony was this was the work of God.  Jesus did the work.  What has Jesus done in your life?  Are you hurting?  Jesus will heal the hurt.  Are you seeking to find comfort, peace, and joy?  Jesus brings these things to a relationship.  He is the giver of all good and perfect gifts.

 

08/24          John 9:31
We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.

ACT
We are becoming a society that talks and doesn’t act.  We purpose good, we think of very good things to do but until we actually do them we haven’t done anything.  Ask the Lord to come into your heart.  If you have already done this ask the Lord to help you grow and get busy doing what He created you to do.  Obedience is critical in an active Christian life.

 

08/25          John 9:32-33
Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.  If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

CONTROL
We think we are in control and then life happens and we know we are not in control.  The Lord is always in control.  When we build a relationship with Jesus we can live our life knowing that He knows what is going on with our life.  Relax, the Lord is in control.

 

08/25          John 9:32-33
Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind.  If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

CONTROL
We think we are in control and then life happens and we know we are not in control.  The Lord is always in control.  When we build a relationship with Jesus we can live our life knowing that He knows what is going on with our life.  Relax, the Lord is in control.

 

08/26          John 9:34
To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

ACCUSATIONS
An accusation about someone else’s sin doesn’t clear us from our sin.  Do not get confused with what sin is.  We do sin.  Without exception each one of us sin.  When we are dealing with the spiritual realm and we aren’t dealing with overt sins (murder, rebellion, etc.) we must be careful as we criticize others.  When we point our finger at someone else there are three fingers pointing at us.

 

08/27          John 9:35
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

JESUS
Do you believe in Jesus?  Does your life show it?  Are you growing day by day in obedience to the Lord?  This is a critical life issue.  Make sure that you believe in Jesus.  Only you can finalize your relationship with Jesus.

 

08/28          John 9:36
“Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

JESUS
Jesus is Lord.  He is a coequal member of the Holy Trinity.  He is the creator, our savior and the One we will be with throughout eternity.  He came to pay the price for our sin and provide salvation, relationship with the Father.  He is Lord and He can be our Lord if we but ask Him.

 

08/29          John 9:37-38
Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”   Then the man said, “LORD, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

BELIEVE
Jesus is God.  He isn’t just a good man.  He isn’t just a great teacher.  He taught that He was Lord and He lives now as Lord of all things.  When we believe in our heart that Christ saves us, confess our sin and ask Him for forgiveness we have been saved as the Bible presents a salvation experience.  God is in control and we do not have to be at the mercy of the world.

 

08/30          John 9:39
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

JESUS
Jesus came as our Savior.  He will return as ruler and eternal judge.  Better to get it right here than to spend eternity lamenting that our few short years on earth were for naught.  Ask Christ to forgive you sin and celebrate real life in Christ day by day.

 

08/31          John 9:40-41
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”  Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

SIN
Mankind cannot escape sin.  It is everywhere, inside of us and outside of us.  Step one is to admit we cannot heal our self from sin.   Step two is the realization that the only One who can forgive our sin is Jesus.  Step three we ask Him to forgive our sin and to come and reside in our heart.  Step four is to believe that God will really do what He said He was going to do and indeed saved us.  Accept His salvation and let it change the way we act and think and live.  Jesus is Lord.

7/1              John 8:1-2
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them.

JESUS
Jesus came to save people from their sin.  He spent many hours teaching people.  You and I can have that same type of teaching today by reading the Word, listening to the Holy Spirit and letting Jesus guide us each day.

 

7/2              John 8:3-6
As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.  “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the very act of adultery.  The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”  They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.

RIGHT
We want to do the right things sometimes.  Jesus did the right thing all the time.  The Pharisees were trying to trap Him.  Jesus knows our heart and is aware of what we think.  He knew the Pharisees and their evil nature.  Knowing this He let the Father guide Him in answering the question they asked.  We can receive wisdom for daily living by simply asking the Father to give us His wisdom.

 

7/3              John 8:7
They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!”

WISDOM
Jesus was filled with wisdom from the Father.  We can have this same wisdom if we will ask for it.  Do not let the world run you down but instead be filled with the Lord and His Spirit so that you can face the challenges of daily life.  Jesus is Lord.

