Daily Devotions

Ponzerite

Ponzerite

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
1,638
Location
Ponzer, nc
Rating - 100%
3   0   0
Hey Guys,

I asked for and recieved the permission to begin posting my devotions here. We are currently going through the Gospel of John, so just picking up where we are. I post these in a cople of other places, and can also email them out, if anyone had rather have them that way. Please feel free to use these however the Lord leads you, there is no copyright and os no royalites are ever due. ;) I hope these will be a blessing to someone.
Mike

John 10:20-21, Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?” But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Much of the division surrounding Jesus was based on who he actually was. Jesus asks his disciples in Matthew who men said he was, and then made it personal, who do you say I am? That is a question that demands to be answered, who is Jesus? That is simply a matter of fact, one of those truths we spoke about before. In that sense, it does not matter what you think, the truth is the truth. Jesus is who he is. And nothing you or I think or believe will ever be able to change that.

But what we do with that fact makes all the difference in the world for us, and in fact, in our eternity. Some said Jesus is demon possessed and raving mad. That was their opinion, their thought. Other said Jesus could not say these things if he was demon possessed, and they question the demon’s power to heal blindness. But what do you think about Jesus? Who is he? Many today might offer much the same answer as those folks. Some might say that he was a good teacher. Some might say he is the embodiment of an ideal, simply a made up character to make folks behave. Some might say he was insane. Some might simply choose to ignore him. But the truth cannot be ignored. Secular history shows us there was a man named Jesus, who lived, taught, and died as the Bible records. But what do you believe about him?

The fact is, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Whether we want to admit that now or not, it is true. And one day every knee will bow and tongue confess that to the glory of the Father. The point is, if we claim that we must live that. Our lives must match what our mouths say. Otherwise, we show that we truly don’t believe who Jesus is. It is easy to say the right words, but we need to live the right lives. We need to conform every aspect of our lives to the one truth, Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God.

Father, help me truly believe and honor you every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:22, Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon's Colonnade.

Where in the Old Testament do we read about the Festival of Dedication? The answer is, we don’t. Dedication,or the Festival of Lights, is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent re-dedication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. Still don’t recognize it, the modern name for it is Hanukkah. Although a relatively minor holiday in strictly religious terms, it has attained major cultural significance in North America and elsewhere, especially among secular Jews, due to its occurring around the same time as Christmas. John is setting the stage here for us. And he points out it was winter, with Hanukkah taking place between late November and late December, on our calendars.

Solomon’s Colonnade was on the outer edge of the eastern side of the original temple Solomon built, along the main court of the temple, also known as the Women’s Court, since women were allowed into this section. It was a wide, covered walkway, about 1500 feet long. The double row of column were huge and richly adored. This is the place the scribes and lawyers gathered to discuss the Law and answer the people’s questions. Some have suggested it was where Jesus was found by Mary and Joseph after they lost him on their return from his first trip to Jerusalem. Many other groups met there, to discuss religious matters. And it was likely a common place for Jesus to teach his disciples. We twice see the new Christians gathered in this place, and undoubtedly it was a common meeting place for them.

Places and times like this help us picture the scene with Jesus, it gives us an image to see as the backdrop to the action we see unfold. Maybe we also need to think about the places we go to seek Jesus, to communicate with him, to listen and to learn from him. Maybe the church immediately comes to mind, and that is great. Christians are told not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. But to think that once a week is all the connection we need with Jesus is foolish. If we want our relationship to grow, if we want to mature, to get stronger in our faith, to grow closer to the Lord, we need to spend more time, much more time with him than an hour a week. We need to develop a daily routine to be with Jesus, reading, studying, praying, and meditating on his word. It is not always easy, but the benefits are amazing!

Father, help me spend more time with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:24, The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

We all like a direct answer, don’t we? (Unless it is something we don’t want to hear.) But when people beat around the bush, talk in circles, and say things in ways that we really can’t understand, it is unpleasant at best. Sometimes the issue is not that they are speaking unclearly, but that we are not listening closely enough. Jesus did use many figures of speech, parables, and so forth. But his intent was not to hide the truth, but to make the truth clear to those who were willing to hear it. If anyone has ears to hear, he said, let them hear.

But too often we miss out on the point. We want Jesus to be who we want him to be, to fit our mold, to reinforce the points we want emphasized. You see, even though these people had heard the things Jesus has been teaching, they somehow missed the point. The immediate context here is Jesus speaking about good shepherds, and he says he is the ultimate good shepherd. And he spoke those words specifically to the Pharisees, but they did not understand. Maybe they didn’t want to understand, maybe their minds were already made up about Jesus, maybe they simply didn’t listen to what he said.

Before we condemn those men to harshly, let’s make sure we are not doing the same thing. To be clear, we need to take a strong stand on Jesus Christ, we need to commit ourselves to him, and we need to live our lives showing that commitment and those convictions. And we cannot allow every wind that blows to change us, to sway us and blow us off course. But we need to continue to listen and learn the truth about Jesus. There is no one who knows it all, no one who has it all figured out. We need to go to God’s word, and we need to continue to listen and to look for the truth God reveals to us there. We need to be willing to hear the truth.

Father, help me hear you clearly. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
OOPS, it looks like I put this up, but didn't post it yesterday. Just saw it this morning. Sorry.

John 10:25, Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me,

Jesus has spoken to them, often quite plainly, about who he is and his relationship with the Father. In John 4:26, when the Samaritan woman spoke about the Messiah, Jesus said, “I, the one speaking to you - I am he.” And in 8:58, while debating with the Jews, he said, “before Abraham was born, I am!” Both of those are clear references to his deity, claiming the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush, I am who I am. The Jews understood these claims, even if they didn’t believe him. They knew what Jesus was talking about.

And the works Jesus did also testified to the truthfulness about himself and his relationship with the Father. Jesus went around doing good (though doing good is not enough to get anyone to heaven), there was no disputing his miracles. There are plenty of records to indicate the good things Jesus did; healing folks of all kinds of diseases, restoring lepers, opening blind eyes, healing cripple limbs, feeding multitudes, even raising the dead. And the Jews themselves said these are not the works of a demon possessed man.

