May 21, 2018 Monday

““Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:11-17 NKJV)

            Nicodemus is a scholar and a leader of Israel but the teachings of Jesus leave him confused and this confusion about earthly things cuts him off from understanding heavenly things.  Some in the Church are either like Nicodemus or even worse.

            Without prayer we cannot keep our relationship with God growing and alive, without studying the Bible we cannot get to know God, and the Bible keeps our prayers and our teaching about God correct and growing.

            Jesus having lived in both the world and heaven can guide us to a true understanding of both and how they interact.  Every teaching of Jesus helps us grow to know who we are and who we can be, how forgiveness bridges the gap between earth and heaven and how we can know about God and also know God!

            The teaching of Jesus does not just connect heaven and earth but also the Old and New Testaments.  As the people of Israel were dying of snake bites because of their sin Moses made a pole with a serpent on it and all who looked at it would be healed.  This symbol is used for the medical profession even today.

            As Jesus was lifted on the cross all who look at Jesus will be healed from their sin and receive eternal life.  Eternal life is more than living forever, it is living NOW!  Eternal life is moving beyond just existing to life which is abundant and free!  Eternal life is wrestling with sin rather than allowing it to destroy us by keeping us from Jesus who is life!

            A person in one of the congregations I served said while most people love John 3:16 he loved John 3:17.  We do celebrate the great love of God who was willing to die so we could have life but we also celebrate the God who came not to condemn us but to save us!

This is a God worth serving and loving!

            When you have a question do you like Nicodemus ask God for an answer?  When you get an answer do you receive it and make it part of your relationship with God?

(This week has been hard and I have fallen behind so much.  My mind has been so fuzzy so putting thoughts together has been so difficult.)

May 20, 2018 Sunday

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4 NKJV)

            The Christian year is an amazing way to see how God works in Israel, the Church and in your life.  Pentecost is older than Christianity and to Jews was the Feast of Weeks and celebrated God providing the harvest.  Later it was called Shavuot and celebrates the gift of the Torah which is the first five books of the Bible.

            The first followers of Jesus gathered to pray and as the Jews celebrated receiving the law they received the gift of the Holy Spirit as they celebrated grace!  The Holy Spirit would guide Christians to live a life of obedience to Jesus who had fulfilled the law!

            Christianity is not the casting aside of our Jewish heritage but of living in Jesus who fulfilled the law and allows us to live by grace!  The Bible is still our guide and a way to know the God who we desire to know and serve.

            Pentecost is a time to remember we were a broken and sin enslaved person who was unable to understand the law as well as live it.  We would either twist the law to hurt others or to allow us to live and believe as we wanted.

            Pentecost is a time to remember that through Jesus we know the Way, the Truth and Life.  Through Jesus we are prepared to receive the Holy Spirit who guides us to a full life guided by God’s truth and able to walk in the way God has for us.

            Pentecost is a celebration of the harvest of souls that would come from us being able to speak to others in their own “tongues” through the Holy Spirit!  While at times this means speaking other languages it can also mean knowing what to say to each person since only God knows their heart.

            Pentecost is a time to get as some preachers would teach “a fire in your belly” and hunger to share with others the Good News which has changed your life eternally!  Happy Pentecost!

            Ask yourself what Pentecost means to you?  As you concerned more with the harvest of crops or the harvest of souls?  Are you still seeking to live out the law or through Christ who fulfilled the law seeking to live it out in obedience and love?

(Thanks to Bonnie who reminded me about the Feast of Weeks which celebrated God's goodness in providing the harvest.  This added so much to this devotion!)

May 19, 2018 Saturday

““Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. “O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”” (John 17:24-26 NKJV)

            The plan of redemption is that through Jesus our sins are paid for so we can be with God.  God’s desire for us to be with Him can be seen in the response to our fall. 

“Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”” (Genesis 3:9 NKJV)

God made the greatest of sacrifices by giving Jesus, the only begotten Son, to take on our sin and prepare us to once again be able to walk and talk with God!

