Category: John

Devotional 223: The Word was with God

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John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 8:18 “I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”

John 8:58  Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

Luke 10:18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.“

While we’re not told the extent of John’s education, if any, what we can maybe ascertain by such a poetic beginning to his gospel is that he’d acquired some in the intervening years between witnessing the crucifixion of his Rabbi and friend to his natural death on Patmos, despite the tortures he endured.

It can be confusing, and for a time I never understood why pastors would tell new converts to the faith to start there. It’s a difficult beginning to work through.

But with maturity in the Word comes understanding, epiphanies, and revelations. How could Jesus be at the beginning of things, yet we’re told we’re under a new covenant of forgiveness of our sins, mercy from the fate we deserve, and salvation through repentance, faith, and obedience in order to enter the our Father’s rest under our Savior’s rule.

Let us be reminded that not only is the Word God-breathed (2 Timothy: 3:16) but that the flesh of humanity is as well. (Genesis 2:7)

We were connected to the heavenly realm from the start, made in the image of God in our spirits, formed to have dominion in the bodily form of Christ (God had to send Him as a man because immoral flesh couldn’t look directly at God Himself and live) and the connection established and maintained through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Adam and Eve broke that connection, and we’ve been spiraling ever since. Empires have come and gone, and the parable of the farmer who built huge granaries only to die the night they were finished is being manifested as the Day of the Lord draws closer, unheeded by prideful men who believe the legacies bearing their name will never turn to dust in their mouths before their bodies do. (Luke 12:16-21)

As we labor under the illusion that this world can be saved, let the remnant who understand that we will inherit a new Earth purged of evil, under the light of a new Heaven not assailed by war, continue to not only hear the Word but obey it, and perform the works our gifts have called us to do.

And when we are there, we’ll have no memory of this fallen world, built on wind-tossed sand, deaf ears, hard hearts, and surrendered souls. (Isaiah 65:17)

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

There’s not much more to say. We see the prophecies unfolding, and the powerful have hardened their hearts and stopped their ears from hearing the cries of the poor.

They delight in the evil of their sins against humanity, and submit to the demons who blinded them and took dominion over their spirits, that Satan might gain their souls.

But as You commanded us Lord, we will pray for them as they become adversaries, that they repent, relent, seek You while You may be found, and be part of the harvest that’s gathered into the barn and not thrown into the fire.

If You prayed for your executioners and tormentors, we can do no less. Give us grace when we delight in the ruin of those whom man’s history will reveal is fallible, but that Your grace says is redeemable from all sin through repentance and faith.

This day, remind us that we take our next breath at the Father’s pleasure, take bread of Life from Your hands, give thanks and praise for the gift of eternal life, bless your Name and speak the goodness of it to others, and continue to watch and pray, remembering that we were among them but You called us out. You delivered us from evil and revealed the Father to us, sealing us in the Book of Life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

He reveals to us what is of You, as You revealed to us what was from the Father. (John 16:14-15) In faith, let us receive and abide, for apart from You, we can do nothing. (John 15:5)

May it be done to us as You have said.

Amen.

Devotional 218: Turning the Tables

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John 2:13-17

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

13 Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. 15 When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. 16 And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” 17 Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”

Mark 5:35-40

35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”

40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.

*******

Imagine you enter your father’s house to find it vandalized and robbed, but the people who did it are standing outside selling his things, claiming they had a relationship with him, and a reverence for him as a pillar of the community. Imagine they told you that what they were doing was fine, then questioned your authority to send them away.

Or imagine you are walking with the one highly skilled doctor who can bring your loved one back to life, while the rest of your family is telling you to leave the doctor alone. He then allows you, and you only, to see your loved one restored to life because you believed in him, and walked with him.

Let us remember the words of Jacob when he blessed his sons: “Judah is a lion’s whelp.”(Gen 49:9) Let us also remember the words of Paul: “Be not deceived, God is not mocked. (Galatians 6:7)

We can be assured that if the Father has given all authority to the Son, He won’t fail to operate in that authority. In the first instance, He took the time to make one of the very items of torture that would be used to break Him down before He was crucified.

In the second instance, He would not operate in the presence of non-believers, and though He wasn’t angry and zealous, as in the first instance, he still acted in His authority by putting those who ridiculed Him outside.

