Tag: John

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Are You Seeking the Gifts or the Giver? – 2025 Day 5 (John 6:1-40)

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Read Through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 5; John 6:1-40

“When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” … Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”
John 6:14, 26 ESV

Earlier in the book of John, we read that Philip told Nathanael, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph,” (John 1:45) and Jesus himself said, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.” (John 5:46) Jesus had done so many miraculous signs – turning water into wine, healing the sick and lame, feeding thousands with a few fish and loaves of bread – proving again and again that He was the Messiah and Emmanuel, God with us.

Yet, the people were following Him
not because He was the way, the truth, and the life,
but because of the wonderful gifts that He gave.

Which makes me think of Solomon’s warnings in Proverbs 5, “Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress? For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths. The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray.” (verses 20-23 ESV)

How often are we like foolish children, chasing after the fleeting desires of the flesh, rather than pursuing the giver of every good and perfect gift! It reminds me of something C.S. Lewis once said, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” (“the Weight of Glory”)

Lord Jesus, I come to You because You are the one true Messiah, the only Savior, the only way to the true and living God.

Heavenly Father, You are the Creator and Sustainer of life. You have caused all things to exist by Your will. It is Your breath of life that fills my lungs. You are on Your throne, whether I believe You or follow You … or not.

Help me to turn away from sin and turn towards You. Forgive me for all those times that I’ve let sinners entice me. Forgive me for all those times I’ve gone my own way, chasing after Your good gifts while turning my back on their Giver, worshipping created things rather than the Creator.

Help me to share the good news of the gospel with the lost. Help me to WANT everyone to know the joy and peace and freedom that I’ve found in You.

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

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The Witness of the Word – 2025 Day 4 (John 4:46-5:47)

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 4; John 4:46-5:47

"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." 

John 5:39-40 ESV

When the official’s son was healed, the official himself believed and so did his whole household. Oh how I pray that my whole household will be saved!

Before healing the lame man, Jesus asked him,
“Do you want to be healed?”

We might think it a silly question, and yet how often would we rather return to our vomit and our pigpen. We say we want to be healed, we say we want to forsake our sin, but do we? Father, help us to want to want to follow You!

These Jews searched the scriptures because they wanted to find eternal life in them, yet it was those very scriptures who testified to Jesus Christ, the long-awaited Savior. How many people are warming pews, listening to the Word preached, week after week and year after year, yet they refuse to bow the knee to the Messiah?

So many people and events testify to the deity of Christ. John the Baptizer who came to make the way straight for Jesus, the Father’s own voice from heaven (Mark 1:11), the prophecies He fulfilled, the miracles Christ did during His life and especially the miracle of His resurrection, and yet people refused to believe and be saved.

Sounds like people today. The Jews were seeking glory from one another, rather than seeking glory from God, and I’m afraid we are, too.

Heavenly Father,

What an honor to call You Father. You have created each of us by Your will. You are worthy to receive all glory and honor and power (Revelation 4:11). I am not Your equal. No one is. I am not God and I never will be God. Rather, I have been created in Your likeness and for Your purposes, that You might be glorified in me and through me. Help me to be humble. Help me to search the scriptures faithfully and rightly, with a pure heart and a pure mind.

I want to know You more, that I would love You more and be more like You.

Make me a faithful witness like the Samaritan woman at the well that we read about yesterday, bearing testimony to others of the saving power of Jesus Christ. Help me to be Your faithful servant, doing Your will and Your work.

I pray that my whole household would believe. I pray for each of my children and their spouses and children. I pray for my parents and my sister and her family. I pray that they would see You in me and that they would search the scriptures faithfully for themselves.

Like some people believed after hearing the Samaritan woman’s testimony, but many more believed after hearing Jesus for themselves, I pray that many would listen to Jesus with their own ears and be saved.

In the powerful name of Messiah Jesus, my Lord and Savior, Amen.

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Believing from a Testimony … Believing from the Word – 2025 Day 3 (John 3:1-4:45)

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 3; John 3:1-4:45

“Many Samaritans from that town believed in him (Jesus) because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.'”
John 4:39-42 ESV

Heavenly Father,

Please make me truly wise. I don’t want to merely read Your Word to grow in knowledge about You like someone researching the life and times of C.S. Lewis or Albert Einstein. I want to know You – personally, deeply, mightily. I want to sit at Your feet and drink deeply of Your lifegiving Word. I want to worship what I know, who I know.

