Loving Jesus Style

  Scripture: John 14:4-6 (NLT) And you know the way to where I am going.” 5  “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 6  Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. Devotion:             Today’s scripture contains one of the most often quoted verses from John’s gospel. Before we get to that verse, however, we need to look at the setting and context given to us in the previous verses. Jesus states here that the disciples already know the way to where he is going. Thomas speaking for the group indicates that Jesus’ is wrong and that they do not know the way to where he is going. In fact, they do not know where he is going at all. The disciples have been trying to understand all that Jesus has been telling them about his death and resurrection. But they are genuinely struggling to make sense of it all. We can only guess that all the disciples felt th

Scripture: John 14:1-3 (NIV) “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. Devotion:             Today we begin to look at John chapter fourteen. These are words of comfort Jesus speaks to his disciples prior to his arrest, trial, and subsequent crucifixion. You would think that the disciples would have been comforting Jesus as the text says elsewhere that he was troubled in spirit at this time. However, Jesus continues to comfort his disciples right up to his death on the cross.             Jesus tells them not to be full of doubt, but rather have faith in God. He plainly tells them that they can believe in Him because they believe in God. He and the Father are one. If we believe in one, we automat

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 10:1-5 (ESV) For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4  For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, Devotion:             All believers in Christ must be prepared to join Paul in his struggle which we read about in these verses from 2 Corinthians. In Paul’s day, as in our own, there were many voices speaking against Christ and Christians. If Paul or we decide to fight for the right to be heard with the weapons of the flesh, we will certainly lose. Fortunately, we have at our disposal a weapon which nothing on earth, or under the earth, can withstand. That weapon is the gospel message of Jesus Christ.             This weapon, when delivered in humility and in great love will pierce all defenses raised against it. Though we may not

Scripture: Hosea 6:1-3 (NLT) 1  “Come, let us return to the Lord . He has torn us to pieces; now he will heal us. He has injured us; now he will bandage our wounds. 2  In just a short time he will restore us, so that we may live in his presence. 3  Oh, that we might know the Lord ! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” Devotion:             In today’s scripture, we find Hosea exhorting the people of Israel to repent of their many sins and be healed by God. Surely God’s people today can find hope for our own time in these words. This scripture challenges us to see that the Lord has allowed many ills to descend upon his people. Today, we see this happening in our own time. It is apparent that God has withdrawn His hand of divine protection from his people, and we are suffering for it. Perhaps if we repent of our sin and rebellion the Lord will repent and cover us with His ha

Scripture: Deuteronomy 28:2-6 (NLT) 2  You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God: 3  Your towns and your fields will be blessed. 4  Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. 5  Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. 6  Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed.   Devotion:             Today’s scripture contains a series of great beatitudes. This instruction is given to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the promised land. It is a conditional promise. The people must obey the instructions given earlier in this message. Are these words for today? Yes and no. These specific words were given to a specific people at a certain time and are not directly applicable to us today. However, there is a principle found here which we can apply to our lives today. Let us learn what we can from these ancient promises.               First of al

Scripture: Matthew 10:19-20 (NLT) 19  When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. 20  For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Devotion:             The day is coming and has now come in some places where Christians will be arrested for having a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Acting on your beliefs is always a dangerous proposition. The instructions of these verses should be a comfort in that uncomfortable situation. I would say that the Lord will give us the words to speak in a whole host of different situations. If we are open to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will be able to speak words of defiant love into every situation where we find ourselves.             What do I mean by defiant love? Defiant love is the kind of love that always seeks the best for the hearer. It traps its enemies in their own words. It always procl

  Scripture: Daniel 11:32 (ESV) 32  He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. Devotion:             The scripture for today’s meditation is from a longer prophesy in the book of Daniel. This prophecy has already been fulfilled. In the period between the Old and New Testament the Greeks conquered Israel. The he referred to in this verse is a Greek ruler named Antiochus. He ruled with a rod of iron and subjected the people of Israel to humiliating displays of his power. Those who stand firm in this verse were the Maccabees. Their successful campaign to rid Israel of this conqueror is written about in the books by the same name in the Old Testament Apocrypha.             So, we know that this is true prophecy. The question for us is whether this word from Daniel can be appropriated for today’s situation somehow. I believe it can serve as a guide to how we navigate the tricky waters of today’s

           Scripture: Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)             Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it. Devotion:             This ancient proverb is one that modern people should pay close attention to. It details what is happening in many of our public and private schools today. A change has occurred that is imperiling our children. Since we have taken God out of our schools, the devil has taken over and is driving change according to his sinister plan to injure our children and grandchildren. We must not allow this satanic indoctrination to get ahold of our children. As people of faith, we must take our stand and not allow this to happen.             The simplest way to understand this verse of scripture is that whatever way a child is brought up that is the way he will continue for the rest of his life. While correct training is not a guarantee that a child will never stray from path when he gets older. Training in righteousness

Scripture: Psalm 23 (NRSV) 1       The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2           He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 3           he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. 4       Even though I walk through the darkest valley I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. 5       You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6       Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.   Devotion:                     Today we look at Psalm 23. Rather than just try to comment on a section of the Psalm I have chosen to look at the Psalm as a whole since it is rather short, only six verses, and breaking it up does unnecessary violence to the psalmists' thoughts here.                   The Psalmist.

  Scripture: Psalm 22:2-5 (NRSV) 2      O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. 3      Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4      In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5      To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame. Devotion:             This psalm is best known for its first verse which Jesus quotes from the cross. However, the rest of the psalm is full of interesting material. The verses seen above show us the mind of David who wrote this psalm. It is a contrast of the psalmist’s experience of God and the God he has heard about in the stories of his ancestors. David cannot help but think that God may be absent from the scene in his day. After all the stories of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and the wilderness wanderings, would have been known to David.             We can understand David’s frustration in our own day. We cry out

  Scripture: Hebrews 2:1-4 (NRSV) Therefore, we must pay greater attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2  For if the message declared through angels was valid, and every transgression or disobedience received a just penalty, 3  how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? It was declared at first through the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, 4  while God added his testimony by signs and wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, distributed according to his will. Devotion:             In this scripture, we are called to pay close attention to the gospel that we read and hear read from the Bible. The writer of Hebrews (whoever they were) calls us to take our eyes off of ourselves, (and our phones) and put them on Jesus who has provided salvation for us. The writer calls us to pay attention to the words of the law given in the Old Testament and to the signs, wonders, and gifts of the Holy Spirit d

Scripture: Psalm 139: 13-18 (NIV) 13  For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16  Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17  How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.   Devotion:               The psalm I have chosen for today’s scripture reading is inspiring. I urge you to take out your Bibles and read the whole psalm today if you get the chance. David, the psalmist, writes about how much God cares for us. Every person is made from conception in the womb to be a uniqu

  Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NIV) 14  For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.  15  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves   but for him who died for them and was raised again. Devotion:             Paul, in today’s scripture, is urging believers then and now to let the love of Christ to compel us to live for Christ and for our neighbors. In our culture, as in the culture of Paul’s time many people resist the love of Christ. Not because they do not believe that his love is real and good, but because they do not want to love the things that Christ’s followers love. A change of lifestyle is more than they can bear. They think I am not that bad. I am better than so-and-so over there.             How does the Christian live their life for Christ? Only by making no provision for the flesh and seeking to be filled with the love of Christ constantly. Paul makes it clear in these verses t

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV) For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  9  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Devotion:             No matter how advanced we think we are in the practice of our faith, it is always good to be reminded of the basic principles of that faith. In these few short verses, the Apostle Paul lays out for us the core of our Christian beliefs. There is no getting around the fact that no matter how much Bible education one has obtained in one’s life you can never get around the fact that Christ has saved us by grace through faith.             When the famous theologian Karl Barth was asked what the most important thing was, he had learned in all his years of study. He replied, “Jesus loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so.” There is no more profo

Scripture: Luke 9:46-48 (ESV) 46  An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47  But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side 48  and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.” Devotion:             In our country, there is an almost embarrassing importance given to polls. We are constantly looking to see who is the most popular candidate or which idea is most the most favored. Our society is obsesses over popularity and power. Jesus in this short, but powerful story, tries to lift our eyes past this need to be the biggest star on the stage getting us to focus our attention on those who seem to have no importance in man’s eyes.             This is no isolated incident among the disciples. Jesus disciples regularly argued about who should be the greatest among them. Jesus, althoug