And yet Jesus says they do not believe. How about you and me, do we believe? I mean do we really believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God? It is easy to shake you head here, to say you believe those words. But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, it is in the every day life that we live. It is in the choices we make, the ways we spend our time, the ways we spend our money, the way we treat others, even strangers, and so forth. Again, these good deeds do not earn our way into heaven, but they are the evidence of the faith that is in our heart. As James tells us; faith, without works, is dead.

Father, help me believe and help it show. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Last edited:
John 10:26, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.

Jesus is clear, direct, and to the point here. After all he has said about good shepherds and sheep, all he has said about being the good shepherd, all he has said about his sheep knowing him and following him, Jesus plainly tells these Jews they do not believe because they are not his sheep. They do not want to follow him, they do not want to know the truth. Well. Maybe that is not exactly correct, they do want to follow their version of the Messiah, they want to know what they like and are willing to accept as the truth. But that is not good enough.

One thing about Jesus and the gospel; Jesus loves and accepts us as we are. He knows we are not perfect, he knows our faults and failures, he knows our weaknesses and our strengths, he knows our thoughts both good and bad. But Jesus loves us anyway. In fact, it was while we were still sinners, still his enemies, that Jesus came to die for us to be the sacrifice that takes away our sin. But there is something else about the gospel and the love of Jesus; he loves us too much to let us stay that way. He offers us the cleansing that we cannot get for ourselves, but he also wants us to change, to be more than we are, to live the life that we are intended to live, in fellowship with him and his father. And in order for that to happen, we must learn, know, and accept the gospel. And we must allow that gospel to work in our lives.

Once we believe, truly believe, we are Jesus’ sheep. But this belief is much more than simply lip service. It is a belief that changes us, a belief that causes, or maybe allows, us to become the person God intends for us to be. We sit in a chair because we fully believe, fully trust it to hold our weight. To be honest, I don’t trust some of those plastic chairs, I’m a big boy. I’m a little afraid of those things, so I usually don’t sit in them and when I do, I am constantly on edge, feeling for any little shift. But my recliner at home, no worries, I stretch right out in that baby! We need that kind of faith, belief, trust in God. That he is going to hold us no matter what.

Father, help me be fully yours. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:27, My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Jesus is basically repeating himself here, though it is not a direct quote, he has already said this in the previous sections. Think about it, why do you repeat yourself? Whether it is to your children, to your spouse, your coworkers, the kids on a ball team, or anyone else, why repeat yourself? Maybe they are not listening, or maybe it is really important, and you want to make sure they get the message. Maybe there is some of both going on here. So maybe we better pay close attention.

Jesus’ sheep listen to his voice. Listening is an active choice we make, we have to decide we are going to listen, decide we are going to pay attention. There is so much noise in our world today, we have learned to tune much of it out. We simply shift it to the background, and by doing so, we do not pay attention. The trouble with that is when there is something there we really need to hear and heed, we often miss it. We cannot allow the voice of Jesus to become simply background noise.

And second, Jesus’ sheep follow him. It is not enough simply to hear, we need to also make the decision to do what he tells us to do. We need to be committed enough that we will put into action the things Jesus is telling us. It is not enough to simply listen to Jesus, or even to clearly hear his words. Our lives need to change and we need to conform ourselves to the things Jesus tells us. It is about action, not simply going through the motions or putting on a show. It is about hearing Jesus’ voice, knowing him, and following him, about focusing on him and letting the things of this earth fade away. It is about becoming more and more like him.

Father, help me hear and heed. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:28, I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

The good shepherds gives his sheep more blessings than they can count, and he gives them better blessings than they can imagine. And the blessing Jesus talks about here is eternal life. We need to remember that every human already has eternal life, our flesh and bones will wear out and stop working and physically, we will die. But our spirit, our soul, will live forever. The thing we need to be concerned about is where our soul will live. What Jesus is saying here is that he will give us eternal life with him, with the Father, in heaven. And he is talking about his sheep here.

And Jesus gives us the assurance no one will snatch us out of his hand. We can be safe and secure, we can be confident that nothing will take us away. Paul later will ask the question, What will separate us from the love of God? And he tells us that there is nothing in all creation that can do that. He writes in Romans 8:38-39, For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Once we come to Jesus, once we submit ourselves to him, once we are his sheep and in his fold, we can rest assured that we are in his hands, that we are safe.

But there is one more thing to consider. While no one can snatch us out of his hand, we can willingly jump out. We can choose to uncommit ourselves to God, we can leave him (though he will never leave us). But I suppose the real danger in leaving God’s hand is much more subtle. Most folks don’t wake up one morning and decide to leave Jesus. Most folks simply slip away, little by little. We quit doing the little things that we know we ought to do, we become slacker and slacker in keeping God as our priority. We allow the things of the world to creep in with more and more influence. We let ourselves get closer and closer to the edge. And then one day, if we really think about it, we are no long in that relationship with God that we are called to be in. We need to stay as close to the center of God’s hand as we can.

Father, thank you for holding me, and help me to hold on as well. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:29, My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

How did we, did anyone come to be part of Jesus’ flock, to be his sheep? The Father has given us to him. Think about it, this really goes back to the Garden of Eden, to the first sin that was ever committed, to the grace, mercy, and love of God to make a way for man to come back into that perfect relationship with God. (But truthfully, it goes back farther than that, God who is not limited by time as we are, already knew what was going to happen and he already had a plan to bring salvation about.) The plan involved the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, of God himself.

In Ephesians 1:22 Paul writes that God has put everything under Jesus’ feet. That is, he has given him all authority and power. The Father is greater than all, there is no power, no authority, no anything that is beyond (or even equal to) God. And God himself has planned and put into motion that plan to redeem mankind through Jesus, and now that plan has been completed. We simply wait for the final chapter, for Jesus to return and call his sheep home to be with him.

And again, no one can snatch away those who belong to Jesus. There is no power in this universe that can come between you and God. God has provided all that we need. The problem comes in when we allow, we put other things between us a God. As was said yesterday, we cannot be snatched away from God. But we are all to willing to jump out on our own. We need to be careful, to consider our relationship with God, and strive to get closer each and every day.

Father, help me stay close. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:30, I and the Father are one.

We hear Jesus say this and we hardly even think about it. We know this, we have heard this, we have been taught this all our lives. We may not completely understand the concept of the Trinity, but we know about it. We read about the unity of the Godhead from the very beginning. In creation God said, Let US make mankind in OUR image, in OUR likeness . . . Genesis 1:26, with emphasis added. We can see the plurality God uses when he speaks about himself. This is not because there is a multitude of gods, but because the one God has three distinct personas; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This may be beyond the ability for our human, finite minds to grasp, it is for me.