I need insight and understanding and instruction. I need my mind renewed. Here I am. I want to see and taste that You are indeed good.

I want Your springs of living water to flow in me and through me. Help me to decrease, and You to increase, in my life. I want to be about my Father’s business. Make me a true worshiper, worshiping you in spirit and truth and helping other to know You, too.

Help me to be one who welcomes in the outcast, who notices the forgotten and neglected, who has to go through Samaria because there’s someone there that You want me to meet. I pray that my eyes will be open to the people in front of me, and that my ears will be open to Your voice prompting me, “This is the way, walk in it. This is the one, talk to her. These are the words, say them.”

Lord, I’m asking You to encourage my Chinese brothers and sisters. Help them to know that you see them and hear them and know them. Help them to dig into Your Word and find pearls of great worth, gold of great price, and diamonds of great value. We want You to be our greatest joy.

Father, help me to help others to sit at Your feet day after day and be transformed by the reading of Your Word. May my food be to do Your will. Send me to accomplish Your Work to the glory of Your Name.

In the Name of Jesus Christ who is my only Lord and Savior. Amen.

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My Father’s House – 2025 Day 2 (John 2)

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Reading the Bible in 2 years: Proverbs 2; John 2

And he told those who sold the pigeons, ‘Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.’

John 2:16 ESV

In reading through the book of John, I want to pay attention to how many times Jesus talks about God as His Father. In today’s reading, Jesus was angry when He saw His Father’s house being treated as a house of trade. Do I have this same kind of zeal for my earthly father’s honor and name?

Jesus is uniquely the only begotten Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit in a virgin’s womb. Fully God and fully man. He was in the beginning with His Father God without beginning or end. What an honor it is to be able to call Almighty God our Father, as Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven”! (Matthew 6:9) Like we read yesterday, in John 1:12-13, “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (ESV)

Maybe I’m thinking about this extra as last year ended with my dad falling and breaking a vertebra in his back, and this year marks his 80th year of life. I want to honor this man in spite of all his shortcomings and imperfections. How much MORE ought I honor my perfect, almighty Heavenly Father who knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Let’s pray together with reverence, humility, and affection for our Holy Heavenly Father.

Heavenly Father,

What a joy and honor it is to call you Father. I haven’t earned it. I don’t deserve it. It is not by my will nor is it by my blood or the blood of my earthly parents. But it is by Your will and through the cleansing blood of Jesus, that I have been adopted into Your family. You have brought me into Your house. Truly, Your banner over me is love.

You brought me into your house, though I was Your enemy. I was broken, unworthy, and lame like Mephibosheth (2 Samuel). You brought me into your kingdom, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Heaven, delivering me out of the kingdom of the evil one.

By Your Holy Spirit, You have caused me to be born again as Your child. I once was lost, running away from You, turning my back to You. I was an enemy of God, loving darkness and hating light. But You have changed me and made me a child of light. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

I pray that I would have zeal for Your name and Your kingdom like Jesus did. Help me to love what You love and hate what You hate. Make me pure and holy, that Your light may shine brightly out of me.

Please, Father, bless my earthly father. Cause him to be born again to the living hope that is available to all Your children. Give him strength and hope and peace as he surrenders to Your perfect will.

In the matchless name of Jesus my Lord and Savior. Amen

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In the Beginning – 2025 Day 1 (John 1)

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Bible in 2 years – Proverbs 1; John 1

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world…. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 1:1, 9, 11-13

This year I have chosen to focus my mind on the word “Faithful.” I want to be a faithful servant of my Heavenly Father as well as a a faithful wife and helper to my earthly husband. I want to model myself after my perfect, faithful God who has made me His child and will never cast me out. On this first day of a new year, I want to remember that Jesus is and was and always will be. He was there from the beginning, and His mercies are new every morning.

Dear Heavenly Father,

Jesus is the living, eternal word, the bread of life – plentiful, abundant, good life. In Your design, light shines on the good and the evil. Jesus gives light to the world, to everyone, yet only those who receive and believe in Him, only those whom You have chosen by Your perfect will, become Your children.

Father, make me like Andrew and Philip who were eager to tell others about Jesus. Give me faith like Nathaniel who was quick to believe, “You are the son of God! You are the king of Israel.” Make me like those wedding servants who did whatever Jesus told them to do. Thank you for your life-giving word and for filling my life with Your mercies that are new every morning.

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

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