Jn. 18

Malchus! What were you thinking? He went out to arrest Jesus, had his ear cut off by Peter, then was miraculously healed by Jesus.  Rather than repent and believe, he continued with the arrest!!!!!

It reminds me of how often Jesus does great things for us yet we continue in our own rebellious ways.  Why are we so prone to forget the great things Jesus has done for us?  Which is greater; to replace an ear or save your life?  I choose save your life.

We should not be like Malchus.  He continued in his own way.  We should gratefully follow Jesus with our whole life.

Read it here.

Jn 17

Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus PRAYED  for YOU?  This is Jesus' priestly prayer for His followers.  Not only for those who were currently believing, but also for those who would later believe.

That means that Jesus was praying for you!  Nice.  I love it when anyone prays for me.  I love it even more when a godly person prays for me.  How much more, to think about Jesus Himself praying for me.

It doesn't get any better than that.

Jn. 16

Imagine being confused to the point that you actually think that God wants you to kill someone!  That is exactly what happened to those who killed Jesus and it is what Jesus said would happen to His disciples.  

He said clearly, "a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God."  He later said, "In this world, you will have suffering."

That does not seem to be much of an encouragement to "follow" Jesus.  In fact, most would see that as a big reason to simply not follow Him.  Regardless of the emotion involved, Jesus was clear.  Following Him will NOT be the easy path.

Take courage and follow anyway.

read it here.

Jn. 15

Abiding in Christ is like more like riding a bike than sitting in a car: if you don't pay attention and stay focused, you will crash.  Abiding takes effort!  I am not saying that you will lose your relationship with Christ unless you work at it.  I am saying you will lose your fruitfulness if you don't work at it.

Isn't "fruitfulness" what Jesus is referring to here?  He not only desires relationship with us, he also desires our lives to matter for His kingdom.  He wants us to bear fruit through loving and obeying Him.  This is work that takes daily effort! 

It is worth it.

Read in here.

Jn. 14

"Meta World Peace" needs to check out the gift that comes from Jesus.  When teaching His disciples He said, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives."

Ron's peace erupts with elbows and violence.  That is the kind of peace the world has to offer.  It is peace in name only.  The peace that comes from Jesus last, not only in life, but for all eternity.  It is the "peace that passes understanding."

Live in Christ's peace.

Read it here.

Jn. 13

Jesus modeled His love for His disciples by washing their feet.  He said, "I am giving you an example that you should follow."  What did He mean? Are we to become skilled "foot washers"?  Should we make "foot washing" a common practice in our homes?  Churches?

I believe Jesus was really calling us to humble service.  He emphasized often that greatness is demonstrated in serving.  "If you want to be great....make yourself a servant."  Washing someone's feet is definitely humbling!, (Even more so for the one who is getting their feet washed)but having the lifestyle of a servant is really what Jesus was calling His disciples to.

Not simply an "act" of serving, but rather, a lifestyle of being a servant.  Jesus' disciples would later model that they got the message in the way they lived their lives and the way that they referred to themselves.  Primarily they wanted to be known as "servants of Jesus".   This is an awesome challenge for our lives.

Read it here.

Jn. 12

Have you ever said something that you didn't mean? Judas was not only the "betrayer", he was a master at "double speak".

Not a good idea.

Jn. 11

"Jesus wept."  It is the shortest verse in the bible yet it is still packed with meaning.  Why did Jesus weep?  Didn't He know that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead?  Didn't He know He was about to preform a great miracle?

The text doesn't really give us the answer to these questions, but I believe Jesus wept over the reality of death!  He never intended death to be.  Death was a direct result of sin.  It the horrible reason that Jesus was not in relationship with Lazarus in an even deeper way.

It is possible that He wept because He knew He was about to bring Lazarus back!  Lazarus was in the presence of God His Father, and that was the place Jesus longed for.  He knew Lazarus had NO desire to come back to a fallen earth.  Maybe He wept for that.

Who knows?  read it here.

Jn. 10

Do you ever watch the show, "The Voice"?  Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice AND follow me."  Now that is the "voice" I want to make sure to hear.

There are so many things in this world calling out to us.  Crazy voices which challenge us to walk away from the only "voice" that really matters.  We need to train our ears to hear the voice of Christ.  Even more so, we should train ourselves to obey that voice once we have learned to hear it.

read it here.

Jn. 9

Jesus changes lives...period.  The blind man didn't know anything about Jesus.  He only knew that before he met Him, he was blind.  After he met Him, he could see.  What is your story?

read it here.

