Posted on Oct 14, 2019 in Devotions |
Bible Reading: John 5:16-47
(A series on the Gospel of John – 12)
Do you prefer praise from others, or do you make an effort to obtain praise from God? This is a question Jesus asks the Jews in his day, and one he still asks today. How would you answer it?
A man who has been paralyzed for 38 years is healed by Jesus. And Jesus heals him on the Sabbath Day! This was outrageous to the Jews, breaking their man made laws. Did Jesus try to stir up trouble deliberately? Sometimes it seems that way when a person doesn’t follow the norms of society. Let’s look however, at the way Jesus answers their accusations.
Posted on Oct 7, 2019 in Devotions |
Bible Reading: John 5:1-15
(A series on the Gospel of John – 11)
Have you ever felt alone? You are struggling with an issue and it seems there is no one who wants to help you? Probably we have all felt like that at times, but there are many around us who are desperate right now. They are like the needy people who were lying beside the Pool of Bethesda in the time of Jesus.
This pool is in Jerusalem near the temple. At times an angel stirred the water, and it was believed that the first person into the water, would be healed. When there is a promise of healing, people gather. So the blind, lame and paralyzed came to this place, and among them is a paralyzed man. For 38 years he has come to this place.
Posted on Oct 1, 2019 in Devotions |
Bible Reading: John 4:43-54
(A series on the Gospel of John – 10)
We believe God answers prayer. However we often limit God, expecting him to answer in the way we want. Yet he seldom does! There are some wonderful truths we can learn from this story in John 4.
After Jesus had met the woman in Samaria, he returns to Cana in Galilee. About 35 kilometers away, in Capernaum, a man whose son is gravely ill, hears Jesus is there. He is desperate for help, so travels to Cana to plead with Jesus to come with him to heal his son. This man is a royal official, and no doubt was used to people doing what he asked. However Jesus doesn’t go with him. Instead Jesus says, “You may go. Your son will live.”
Posted on Sep 23, 2019 in Devotions |
Bible Reading: John 4:27-42
(A series on the Gospel of John – 9)
Everyone enjoys eating! Food plays an important part in every culture. Not only is food enjoyable, it is essential to nourish and sustain our bodies.
Jesus and his disciples stopover in the town of Sychar for a rest. Since it is lunch time, the disciples head to the town to buy food, while Jesus waits by the well. When they return Jesus is speaking with a woman. By now they are hungry, so they urge Jesus to eat. However he says something unusual. “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
What does Jesus mean? There is something that is more important to him than food, and it is to do the will of his Heavenly Father. What could be more satisfying than gathering in a harvest of souls? As Jesus is speaking, the woman and others she has witnessed to, are coming towards him.
Posted on Sep 16, 2019 in Devotions |
Bible Reading:- John 4:1-26
(A series on the Gospel of John – 8)
If crowds of people wanted to hear you speak, would you spend time with just one? It’s easy to say we are too busy or think that is a waste of time. Yet Jesus stops for the one.
Rather than follow the usual route to Galilee, Jesus goes through Samaria. There’s a well in Sychar, so he stops to rest. This is not the usual time to be sitting by a well either, as it’s the hottest time of day. However the Father is directing Jesus to come here. A woman is coming to get water, a woman with deep needs.
Jesus breaks all social norms to speak to this woman. He recognizes her pain and reaches out by asking for a drink. She is shocked, but it opens a door for Jesus to offer her something in return. A gift! The gift of living water. Jacob had dug this well in Sychar. How could this man be greater than Jacob? What is this living water anyway? Perhaps she thinks Jesus is offering spring water, but there is no spring nearby.
Posted on Sep 9, 2019 in Devotions |
Bible Reading:- John 3:22-36
(A series on the Gospel of John – 7)
Have you ever been compared to another person? Perhaps you were told the other person is more successful than you are. None of us likes hearing these things! And this is exactly what is happening to John the Baptist.
John was the first to baptize others in the River Jordan. In fact he was becoming a well known evangelist! Now, however, there is someone else doing the same thing. And that person is Jesus. A Jewish man is quick to point this out! “All are going to him.”
Rather than feeling threatened or justifying himself, John speaks up. He gives an astonishing response! “No one can receive anything, unless God gives it to him from Heaven.” This isn’t a competition. John’s task is only to do what the Father assigns him to do. No more, no less.
Our struggle may not be caused by what others are saying. Perhaps it is because we are making our own comparisons.
Posted on Aug 26, 2019 in Devotions |
Bible Reading:- John 3:1-21
(A series on the Gospel of John – 6)
Have you ever looked at someone and thought they have everything? It seems they have no needs! Nicodemus was a man like that – well known, a member of the Jewish Council, a religious teacher and wealthy. Yet he had deeper needs, and Jesus knew that.
When Nicodemus comes to Jesus one night, Jesus speaks into that need. “You must be born again.” Like so many today, Nicodemus was knowledgeable, but he didn’t understand spiritual truths. So Jesus speaks to him about something he would understand. History!
He reminds Nicodemus of the time when his ancestors were living in the desert and many died from snake bites. It happened because of their sin. God told Moses to make a bronze snake and lift it on a pole. By looking at this bronze snake, anyone who had been bitten, would live.
Jesus goes on to explain the significance of this.
Read more…
Posted on Aug 26, 2019 in Devotions |
Bible Reading:- John 2:12-25
(A series on the Gospel of John – 5)
‘That’s a side I haven’t seen before!’ Have you ever said that about someone? It’s when you see them act in a different way to what you have seen before. We think of Jesus as healer and miracle worker, as one full of love and compassion. And he is! However there is another side.
Some time after the wedding in Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine, he went up to Jerusalem for the Passover. What he sees in the outer courts of the temple grieves him. This is his Father’s house. This part of the temple is where everyone could come and worship God. It was where men and women of all races were welcome. However, it was now like a market. Sheep, cattle, cages of doves and tables for the merchants, filled the space.
Suddenly we see a different side of Jesus. He makes a whip and drives the animals and merchants out.
Read more…
Posted on Aug 12, 2019 in Devotions |
Bible Reading:- John 2:1-11
(A series on the Gospel of John – 4)
“Do whatever he tells you”. This is what Mary said to the servants that day. She was attending a wedding in the small town of Cana, along with Jesus and his disciples.
Having an abundance of food and drink is important at any wedding. However the wine had run out at this one. Mary was concerned. Although she expressed the need to Jesus, notice that she never told him what to do.
Why did Jesus respond to Mary, even though he said it wasn’t time for him to begin his ministry? Was it because she was his mother? No doubt that is partly true. Yet Jesus later says that anyone who does the Father’s will is like his mother or brothers. Jesus responds to our concerns and needs in the same way he responded to Mary’s.
Posted on Aug 6, 2019 in Devotions |
Bible Reading:- John 1:35-51
(A series on the Gospel of John – 3)
What an invitation! ‘Come and see’. This is the invitation given by Jesus to Andrew and his friend. They were followers of John the Baptist, but now John is pointing them to Jesus.
The words are simple and yet profound. Jesus is inviting them to come with him. Not only that, he is inviting them to come and see. This little word ‘see’ in the original language means more than just seeing with our physical eyes. Jesus is inviting them to understand and experience who he is and what his presence really means.
When we have met Jesus like this, we long for others to know the difference he makes in our lives. This is what happens. Andrew invites his brother Simon Peter. The following day Philip invites his friend Nathanael. ‘Come and see’.