The tribe of Judah is indeed the whelp of Christ, because while in this world Judah was born centuries before Jesus, Jesus tells us He was with the Father before the foundation of the world. In tracing the genealogy of Jesus, there is both a harlot and a virgin, a murderer and adulterer (David), and an old carpenter, obedient to the word of G-d, given to protect a Son whose birth he had no part in. It only follows that the grace of G-d allows those who aren’t His chosen be given an opportunity to be part of His eternal kingdom under the rule of His Son.

As we see the prophecies unfolding with technology, and the fires, and the rise of the enemy through spiritual blindness and bodily confusion, we are not called to be lukewarm, for in His authority He will spew us out. (Rev 3:16)

Let us then be as the sons of Issachar discerning the times, and not only make the decision, but hold steadfast to it, for the one we choose to serve. We can be assured He will again operate in His authority as the judge of all humanity from every nation at the time of the final raising up, and the separation of those who endured to the end from the ones who fell away. (Matthew 25:31-46)

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

Cleanse me, forgive me, refresh me, and restore me. I ask so that I may be a light to those around me, doing good works that those whom I serve may see them and glorify G-d, that You might reveal Him to them, that they might be saved.

I would not make a new believer stumble because they are not like me, or their gifts will be different, or their faith might be greater, or that You may have a higher use for them than me. Even then, they will fall short in their own righteousness. I ask that You where You depart from us on the road, the Holy Spirit comforts and brings to us what is Yours, as You brought that which is the Father’s, restoring our fellowship and purifying our sinful nature.

I will not surrender my authority given by You to read the Word of G-d for myself, turning it over to those who would lead me astray because in doing so I will follow their voice, and not Yours. I will believe as they believe, and challenge Your authority to chastise and rebuke me in my sin. I will take my blessings and put them into earthly coffers subject to thieves, and not in Heaven’s storehouses to bless others.

Help me not only to remember, but to truly understand, this world is not my home, and my earthly life is not forever. Give me a heart of wisdom, and order my steps, that I may do all You have given me to do. I would be honored and humbled to say, as You did, “It is finished,” that I may hear You say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

May it be done to me as You have said.

I ask in faith, believing I’ve already received.

Amen.

Devotional 213: The Truth of Our Betrayal

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Matthew 26:20-25

22 And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?”

20 When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. 21 Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

23 He answered and said, “He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

25 Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, “Rabbi, is it I?”

He said to him, “You have said it.”

Judas had seen what all the rest had seen. He walked the same paths, sat at the same feasts, heard the same teachings, had the parables explained to him, and witnessed all the miracles, in the presence of the Promised One.

If Jesus foreknew these things, why choose him? This question is the same as, “If G-d knew that Adam and Eve would disobey Him, why put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in Eden in the first place?”

Love cannot be forced, and choosing someone to love is a risk, and love is a decision and commitment that is chosen every single day. It is not a feeling, and we do G-d a disservice to say we love Him and receive His Son yet betray Him through our disobedience, lack of spiritual growth, and yielding to temptation.

To choose to submit to authority and yield your will to someone who loves you is not an easy thing. Trust is not easy, nor is it easily earned, yet more than once our Savior says to us, “Assuredly…”, and even more importantly of the kingdom, “If it were not so, I would have told you.”(John 14:2)

Judas, as Paul said of Demas, loved the world. His own declaration, when he came back to himself condemned him. “I’ve betrayed an innocent man.” Too much had been set in motion because of him, and the hearts of the men he sought to give back his bribe were too hard and set against Jesus to receive him.

With every act of disobedience, rebellion, backsliding, and yielding to temptation, we betray Him too.

And like Judas, and the prodigal son, and Saul with the scales of the Serpent blinding his eyes to the Truth, we lose fellowship and place ourselves under wrath.

And again like the prodigal son, and Paul with the scales of the Serpent removed, we are received once more by the grace of our Lord.

Judas, up until the moment he left the room, still had the choice to not go through with what he did, having seen all the rest of them had witnessed walking with the Promised One. Jesus knew at that point the cup of the Father’s wrath and the filth of all our worldly sin would not pass from Him, and G-d would provide no other lamb.

This is why our minds must be renewed: we must think on Him before we act. If I do this, whom does it serve? And our spirits must be refreshed, for He will not despise a contrite spirit. (Psalm 51:17)

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus, there is no defense or excuse I can offer for myself for my acts of betrayal. I can only thank G-d that You were sent to provide for me a new covenant of grace and a second chance to be reconciled and enter into my Father’s rest by the power of Your holy blood, shed for me and all who believe.