But there is still a lesson here for us this morning. And that lesson is one of unity. The Father and Son are one, there is no division, no differences, no variation. And that is a powerful lesson that those who follow God need to understand. There are countless ways we can be and are divided. It seems that our society today is stressing and calling out those differences, whatever they are. And so many are talking about unity. How is that unity going to be achieved? Is there one thing that we can all agree on? It has to be God and his word. God is the only unchanging thing in our universe. And any agreement we have must be built upon him.

And so, how united are you with God? Be careful now, God is not going to make a special plan for you alone in this world. We all need to come to Jesus the same way, through his son, Jesus. We have to accept him on his terms, on the terms revealed in the written word. We have to read it and study it for our self. We need to learn what God desires of us. And we need to live those things every day of our life. That is the only way to have the unity with God, the relationship with God that we all need. And it is only through our unity in God that we can have peace with one another.

Father, help me be one with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:31, Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,

Jesus’ Jewish opponents are prepared to stone him. Let’s remember it was hard work to stone someone. You threw rocks at them until they were dead, and it would take a lot of rocks and some big rocks as well. “Again” reminds us that this not the first time Jesus’ enemies have tried this. It happened before in John 8:59. Obviously, these folks are so upset with Jesus they are ready to commit murder.

Where did they pick up these stones? That is an interesting point. This took place as Jesus was walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. This was a part of the Temple in Jerusalem, a long and large porch area on the eastern side of the outer court. Think about this, where in the temple courts could you pick up stones? The temple was made of and paved with stone, but those stones were cut and set in precise detail and position. There were no loose stones in the temple. It is clear those folks had to bring those stones in with them, and the only reason you would bring stones to the temple, is if you intended to use them. They seemed to plan this stoning in advance.

So, there minds were already made up about Jesus and about what they were going to do. They could not know what Jesus was going to say on any particular day, although they would know he was going to preach and teach the truth as he had been. And they knew it was not what they wanted to hear. And they knew it didn’t matter anyway, as we said, their minds were made up. We need to keep our hearts and minds open about the gospel. We need to be continually studying to see what God has for us. There is no one alive who has learned it all, no one who is completely mature, no one who has arrived spiritually. We all need to strive to get closer to God every day. And the way to do that, is to listen to Jesus, every day.

Father, help me always strive to learn. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:32, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

Jesus has a valid question here, what are you going to stone me for? He tells them he has done many good works from the Father, which one is worthy of stoning? Think about what Jesus actually did; he went around teaching the truth, he healed all manners of sickness and diseases, he fed the people on a couple of occasions, he cast out demons, he touched (and healed) lepers that showed his compassion for people, he associated with the sinners the people who needed God’s love, he accepted people who were outcasts. Jesus did all the things that the world needs, the things that we should be doing.

Or think about it another way, what bad, evil, or wrong thing had Jesus done? What had he done that deserved being stoned? That answer is nothing, he was without sin, perfect. In Luke 23:4 Pilate says he finds no basis for charges against Jesus. He has done nothing wrong, especially nothing that deserves death. And yet, at that point, his Jewish enemies continue to push for and receive the death penalty for Jesus.

We understand none of us are perfect, we stumble and fall short every day. But what are we known for? When people think about us, do they have good thoughts or bad thoughts? Do they think about the good we do or the bad? Let’s be honest, we all know folks who, when we think about them, we have a certain set of thoughts. Not that we are the judge, but we can see the fruit of their lives. But this is not about others, it is about us, about you and me. We need to live our lives in such a way that we bring good thoughts, a smile, a happiness to those who are around us and who think about us. And that goodness ought to be a reflection of our father in heaven as well.

Father, help my actions point to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:33, “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

Jesus’ Jewish opponents respond they are not stoning Jesus for any of his good works. These men know this would be political suicide. A big part of their problem with Jesus was his popularity among the common people, and therefore it lead to a loss for them of their followers. For many of these leaders, it was about power, authority, and position; Jesus had not come seeking their permission, he clearly did things they could not do, he taught as one with authority (that is, not referring back to other teachers or schools of thought as they did), the crowds flocked to Jesus, and they realized their positions were in danger. But they really can’t admit to that.

So, they say they are stoning him for claiming to be God. To be honest, it is a ridiculous thing for a human to claim to be God. Though that has happened many times in history. At the very least, those folk were found to be deranged or delusional. And I suppose it still happens today, on a much more common and quiet level. There are many people who claim they know more than God, they are claiming to be a god, though not in so many words. When we try to decide what is right and wrong, who is good or bad, we are claiming the position that only God can hold. The world is full of people who have decided they do not have to do whatever God has commanded, and those folks are also fully convinced they are going to heaven.

We must understand, there are decision, standards, and so forth that we are in no position to determine. God has revealed the truth to us through his Son and his word, and we need to study, to dig deep, to learn from them the answers we need in life. It is not about what you or I think, it is about what God has revealed. And it is not about what we feel, it is about what God has said. We must commit our lives to God’s standard.

Father, help me live for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:34, Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods” '?

Jesus’ response to these men is formed in the same manner that the religious leaders and elite used to debate in their day. They would quote a passage of Scripture, since that was the ultimate authority. These leaders would then throw other technicalities into the mix to prove their point and hopelessly confuse their opponents. Jesus is simply playing their game with them.

Jesus refers to the Law here, meaning the whole Old Testament. When we think about the law God gave to the Jews, as well as the preaching of the prophets and others throughout the Old Testament time frame, it was a miraculous and powerful revelation from God. God had told the people exactly what he expected, and he told them how they were to live and to respond to the law. Jesus here quotes Psalm 82:6. In that psalm, God is condemning the men who sat in judgment of the nation of Israel, he accuses them of corruption, of injustice, of partiality. And he makes it clear they will have to stand in judgment themselves, before the one true and faithful judge, God himself. And they will die for their sin, for their wickedness and lack of justice. And yet God himself calls these men gods. That is simply a reference to the authority God himself has entrusted to them; when they serve as judges, they are representing God. They are using some of the authority of God. They are to act as God, fairly, and so forth. Clearly, some of these men had allowed that authority to go to their heads, they had begun to think to highly of themselves. And that was the problem they had. But verse 6 says, “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.' If human judges, whether good or bad, are referred to by God himself as gods and sons of the Most High, how much more is it appropriate Jesus refer to himself in the same way. He was not just appointed by God to be Messiah, he was Messiah from the beginning!

