John

May 13th – Romans 6:4

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Romans 6:4

Receiving Jesus as Savior is more than a get out of hell free card. It’s the beginning of a true, spiritual transformation. And even better, a deep, abiding relationship with God. Paul uses the image of burial and resurrection to illustrate that transformation. As followers of Jesus we have been “buried with Him by baptism into death.” This means that we have died to our old way of life and have been made new in Christ. Through baptism, we identify with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection, and we share in the new life that he offers. This new life is characterized by a new way of thinking, a new way of living, and a new relationship with God. As Christians, we are called to live in a way that is pleasing to God. And this involves putting to death our old sinful nature and living according to the Holy Spirit. Because of His great love, our heavenly Father sent His Son not only to pay for our sins, but to offer us a beautiful abundant life on earth. (John 10:10) Won’t you take Him up on His offer?

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April 30 – John 20:16

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John 20:16

I love the imagery of Jesus as our Good Shepherd. And how each of us knows His voice when He calls our name. It was Mary’s name, spoken by the Lord, which opened her eyes to the truth. And upon seeing the truth, she fell at the feet of Jesus holding tightly and refusing to let go. For she wasn’t about to lose Him again! But gently Jesus rebuked Mary. Telling her not to cling to Him for He had not yet ascended to the Father. Not trying to be harsh, the Lord was teaching Mary, and us, that no longer would He be known by sight or by touch. But rather by faith. From them on, all who followed Christ were to rely on their trust and belief in Him and His teachings to guide their hearts and lives. Oh how wonderful it would to see Jesus in person. And one day we will. But until then we rely on our deep faith that He is who He says He is, His promises are true, and His love everlasting.

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April 28th – 1 John 2:15

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1 John 2:15

I used to struggle when I would read John telling believers to love God and each other, but not the things of the world. Because what about my loved ones? Is it a sin to want to both be with God and to stay in the world with them? But then I learned that when John was speaking of the world, he didn’t mean the people in it. But rather the sinful system of values and beliefs that are opposed to God’s will. If we are in love with a society that promote selfishness, pride, materialism, and other worldly values, we can’t be in love with the Lord. And we won’t be dedicated to living lives that glorify Him and seeing His will done. When it comes to worldly living, I love what evangelist John Wesley has to say. “The best means of resisting the devil is, to destroy whatever of the world remains in us, in order to raise for God, upon its ruins, a building all of love. Then shall we begin, in this fleeting life, to love God as we shall love him in eternity.”

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April 27th – John 15:19

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John 15:19

The pull of sin is a strong one. And each day is a fight to remain in Jesus and bear faithful fruit for His kingdom. To obediently live a life separate from the wickedness of the world. And to be known by that world as not one of their own. Why? Because we have been chosen by the hand of God Himself. Chosen out of this world to be soldiers in His army. As such, we are to daily put on our uniform of the armor of God, ready to do battle. (Eph. 6:10-18) Yet Jesus warns that because we follow His ways and not the sinful ways of the world, we will hated for His sake. That’s why we shouldn’t be surprised when we face opposition or persecution because of our faith. Rather, we should consider it an honor to suffer for our Lord who suffered unto death for us. And have joyful hearts knowing that Jesus has chosen and called us out of the world, and to Him do we belong!

April 27th – John 15:19 Read More »

April 22nd – John 18:11

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John 18:11

Jesus prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane that God would remove the cup of the Cross from Him. But when God’s answer was no, Jesus let nothing stand between Him and that cup. Lovingly and willingly, our Lord saw the will of the Father done at the expense of His life. So in light of His precious gift, we need to take a long, hard look at our hearts, minds, and lives to see if they honor Christ and His sacrifice. Do we go to church and with our minds say He is Lord but not with our hearts? Do we call Him King only as a way to achieve our own thrones? When I search my own heart, I am ashamed. Because more times than I care to count I have displayed behavior that brought pain to the One who gave everything He had for me. But you know what? Jesus loves me anyway. He wants me anyway. He joyfully calls me His own when I could never be worthy of Him. And knowing Him has given me a joy and peace that, although I do not deserve, am thankful for every day.


