Category: John

Sorrow turned to Joy – 2025 Day 16 (John 16)

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 16, John 16

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.”

– John 16:20-22 ESV

When I look at this picture, which was taken just moments after my youngest son was born, so many memories of that day flood back into my mind. After laboring into the wee hours of the night, I’d gotten my first epidural out of a crazy need for some rest, only to find myself overwhelmed by an intense feeling of panic when I couldn’t take a deep breath or feel my legs.

Yet, when that baby boy was delivered, all 8 pounds 15 ounces of him, I was even more overwhelmed by a feeling of ecstasy and joy, unexplainable to anyone who has never delivered a baby.

All the pain and exhaustion
was worth it, the very instant that little boy drew his first breath
and let out his first cry.

Just as friends try to prepare a new mom for the pain of labor and delivery, Jesus was trying to prepare His disciples for the great sorrow they would experience at His upcoming death and departure. An important part of that preparation that many experienced moms forget to share, is the immense JOY that you will experience after the pain is over.

Friends, listen to me, someday it will be worth it! Soon and very soon we are going to see the king! And there will be no more crying there. In this world we will indeed have tribulation, but we can take heart because Jesus has overcome the world.

We don’t need to try to take shortcuts to avoid the pain, hiding our lights under bushels so no one can see them, drowning our sorrows in Facebook and food. Instead, we can rejoice today because we know with certainty that these labor pains are only temporary and that they will all be worth it when we see our Savior face to face.

Will you please join me in prayer?

Heavenly Father,

You are our hope in life and death. Help us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. Help us to fix our minds on things that are above. Help us to number our hours and days, knowing that these times are in fact short and these trials are indeed light, in comparison to the eternal weight of glory that is to come.

We pray for those who are in the depths of sorrow today, who are at the peak of the incredible pain of labor, who can’t seem to make out that light at the end of this valley of despair. Father, please, be their comfort and help them to see Your everlasting arms carrying them and Your loving hand guiding them through this dark valley. Use us to encourage them. Help us to grieve with those who grieve just as deeply as we rejoice with those who rejoice.

We pray for those who are without hope today because they are without Christ. We pray that You will open their eyes and soften their hearts to the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ who bore their punishment by His death on the cross. May today be their day of salvation, that many will rejoice with the angels over one lost sinner who repents!

In the holy and good name of Jesus we pray. Amen

Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.

Not Orphans – 2025 Day 14 (John 14)

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 14, John 14

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you…. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” – John 14:18, 27

“I will ask the Father and he will give you another Helper (advocate, counselor) to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you…. The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” – John 14:16-17, 26

Jesus was about to leave His disciples, to go back to His Heavenly Father, but He was not leaving them (or us) as orphans. Friends, we have not been abandoned. We are not alone. He has left us His Spirit and His peace, and He will return for us.

1. Jesus left us the Holy Spirit.

When I left my kids with Grandma, they weren’t really alone. I may have left, but I left them with a very good helper. It seems to me that for many of us the Trinity has become “The Father, The Son, and the Bible.” We underestimate our need for the Holy Spirit to be with us, to be our helper and counselor, to bring to mind what Jesus has taught us and to help us understand what the Word means. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit’s ongoing help. When I’m praying, meditating on scripture, or studying the Word, His quiet voice often leads me to remember other passages of Scripture. The Holy Spirit also brings conviction and encouragement to my heart. Thank You, Father, for sending the Holy Spirit to abide in me and with me.

2. Jesus left us His peace.

When Jesus returned to heaven, he left His disciples, but He didn’t leave them alone – He left them with the Holy Spirit, but He also left them with His peace. “Peace” (Hebrew – “shalom”) was a customary parting greeting for Jews. Jesus here is not only wishing them farewell because he’s leaving – but He’s leaving them with His peace, giving them peace. Thayers Greek Lexicon defines this Greek word eirēnē (peace) as “the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.” Jesus has left us with His eternal peace because we have been reconciled with God through the forgiveness of our sins through faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

3. Jesus Himself will return for us.

It reminds me of when I’d say, “Don’t worry. I’m coming back,” as I left my kids home alone while I went to a meeting or out on a date with my husband. Jesus Himself will come back. Let’s be good children, eagerly waiting for His return – watching for Him, telling others about Him, and living with the trusting expectation that He is coming soon.