 

7/4              John 8:8-11
Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.  When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman.  Then Jesus stood up again and said to her, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”  “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

JESUS
Are you trying to fool the Lord?  Is your life one way with Christians and another way with the lost?  Jesus gives us the wisdom we need for living our life.  We don’t have to wonder or doubt His care for us because He will walk with us as we face life’s challenges.  Spend time with Jesus.  Let Him know what you are thinking and ask Him specifically for what you need.  He will do it.

 

7/5              John 8:12
Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

LIGHT
Sometimes we get burdened with life.  We may find ourselves confused or out of sorts.  That is when we need to go to Jesus.  Ask Him for light for living.  We need His light so that we will not stumble in the way that we walk.  We need to see clearly what He is calling us to do.  Ask Jesus and He will help you.

 

7/6              John 8:13
The Pharisees replied, “You are making false claims about yourself!”

JESUS
The world does not recognize Jesus.  They have all kinds of fairy tales about where we come from, how we are made, who made and on and on.  These are fairy tales.  God is our Father.  He made us.  He loves us and will never leave us or forsake us.  The Lord is for us and who can be against us.  We will overcome and we will succeed because Jesus will be with us all of our life.

 

7/7              John 8:14-18
Jesus told them, “These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me.  You judge me with all your human limitations, but I am not judging anyone.  And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone — I have with me the Father who sent me.  Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact. I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other.”

JESUS
Jesus did what no one else could do and still they doubted Him.  He died for our sin and was raised from the dead and still mankind doubts Him.  You and I do not doubt Him for we know whom we have believed.  Jesus is alive and lives in our hearts.  He gives us wisdom for living.  He provides light for our daily walk,  Jesus is Lord.

 

7/8              John 8:19
“Where is your father?” they asked. Jesus answered, “Since you don’t know who I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you knew me, then you would know my Father, too.”

JESUS
People get confused about their position in life.  In all honesty each one of us is moving inexorably towards a date when this life will cease.  What have we done to deal with that most urgent of issues-where are we going?  Jesus gives us direction for this life and the life to come.  Listen to Him.

 

7/9              John 8:20
Jesus made these statements while he was teaching in the section of the Temple known as the Treasury. But he was not arrested, because his time had not yet come.

CONTROL
The Lord is in control.  It may seem chaotic in your life and at times life may seem totally out of control.  It isn’t.  Remember that the Lord knows where you are and what you are going through.  He will not forsake you nor will He forget you.

 

7/10            John 8:21-22
Later Jesus said to them again, “I am going away. You will search for me and die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going.”  The Jewish leaders asked, “Is he planning to commit suicide? What does he mean, ‘You cannot come where I am going’?”

ETERNITY
It is hard for us to comprehend eternity.  Most of us struggle just to get from Monday to Friday.  Considering eternity is far beyond the human mind to fully comprehend.  We can experience Jesus right now.  He will never leave us.  This experience of His presence will always be with us if we have asked Christ to come into our life.  If you haven’t asked Him into your life do it now.  Jesus will be with you now and forever.

 

7/11            John 8:23-24
Then he said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not.  That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I say I am, you will die in your sins.”

LOST
Mankind is dead in its trespasses and sin.  On our own we do not look for God nor are we concerned a great deal about knowing God.  Yes people have a God need in their inner being but so many are simple trying to fill that need themselves.  Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you as Savior if you have never asked Him to do that.  Jesus really is the way to the Father.

 

7/12            John 8:25-26
“Tell us who you are,” they demanded. Jesus replied, “I am the one I have always claimed to be.  I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won’t. For I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is true.”

WHO
Many people express knowledge of God and who He is; and ignorance of Jesus Christ.  Christ Himself says this is impossible.  Jesus is Lord and He is the only way to the Father.

 

7/13            John 8:27
But they still didn’t understand that he was talking to them about his Father.

JESUS
Jesus always talks about the Father.  He does exactly what the Father calls Him to do.  His work on Earth and now from the right hand of the Father is to honor and glorify Him.  Jesus will teach us the right way to go.  Jesus will guide us by His light.  Spend time with Jesus and you will know the Father.