Today, Lord, I meditate on the message of the Cross and rejoice at the power of the Resurrection on the last day when I too can walk with You and hear all that You would say to me, praising the Father in His light on the new earth for all eternity.

I thank You for redeeming me from being a son of perdition to a son of the Kingdom. Renew my mind, refresh my Spirit, heal me from all my diseases, and grant me boldness to spread the good news that those who believe in You and the One who sent you will, like Lazarus, be free of the grave when Your great shout of ‘Come forth!’ tells us the day of judgment is at hand.

I would enter into my Father’s rest, so I yield to Your authority and love, and trust that if it were not so You would have told me.

Forgive me and receive my repentance. My broken heart is grateful, and my contrite, renewed spirit rejoices in Your victory.
May it be done to me as You have said.

Amen.

Devotional 70: Great Multitudes Followed Him

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Jesus Heals a Great Multitude

23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. 24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

At some point, brothers and sisters, we made a decision to follow.

Something in His message drew us, reached us, and changed us, and while it may not have changed everything all the time, we are nonetheless aware of it when we choose to do that which we shouldn’t out of human frailty, and that is what confession and repentance are for, (and that is between you and the Lord).

Some in the multitude followed in the immediacy of the moment:  to get healed,  because others were going,  they had nothing better to do…

Others followed because they needed the reassurance of the Father’s love, and that they were valued by Him, because they simply could not live up to the criteria and conditions their religious leaders placed on them.

Still others followed to have their spirits healed through the power of grace.

The beauty of our Lord is in this statement: (John 6:37)

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”

Throughout His ministry, as wide and fiery and controversial as it was, the decision was made by those who followed, for whatever reason, to go to Him. It was the first act of faith on our part, and we all came at various stages in our lives, for whatever those reasons were.

But in the quiet of your heart, wherever you made your decision, you had to leave that place, and go.

Yes, we’ve strayed, backslid, compromised, held our peace, left without helping, took shortcuts, made mistakes, and messed up all over the place. And as angry and doubtful as we may become, as rebellious and shameful as we may act, that seed is rooted, and in the quiet of your heart, eventually, you look around again, and see Him standing right there, waiting for you to, as the prodigal did, come to your senses.

We’ve seen the power of G-d at work in our lives, and know the truth of Him. His existence is not a question for us, even though sometimes His plan is. The truth of His word has called to our spirits, and we’ve responded. I’ve told you the story of my own experience, which I still recall with awe, after all these years.

We’ve seen His goodness in our blessings, we have His Son to dispense grace to us in the year of His favor, but is that because we want to please Him, or do we just not want His wrath on us.

Hebrews 10:31  tells us it is a fearsome thing to fall into the hands of the living G-d.

We’ve read of His judgment as well, and how thoroughly He cuts off the wicked; He will also stir them to agitate His blessed when they stray. How many times was Israel called to repent, and given into the hands of invaders?

How many times are we?

Yet rejoice, brothers and sisters. We’ve seen the headlines. The signs are gathering, and Jesus never made an inaccurate prophecy, nor one that never came to pass.

Let us follow Him, growing in the knowledge and love of Him, abiding in Him to achieve the Father’s purpose for us, for we are in Him, and He is in the Father. If we follow Him, let it be down the narrow road.

And in the quiet of your heart, and the watches of the night, He will heal you, for though you are part of a great multitude, He knows your name.

It’s written in the Book of Life, and He is the Author and Finisher.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus, 

In these tumultuous times, let our eyes continue to be on You, to focus on Your will, being reminded that our time of persecution is coming, and indeed, now is.

The sifting to follow will be great, and dark, so we will need Your light more than ever, that we may continue to follow You, and not turn back.

Strengthen us with Kingdom power, O Lord, and let the Holy Spirit fill us with bold reverence, and tell us how to respond to those who will come to us and ask, ‘Why are you at peace? How can you be at peace?” 

Send us back to the river stones, the path markers, the books of remembrance, when our own strength fails us and we forget. 

No matter where we live, no matter the distance we travel, no matter our trials and tribulations, no matter our grief, no matter our occupation, something You’ve said to us reached us, and the Father has seen fit to grant us to be in Your presence; you’ve said no one can come to you unless it be granted by Him. (John 6:44)

We would be reconciled to Him through Your blood. Help us to remember that grace and honor has been granted us, and it is a fearsome thing, not to be held common, that the wrath of the Father be on us once again.

In the quiet of our hearts, we made the decision to come. Help us to resolve there also, and make the decision to follow, for You’ve told us that the path narrows, the hour is coming, the day is far spent, and night is here.

I ask it in Your name, believing I’ve received.

Amen

Devotional 65: The Right Hand of the Power

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Matthew 26:62-64
62 And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” 63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!”
64 Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Our Lord tells us that G-d is spirit, (John 4:24), and we are told that in the new Heaven there will be no sun, only the Light of G-d. In our human minds, what is brighter and more life sustaining than the sun?

Yet, the power of the sun burns by the power of G-d, our Creator.

As faith was the key to the working of miracles (“According to your faith, let it be done to you.” Jesus told them), so to do sinfulness, unrepentance, and faithlessness grant power to the influence of sin and the grave, which is also spoken of as having power of its own. If it didn’t, there would have been no need for Jesus to break it.

What we know as believers are two things:

  1. We will all rise to spend eternity somewhere, either in the presence of G-d, or separated from Him. Jesus’ tells us there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth at the time of the harvest separation.

2.  Every knee will bow, and tongue confess, that Jesus is Lord, including the knees                 and tongues of those who will die in their sins.

As Charles Stanley once said, for some it will be a submission done in joy, and for others in angry, fearful resentment and sadness.

In this verse, this is the only time Christ names G-d as Power, though he spoke of it earlier to the Sadducees regarding the resurrection and marriage in the afterlife. (Matthew 22:29)

 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 

For me, the most telling thing about that very power takes place when before Jesus came out, at the moment of His death, graves were opened. Stones were rolled away from tombs all over the place. (Matthew 27:50-54)

50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

They came out afterward, that Jesus might be called the firstfruits of our redemption.

Imagine the joy of those families who the dead returned too, the sense of wonder, the questions and testimonies, the buzz throughout the community that echoed Mary’s own question: How could this be?

This is why I can’t get caught up in the modern crazy.

Yes, these men have power, and we are under authority, but let us remember the words of Jesus to Pilate: John 19:11
11 Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”

Yes, we are to pray for them, but G-d is sovereign in these things, and brings down one to bring up another. In that instance, as Peter tells us:

17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear G-d. Honor the king. 

We are to honor the king, but we are to fear G-d, as Jesus tells us not to fear men who can only kill the body, but fear the One who can cast both into hell. (Matthew 10:28)

G-d will not compromise; He is not winking at sin, and the authority He’s granted to His Son will not be revoked, and is not a thing to be trifled with; we do so to the peril of our own souls.

There is a reason, Brothers and Sisters, we refer to Him as ‘The Almighty.’  He will be the source of light for the new earth, shining from the new heaven, and the sun won’t even be a memory.

He holds the universe together, He has named all the stars,  He watches the sparrows, and He lovingly redeems the faithful souls of His creation.

That is Power indeed.

Therefore I pray:

Father in Heaven,

You are the source of my life, health, and strength. No weapon formed shall prosper, but You did not say it would not be formed. Living in the world of Your enemy, who is ours also, as we are Your sons and daughters, we ask that through Your power and will to defeat him for You strengthen us as well.

Your Son has said to us that Heaven suffers violence, and it is taken by force.

Give us spirits of bold violence, Lord, to stand in the face of Your enemies and declare Your Son to the trembling demons, to bring down their strongholds, to disarm them of their weapons, and to plant seeds that will bring them to Your throne.

The full armor is hard to bear for this soldier, Lord. Often, he stumbles and falls under its weight. He does not take care of it as he should, and leaves openings for the fiery darts that pierce him and cause him to stray, to run, to give up, to desert the fight.

And You send Your Son to me to show me His hands and remind me that the victory is won, and all I need to do is call upon Him to save me. He tells me the truth:  You are faithful and just to forgive an this errant knight once again, restore him to his senses,  hand him back his weapons and say, “Go here.”

And he goes, in the grace of His redeemer, but by the Power of Your will.

We engage the day’s troubles anew, knowing that You are watching over us, and in reverent fear, we thank You for the strength to overcome it, through the power of our Lord and Savior, given to us by the power of Your love.

Thank You, Almighty  G-d, for favor, blessing, glory, and honor. May we return it all to you with interest, as the good servant in the parable of the talents pleased his master.

In the Name of Your Son, Jesus, I ask it.

Amen.

Devotional 63: They Might Also See Lazarus

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John 12:9-11

The Plot to Kill Lazarus
9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.

Dead four days, and no Christ to speak Life to him.

When Jesus did arrive, Martha, lacking the centurion’s faith, not-so-gently rebukes Him.

Jesus cautions her on doubting His ability, and restores her to a path of faith in Him, and shortly after, her brother is resurrected, unbound, and restored to her and Mary.

The Pharisees, chained in the grave of laws of their own making, infamous for their hard hearts and earthly concerns, don’t rejoice, but plot to murder a man and friend of Jesus, simply because people believed on Him after that miracle, and slipped from their control and influence.

Lazarus was a daily reminder and testimony to the authority, power, and life changing ministry of Jesus: a life restored by the power of the Holy Spirit through the Promised One.

Are we also daily reminders and living testimonies to the hard-hearted?

Are we willing to be?

Once dead in our sins, now restored to Life with the seal of the Spirit on our souls, which we must now guard against the desires of the flesh for earthly things.

We are the called, and no one takes us from his hand, but we can wriggle free if we want.  We can stray from the path at any moment. We grieve the G-dhead daily, if not hourly, and our hearts are reminded in the watches of the night that the darkness is harder to walk in than the light.

Sin by daylight, repent by starlight? No, brothers and sisters, cling to Him always, in all things, and when temptations come, and weariness assails, and doubt soils our songs of praise, and our offerings are unacceptable to Him, consider this:

There was only one way out of the grave, and Christ has revealed it to us. His ‘great shout’, I believe, is the “Come forth!” on the last day, when those who’ve built their house on the Rock of Heaven, and follow the Lamb of G-d, will reign with the Prince of Peace in an eternal Kingdom with no sin, and our sun shall be the light of the Father, with a new Heaven and a new Earth, restored to purity, with Hell and evil and faithlessness, and all manner of sin destroyed.

Even through his grave clothes Lazarus saw, and stumbled toward the Light….

Let those of us who say we see and know walk in it, as we work out our salvation, and bear good fruit.

Therefore I pray:

Lord Jesus,

I struggle with my building on Your commands. Doubt creeps into my prayers, and Your delay in answering my prayers kindle in me a quiet resentment. “If you were here, my __________ would not have died.”

Help me to know that “Even now, He will grant You whatever You ask.”

Help me to be a daily reminder and living testimony to the glory and power of Your atoning work, that hearts may soften, minds will change, and people will see You in me, as I strive in my earthly heart to see You in them.

I would not struggle and fight to love my fellow man, Lord Jesus. I would not lay charges against those who curse and wrong me. I would pray for those who wish me harm and use me. I would have my rewards stored in heavenly places.

I would claim my crown to throw at Your feet, and live in the center of the Father’s will, doing the work I’ve been called to do.

Only abiding in You is it possible, for with G-d, all things are. 

Keep me from wriggling out of Your hand, pierced for the redemption of my soul, restoring me to You as my Brother, and walking with You as my friend, and serving You as my Messiah and King, for the Father has given all into Your hand.

I ask it in Your Name, believing I’ve received.

Amen. 


	


				
	






	
	

		
Devotional 47: The Savior of the World
	


	
					

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John 4: 39-42


39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of His own word.


42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ,[a] the Savior of the world.”


What was this?


The disciples return to find Jesus not only ministering to a woman, but to a Samaritan at that.


They were the mongrel race of Jacob, full of mixed marriages and weird customs; the Father’s chosen were not to deal with them.


Did that not also hold true for His Son, the One who claimed to do His Father’s will?


The Judge of all nations had something in mind, and the mongrel race was of a piece of the Father’s plan this day, starting with it’s most devalued member. She was alone at the well because even among her own she was an outcast. It was her very lack of convention and propriety that allowed her to engage Jesus in conversation after His request for drink of water.


She challenges him along spiritual and racial lines, both of which He ignores, because He’s going to the root of the problem, and eventually gets from her a confession of knowledge that was never confirmed.


v.25 “I know that Messiah (who is called Christ) is coming. When He comes, He will tell us all things.”


As Jesus proceeds to prophesy and tell her of her life, she is stirred to back to town and tell the people. It’s a selfless act for one who seems to lead a hedonistic lifestyle. Like Jonah, her sermon is short, but effective. There is something in her manner that compels them; a societal outcast is calling them back with her to the well to see a man she spoke with.


If nothing else, he sounds like a good man, and there’s not much to do, so they go.


And Jesus stays two days, preparing the ground to receive the sacrifice of His righteousness for those with reprobate lifestyles.


‘And many more believed because of His own word.’


Therefore I pray:


Lord Jesus


You have all wisdom and power, and see the hearts of humanity.


We who say we left all to follow You, love You, believe in all Your promises and miracles, yet we turn away from forgiving and praying for our enemies, much less minister to them.


I admit a hard heart regarding this too, Lord. It feels good to rage and curse, and like Andrew said, to call down fire from Heaven (thank You for not letting us do that). It is our nature to want to see our enemies brought low, and to point our fingers and laugh at their destruction.


But the Father says He takes no pleasure in it.


Still we excuse it with: “His ways are higher than ours, and we’re only human after all.”


Yet the Father says be holy as He is holy.


He not only expects us to do it, He commands it.


I confess I don’t want to. I ask that you help me to see my enemies for what they are: an unfinished, sinful work that needs a  Potter’s hands, a sinner who needs salvation, a man sick in his soul.


Help me not to say, “I thank You that I’m not like this man.”


Remind me I am to be a lamp on a hill, salt and light, and a fruitful vine so that all who hear of You through my words come to You and believe it for themselves.


By the Power of Your Name, I ask it.


Amen.

	


				
	






			

			
							
		

	
	

		
Devotional 42: Do Whatever He Tells You
	


	
					

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John 2:1-10


Water Turned to Wine


2 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”


4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”


5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”


6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”


There are two ways to think of obedience:


One is to obey out of love, much the way a child does who wants to please their parents, or a student to please their teacher.


Jesus was constrained to obedience in this way, not only in doing the Father’s will, but in honoring His earthly parents as well.


The other way is how we more often think of it: as being under threat, something we must comply with in order to avoid harsh consequences, which are heavier to bear.


Yet with the story of Jesus we are told He was obedient to the Father’s command to come to us ‘…because He loved us first.’ (John 4:19); and that He was ‘obedient even to death on a cross.’ (Philippians 2:8)


But here, as Mary makes her ‘request’ Jesus portentously says to her:


“My hour has not yet come.”


Yet if a mother knows her child, how much more does the one whom all generations call blessed?


By now, Mary has observed Him with people, and surely the event of Him as a boy sitting among the learned rabbis remained a strong memory.


By now, she’s seen His heart of compassion, and yet while His mission is the salvation of the world, the judgment of all nations, and reconciling the hearts of the sinful to the heart of G-d through establishing an eternal Kingdom, His mother is feeling compassion for such a simple thing as running out of wine at a wedding feast.


The beauty of this story lies in the fact that we’re not told why they ran out:


Were there drunkards?


Was there not enough money?


Was this a mistake regarding the number of guests attending?


We are left to figure this out, but this is no mystery to Mary, nor is there uncertainty on her part about what He will do; though she has no way to know the specifics her faith in her Son is such that she considers the matter settled:


5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”


Indeed, she walks away in faith and doesn’t address Him again.


We are told this is Jesus’ first miracle. How then did she know He was able to do anything?


How could Emmanuel, G-d with us, not?


It doesn’t matter why you come to Jesus; it only matters that You come, but if you do,


Be ready to obey whatever He says to you.


Therefore I pray:


Lord Jesus


I thank You for interceding in the small, finite details of my earthly life.


I thank You for granting me peace past earthly understanding.


I thank You for the people I’ve loved, and the family You’ve redeemed to the Father who no longer dwell here on earth with me.


I thank You for taking my deserved condemnation on Yourself, that I may be in the presence of my Creator’s glory for all eternity as spotless, blameless, and guiltless by the power of Your blood.


I thank You for imparting the Holy Spirit to me, that the truth my be revealed to scaly eyes and a heart of stone softened by the harsh, loving words of the King of Heaven.


Help me also in this: that I lay up treasure in Heaven even as I walk the extra mile in the hot sun, or endure the chill of the evening as I give my coat also, or ignore the offense of personal assault as the pain of life’s slaps and punches mark my cheeks.


In this, I would obey in love and reverent fear of the Lord my G-d, and ask it in Your Name.


Amen.


 

	


				
	






			

			
							
		

	
	

		
Devotional 41: A Triumphal Entry, A Confession of Defeat
	


	
					

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John 12:12-19


The Triumphal Entry


12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:




“Hosanna!

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’[a]

The King of Israel!”




14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:




15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;

Behold, your King is coming,

Sitting on a donkey’s colt.”[b]




16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.


17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign. 19 The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, “You see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after Him!”


As they saw the people leaving, those who witnessed the dramatic raising of Lazarus, and those who heard of it from the witnesses, their hearts must’ve failed within them, for in this they saw, finally, that Jesus had broken their oppressive grip on the people.


Caiaphas had prophesied that:


” (Jesus) would gather together in one the children of G-d who were scattered abroad.”(John 11:52)


Their plotting to kill him was intensifying, but Jesus knew what to do and stayed on mission, knowing what He was going to endure. How easy it would’ve been to slip away, to be seen no more, to give over control and the oppression that came with it back to the men who believed themselves empowered by G-d to twist His Word to their benefit.


But then, we would not have the final cry of Our Savior gaining victory over sin, death, and hell: “It is finished.”


He did well to try to get them to see that the Law they so loved to quote and add to was embodied in Him, that the patriarchs existed to guide Israel to Him, that Moses and the prophets were writing about and speaking of Him, but they refused to see.


It is with good reason our Lord tells us to set our minds on things above, for these men were lost in the trappings, living for the approval of men. Even now, ministers of the Gospel are falling prey to this in a world of immediate gratification and accolades for doing wrong and evil things.


And even in this, we see the Word of the Lord being played out before us. Nation against nation, brother against brother, divided houses of worship falling prey to predatory teaching and false doctrine.


We would do well to remember that in His capacity as Savior, our Lord admonishes us to remember these things: to watch and pray, that he who endures to the end will be saved, that there is no other name under Heaven by which we come to the Father, and we have been called out of this world, that we may receive the gifts of Grace, Salvation, and Eternal Life from the Wisest, as He received gold, frankincense, and myrrh for our sake.


Therefore I pray,


King Jesus, 


I ask that You bring to remembrance in me all that You’ve said to do, to bring to mind the promises of the Father for me through You. Help me to watch and pray, to fast in seeking, to build altars in my home, and set guards over my mouth and heart, that my meditation be pleasing to You.


As I celebrate Your birth, help me not to be sentimental, disconnecting its importance from Your resurrection to which Your own 12 witnesses and Mary Magdalene have seen, to which Thomas proclaimed You Lord and G-d, for having seen You, he saw the Father too.


In the year ahead I ask Your blessing over all my house and those of my family in You. I ask Your protection, that no weapon formed against me will prosper. I ask Your mercy once again over the wrong I know I will inevitably do as surely as sparks fly upward, and I thank You for the grace you will impart.


Help me, above all, to know that it is in You I live, and move, and have my being.


Thank You for paying the price of this servant; I would not grieve Your heart for doing it.


In You there is eternity, and as time grows shorter, draw this lost sheep closer, for I would be found by You even as I seek, as the father ran to the prodigal.


In Your Name above all names, I ask it.


Amen.

	


				
	






			

			
							
		

	
	

		
Christmas Lights
	


	
					

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Luke 2:9


“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.”


A light from Heaven suddenly overtakes you. 


In your world, this has never happened. It’s night time, and you’re outside, and suddenly…. 


We have the gift of hindsight, but the shepherds were afraid. Greatly afraid.


Did they cry out, shield their eyes, maybe even start to run? Yet, the light was not hurting them, or blinding them, or burning them. It was just sudden. 


He is the God of “suddenly.” 


Remember the conversion of Saul? In Acts 9:3 we read:


“As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.” 


 We are admonished to “walk in the light, as He is in the light.” (John 1:7)


 May the light of God surround you with peace, and change your life, your heart, with the news of the blessed birth of our Savior. It really doesn’t matter what day, it matters that it happened. 


“The people walking in darkness, have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”  (Isaiah 9:2)


Merry Christmas, brothers and sisters.