Maybe we ought to realize that we too are sons of God. That is a common reference to Christians in the New Testament, but how often do we think about that? How seriously do we take it? To be a son (or a daughter) is to have great privilege and responsibility in the family. It is to share in the riches of the father, to enjoy the blessings that he provides. Children may and should have chores, but there is no way they can earn what they receive. But children also have a responsibility to honor not just the father, but the entire family. We need to realize that what we do reflects on everyone else. And again, we need to live to put a smile on our Father’s face.

Father, help me be a good son. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:35-36, If he called them ‘gods,' to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God's Son'?

Jesus’ point is clear here, in the Old Testament, God called his servants gods. As we mentioned yesterday, these folks were working to represent God. When they rendered their decisions, they were to be based on what the Scripture taught. It was not about what they thought, what they liked, who was involved or anything else. It was about what God had said was right and what God had said was wrong. And again, these mortal judges were far from perfect, in fact many of them were downright corrupt. And yet, they were still representatives of God.

Jesus also makes the point that the Scripture cannot be set aside. The Bible says many things about itself; that it is living and active, sharper than a double edge sword, that it endures forever, that it shall never pass away, and so forth. The Scripture is our only standard, the ideas and opinions of men will and do change. What is cool today is out tomorrow, what is right today is wrong tomorrow, and so forth. In the human mind, truth, what is right, what is acceptable is a fluid thing; we can justify and convince ourselves of anything, and that it is perfectly fine. But that does not make it so. We need a standard that does not change, something that is constant. And that something is the word of God.

So two points in the first of these verses. Number one, we are God’s representatives, we are called to be like him, and we are called by his name. Therefore, we need to act like it! We need to live lives that are set on God’s standard. Because, number two, God’s standard never changes. And God’s word is the wholly true, completely trustworthy, and always the same.

Father, help me know and live your word. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:35-36, If he called them ‘gods,' to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God's Son'?

Jesus builds on the thought from yesterday. God called the judges in the Old Testament period gods, since they were representing him and rendering judgments that were supposed to be based on his word. And oftentimes these men were corrupt and failed to live up to the standard God had set. And lets not forget these men were just that, simply men. Created in the image of God, yes, but still sinful at the very best. And often they were much worse.

If that is true, and Scripture cannot be set aside, then how much more appropriate is it for Jesus, the only Begotten Son of God, to refer to himself that way. The Son had been God’s plan from the beginning; there in creation, promised as Messiah when man first sinned, spoken about by the Law and the Prophets, always a thread running throughout the Jews history. And now Jesus was here, the Messiah himself, who fulfilled all of those promises and prophecies. Why then, do you religious leaders accuse me of blasphemy? Why do you not see the truth?

Why then, would we not acknowledge that Jesus is truly the unique only begotten Son of God? And if we acknowledge that, why would we not live accordingly? And if we don’t live according the the word of God, do we really believe the word of God? You see, it is simple, when you really think about it, the life you live, the fruit you produce is the proof of what lives inside of you. Our actions show, as clear as crystal, what we believe. We each need to examine ourselves, to make sure of our faith and commitment.

Father, help me produce good fruit for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:37, Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.

It is easy for a person to talk, we hear folks all day who do that. But it is not simply the man who makes great claims that we need to heed. Indeed, Jesus does make some pretty tall statements about himself from time to time. But Jesus is far more than just talk. Jesus backed up and proved his words by the things that he did. Jesus did all things well, the miracles he performed were perfect, the lessons he taught were always true, and to top it off, he was sinless himself. Jesus never made a mistake, never misspoke, never fell short, never was anything less than perfect.

As we examine the life of Jesus, we can see the things he said and did. John will end his book by telling us this was not everything Jesus did. John 21:25 says, Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. But we can examine what we do have and learn the truth from that. and that truth consistently leads us to the fact that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

And once we reach that conclusion, our lives will begin to change, if we allow them to. Once we believe, truly believe in Jesus, we will be different, we will want to be different, we will want to be more like him, and God himself will empower us to change. At our baptism, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and then God himself will live in us! You see, we to are called to do the works of our Father.

Father, keep me working for you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:38, But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”

Even if folks don’t believe the words Jesus says, he tells them to believe in the things he does. That is in no way to say that Jesus’ words are not true. We know the things Jesus taught, how the things he spoke were true, how he spoke as one with authority, how his words were powerful. And we can see that still today. As we consider the words of Jesus, we realize they are truly words of life, words that offer us hope, words that promise change in our life.

But Jesus says if we don’t believe those words, we ought to believe the actions, the works that he does. It is hard to deny the miracles Jesus did; healing diseases, feeding thousands, restoring paralyzed and worthless limbs, even raising the dead. How could you dispute those things? It would be simple, if they were just gimmicks, to produce just one of the so called healed people. That would throw doubt in everything else. But no one ever did that, because there were no ringers used, all of his miracles were true, powerful, and perfect. To refute the promise of rising from the dead, simply show Jesus’ dead body, but none of his enemies could do that. Jesus gave those miracles as proof.

The same is true of us as well. It is easy to talk a good game to, to say the right things, to go through the right motions. But when it comes down to our consistent actions, that is where the truth is revealed. No one is perfect, this is not to say we won’t stumble and make mistakes. We often say things too quickly, we allow ourselves to get carried away, we make poor choices, and do forth. But we need to know that the actions we do is the proof of the words we say. And we need to be striving not to just talk the talk, but to walk the walk.

Father, help my actions honor you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:39, Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

We can only imagine the fury of the mob at this point. Sadly, we too often see such situations played out before us on the nightly news. And yet this time was different. They tried to seize Jesus, to take hold of him, to capture him. The original Greek meaning of this word was to press down, maybe they had in mind to tackle him. But also remember they have again taken up stones to stone him. But something does not go their way. Maybe no one is brave enough to throw the first stone, to actually reach out their hand and grab Jesus. It only takes one person in a mob to get the crowd to acting. Maybe they were all waiting for the other guy to start. But none of them were willing to make the first move.

