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11.25.24.Darkness is Revealed

God is Light
He is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path

John 18 Friends vs Enemies

John accurately describes those who love Jesus and those who seek to kill Him. Friends will stay by your side, but enemies will seek you out. This is the darkness that John wrote about early in his book: they loved darkness for their deeds were evil. But, what about Peter? Why did he fail Jesus in the hour of need? John wants us to see how easily our faith is tested and found wanting. Jesus reminded the disciples to be on guard, but Peter failed this warning and if truth be known we do as well. Satan knows our every weakness and the perfect time to reveal our true heart. Beloved, be on guard even now for the enemy of our soul knows your weakness and where you will fail. But…thankfully the story does not end here for Peter. There will be tears of repentance but John holds this close to our hearts so we can equate in this moment of darkness and see ourselves. 

Today as you have done many a time, fall to your knees and repent early lest He who holds the key find you wanting. 

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11.24.24.God’s Love

God is LOVE
God Loves

Psalm 136 God’s Love is Enduring

This psalm was sung in the early church at Passover. The notes on this psalm tell us: “The psalmist called on the people to give thanks to God three times. The refrain here and throughout the psalm explains the reason for praising Him. The repetition of the refrain in each verse serves to cause the reader to applaud every divine act that the writer mentioned.” 

This is the week we stop to praise God for all He has done. Perhaps this psalm might be a good way to begin our Thanksgiving celebration. Do we applaud God for all He has done both now and on special occasions? This is a good reminder for us.

Today as you enter the sanctuary, stop and give God praise for all He has done and will do. Praise Him in the sanctuary and in the city and in the fields. No matter where you are, stop and echo these words so all may hear: praise God for all He has done and will do because His love is enduring. 

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11.22.24.Preparing for Eternity

Job was sure are you
How about you?

John 17 Our Destiny…

They say that when your time has come you know it or sense that soon you will depart from your earthly existence. It was so with my precious friend Rosie, as well as several others I have disciples or taught and with my mother. I have not yet experienced this but wonder if I will. But, the better question is what are my thoughts prior to that time. Jesus thoughts were to glorify the Father. Will that be mine as well? How about you? 

What does it mean to glorify the Father but to honor Him and to offer thoughts and praises to Him for our time here as well as seeking the Father’s honor and glory as we prepare to enter eternity. This brings us to another question: am I prepared to enter eternity? Have I and have you prepared our hearts to speak and give glory to the Father? 

One of the ways Jesus glorified the Father was to give eternal life to those He had been given. Will I have the gift of those I have brought to saving faith to the Father? 

So many questions and so many thoughts. What are your thoughts today about this topic? 

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11.21.24.The Holy Spirit.

The coming of the Holy Spirit
The HolySpirit

John 16 The Helper

What a blessing to read this chapter and to ponder the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Helper whom Jesus promised to those who believe in Him. Although at this point He had not been given, but on Pentecost He will come and indwell each believer. He will teach everything and bring to mind what Jesus taught. Do you know Him? Is He dwelling within you? Once saved, He comes and lives within us so that we may truly believe and learn from Him the all things that Jesus taught. 

He speaks to our heart, He recalls the words of our Savior. What a blessing to be a believer and to know these truths. 

The question remains: Do you know Him? Is He living within you? Are you listening to His voice? Are you following Him just as the disciples followed Jesus?

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11.20.24. The Vinedresser

John 15 Jesus is the Vine…

Have you walked along with the vine dresser as he moves from plant to plant? You watch and see how faithful a worker is he as he takes his hands to carefully lift the vines that are drooping or he takes his sharp shears to cut off the dead vines. Our Master Jesus is our vinedresser and He tenderly lifts us out of our sin that we might produce much fruit. Fruit is the evidence of our abiding in Him. Without abiding, we cannot bear fruit for it is He who gives us life everlasting. 

Jesus said: My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.  When we love one another we are producing the fruit that lasts. When we fail to love, He, Jesus, comes to us to prune us so that we will bear much fruit. 

Yesterday Jesus said we would do greater works than He and today in Jn 15 this greater work is that we love one another. This is the fruit that God looks for in our lives. Are you abiding or is He gathering your drooping vines so that you can  take in the sun to produce a greater work? Beware that the vinedresser does not find a dead vine in you that needs to be cut off. 

