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.
