John

April 21st – John 19:25-27

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John 19:25-27

Jesus is in a terrible agony, with a deep concern in his heart. Concern not for Himself, but for His mother Mary and His devoted followers. Because He sees how they’re suffering at the feet of His cross. The Lord wants His loved ones to be cared for as only a family can. So as one of His last gifts, He asks His beloved John to care for Mary, accepting her as his own mother. And in turn, asking Mary to accept John as her own son. Of this gift of family John Piper once said, “ One of the gifts Jesus gave to us from the cross was the church. A loving, caring, sustaining, encouraging family beyond family. And it is a great encouragement to our faith that He illustrates the meaning of the church the way He did in the relationship between John and Mary. If Jesus could provide for the needs of His own in the moment of His greatest weakness and humiliation, how much more can He provide for your need in His present wealth of power and exaltation!” A great encouragement indeed!

Blessings,

Mari

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April 17th – John 16:22

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John 16:22

His disciples were grief stricken when Jesus told them about His approaching death. Yet in the very same breath, the Lord also gave them hope through His resurrection, that they would be seeing Him again. Sadly, living in a fallen world means pain and suffering are are a given. But through Jesus, we can have an everlasting joy no sorrow can take away. For the Lord promises to those who believe in Him, pain and suffering are temporary, as compared to the blessings offered by a life in Christ. Jesus uses the example of a woman giving birth. Her labor pain is intense, unbearable, and agonizing. But once that beautiful baby is placed in her loving arms, the pain becomes a distant memory. And in its place is a heart filled with overwhelming love, joy, and thankfulness. In this world pain and persecution will come. But when we are in Christ, and He in us, our grief will be turned to joy. A lasting joy that no one or nothing will ever be able to take away!

April 17th – John 16:22 Read More »

Honoring The Final Words of the King – Mark 15-16

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Mark 15-16

The story of the Crucifixion is a tough one. It’s gut wrenching what Jesus suffered at the hands of His captors. He endured savagery, mockery, and rejection. He was brutalized and spit upon. And He did so willingly. At any time more than twelve legions of angels were ready to rescue the Lord at a moments notice. (Matt. 26:53) Yet Jesus bore His Cross to the end. He bore it for our salvation and to see the will of God done. …

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April 15th – Hebrews 12:12

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Hebrews 12:2

“I love you.” “How much?” “SO much.” “How much is so?” “Way, Way more than you know.” This comes from a book I used to read to my son entitled, “I Love You So…” by Marianne Richmond. It’s a beautiful story about the unconditional love a parent feels for a child. It perfectly expresses the height and depth of the love I have for my son, and reminds me of that same love Jesus has for us. His entire life here on earth from birth to death, was a perfect, shining testimony to the selfless love He so freely offers to all. Even while hanging on a Cross in excruciating pain, and until He breathed His last, He demonstrated grace, mercy, and love until the end.

Tortured and nailed to a cross, no one would blame Jesus for being so overwhelmed by His pain and suffering, that He could think of nothing else. Yet instead He repeatedly demonstrated His incredible love for others; never wavering in His grace and mercy. And Christ endured all of this; the wounds, humiliation, and shame for the “joy set before Him.” What is this joy? It’s you, it’s me, and all who would be saved through His death and resurrection. With His never ending love He gave His life, and with His dying breath He gave us life. Never again will we find condemnation, for as Jesus cried, “It is finished!” (John 19:30)

 

 

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April 13th – John 21:15-25

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John 21:15-25 

Imagine how terrible Peter felt when he betrayed Jesus three times; as the Lord predicted he would do. No wonder it struck a chord deep in Peter’s conscience when later Jesus asked him three times, “Peter, do you love me?” Knowing the Lord knew his heart and his regret, Peter answered, “You know that I love you.” Even though the apostle had earlier denied Christ, Jesus had forgiven Peter and restored him to a place of trust. As evidenced by the Lord’s commandment for Peter to, “Feed My sheep.” And just as He did for Peter, Jesus will do for us. The Lord knows our failures even before we commit them. And, like Peter, when we humbly seek Him in repentance, will be faithful to forgive and restore. God has a purpose that is uniquely ours. And He will help us fulfill that purpose. And no life, no matter how broken, can be beautifully transformed to bring glory to God. Today Jesus is asking you, “Do you love me?”

Blessings,

Becky

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April 5th – John 13:1-17

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John 13:1-17

The hands that had created the world in which the disciples walked was washing away the filth on their feet. And only hours before Jesus would be arrested, beaten and crucified for each of them and us. Why did Jesus feel the need to do such a thing?