            Over and over Jesus would declare His obedience to the Father so the disciples and crowds would learn to live this way.  Much of the teaching of Jesus drew people to the Father and called them to obedience to God rather than to Moses or the prophets.

            When we experience the love of God who is willing to sacrifice His only begotten Son we are changed forever and are able to love with God’s love. 

            Do you realize the Father thought it was not enough of a sacrifice to die Himself but declared our value by offering Jesus to remove our sin and bring us to God?

            Such a love changes us so much we are able to love God and others with the love of God.  By this love we are able to go beyond our often selfish and self-centered ways and discover a new way of living with the joy of seeing God change lives.

            We are able to continue to be obedient and faithful if we maintain our relationship with God realizing “And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” 

            Jesus is not just with you but is actually in your life and as you walk with God your life becomes a great adventure as you experience the wonderful, miraculous love of God!

            Do you hear God’s cry to you to know Him?  Do you seek to hear God’s cry and walk with God?  Are you living a great adventure (life) or just making it day by day (existence)?

            Today was one of those tale of two days.  I stayed out of bed most of the day and was able to do some things but I had this general pain all over which did not go away.  Bonnie and I had our devotion and time of prayer.  There is so much to pray about and for.  So many people and places are suffering so much and the congregations and denominations in America are either too busy caring for themselves or fighting about matters which God has already decided for us.  But God’s people are still changing lives which changes the world and even eternity!

May 18, 2018 Friday

““I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:20-23 NKJV)

            As God Jesus is not limited by time even living within time and sees the Church’s growth through time to extend and complete the ministry of Jesus.  Even seeing the brokenness as the Church split into denominations and the excesses of those who claim to be Christians Jesus sees those who are always faithful and continue the lineage of the Church.

            Jesus prays the world will understand God is one by the unity of Christians.  Our lives reveal to the world the difference God can make in a human being and for many Christians are the only way they experience God.

            And then the amazing gets even amazinger! (I know this is not a word but it explains it well.)  Jesus declares “that they also may be one in Us”.   Unity is when God’s people are united with God!

            Jesus teaches our unity is possible because we have been given the glory God has given to Jesus.  But what is glory?  The Hebrew root word for glory means to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honorable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honored.  In Greek glory comes from the root which means offering the praise, honor, dignity and worship God deserves.

            The Old Testament word glory is God centered describing why God deserves our worship and praise.  The New Testament word glory is us centered and we must choose to give God the praise and worship of our hearts.

            Our choice to offer God our worship is a sign to the world of the glory of God and calls them to come to God.  The Glory of God is a description of God and also a statement of why we should give our lives to the God who gave His life for us.

            Do you think worship services are boring?  Do you go to a worship service to offer your worship to God?  What does it say about you if worship is boring?

            Today is a little better even though I still am weary.  Was able to walk and sit outside after we had our devotion and prayer.  Bonnie and Jonathan went to Knoxville Sympathy concert and Rebecca and I had a movie and popcorn time.

May 17, 2018 Thursday

““Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. “And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” (John 17:17-19 NKJV)

            Jesus pulls together so much in this little part of the prayer.  So much of the Gospel of John speaks about the Word and Truth.   From the very beginning we see this so clearly.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:1-4 NKJV)

            Jesus is the Word of God and is God and also creator!  Jesus does more than just give life but is life itself!

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6 NKJV)

            I am the truth!  Pilate could not see truth standing before him, the Jewish leaders could not see the truth as Jesus taught and renewed the lives of so many through many healings and miracles!  Jesus makes the amazing claim that He is not just the source of the way, truth and life but Jesus IS the way, truth and life.

            Reread this passage and where it says truth and word see them as Jesus!  Jesus would sanctify Himself so we could be sanctified by Jesus!  Once again the theme of unity and connection are prayed for as we depend upon Jesus to not only be justified (to be forgiven and saved) but to also be sanctified (to be empowered to serve God and others in a good way)!