And so, Jesus simply escaped their grasp. In my mind, I imagine Jesus simply staring those folks down, looking them right in the eye, taking a step toward them, and the crowd parting to allow him to simply walk away. I don’t know that’s what happened, but that’s what my mind’s eye shows me. Maybe they did try to grab him, maybe they did rush him, start throwing the stones they had, try to get him to the ground, or whatever. But regardless, Jesus got away from them. One thing to remember, it was not Jesus’ time to die yet, the Father had a plan not just for Jesus’ life, but for his death. He was going to be sacrificed for the sin of the world, he was going to die in Jerusalem, as the perfect Passover lamb. And Jesus trusted the plan the Father had.

Do we? Do we trust what God has in store for us, his plan, his will for our lives? Are we willing to face the crowd, often alone, to take the stand God has called us to take? Are we willing to trust God for things that we might think are impossible? Jesus was fully committed to his father, and we need to be as well.

Father, increase my faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:40, Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed,

Bethany across the Jordan was where John the Baptist had been in the early days. This is not the Bethany where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived, that one was much closer to Jerusalem, just a couple of miles, and was more like a bedroom community for the big city. Bethany across the Jordan was farther away, about 20 miles. (Remember this as we begin chapter 11 soon.) John had used this place for many of his baptisms, and in fact, Jesus himself was baptized here. Jesus seemed to want to put some distance between himself and the city at this time.

Jesus could have many reasons for his departure here. Obviously, the Jewish leaders are not happy with him. But Jesus does not fear them, they had threatened to stone him here and at least once before, and Jesus escaped their grasp. Jesus knows the Father is ultimately in control, and he knows that it is not the right time for his death. His retreat is not because he is afraid, but there is no need to antagonize his enemies, either. Maybe Jesus is simply letting things cool off a little. Maybe Jesus wants some time to himself and the disciples. He often did this very thing; slipping off alone to pray, taking his disciples aside to teach them privately, or to simply get a little rest. No doubt this had been a stressful time, and everyone needed a break.

Jesus shows us several things here. One, not to back down from a confrontation, but to realize there is a time to let things drop. Jesus would, and often did, go toe to toe with the religious leaders. But he also knew there was a time to slip away. Sometimes continuing the discussion will only make things worse. And there is nothing wrong with taking a step back, a deep breath, and looking at things in a different light. Also, we all need time to rest and recharge. We need time away, time alone, time with our closest friends, and we don’t need to be ashamed to take it. Real wisdom tells us when it is time to hang in there, and when it is time to back away. That is something we all need to work on, no doubt.

Father, help me know when to charge in and when to fall back. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:40b-41, There he stayed, and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.”

How long did Jesus stay there at Bethany across the Jordan? We are not told. And what did he do there? Again, we are not told, but we can be assured that Jesus did the same things he always did. And what did Jesus always do? He had compassion on the people; he taught them, he healed their diseases, he encouraged them, he did good for them, maybe he fed them, but there can be no doubt he loved them.

And many people came to him, they heard Jesus was there and they wanted to see him, to hear him, to be with him. And they remembered what John the Baptist had said about Jesus. Remember, this is the area where John had baptized Jesus. And John had pointed Jesus out to the crowd as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. There was the whole conversation about John needing to be baptized by Jesus instead of John doing the baptizing. And there was the dove that descended from heaven, and the voice of the Father who said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. And the people realized that all John said about Jesus was true.

What about you and me this morning? What do we think about Jesus? Who do we listen to for instructions, explanations, and insight as to who Jesus really is? No doubt there are many good teachers out there. But there is no better teacher, no other standard than the word of God itself. We need to make sure that we are measuring everything we hear by what God’s word says. We need to consider the evidence, we need to consider the source, and we need to make a decision about Jesus.

Father, help me choose wisely. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 10:42, And in that place many believed in Jesus.

Who are the many in this place? Maybe some of them had come with Jesus from Jerusalem, but more than likely they are the ones who are already there, who live there, who remember John the Baptist being so busy in their area. More than likely, many of them have been baptized by John. But there can be no doubt that these people had heard about what Jesus had been doing; the teaching, the miracles, the good deeds, the confrontations with the religious leaders. And now they have an opportunity to see and hear him for themselves.

And many believed. The idea behind believed is more powerful than we might think. When we use the world believe today, it seems to have been watered down, to indicated things that we might accept, even though we have not really thought about them, things that we might take for granted, things we have always heard and though we have not really considered them we take them to be true. In our minds, believing something is not a big deal. But in a Biblical concept, there is much more to it. It means you have committed yourself to something, entrusted yourself to something, it means you are willing to take your stand here, even if it means it is your last stand. It means you will invest yourself in this belief; gladly put your time, money, energy, effort into both learning more and advancing this cause. It is not simply an un-thought-about agreement, it is a thing you will stake your life, even your eternity on. This does not mean we have to learn all about a thing before we believe it, but it does mean we want to find out more, to learn and therefore apply more of this to our lives. And that is what many of those folks did.

But what about us this morning. We need to examine our faith, our belief, our commitment to the Lord. We need to make sure we are serious and committed to all we can learn and do about God. We need to honor him in all we do, say, and think. We need to change our ways, repent and conform to his standard. And this is a day by day, often an hour by hour, commitment. This is what God wants.

Father, help me truly believe. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
tnx for posting this. This may help as an aid. I use a thing called Robert Murray Mcheyne's plan, which takes you thru the entire bible once a year, and the psalms twice. Something helpful to me (no matter what plan you use or where you are) is this:
I get the "tile tabs" extension for my browser
I open the bible app (I like Bible Gateway, YMMV)
I open a free app called "Journelate"
I then click tile tab when only those two apps are open in my browser.
the Bible and journalate open side by side.

I find that if I write stuff down, it "sticks in my head" better and I can focus and not be so mentally flighty. I have terrible focus problems and my mind will run wild so that I wind up thinking about Egyptian beer brewing methods after reading about Numbers and the census of the people, down a tortuous string of related thoughts.