 

7/14            John 8:28
So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross, then you will realize that I am he and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak what the Father taught me.

JESUS
When you talk with Jesus you are talking with God.  Jesus guides us in the right way.  How can we deal with today’s problems?  Talk with Jesus.  How do we deal with the unknown?  Talk with Jesus.  By faith we fellowship with Him and receive guidance for what to do next.  Jesus is Lord and He is interested in a relationship with us.

 

7/15            John 8:29
And the one who sent me is with me — he has not deserted me. For I always do those things that are pleasing to him.”

JESUS
Get to know Jesus and you will know more about yourself.  He will show you your sin and He will forgive you sin.  His way will equip you to accomplish the very best with your life.  Jesus develops us to lead an abundant life.  No matter the problems, no matter the difficulties, Jesus will lead us in the way we should go.  The end result of our obedience will be a life of abundance, peace and joy.  You will not be alone and our lives will be worthy.

 

7/16            John 8:30-32
Then many who heard him say these things believed in him.  Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings.  And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

FREE
We can be free.  We don’t have to worry.  We can finish well.  Jesus is Lord and He is on our side.  Bend the knee in obedience to Jesus and you will discover a life of limitless opportunities.

 

7/17            John 8:33-34
“But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone on earth. What do you mean, ‘set free’?”  Jesus replied, “I assure you that everyone who sins is a slave of sin.

SIN
We don’t take sin seriously.  We drift away from God and look at ourselves and pronounce that things have changed.  The ways of God are different for our day.  In our society today God’s truth has simply become a suggestion or worse totally ignored.  When we drift we always drift towards sin and never towards God.  Stop where you are and ask the Lord where am I?  Jesus will touch you and reveal you sin to you.  Then you have to decide whether or not you will change.  My prayer for you as it is for myself repent and run back to the Lord.

 

7/18            John 8:35-36
A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free.

JESUS
Jesus sets us free from sin.  We can live a Godly life.  We can be like Jesus.  But it takes a decision on our part every day that we will walk in the ways of God.  We are free to choose so for us to be growing we have to spend time with Jesus.  Read the Word, listen to what the Word says and obey God.  Walk in the ways of the Lord.

 

7/19            John 8:37
Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because my message does not find a place in your hearts. I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.”

CHOICE
People choose to sin.  We don’t have to choose to sin.  The world is dead in its trespasses and sin.  We are alive in Jesus Christ.  Today choose who you will follow.  Follow Jesus and walk in Christ.

 

7/20            John 8:39
“Our father is Abraham,” they declared. “No,” Jesus replied, “for if you were children of Abraham, you would follow his good example.

FAITH
Abraham believed God and it was accorded to Him as an act of faith.  Our relationship with Jesus is a faith relationship.  We believe in Him and that belief in Christ has connected us with Him eternally.  Today when I face the challenges of my life I believe that Jesus is going to walk with me through them.  I believe His promises in His Word about all of the things He will do for us and through us.  Jesus is Lord.  Let Abraham be an example to you.

 

7/21            John 8:40
I told you the truth I heard from God, but you are trying to kill me. Abraham wouldn’t do a thing like that.

TRUTH
We are sensitive to wanting to tell the truth, but the truth is that we are often tempted to hedge on telling the unvarnished truth.  Jesus told the truth and His Word tells the truth to us today: without Jesus we are dead in our trespasses and sin. If we have asked Jesus to come into our life we are alive in Christ.  This is the truth.

 

7/22            John 8:41
No, you are obeying your real father when you act that way.” They replied, “We were not born out of wedlock! Our true Father is God himself.”

PEOPLE
People often think that something is true just because they think it.  They say some thing long enough and enough times that it becomes true in their mind.  Over a long period of time it becomes true in their heart.  Then they pass on to others these foolish tales and ideas.  Soon a cult or religion is established.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life-there is no other way to the Father.”

 

7/23            John 8:42
Jesus told them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me.