            Sanctification propels us into the world as we live out the way of Jesus who came to us and did not sit and wait for us to come!  We have the example of Jesus to go out into the world seeking to share the truth guided by the word of God to help people discover the Living Word Jesus the Christ!

            Have you been justified (to be forgiven and saved)?  Have you been sanctified (to be empowered to serve God and others in a good way)?  If you have been justified are you moving out into the world sharing Jesus the Word and the Truth?

            Bonnie and I got caught up on our devotion and prayer.  I was able to listen to the Bible some.  I got the rest of the cards done and ready to be mailed tomorrow.  Still very weary and hope the Nuvigil will get into my system soon.

May 16, 2018 Wednesday

““Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. “But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” (John 17:11-16 NKJV)

            Jesus should startle us with the statement that He is no longer in the world or is that something you read over?  Once again we see God is not limited by time, deed or even prayer.  Yes Jesus came into our world and was limited somewhat by being human but the prayers and deeds of Jesus are timeless!

            Look at the Last Supper and see Jesus who would soon be broken on the cross commemorating that act by breaking the bread BEFORE the crucifixion!

            Jesus prays for we who still live in the world and – I must quote this for I have no word to express it!  “Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.”

            Jesus then uplifts the written word as the very Word of the Father and that everything Jesus did was to fulfill God’s Word!  The Living Word who took part in the written word fulfilled the written word through His life!

            If we receive the Living Word and seek to grow in the written word we receive the Joy of God and the hate of the world!  Some say they hate Christians because they are judgmental and the truth is Christians will always seem judgmental because we live through the Living Word and seek to live by the written word.  God’s light reveals the darkness and the world hates when their darkness is revealed!

            The world hates us like they did Jesus and seeks to destroy us to extinguish the Light of God because of their darkness.  Jesus prays not that we would be saved from the dark people in the world, but from the evil one – satan who can destroy us!  Those who can harm our body are of no danger but the evil one works to destroy our soul!

            Do you desire to know the written word so you can better know the Living Word?  Does the written word bother you because it reveals the darkness in your life?  Are you willing to give your life for Jesus who gave His life for you?

            This week has been terrible!  In preparation for the sleep test I had to go off the Nuvigil for a week and I cannot express how bad it was.  On Tuesday I went for the test at 9 PM and that night had the sleep test and today had the nap part of the test until 4 PM.  I pray this helps because I truly and weary of tests which cause so much pain with little or no results.  But I was able to listen to chapters from Isaiah and from 2Chronicles as I read through the Bible again.

May 15, 2018 Tuesday

““I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. “Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. “For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. “And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.” (John 17:6-10 NKJV)

            Jesus who is the Living Word of God declares He has manifested God’s name to those Jesus has been given.  Jesus would declare to the disciples if you have seen me you have seen the Father.  We may struggle understanding how the Trinity works, how God can die or how God communicates within the Trinity but we can know in the life of Jesus we see God!

            The writings of Jesus as the Living Word were written by some of those given to Jesus and have become the written word we call the Bible.  Through the words Jesus passed on to us we receive not just the plan but the planner also.

             Then there is a statement which seems so unlike Jesus to us.  When Jesus promised to pray for those who come from God that may make us feel good but when Jesus refuses to pray for the world you may be astounded!

            How does this statement fit in with your view of Jesus?  The more certain we are about our view of God the more likely we are to be wrong!  As human beings we like to be able to understand, to know or even to “guestimate” but with God that is not possible.

            For though we desperately need a God bigger than us and our problems we still try to shrink God down to a manageable size or make God a “large” human being.  Could that be why many are disappointed with God and cannot really look to God for help and sustenance?

            Jesus does not pray for, but proclaims the unity of God and with us!  Those who are BC, or Before Christ, looked to God and those who came during the time of Jesus and after (AD or Anno Domini – year of the Lord) are united into one just as God is one!

            Where are you within this unity?  Do you belong to Jesus or do you belong to the world?  Are you seeking to unify yourself with God and other people who believe in Jesus or are you seeking your own way and cutting yourself off from the unity Jesus came to bring?