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11.19.24.Greater Works

John 14 How perplexing to read these words of our Savior: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Jesus was sent to do the work of our salvation but how can I as a mere human do a greater work than He? This is perplexing! 

While on earth,Jesus was held by the nature of his geography and his time limit. However, now with the presence and indwelling Holy Spirit we are not only able but given the privilege to move about over all the earth and present the gospel message that He brought. The day of Pentecost saw 3000 people who claimed salvation but now thousands are hearing and submitting to His Word. We Iive in the internet world with the advantage of seeing and hearing His Word preached and lived out. This is why Jesus said, you will do greater works and is our command to seek and save the lost everywhere. This is our mission statement to go into all the world and preach the gospel. 

Are we going? Are we preaching the gospel? Are we doing greater works? 

We have the good news
Go and Tell
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11.18.24. Love!

John 18 Acceptance

How full is your love cup today? Do you choose to love all or do you love piecemeal? Why is love so important? It is the mark of he who has followed the Master. Truth: “ I tell you the solemn truth, whoever accepts the one I send accepts me, and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” And now you ask me, how do I know whom to accept Lord? Jesus said this is the mark: “I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another” 

Is your love cup full or empty or half-full? Stop and observe, listen carefully. What do you see, what do you hear? Actions speak louder than words so be busy loving so that others will know you have been in the presence of the Lord as you begin today and every day. 

Love is a gift
Share it.
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11.16.24. Chosen by God

Psalm 132 King David was chosen just as you and I …from the foundation of the world. “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.” [Eph 1:4] Each of us has been chosen by God for His purposes and yet with that comes many trials as well as blessings.

God so loved
God chose

David did not choose to be a king but God sent Samuel to anoint him to rule over his people. He was most likely satisfied to be a shepherd over the sheep of his father’s. All of his brothers stood before Samuel but God chose none of them. Only when God told Samuel that none of these met his criteria did his father send for him. David had no idea what lay before him. From that time on, he suffered many afflictions as well as blessings. His life was transformed at a time when there was already a king in the land. King Saul hated David and tried to eliminate him over and over but God preserved him.

God has chosen you for His purposes. Your life may be filled with problems or it may be blessed beyond measure. Yet, He has a purpose for you to complete His mission in this time frame. Look back over your life and see where God made His choice and what has transpired since then. Stop and give Him praise for choosing you just as He chose David.

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11.15.24. The LIGHT!

John 12 The LIGHT!~

The mornings are dark now with the changes in the time. As I walk about the darkness of my home, I sense the uncertainties of where I put each step and that is why we have night lights burning to guide us. But, soon the sun is rising and with it a new day with the brightness that the sun brings and then the dust bunnies and things that are not in their right places is seen. My neighbors outside lights were brightly shining but now they are extinguished. So it is with the souls of men. Some are walking in darkness because their deeds are evil and they love darkness rather than light. Others hear and rejoice for the LIGHT has come into the world and they submit to its brilliance. 

Eighteen times in this book Jesus refers to Himself as the LIGHT. Light is one of our most precious gifts for it reveals what our souls need to be saved. We once were in darkness of sin, but then the LIGHT came and we submitted to it. The book of Revelation reveals the brilliance of that LIGHT in all of His glory. Ezekiel saw that same LIGHT and was used to tell the people of Israel that He is coming for His own to transform them…if they will yield to them.

Where are you today precious reader? Are you walking in the darkness or has the LIGHT of the world removed it so you can see and praise Him who is the LIGHT? 

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11.14.24. God’s glory!

John 11: God’s glory revealed

open the eyes of my heart Lord
I want to see you high and lifted up shining all of your glory

In John 9, the disciples asked Jesus who caused the man’s blindness. Jesus said no one’s sin caused it, but it was to reveal God’s glory. Here Lazarus is sick and Jesus again says It it for God’s glory and so that He himself would be glorified through it. It is interesting that in John 9 none of the disciples gave God glory for the blind to be seeing. In John 11 we see that men did not give God glory for the resurrection of Lazarus, instead they sought to kill Him for this miracle of life. 

This miracle of resurrection of Lazarus would prove to all that He is God’s Son with power over sickness and death. It is for this reason he came…to glorify God.

When I see the work of the Lord, do I stop and give Him words of affirmation and glory or do I still seek self glorification? 

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