JESUS
Jesus is God.  He came to us and He is God.  He lives now for us and He is Lord.  He will never leave us nor forsake us.  We can live our life knowing that Jesus is our Redeemer and Savior and nothing can separate us from His presence.

 

7/24            John 8:43-44
Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to do so! For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

LOST
The Lost belong to the Evil One.  They are dead in their sin and will never no God unless they come to Jesus Christ.  We are the representatives of Jesus and as such are always on display before a lost world.  Let the world know about Jesus by the way you live, act and talk-tell someone about Jesus.

 

7/25            John 8:45-47
So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me! Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone whose Father is God listens gladly to the words of God. Since you don’t, it proves you aren’t God’s children.”

LISTEN
Listen to the Lord.  Spend time reading His Word.  Listen to the quickening of the Holy Spirit when you read.  The Lord will speak to you in a way that is unique to you.  Spend time with the Lord in prayer.  Talk to Him and listen for His answers.  The Lord loves spending time with us.  Spend time with Him.

 

7/26            John 8:48-49
The people retorted, “You Samaritan devil! Didn’t we say all along that you were possessed by a demon?”  “No,” Jesus said, “I have no demon in me. For I honor my Father — and you dishonor me.

HONOR
Honor the Lord.  Step one is obedience.  Do those things He has specifically told us to do.  Don’t major on the minor but instead do those things that we know and understand are His specific directions to us to do.  Once we learn to live in constant obedience to Him everything else will fall into place.  Obey the Lord.

 

7/27            John 8:50
And though I have no wish to glorify myself, God wants to glorify me. Let him be the judge.

JESUS
The focus of all of history is Jesus.  One day all things will kneel before Him and declare His glory and praise.  Praise the Lord who is alive and who lives so that we might have life.  Today praise the Lord.  Let Him know from your heart how much you love Him.  Glorious is the Lord.  Wonderful and might is Christ the Lord.

 

7/28            John 8:51
I assure you, anyone who obeys my teaching will never die!”

LIFE
In Jesus we have life, real life.  He is worthy of our dedication and devotion.  He is calling us to obedience.  We can choose.  Will we follow the One who knows what we should be doing or will we bend the knee to self and wander in darkness?  Think about it.  Do you want to be the kind of person you know in your heart you are or will you permit yourself to continue to be controlled by the vagaries and evil of this world?  Choose Jesus.

 

7/29            John 8:52-53
The people said, “Now we know you are possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the prophets died, but you say that those who obey your teaching will never die!  Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? Are you greater than the prophets, who died? Who do you think you are?”

JESUS
Who do you think Jesus is?  Do you believe that He is Lord of all things, creator, and giver of life?  Have you asked Him to take control of your life and to forgive you of your sin?  If you has His testimony is that He has given you new life.  He makes us alive to spiritual things.  We are able to deal with our sin.  We are given the right and authority to take control of our life.  Once we are in control of our life we will find that doing the right things becomes a part of who we are.  We ask Him for direction and guidance.  We live in Him and He gives us direction for living.

 

7/30            John 8:54-56
Jesus answered, “If I am merely boasting about myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who says these glorious things about me. You say, ‘He is our God,’ but you do not even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But it is true — I know him and obey him.  Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced as he looked forward to my coming. He saw it and was glad.”

FAITH
We know Him and experience Him by faith.  It is by faith that we accept His offer of life.  It is by faith we believe that what He says He will do.  I am alive in Christ and I live this life by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that He will do exactly what He says He will do.  I will not be alone.  He will never desert me.  He will give me direction for daily living.

 

7/31            John 8:57-59
The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham? ”  Jesus answered, “The truth is, I existed before Abraham was even born!” At that point they picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus hid himself from them and left the Temple.

JESUS
His testimony is that He and the Father are one.  The Three, Holy Spirit, Son and Father are ONE and have been together since before the beginning of anything.  They exist because they ARE.  Jesus testifies that He is One with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  When we talk with Jesus we are talking with the Father.  Our conversation with Christ is a conversation with God.

06/01          John 7:1-3
After this, Jesus stayed in Galilee, going from village to village. He wanted to stay out of Judea where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death.  But soon it was time for the Festival of Shelters, and Jesus’ brothers urged him to go to Judea for the celebration. “Go where your followers can see your miracles!” they scoffed.

JESUS
Jesus knew why He was here.  His disciples didn’t get it.  He was seeking to help those in Galilee and was not going to let others push Him into doing something that could deter His mission.  Jesus knew that we needed Him to do exactly what He would do.  Think about it.  We too should do exactly what Christ calls us to do.

 

06/02          John 7:4-5
“You can’t become a public figure if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, prove it to the world!”  For even his brothers didn’t believe in him.

BELIEVE
Some talk about how hard it is to be a good Christian.  It’s easy when you believe Jesus.  It’s hard when you try to run things yourself.  A Christian lifestyle should be directed by Jesus and based on our belief and trust in Him.

 

06/03          John 7:6-7
Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go. But you can go anytime, and it will make no difference.  The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of sin and evil.

SIN
Sin is the malady that tracks each one of us.  Sin is so desperately seeking to destroy us.  We need to be on the alert.  We need to be watchful.  Jesus will help us avoid being overrun by sin.  The great tragedy is that most folks don’t take sin seriously and they don’t turn to Jesus for His strength and guidance until they are neck deep in sin.

 

06/04          John 7:8-9
You go on. I am not yet ready to go to this festival, because my time has not yet come.”   So Jesus remained in Galilee.

JESUS
Talk with Jesus.  He knows what is going on.  He can give you expert advice about your life.  Don’t try to go it alone ask Christ to teach you step by step.

 

06/05          John 7:10
But after his brothers had left for the festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view.

JESUS
He knew the right thing to do.  He knew what people thought.  He knew what He was called to do.  No mistakes or missteps.  Christ is deeply concerned about our personal life.  We need help to make it through the darkness of the world.  Ask Jesus and He will shepherd you.

 

06/06          John 7:11
The Jewish leaders tried to find him at the festival and kept asking if anyone had seen him.

JESUS
Christ knew who wanted Him and why.  He was careful to show Himself at the appropriate time.  Let me encourage you to see yourself as a part of His family, an important part of the Lord’s family.  He will teach you in the way you should go.

 

06/07          John 7:12-13
There was a lot of discussion about him among the crowds. Some said, “He’s a wonderful man,” while others said, “He’s nothing but a fraud, deceiving the people.”  But no one had the courage to speak favorably about him in public, for they were afraid of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.

FEAR
Fear drives us away from good things and good opportunities.  It causes us to do unwise things.  Do not fear.  Take your challenges to Jesus and let Him speak a word of wisdom and truth to you.

 

06/08          John 7:14-15
Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach.   The Jewish leaders were surprised when they heard him. “How does he know so much when he hasn’t studied everything we’ve studied?” they asked.

WISDOM
The Word of God is wisdom.  It is the essence and base of truth.  God is the start of everything.  When we don’t know the Father we are literally living as walking dead people.  The Bible tells us that all have sinned and that the wages of sin are death.

 

06/09          John 7:16-17.
So Jesus told them, “I’m not teaching my own ideas, but those of God who sent me.  Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own.

JESUS
The Holy Spirit directs us in our relationship with Jesus.  One cannot deny Jesus and then claim that Jesus lives in them.  We are either directed by Jesus or not.  This is a choice that we make.  Humility is denying self and surrendering to Jesus.  If we are in control we are out of Jesus’ control.

 

06/10          John 7:18
Those who present their own ideas are looking for praise for themselves, but those who seek to honor the one who sent them are good and genuine.

LORD
We want to follow the Lord.  We follow Him by our obedience, focus on Him and Him only, surrender our own prerogatives and serve others.  People count with Jesus and when they count with us we are living like Him.

 

06/11          John 7:19
None of you obeys the law of Moses! In fact, you are trying to kill me.”  The crowd replied, “You’re demon possessed! Who’s trying to kill you?”

CROWD
The crowd never follows Jesus.  When we focus our life on Christ we are no longer a part of the crowd.  We have pulled away to be with Jesus.  Our personal walk is a walk of obedience.  Do the next right thing.

 

06/12          John 7:21-24
Jesus replied, “I worked on the Sabbath by healing a man, and you were offended.  But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision is older than the law of Moses; it goes back to Abraham.)  For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it, so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should I be condemned for making a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Think this through and you will see that I am right.”

TRADITION
Tradition misuses people.  What was important in one generation, not Biblical things but human things, may not be important in this generation.  For example we no longer travel by horses and we can light a building with electric lights.  In earlier times people worshipped at a certain time because they had to travel by horse and the buildings weren’t well lit.  Today we travel by car and our buildings can be lit at night as though it were day.  The time our church meets can be early Sunday morning, late Saturday night, late Sunday and still meet the needs of the people.  There are other things we need to think about also.  Some traditions have no relevance for today but Jesus is always relevant.

 

06/13          John 7:25-27
Some of the people who lived there in Jerusalem said among themselves, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill?  But here he is, speaking in public, and they say nothing to him. Can it be that our leaders know that he really is the Messiah?  But how could he be? For we know where this man comes from. When the Messiah comes, he will simply appear; no one will know where he comes from.”

WISDOM
People need wisdom.  When they are lost they are dead in their trespasses and sin and cannot comprehend the things of God.  When Jesus indwells us, when we are part of the family of God, the Lord will give us the wisdom we need to understand what He is saying to us.  The folks in Jesus day was more interested in Him meeting their daily needs for food, shelter and clothing than they were about letting Him have control of their life.  Let Jesus have control of your life and He will not disappoint you.

 

06/14          John 7:28-29
While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he called out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I come from. But I represent one you don’t know, and he is true.  I know him because I have come from him, and he sent me to you.”

JESUS
Jesus was the one and only son of the Lord High God.  He came that we might be saved from our sin.  His death on the cross paid the debt that we had for our sin and Jesus ransomed us from death to life.  Christ is alive and lives in us and if He does then we have been saved.  If we confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts Jesus is Lord then we are saved.

 

06/15          John 7:30-31
Then the leaders tried to arrest him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.  Many among the crowds at the Temple believed in him. “After all,” they said, “would you expect the Messiah to do more miraculous signs than this man has done?”

TIME
Time limits us but it does not limit God.  His plans are unchangeable.  He knows the end from the beginning.  The Lord’s plans will succeed and we can be a part of His plan.  Know the Lord and live under His control.  Be a blessing to someone today.

 

06/16          John 7:32-33
When the Pharisees heard that the crowds were murmuring such things, they and the leading priests sent Temple guards to arrest Jesus.  But Jesus told them, “I will be here a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me.

CONTROL
Jesus knew how to deal with people.  He knew what was going on.  He was totally committed to following the will of the Father.  The activity for us as we struggle day by day is to keep focused on Jesus and let Him give us direction for living today.

 

06/17          John 7:34
You will search for me but not find me. And you won’t be able to come where I am.”

WORLD
The world always looked at Jesus as an outsider and rebel.  He was roundly criticized.  The people knew all of the reasons why their life was a mess.  Jesus knew that the only answer to a messed up life was to surrender one’s life to Jesus.  Jesus is the only way to life a full and abundant life.

 

06/18          John 7:35-36
The Jewish leaders were puzzled by this statement. “Where is he planning to go?” they asked. “Maybe he is thinking of leaving the country and going to the Jews in other lands, or maybe even to the Gentiles!  What does he mean when he says, ‘You will search for me but not find me,’ and ‘You won’t be able to come where I am’?”

LEADERS
Leaders often mislead their followers because they succumb to greediness or selfishness and no longer believe that someone would follow them even when it looked foolish to do so.  Jesus knew what the people and their leaders thought.  They didn’t know God’s plan for their rescue.  They were dead in their trespasses and sin.  A wise person trusts in God.

 

06/19          John 7:37-39
On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “If you are thirsty, come to me!  If you believe in me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water will flow out from within.”  (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

LIFE
Jesus is life.  He gives us the things that we need to grow and mature.  He has a plan for our life.  Working God’s plan gives us real peace and satisfaction.  Obeying the Lord is a joy and not a burden.  Jesus enables us to have that level of obedience.

 

06/20          John 7:40
When the crowds heard him say this, some of them declared, “This man surely is the Prophet.”

UNDERSTANDING
Not long after this pronouncement the same folks condemned Jesus.  They didn’t know Him nor did they seek to know Him.  They wanted His to meet their needs and be subservient to them.  Jesus knew their heart and didn’t listen to their words.  Jesus listened to the Father and followed Him absolutely.  Don’t listen to the world.  Follow Jesus.

 

06/21          John 7:41-43
Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others said, “But he can’t be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee?  For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born.”  So the crowd was divided in their opinion about him.

WORLD
The world is always fussing and fuming about Jesus.  It will not follow Him.  It will never understand Him.  Only when we come to Him and ask Him for life-Lord forgive me of my sin and come into my heart-will we ever be able to deal with our life.  Jesus is Lord.

 

06/22          John 7:44
And some wanted him arrested, but no one touched him.

POWER
God is able to do what is necessary to accomplish His purpose.  He can change the climate.  He can destroy an army.  He can channel our foolishness until at last we willingly follow Him.  What will it take for you to follow Jesus?  Think about it.  God will deliver you from that stumbling block.  You do not have to suffer or fail the Lord is able.

 

06/23          John 7:45
The Temple guards who had been sent to arrest him returned to the leading priests and Pharisees. “Why didn’t you bring him in?” they demanded.

PEOPLE
Powerful people think that their power is absolute.  It isn’t, in fact the power of people is very limited.  Power that people have is always limited by circumstance, time, health or the Lord.  If we are at war with God we will never succeed.  Accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior gives us peace with God.  Our relationship with the Lord is the most important issue that we will face.  Once we have peace with the Father everything else will work out in time.

 

06/24          John 7:46
“We have never heard anyone talk like this!” the guards responded.

JESUS
Jesus is Lord.  He knows what is going on and He will deal with the obstacles we face in our daily life.  The key is that we have to be in obedience to Him.  If we are obeying the Lord we will be able to deal with the daily issues that we face.  We will know what to do and how to do it.

 

06/25          John 7:47
“Have you been led astray, too?” the Pharisees mocked.

JESUS
Jesus will never lead you astray.  He died that we might have life.  He lives so that we too might be able to do those things that the Lord says we should do.  Life is uncertain.  Life in Christ is certain.  Jesus is Lord.

 

06/26          John 7:48
“Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him?

BELIEVE
I must choose to believe in Jesus.  The world doesn’t believe and is dead in their trespasses and sin.  The world creates myths and foolish ideas to believe.  If we believe in Jesus we believe in the only Son of God who died for our sin so that we might have life.  In Jesus and Jesus only can we find real life, eternal life, life like the Father.

 

06/27          John 7:49
These ignorant crowds do, but what do they know about it? A curse on them anyway!”

CURSE
Those who do not believe in Jesus are living under a curse.  They are dead in their trespasses and sin.  Jesus is Lord and He has told us what we should do.  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and we shall be saved.

 

06/28          John 7:50
Nicodemus, the leader who had met with Jesus earlier, then spoke up.

SALVATION
Nicodemus wanted to be a follower of Jesus but He couldn’t bend his knee to Christ the Lord.  Do you believe in Jesus?  If you do you are saved for there is salvation in no other name than the name of Jesus.

 

06/29          John 7:51
“Is it legal to convict a man before he is given a hearing?” he asked.

HEARING
We have been given and opportunity to hear Jesus.  We have no one to blame if we fail to ask Him to give us life, the kind of life like Gods.  Jesus is Lord.  The question we must answer is have we let Him be Lord of us.

 

06/30          John 7:52-53
They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for yourself — no prophet ever comes from Galilee!”  Then the meeting broke up and everybody went home.

LIE
People will use a lie to mislead us.  They will dress it up in a coat and apply it any way they choose.  Anything that names something else as our focus or our hope is a lie.  Jesus is Lord.  He is Lord no matter what we do.  The call is to let Jesus have