April 22nd – John 18:11 Read More »

March 20th – John 10:10

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John 10:10

If the only gift we received by confessing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior was eternal life, that would be more than enough. But our God, so full of love and mercy, also gave His life so we could have the blessing of living an abundant life. Now the abundance of life that Jesus promises isn’t necessarily about material wealth or possessions, but rather about spiritual richness and fulfillment. It includes a deep and abiding relationship with God, as well as meaningful relationships with other people. An abundant life is also marked by a sense of purpose and meaning, as we are called to love and serve others. Using our gifts and talents to make a positive difference in the world. I love what Dr. Charles Stanley says, “To live the abundant Christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life through us. His love motivates and empowers us, so we obey Him out of joy and thankfulness.”

 

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February 25th – John 8:12

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John 8:12

Following Jesus means no longer do we walk a path of darkness. Nor do we live for ourselves and the world. Instead all we do is for the Lord and to walk in His brilliant light. And part of walking in God’s light is letting Him shine brilliantly through us to others. We do this by practicing love, humility, mercy, and forgiveness. John had a joyful relationship with the Lord. A joy made complete by leading others to having the same kind of relationship with Jesus. We too can have joy with the Lord by leading others to the Light of the world. And how could we not? For once we experience God’s grace and love, our hearts burst to tell others about the Lord! This world grows darker every day. And now more than ever, people need to hear how they can flee the darkness and receive the Light of life. A Light that will never grow dim, nor ever be extinguished!

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February 20th – 1 John 3:11

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1 John 3:11

In the New Testament we are commanded no less than 13 times to love one another. That’s how important it is to Jesus for the children of God to cherish each other. But for fallen people living in a fallen world with a fallen nature, that’s a tall order. Nevertheless, it’s what we called to do. Thankfully, God doesn’t ask us to do the impossible. That’s why the moment we receive Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells us and gets busy. Instantly He begins the work of transforming us into the image of Christ from the inside out. Tenderly God’s Spirit remolds and reshapes our hardened, worldly hearts, into ones softened by the love, mercy, and grace shown to us by our Lord. He does this so that we might be set apart from the world. Loving others with the same enthusiasm, abundance, and joy that, “by this everyone will know that you are My disciples.” (John 13:35)

 

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February 10th – 1 John 4:7

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1 John 4:7

When you think of Jesus what is the first thing that pops into your head? For me it is His love. A love that He freely and joyfully gives to all. And a love that is so strong, He laid down His life to call us His own. And I in return love Him. But Jesus wants more than our love, He wants us to love others with the same passion that we reserve for Him. Every day society bombards us with false ideas of what love is. It makes us think that love just happens to us. And we have no control. After all, “the heart wants what the heart wants” right? But the Bible teaches completely the opposite. Love is a choice we make, something we can control, and the fruit of a spirit filled life. To love the Lord means loving all that He created.  Especially those created in His image. And no more is our love for the Lord evident than when we are loving others.

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February 9th – Revelation 16:15

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Revelation 16:15

Only God has the ability to directly see what is truly in a person’s heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) For the rest of us, we can only judge others by what we see on the outside. So if we boldly claim to be Christians, our daily walk needs to mimic the walk of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We can’t have a bumper sticker on our car or wear a cross around our necks then act like the world. John tells us that we each have a spiritual set of clothes. Paid for by the blood of Jesus. And as His ambassadors on earth, we need to wear our outfits proudly. That means always being aware of our actions and behaviors. John warns that the glorious return of Christ is soon upon us. And when He comes, we don’t want to get caught wearing soiled, dirty, worldly clothes. But instead we want to be seen wearing the garments of love, grace, and mercy Jesus paid a ransom to provide.

February 9th – Revelation 16:15 Read More »