I like to focus on the following

1) Who is God? What about Him should I worship?
2) How is His FRIENDSHIP and PERSONAL CARE on display here? (that is a big one for me. I am prone to intellectual abstractions and dry formulations. lapsing into that is no different than forsaking God in a wild sexual drunken spree. both are avoiding Him, one just starts with the bible!)
3) What do I learn about the psychology of faith, and unbelief and how does it apply to me?
4) Where is the gospel here? Jesus said clearly that things in Moses and the prophets WERE ABOUT HIM. (Luke 24.44 These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things that are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled)..... I sometimes like to imagine Jesus himself reading and thinking about OT passages and wondering how He would "see" himself.

I keep a record. I have a tendency to be "showy" and braggy and have a sort of lust for people to applaud and commend me for my "insight" so I have for now, decided to keep my journal comments to myself.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT PRACTICE, though. The greatest blessing you can be to fellow believers is to share with them, the way this brother is doing, what the Holy Spirit has "said" to you.

I thank you for doing so.
 
John 11:1, Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

John is setting the stage for one of Jesus’ most powerful and touching miracles. What is wrong with Lazarus? We are not told, other than he was sick. And as we will see, and probably already know, it was a bad sickness, one that will eventually end in death. Sickness is something that everyone deals with in their lives; you get sick and feel bad, your friends get sick, your parents get sick, you have to deal with a sick child. The nature of those sicknesses is as wide as the ocean, everything from a cold to a cancer. Some of those sicknesses are much worse than others. But when you feel bad, you feel bad. And when a loved one is sick, you feel much worse. That is where Lazarus and his sisters are.

They lived in the village of Bethany. Now remember from a few days ago, Jesus has gone to Bethany beyond the Jordan. This is about 20 miles from Jerusalem, while the village of Bethany is only about 2 miles. So, at this point, Jesus is 18-20 miles from Lazarus and his sisters. That is not a long way, but it is certainly a good walk. You ought to be able to walk 20 miles in three to six hours, depending on how fast you walk. So, Jesus is near, but not right around the corner.

How close is Jesus to you? We all live our lives, day by day, facing a whatever life throws at us. Some of those things are not good; sicknesses, deaths, relationship problems, financial trouble, the list is endless. We will not escape the trials and troubles of this world. But where will we turn for help, support, guidance, comfort, encouragement, and so forth? A better question is, who will we turn to? The only one that can truly help us is the Lord.We need to learn to stay as close to God as possible, calling on him, trusting him, following him, listening to him.

Father, help me stay close. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
tanstaafl72555 said:
tnx for posting this. This may help as an aid. I use a thing called Robert Murray Mcheyne's plan, which takes you thru the entire bible once a year, and the psalms twice. Something helpful to me (no matter what plan you use or where you are) is this:
I get the "tile tabs" extension for my browser
I open the bible app (I like Bible Gateway, YMMV)
I open a free app called "Journelate"
I then click tile tab when only those two apps are open in my browser.
the Bible and journalate open side by side.

I find that if I write stuff down, it "sticks in my head" better and I can focus and not be so mentally flighty. I have terrible focus problems and my mind will run wild so that I wind up thinking about Egyptian beer brewing methods after reading about Numbers and the census of the people, down a tortuous string of related thoughts.

I like to focus on the following

1) Who is God? What about Him should I worship?
2) How is His FRIENDSHIP and PERSONAL CARE on display here? (that is a big one for me. I am prone to intellectual abstractions and dry formulations. lapsing into that is no different than forsaking God in a wild sexual drunken spree. both are avoiding Him, one just starts with the bible!)
3) What do I learn about the psychology of faith, and unbelief and how does it apply to me?
4) Where is the gospel here? Jesus said clearly that things in Moses and the prophets WERE ABOUT HIM. (Luke 24.44 These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things that are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled)..... I sometimes like to imagine Jesus himself reading and thinking about OT passages and wondering how He would "see" himself.

I keep a record. I have a tendency to be "showy" and braggy and have a sort of lust for people to applaud and commend me for my "insight" so I have for now, decided to keep my journal comments to myself.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND THAT PRACTICE, though. The greatest blessing you can be to fellow believers is to share with them, the way this brother is doing, what the Holy Spirit has "said" to you.

I thank you for doing so.
Click to expand...
I appreicate your input. I have used many different reading plans and have the one I like the best is this:

The Daily Bible® (NIV): Smith, F. LaGard: 9780736944311: Amazon.com: Books

The Daily Bible® (NIV) [Smith, F. LaGard] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Daily Bible® (NIV)
www.amazon.com

It is a chronological reading of the Bible; puts things in a historical perspective (the kings and prophets who lived in the same times, parallels the Gospels, Puts Paul's letters into the historical story of Acts, and so forth.) I personally love that presentation. I have done the ones like you mention, as well. I enjoyed them at the time. Simply reading the Bible has done more to increase my overall knowledge of God's word than anything else I have ever done.

However, you are exactly right in taking time to really dig deeper, study, meditate, think about what it says. That is where these devotions came from. I use my word processor for my journaling and then can put the notes into my Bible app. What is God saying here? What lesson can I learn? What applies to me today? These are just my ramblings. But if they are a blessing to someone else, all the better. And I always give folks permission to use whatever I have written ever how the Lord leads.

Thanks!
 
John 11:2, (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)

Who is Mary, who anoints Jesus with this perfume? That seems to be the big question. All four Gospels mention Jesus being anointed by a woman; Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, Luke 7:37-39, and John 12:1-8. There are some real similarities in these passages, and yet some things that don’t seem to fit very well. Scholars are divided over whether there was one, two, or three different occasions. We’ll look at this closer in John 12.

At this point, Mary has not anointed Jesus, that happens a little later, but John is identifying the characters here. Lazarus is the one who is sick. Mary is the one who anointed him with the perfume, Jesus said to prepare him for his burial. It was a costly and loving act Mary does for Jesus. Martha is the one who was the perfect host. Mark 10:38 tells about another time Jesus ate in this home. You remember, Martha was busy and bothered by all the preparations and the serving of the meal. Mary, on the other hand, was content to sit at Jesus feet and drink in his teaching. Martha, to be sure with frustration in her voice, complained to Jesus about Mary not helping her. And Jesus replied, only one thing is needed, Mary had chosen what is better. That is, we need to focus more on the spiritual than the physical. And again, Mary’s act here was seen as wasteful, it was excessive, it was lavish, but it also showed her devotion to Jesus.