Because the Lord knew one pair of feet at the table would abandon and betray Him that very night. And the others would all flee as quickly as they could the moment Jesus is arrested. All except one pair who would deny knowing Him three times before the rooster would crow.

“Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.  “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:12-17)

Jesus was still about His Father’s business. Even knowing that His work on earth was about to end and He would soon be taken off the earth. The washing the disciples’ feet was a symbolic act of cleansing and purifying, so that their spiritual walk following Him would be holy and spotless. And the neat thing is, He still does this today with each one who gives their heart to Him! Jesus still lovingly washes away our dust and grime with living water, then uses His own covering to refresh, restore, and make us fit for His kingdom work.

Blessings, Sue

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April 4th – Matthew 22:34-40

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Matthew 22:34-40

All Jesus did and endured was because of His great love for us. And when approached by a Pharisee who asked what was the greatest commandment of all, the Lord’s answer? Love. Love for God, and each other. Love is so vital, Jesus adds, upon this is the foundation of the Law and the Prophets. But loving as Jesus loves can only happen if our love for Him, is greater than our love for ourselves. And the proof of this is in the way we treat others. For as the apostle John points out, to say that we love God and yet not love others, makes us liars. (1 John 4:20) So hearts that put Christ first, no longer demonstrate a self centered, sinful love, but the completely selfless and sacrificial love of Jesus.

That kind of love may seem impossible. But the closer we get to Christ, and the more we experience His unconditional love, an amazing thing happens. Our heart begins to change. Once hardened, selfish, and worldly, through the work of the Spirit, it becomes softened, open, and overflowing with gratitude. Gratitude for all that God has done for us. And from that thankfulness, springs forth the ability to see, and more importantly, love others as Jesus does.

Our goal as Christians, is to become transformed into the image of Christ. To mirror His unconditional love, loving one another just as He has loved us. (John 15:12) 1 John 4:9-11 powerfully reminds us, “God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love another.”  This is the message echoed throughout the Bible and especially in the teachings of Jesus. And to me, it is the greatest love story of all!

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April 1st – John 3:16

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John 3:16

As we welcome the new month, and the Easter season, I can think of no better time to celebrate Jesus Christ! Our Lord and Savior who came to die so that we can live. Once we were dead in our sins and eternally separated from God. But our Father in heaven, in His great love, wanted to be reconciled to His children. And so He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to become our perfect sin sacrifice. Jesus willingly and joyfully came to be beaten, tortured, rejected, and nailed to a Cross. All to pay our sin debt in full and bring us back into fellowship with God. And through His loving sacrifice, we now can look forward to life eternal spent at His side. So with hearts overflowing with thankfulness, how can not celebrate with great joy!

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All The World Is Not A Stage – Matthew 6

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In Matthew chapters 5-7, Jesus delivers His most famous sermon of all, The Sermon on the Mount. In it He instructs us how to live a life that is both dedicated and pleasing to God. And in chapter 6, Christ makes very clear the importance of doing the right things for the right reasons. Saying, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” (v. 6:1)

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March 22nd – John 14:13-14

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John 14:13-14

What did Jesus mean when He made the promise that “whatever you ask in My name, that will I do”? Does it simply mean we should end each prayer with, “in Jesus name we pray“? Or is there more to it than that?

Jesus makes this promise while speaking to His disciples the evening before his arrest and crucifixion. Christ, knowing all that was about to transpire, was imparting full authority to them. How? By giving them the power to ask in His name. For at that time, to speak in the name of a person meant to fully represent them in all ways.

Therefore, Jesus was promising His disciples that while they were fulfilling their mission; He would do anything they asked Him to do while asking with the authority of His name. In short, He was handing His disciples a great privilege as well as a tremendous responsibility, but what does this promise mean to us?

First and foremost asking in His name is acknowledging His authority. In other words, our standing before the Father is based solely on the finished work of Jesus alone. We come to Him in prayer, not through our own  merit, but in the name of Jesus.

Secondly, we must pray wholly surrendered to His will not ours. How often have we prayed believing we know what the answer should be and were disappointed when the outcome did not turn out as we planed?

Finally, we should pray seeking His glory, not our own,. because glorying the Lord is our sole purpose for being here on this earth.

Keeping these three objectives in mind makes it easier to pray for each of His children. For prayer is a beautiful and precious privilege. It is an honor to be given the right to come before God at any time and in any place, bringing all our petitions before Him. But we must pray in a way that acknowledges Christ and seeks to glorify Him always.

Blessings,

Sue

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