Jn. 8

Jesus is the great "I AM"!  He is what you need, everything you need and exactly Who we need.  He is God.  He made no bones about that.

Work today to have a true and personal relationship with Him.  He is all you need.

read it here.

Jn. 7

So you say you are a christian? What is your relationship with your parents like? Do you submit to authorities in your life?

The religious leaders of Jesus' day were convinced that they were following God, yet they were neglecting a major commandment!; Honor your father and mother.  It is a unique command in many ways, and foundational to us submitting to all authority in our lives...even God's.

I have discovered that adults who are not honoring to their parents were children who never learned the value of obedience and authority.  When disobedient, disrespectful children grow up, they become self-righteous, arrogant and intolerant of any authority in their lives.

Honoring our parents is a big deal.

read it here.

Jn. 6

There is one "work" required for salvation! "This is the WORK of God - that you believe in the One He has sent."

I am always in conversations about salvation.  Generally people believe either: that works ultimately save them OR words ultimately save them.  I would say that it is definitely both or neither. Jesus said, it is "God's work" and we must "Believe".

There is work involved, but it is not mine.  Unless of course you make believing a work, then that is the ONLY work that is required!

Think about it.

read it here.

Jn. 5

Which is worse: To be healed and not know who did it, OR to know who healed you and not tell others about the him?

"I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgement but has passed from death to life."  - Jesus

Jesus healed a man who had been lame for 38 years!  When some Jews asked the man, "who healed you?", his response was, "I don't know!"  I DON'T KNOW! You would think that if you had been crippled for 38 years and someone heals you, you would at least ask their name!

Actually, I have discovered that there are a lot of people who have been touched by Jesus, who just prefer to not talk about it.  Why is that?

Jn. 4

Is your faith based on personal experience or the testimony of someone else? It is one thing to believe something someone else claims to be true. It is a completely different thing to actually "know and experience the truth" for yourself.

The woman at the well gave clear testimony to those in her community about all that Jesus did.  Many believed because of their testimony.  When they heard Jesus personally their belief took on a whole new meaning.  They said, "we have heard for ourselves and KNOW that this really is the Savior of the world."

Is your faith personal?  

read it here.

Jn. 3

"He must increase, but I must decrease." - John the Baptist

This is an unbelievable chapter in the Bible.  Possibly the best one of all.  I know it would be a chapter I would never want to be without.  

First Jesus shares the heart of the gospel with Nicodemus, then we have the testimony of John the Baptist!  How could it be better?

read it here.

Jn. 2

Jesus performed His first public miracle at a wedding.  Today we celebrate His death which made the "ultimate wedding" possible for all who believe!

read it here.

Jn 1

When someone says, "You are full of it", does the IT refer to GRACE and TRUTH?  So it was with Jesus.  Of all the qualities that John could have mentioned he chose these two.

Grace...God's amazing quality to forgive no matter what the offense.  His ability to offer underserved forgiveness regardless of how many times we fail.  It is God's leading attribute.  He was absolutely full of GRACE.

Truth...Not a mention of deceit or phoniness. He was purely the expression of absolute truth and honesty.  When he spoke is was always dependable.  When he taught it was always true.  Truth was the essence of His person.  Truth about all things.  Truth about everything.

These are two qualities to strive for.  Be like Jesus.  Be "full of it"!

Luke 24

What kind of fire burns in your heart when you are in the presence of Jesus?  Is it a flicker? A flame? A blaze! Is there a fire of any kind?

After Jesus was resurrected, some of his disciple had a chance to talk with Him without even knowing it was Him.  Their testimony when they discovered it was Him was, "Our hearts were ablaze when He was talking with us!"

One great evidence of a disciple is the desire they have in their hearts for Jesus:  To know Him and to learn from HIm.  This pattern continues today.  I love it when I see so many with fiery hearts for Christ.

read it here.

Luke 23

A true friend is someone who desires God's purpose to be accomplished in your life.  I am amazed at the number of "friendship" which exclude Jesus!  Make sure your friendships are rooted in Christ.

When friendship is rooted in disapproval of Jesus, you are on the WRONG path!

Herod and Pilate became friends because of their joint hostility to Jesus.  In the process of getting Jesus crucified, their hostility toward each other faded.  What a horrible foundation for friendship.

read it here.

Luke 22

It is Holy Week!  Jesus gave His life for us,  we should live our lives for HIm!  What will your response to His life be?

read it here.