Which one of those siblings do you most identify with? Lazarus, the needy one? Martha, the practical one? Mary, the sensitive one? Honestly, we all display all of those traits from time to time. We don’t like to admit we are needy, but we are all simply sinners, lost on our own, with no hope of ever making things right. We need Jesus. We are also the practical one on occasion; seeing things that need to be done and stepping up to do them. And often times we loose sight of what is really important. We need Jesus. And sometimes we get so caught up in the spiritual things that this world fades away. We need to let that happen more often that we do, we need to focus more on Jesus, more on learning from him, more on listening to him, and more on simply being with him. We need Jesus!

Father, help me focus on what’s important! In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 11:3, So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

This family had a special relationship with Jesus. But who dies Jesus love, relly? We are told Jesus loved them, John is the disciple Jesus loved, he told all of his disciples he loved them, he loved the rich young ruler who came seeking eternal life, he loved the world, and we know he loves us all. When Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus, it was not Lazarus is sick, but the one you love is sick. Maybe they were extremely worried and wanted to catch Jesus’ attention.

I wonder about a lot of things. What was wrong with Lazarus, how sick was he, how long had he been sick, I suspect he was getting worse instead of better, at what point did the sisters decide to send for Jesus, how did they reach that decision. And all of that wondering makes me think about myself (and you as well). When do we decide it is time to call in Jesus? Do we treat him like 911? He is the last resort, we have done everything that we know to do and nothing has worked, we are desperate. Something has got to be done and probably right now! Or do we start our assessment of the problem with prayer? Do we look for God’s direction and follow his plan in those difficult situations in our life? Do we see the problem and immediately get God involved? Or maybe we think this is a little thing, I can handle it myself and there is no need to bother God.

God needs to be our first thought; involving him, seeking his guidance, his plan, his blessing in everything we do. There is nothing we deal with that is too much for God; Jesus said nothing was impossible with God. And there is nothing too small for God, either. Jesus also said God knew how many hairs were on our head. What is less significant, less important than our hair count? And yet God keeps up with that very thing. We need to learn to turn to God first, and to remain with God whatever those circumstances.

Father, help me constantly think of you. In Jesus’ name, amen
 
John 11:4, When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.”

Jesus knows the deal here. And he tells his disciples this is not what you might think it is. When we look at a person who is deathly ill, what do we see? A tragic situation? A reason to mourn? An impending loss? Death and all the emotions and hurts that go along with it? We can experience all of those things and more. But when Jesus sees this situation, he knows (not thinks, not hopes, not attempts, but he KNOWS) that this is an opportunity to honor God. That is the attitude we need to strive for.

Now, to be honest, Jesus knows exactly what is going to happen; and we, being human, do not. But we need to start looking for ways to honor God in whatever we are doing. We need to be looking for the ways to honor God by actions we take, the things we say, and the attitude we show. I know it is hard to see the silver lining in the midst of the thundercloud, but we need to learn to trust God more. We need to realize God is in control, we need to trust God is in control, and we need to act like God is in control.

Think about your life situation right now. Maybe you are facing a change in your job, your financial situation, a sickness, a relationship change, maybe a birth is looming or a death, whatever it is, look at it as an opportunity to honor God! What can you do that will show your faith, your trust? What do you need to do, to say, to pray? I’m not saying this is easy, but honestly there is only so much we can do anyway in those situations. We need to look at them with one eye on God. He is the one who will see us through.

Father, help me honor you in every aspect of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 11:5, Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

Think about that verse some today. John tells us that Jesus loved these people, this family. As we read through the gospels, we see that it seems Jesus had a special relationship, a special bond with this family. He often visited in their home and ate with them. It seems he stayed here some when he was in Jerusalem. Sometime I wonder what makes a friendship happen; it is more than simply having things in common, more than just a shared goal or dream, more than just convenience, more than being in the same place. There is some unknown thing that happens that seems to bond certain people together.

We know that Jesus didn’t just love these three people. Jesus loves everyone, in all of time and in every place. The Greek word for love is not surprising, it is agape. That is an all consuming, I’ll love you regardless kind of love. It is a love that wants the best for the other person, even if there is a personal cost to you. It means there is nothing you can do to undo the love God has for you. That kind of love is rare in our world today, we to often allow lust, or greed, to selfishness to become what we think is love. I’ll love you as long as you make me happy, give me what I want, are pretty, thin, strong, rich, or whatever.

But that is not the love Jesus had for these folks. And it is not the love God has for us. Someone has said, There is nothing you can do that will make God love you more than he does right now. Think about that for a moment, for an hour, for the day, for the rest of your life. God’s love for you right now is measureless.

Father, thank you for loving me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 11:6, So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,

How do you feel about doing nothing? It sounds like a pretty good idea, until you actually get to doing it. Most of us have things that we have to get done, so there is not much time to do nothing. And most of us like to be doing something, it is not that we are bored, it is just that we have things to do. And I’m sure Jesus and his disciples were not sitting around bored for these two days. To be sure Jesus was teaching the folks there, maybe doing some miracles, encouraging the people, spending time with them, loving them in general. But the fact remains, he stayed where he was for two more days.

Wouldn’t you think Jesus would head back to Bethany, to where Lazarus, the one he loved, lay sick? Wouldn’t you think Jesus would want to be there with the family? Would want to be with Lazarus? He has already said this sickness would not end in death. But still, why the delay?

Most of us can remember when the internet was not even a thing. And when it did come out, you had to get to your desktop computer, connect to the phone line, dial and wait for the beeps and boops, a wait for the connection, and then there was the internet, in all it’s dial up glory! But today, we carry smart phones in our pockets that are always connected. But we still complain about slow connections. We want things now. Simply put; God’s time is not our time. But we tend to be an impatient lot, don’t we? We need to learn to trust God’s timing more, to wait for him to move. As Toby Mac says, never early, never late.

Father, help me trust your timing. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Amen.
 
John 11:7, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

After two days, Jesus told his disciples he was ready to go back to Judea, to Bethany. This all fits into Jesus’ plan and his purpose. He knows what he is going to do, he knows how long it has been, he knows the condition Lazarus is in, and he knows the disciples will be hesitant. But in God’s timing, everything is right and works out.