Thank You, Jesus, for going to prepare a place for me. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to be my counselor, helper, and advocate. Thank you for not leaving me alone.

Thank you for giving me Your peace, peace that surpasses worldly understanding, the supernatural peace of being held by Almighty God while a hurricane swirls around me.

I pray, Father, for all those children who are orphans in this world. I pray that You would place them in families. I pray that You would be a Father to them and provide for them the daily bread they need as well as Your peace that surpasses all understanding. Help them to know that they are not alone.

I pray, Lord, that I will be found waiting and watching. Give me Your strength and wisdom to remember that You are coming soon. Help us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:12-13)

In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord, I pray, Amen.

Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.

A New Commandment – 2025 Day 13 (John 13)

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 13, John 13

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

John 13:34 ESV

When Jesus knew that His hour had come to give up His life and return to his Father, He didn’t look to a bucket list of “Top 100 Things to Do Before You Die.” No, he washed His disciples’ feet. The most important thing to Him before His death was to leave an example of true love for His followers.

He gives them this “new commandment” – a very old commandment actually, but made even more difficult by the addition of “JUST AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.” It’s really, really hard to love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:31) This takes supernatural power. But to love others sacrificially as Jesus did – washing your friends’ feet, your students’ feet, even your betrayer’s feet – and even to lay down your own life for someone else, this is impossible apart from being born again, having a new will and new power working in you. (Philippians 2:13)

Will you please pray with me for the Lord to give you this strength?

Heavenly Father, I confess to you how hard it is for me to love others as myself, how totally impossible it is for me to love them as you have loved me. Help me to remember that what is impossible for man is possible for God. Nothing is impossible for You. I need You to give me both the strength and the desire!

Help me to remember that You loved me while I was a sinner, your enemy. You ran after me while I was running away from You. Help me to feel – and express – that kind of love for others, even when I don’t feel like it. Help me to pursue others like You pursued me.

Help me to consider others more highly than myself. Help me to serve my family and my friends, people who love me. Help me to serve my children and my students, people who are under my authority. Help me to serve the stranger and alien and even my enemy, remembering that You loved me when I was a stranger and alien and even Your enemy.

I need Your help. Please. In the strong and kind name of Jesus my Savior and Lord, I pray, Amen.

Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.

Well Done, Good and Faithful Servant – 2025 Day 12 (John 12)

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 12; John 12

How often do you find yourself saying things to impress others or to look good while your true motives are all wrong?

  • Like Judas said when Mary poured out the ointment of pure nard, “Why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12:5) when really Judas just wanted the money for himself.
  • Like when the people were all crowding around Jesus crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the king of Israel!” (John 12:13) But days later they will be crying out “Crucify him!” (John 19:15)

When I was an atheist, I took pride in standing out. I took great satisfaction in not following the crowd. I thought, “Those people are all gullible sheep,” yet my motives were still selfish. I loved people’s admiration of my ability to stand out and swim upstream.

But even in my attempts to “do my own thing,” I was still working for the approval of others. I wanted to look like my favorite band, Depeche Mode. I wanted to get good grades and win the praise of my teachers.

So often we are swayed by the approval of others,
whether in “fitting in” or “standing out.”

But here in John 12 Jesus has some weighty words that are most worthy of our serious consideration,

“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

– John 12:25-26 ESV

Now in my fifth decade of life, cresting the top of the hill and beginning my race toward the finish line, I want to live the rest of my days for the praise of God, my righteous judge, with my ears tuned to those most excellent words of praise, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:21 ESV)

Heavenly Father,

Help us to pursue You with single-minded devotion. We want to live for Your praise and Yours alone. Forgive us for all the times we give way to comfort and pleasure and ease, choosing the wide path rather than the narrow road. You know our hearts. We are laid bare before You. Create in us new hearts. Renew our spirits anew. Give us strength to continue on for Your glory, longing to one day hear you say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your master.”

In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord we Pray. Amen.

Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.

I Believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God – 2025 Day 11 (John 11)

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 11; John 11

“But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

– John 11:4

Like the man born blind in John 9:3, Lazarus’s illness was for the glory of God that the Son of God may be glorified in it.

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”

– John 11:5-6

Jesus loved Martha and Mary and Lazarus… So he stayed away two days longer. God’s ways are not like ours. His timing is not like ours. He has bigger purposes than our ease and comfort. We must fix our eyes on him rather than our circumstances. Paul learned the secret of being content in all circumstances, that he could do all things through Christ who gave him strength. We can live likewise, and as we do Christ will be glorified in our lives.

“… for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe….”

– John 11:15

Lazarus’s life and death and healing aren’t just about him or even just about his own family. Jesus wants his disciples’ faith to be grown through this tragedy. We need to remember that our brothers and sisters in Christ are watching us and being either encouraged or discouraged by how we live.

“So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

– John 11:16

Thomas often has a reputation as the unbelieving disciple, the doubter, but here you see that he was willing to die for Jesus. We, too, as disciples of Christ have our ups and downs, our good moments and are bad moments. Praise the Lord that He knows our hearts, and that He is a just and righteous and all-knowing God who sees us through the cleansing blood of His Son.

“So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house.”

– John 11:20

Martha, too, has a bad rap, known for complaining to Jesus for her sister to help her, yet she’s the one who ran out to meet Jesus while Mary stayed in the house. In fact, Martha is who Jesus was speaking to in John 11:25-27, “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.'” Mary and Martha each have their own unique strengths and weaknesses, and God can use both of them for His glory. Martha can learn from Mary, and Mary can learn from Martha, and we can learn from both of them!

I am so thankful God gave me an older sister who is both very different and very similar to me. We were both created in the image of God, but with very unique gifts and purposes.

“… I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”

– John 11:42

Jesus has purpose not only for Lazarus and his sisters, not only for His disciples, but also for the people standing around watching. My life isn’t just for myself, it’s not just for my family and friends, it’s not just for my brothers and sisters in Christ, it is also for those who are just standing around watching, my neighbors, the people at the grocery store, the people in the park, the people driving next to me on the street. Lord, be glorified in me!

Heavenly Father,

We pray that we will treasure up Your words in our hearts, calling out for insight and understanding, seeking wisdom like silver and searching for understanding as hidden treasure, that we will fear You and know You, that we might believe in You and trust You with all of our hearts.

Thank You for the truth that those who KNOW Your name put their trust in You for You, oh Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Help us to be wise, being careful who we listen to, and being careful how we live. Help us, Father, to remember that people are watching us – our children, our husbands, our parents, our brothers and sisters in Christ, those who are far away from you are watching us. We pray that our lives would testify to the truth of the gospel. We pray that people will see our good deeds and give glory to You, our Father in heaven.

Help us to have faith as a mustard seed that grows and multiplies and fills our cities and nations.

Help us to share the good news of the gospel, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who has come into the world, that all might believe in Him and receive the gift of eternal life.

It is in the good and holy name of Jesus our Savior and Lord that we pray. Amen

Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.

Jesus, The Good Shepherd – 2025 Day 10 (John 10)

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Read Through the Bible in Two Years: Proverbs 10; John 10

“So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep…. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

– John 10:7, 10 ESV

This reminds me of when I was a child and our house was broken into. A thief took a baseball bat from our front porch and smashed the panel of glass in our front door so he could enter.

Thieves come to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came that we may have abundant life. Jesus is Himself the door for the sheep. If we want to meet the Father, we must come through Jesus, the only door. We can’t break our way in. There is no secret back entrance. Jesus is the only way. No man comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

– John 10:11-15 ESV

Jesus isn’t just any ol’ shepherd. Jesus is the good shepherd. Jesus isn’t just a hired hand who is getting paid to watch the sheep like “Little Boy Blue” or “The Boy who Cried Wolf.” Jesus is the good shepherd who willingly laid down His life for His sheep.

One of the most compelling reasons I have to believe that the Bible is true is that Jesus’s disciples were willing to be martyred for their faith. If they had known they were preaching a lie, would they have been willing to die for their faith? I don’t think so.

Jesus, too, was willing to die for His testimony that He was the Son of God, and Jesus was willing to die for us, His lost sheep who needed a good shepherd to rescue them.

Jesus is such a good shepherd. He doesn’t drive His sheep; He leads His sheep. He goes first and says, “Follow me.”

Are we good shepherds for our children and others we are leading?

  • Do we go first, leading by our good example, saying with love, “Follow me?”
  • Or do we stand behind them (or sit on the couch) yelling and pointing, “Do this! Do that! Don’t go that way! You’re doing it wrong! Don’t you hear me?”

“Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

– John 10:25-27 ESV

Jesus both spoke compelling truths and did compelling signs in the presence of thousands of witnesses so that His sheep would believe that He truly was the Son of God and Savior of the World. Yet, many did not believe? Why? Because they were not among Jesus’s sheep. They couldn’t understand what Jesus was saying. They couldn’t believe what Jesus was doing because they weren’t His sheep. It reminds me of 1 Corinthians 2:14, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

Just like you would never expect a chicken or hamster to understand you, you mustn’t be surprised when people can’t understand God’s Word. Like those Jewish men who heard Jesus’s words, “I and the Father are one,” and rather than worshipping Him they accused Him of blasphemy, saying “you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:30, 33). It’s like we read last week in Proverbs 1, wisdom cries aloud in the streets and markets, yet the people do not hear. Instead they close their ears and scoff, ignoring wisdom’s counsel and reproof.

Instead of being angry with those simple scoffers and fools, let’s humbly pray for them, remembering that we once we blind, too. Just like you wouldn’t be angry when a chicken or hamster doesn’t do what you tell it to, don’t be angry when a friend can’t understand what you’re talking about. Instead, let’s always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks, correcting our opponents with gentleness and respect. (2 Timothy 2:24-26, 1 Peter 3:14-17)

Lord God,

Thank You for opening my eyes and calling me into Your flock. Help me to always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in me and to do it with gentleness and respect. Help me to be patient and kind to those who are still in the darkness. Give me a humble and grateful heart.

Help me to hear Your voice crying above the noise of the world saying, “This is the way. Walk in it.” Give me eyes to see the door and the straight and narrow path to it.

Thank You for sending the Good Shepherd, the Perfect Shepherd, to lay down His life for me. Help me to be willing to lay down my life for my friends – and even for my enemies. Give me the wisdom I need to discern the enemy’s voice and let me not be deceived by the devil’s lies and schemes.

Help me to remember that my Good Shepherd Jesus said again and again, “Follow me.” Jesus came to earth, taking on flesh, Son of God and Son of Man, that we could know and follow You because we know and follow Him.

In the Name of Jesus Christ Our Savior, Lord, and Shepherd we pray. Amen.

Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.

One Thing I Know: I Once was Blind but Now I See – 2025 Day 9 (John 9)

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 9, John 9

Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

– John 9:3 ESV

God always has a plan and purpose in pain. Sometimes that plan is for discipline and chastisement, but sometimes God has other purposes. We have to be careful not to be so self-absorbed that we think our lives are only about us. Rather, we must recognize that as God’s children our lives are on display for the world to see. What trial are you facing right now? How can the works of God be displayed in that trial?

As Elisabeth Elliot wrote in Suffering is Never for Nothing, “It’s He who was the Word before the foundation of the world, suffering as a lamb slain. And He has a lot up His sleeve that you and I haven’t the slightest idea about now. He’s told us enough so that we know suffering is never for nothing.”

[Jesus] said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.”

– John 9:7a

Parents want their children to obey promptly, cheerfully, and completely. Likewise, we should obey our Heavenly Father promptly, cheerfully, and completely. This blind man must by faith obey Jesus and go wash in order to be healed.

  • What if he waited until tomorrow to wash?
  • What if he grumbled the whole way he was walking to the pool?
  • What if he went to a different pool that was more convenient to him?

How often do we fail to obey
(or our obedience comes from selfishness and pride)
and we miss out on a blessing that God has for us?

“His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” … He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.””

– John 9:20-21, 25 ESV

Did you notice how many times “know” and “don’t know” were used in verses 20 – 31? There are so many things that we don’t know, right? But there was something this healed man KNEW, “he was blind but now he sees.” Do you feel that way? Do you KNOW that?

Near the end of this chapter, in verse 35, when Jesus found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” and he answered, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” can you feel his joy in having his question answered, “You have SEEN Him, and it is He who is speaking to you”?

Can you answer with this man who once was blind but now sees, “Lord, I believe” and worship Him with joy-filled faith?

Heavenly Father,

You are the God who creates people who are born with sight and people who are born blind. You have purpose in both. Thank You for the gift of earthly sight that allows us to see the beauty of creation that we might be drawn to seek You. Thank You, also, for the gift of spiritual sight that we can see You at work in our lives and in the lives of others around us.

We pray that You will give us spiritual wisdom to obey You promptly, cheerfully, and completely. Please forgive us for all those times we have stubbornly refused to follow You, and all those times we have followed You grudgingly and half-heartedly, those times we’ve waited for a better time, or waited to hear You a second or third or fourth or hundredth time. Help us to be obedient children so that Your works and Your character will be powerfully on display in our lives.

We pray that we will recognize that we were once blind, so that we can be grateful for the GIFT of sight that we have received. Keep us humble and protect us from that pride which so easily creeps into our hearts. Thank You for Your lovingkindness and grace.

In the Almighty Name of Jesus our Savior and our Lord we pray. Amen.

Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.

The Way of Wisdom – 2025 Day 8 (John 8)

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 8, John 8

“”I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.

The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.

Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength.

By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.

I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.”

– Proverbs 8:12-21 ESV

As an atheist, following my own ideas, all my ways were pride. I made my own rules based on what seemed right to me. And all it got me was misery. I was lost in my own sin and couldn’t find a way of escape. But God offers a way out through His Words of wisdom.

After reading Proverbs 8, I was reminded again of this truth while reading the story of the adulterous woman in John 8. God is simultaneously wise and gracious and merciful and holy and righteous. As His children and followers, He says “go, and from now on sin no more,” (John 8:11).

The older I get, the more I recognize my own sin. As a young adult, I thought I was so grown-up and good. God had changed me so much and brought me out of darkness and into light, but I still had so much to learn, so I found it particularly interesting to read John 8:7, 9, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her… and they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones.” The older we get, the more we should be able to see our own sin. The better we know the Word, the better we should recognize what terrible sinners we are! So many of my obvious, external sins are gone (by God’s grace!) but those more “respectable,” hidden sins of pride, malice, and covetousness lurk just beneath the surface.

Heavenly Father, You are God alone. You are the truth. Indeed, every word of God proves true and You are a shield to those who take refuge in You.

Hide us in the shelter of your wings. Help us to “go and sin no more.” Help us to hear You and follow You. We pray that we would come into the light that our works would be exposed, and we would be laid bare before you, so that we would repent, turning away from our sins and turning to Jesus, eternal God in human flesh.

Help us to recognize our own sin and our own need for a Savior. Help us to be among those who do not throw stones at our fellow sinners, but instead point them to the One who came that we would have life to the full.

Truly, Satan is a liar. He came to steal and kill and destroy. He is the prince of this world, the king of darkness. Help us to rescue those who are held in his snare. We pray that the eyes of many would be opened so that they would see You, the author and creator of our faith.

It is in the matchless name of Jesus our Lord and Savior that we pray. Amen.

Click here for more information on reading through the Bible in Two Years.

The Lord of Living Waters – 2025 Day 7 (John 7)

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Read Through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 7; John 7

“Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand.”

– John 7:2 ESV

The Feast of Booths was a festival celebrated each fall to memorialize when the Lord delivered the Israelites out of Egypt and preserved them for their years in the desert. If you want to learn more about the significance of the Feast of Booths, I suggest this article. The more you understand the Old Testament, the more you’ll understand the New. Not only is it incredibly interesting, but it grows your faith as you better understand the fulfillment of Yeshua, Jesus, the One who Saves, in the foreshadowing and prophecies of the Old Testament.

For not even his brothers believed in him.

– John 7:5 ESV

How painful it must have been that Jesus’s own brothers did not believe in Him! I am so grateful to God that my sister, too, came to faith in Christ just a few years after I did. How different my life would be today if she were still an opponent of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.

– John 7:7 ESV

We should expect the world to hate us, and we should be prepared for battle, putting on the full armor of God, remembering that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the evil forces of darkness. (Ephesians 6)

In light of this kingdom battle, we need to speak the truth, and we need to believe that the truth is good. We must not be false witnesses, saying “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 8:11). We must not be people pleasers, giving lip-service and eye-service to people who want their itching ears to be scratched. (See Ephesians 6:6, 2 Timothy 4:3) We must not pretend that God won’t judge sin because that is, in fact, unloving and untrue.

The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.

– John 7:18 ESV

Sometimes it’s easier to speak for yourself, saying what you think, what seems right to you, rather than to speak God’s words. But the truth is that there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25)

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for giving me brothers and sisters in faith in my own city and nation, as well as around the world. I pray for those brothers and sisters who are being persecuted and attacked for their faith. Help them to stand firm. Help them to shine brightly and to forgive their enemies.

I pray that we would be people of truth ,- believing the truth, obeying the truth, speaking the truth. Make us truth-treasurers and truth-preservers. Protect us from loving our own comfort so much that we would lie and deceive others, and wander from the truth in how we live and speak.

Father, help us to speak for Your glory and not our own. Give us strength to hold fast to the truth and to speak the truth with authority and love.

I pray that we would come to You when we are thirsty, rather than forsaking You and digging our own cisterns. May streams of living water pour out of us, that You would be glorified in our lives.

In the Good and Glorious Name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, I pray. Amen.

One week in! Keep going! May the Lord find us faithful to Him and to His Word!

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Jesus is the Bread of Life – 2025 Day 6 (John 6:1-71)

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Read Through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 6; John 6

I have always been one who wanted to achieve, to work hard and succeed. When I got to high school, I quit taking the classes that I enjoyed like choir and art and woodworking, and chose instead to take classes I could get an A in, classes that would look good on my resume. So, the words of John 6:28 resonated loud and clear with me.

Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”

– John 6:28 ESV

Jesus had just finished telling them not to work for food that perishes, but instead to work for the food that endures to eternal life. So, this is a logical question, right? I can just hear them saying, "Ok, got it, Jesus. So, what should we do?"

And here is His answer, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent,” (John 6:29) which seems to mean that even believing in Jesus is a work of God, not of self-will (look back at John 1:12-13 for more on this) … which Jesus states even more explicitly in verse 44 later in John 6, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”

In pondering this idea, I was reminded of one of my favorite Bible passages, Ephesians 2:1-10,

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience– among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved– and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ”

Dead men can’t make themselves alive, and sinners will never turn to God by their own will. We need God to pour out His grace on us and draw us to believe and cause us to be born again to eternal life.

Which brings me to the next thing that Jesus said, “I am the bread of life…. I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” (John 6:48, 51) The bread of LIFE. So much better than manna which spoiled day after day. The LIVING bread. Eternal life-giving bread. So much better than that manna which sustained the Israelites for their 40 years in the wilderness, but could never give them eternal life.

Jesus is the eternal one, the Alpha and Omega, who was and is and is to come, the living One – so He is the only one who can give eternity to us as children of God. So, we must come to Him and eat of His flesh and drink of His blood, abiding in Him by faith, that we, too, might have eternal life.

I’m sure we will learn more about this in the coming months, but what a gift it is to begin our new year remembering the bread of eternal life, Jesus.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to live among sinful dead men, to give up His own life, that we could receive eternal life by faith in Him. Help us to receive Him with humility and to offer this gift to others. Help us to remember that we are just beggars telling others where they, too, can find bread. Make us like the Samaritan woman who was eager to share this good news with others. Make us like Abraham who believed God and came to You by faith. Thank You for giving us our daily bread. Thank you for reminding us – and forcing us – to come to You day after day, not eating old, stale, molded bread, but new fresh, life-giving daily bread of Your Word which helps strengthen us to do those works which You have prepared in advance for us to do.

In the lifegiving Name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord, I pray. Amen.

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