Are there places we need to go back to? Maybe people we need to speak with and make things right. Maybe there is a sin that we need to deal with. Maybe there is a painful place in our hearts that needs to be healed. Jesus is always there to go back with us. Just as with Lazarus, that situation, that sickness, that pain can be for God’s glory. If we allow him to help us deal with it. And with God we can overcome it!

That is not to say it will be easy or painless. Lazarus and his sisters no doubt had a bad time. But when we seek Jesus first, when we follow him completely, when we submit to his plans, things get better.

Father, help me go where you lead. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 11:8, “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

The disciples are concerned for Jesus’ safety, and maybe their own. It was at the end of chapter 10 that the Jewish leaders there were threatening to stone Jesus. Certainly these men do not want Jesus; their teacher, leader, and friend to be killed. But maybe there was also some concern for their own personal safety as well. When a mob gets a taste of blood, anything can happen.

The disciples, like all of us, would have some concerns about going to such a dangerous place. And yet sometimes, a dangerous place is exactly where we need to be. That is often the place we can make the most difference, the place folks have the greatest need, and oftentimes we are the one God wants there. This does not mean we need to be foolish, jumping into places and situations when we are not prepared and have no business. But then again, who ever really feels prepared for everything we face.

Maybe we need to realize that the best preparation we can make is to stay close to Jesus. To be honest, God does call us to leave our comfort zone, to go places we might rather not go, to do things we might rather not do. And yet the blessings that await us in those times are limitless. We stretch, we grow, we learn, we mature, we get closer to others, and we get closer to God. And those rewards are worth any risk we might be called to take.

Father, help me be open to your leading. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 11:9, Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world's light.

The disciples had questioned Jesus about going back to Judea; Lazarus is sick, but the Jews were trying to stone Jesus when he left earlier. Now Jesus wants to go back there. That doesn’t seem a smart move to the disciples. And Jesus’ answer is not exactly what we might expect. He doesn’t seem to answer their question or address their concerns. Instead he talks to them about daylight and darkness, and about walking.

But the point Jesus makes is clear; there is a time for everything under heaven, as Solomon had said earlier. Now is the time for them to walk, it is daylight, the sun is shining, there is somewhere to go, and something to do. So, now is the time for them to act. The point has been made, that God’s timing is not always our timing. We want things to happen on our schedule, when it is convenient for us. And God does not work that way. God sees the bigger picture, and he knows when the best times are, he knows when things need to be done, he knows when things need to happen. And God, in his sovereignty, works things out in their time, not in ours. At this point, we might not understand God’s timing, or Jesus’ delay here. But as we move on, grow, mature, trust more, we can see the bigger picture.

And this is true in our lives as well. Things happen, or don’t happen, and we get very uptight and anxious over them. But there are so many things we simply cannot control. We need to learn to trust God’s timing more. We need to remember that God is always and ultimately in control. We must remember that God is in control, and not us. It takes faith to step out, to move on, when everything around you screams to stay put. But that is the faith we are called to have.

Father, help me trust your timing. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 11:10, It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

We’ve all had the experience of stumbling around in the dark. You move very slowly, maybe reaching out your hands to not bump into things, and yet you still manage to walk into something. We know the simplest thing is to turn a light on, but for some reason we don’t. Maybe we don’t want to wake someone else up, maybe we don’t want to fully wake ourselves, or maybe there is another reason. But we know the answer, we need a light.

Spiritually speaking this is true as well. As we walk through life, facing it’s various trials, temptations, and opportunities, we need some solid, dependable standard to base our decisions on, we need a light. The Bible repeatedly calls itself a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. The connection is obvious; we need the light of God’s word, God’s plan, to shine into our lives so that we can clearly see to navigate life. We need to read it, to study it, to discuss it, to think about it, and to heed it in our lives. Though that is often said, I wonder how many Christians sit down daily with their Bible to dig into what God has to say for them that day.

And there is a time to walk, a time to do those things we ought to be doing. Instead of doing nothing, we need to do the things God has for us to do and we need to do them in God’s timing. Most of the time, that means we need to get going now, while there is light. You know as well as I do, the longer you put something off, the worse it becomes.

Father, help me seek and act in your light. In Jesus’ name, amen..
 
John 11:11, After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

Isn’t sleep a blessing? After a long, hard day you come in, take a shower, and get comfortable. Then you stretch out, maybe on the couch or in a favorite chair, the TV is on for a little relaxation or perhaps you curl up with a book, and then you begin to slowly fade out. You rest, your body recharges, things have a way of looking different after a short nap or a good night’s sleep. In fact, God designed out bodies knowing they would need rest; God rested on the seventh day of creation to set an example for us, not because he needed to rest but because he knew we would. It is one of the Ten Commandments. Sleep is mentioned 75 times in the Bible. And although rest is a good thing, it can be abused, too much sleep, too much rest, is a bad thing. The Bible often condemns the lazy.

But that is not the case with Lazarus here. He is sick and asleep. We might wonder, the disciples surely did, about why Jesus would go and wake him up. One thought that sticks out here, we need to trust God’s timing, God’s plan. We might not understand it, it might make no sense to us, but we need the faith to trust that whatever God does is right. Even though it might make not make any sense to us, if God is telling us to do it, we need to do it, and we need to do it then.

This is easier said than done, we all know that. But faith requires action.

Father, help me trust and obey. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
John 11:12-13, His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

In the disciples’ minds, sleep for Lazarus was a good thing, it allowed his body to heal, to rest, and that meant he was getting better. And in most cases, they would be right. They thought Jesus was speaking about natural sleep. And to be honest, wouldn’t we have thought the same thing?

How often do we misunderstand things, things that the other person thinks is perfectly clear? I suppose that is how many feelings get hurt, someone says something in a lighthearted manner, and then we take it the wrong way. We might be oversensitive, we might have a different perspective, we might not be paying close attention, or there might be another reason. Or it could be a simple misunderstanding, one where we miss the message and something is not done, or something goes lacking. Communication is a powerful force, and we need to make sure we getting it right, whether we are the speaker or the listener.

Jesus is going to make things clear in the next verses, so we need to keep paying attention. And that is true in life as well. When there is a misunderstanding, don’t give up, don’t get mad, don’t write the other person off, keep listening, maybe ask a few more questions. The goal is to get the message across, to make sure everyone is on the same page. This is true at home, at work, and most especially with our relationship with the Lord. Keep listening, keep paying attention, and we all might learn something.

Father, help me understand. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom