Devotional from the Gospel of John and a few other places
These devotionals are meant to be rather short compared to some of the articles. They are meant to be read in 5 minutes or so. John is Tim's favorite Gospel, and as a result he wanted to spend some time sharing some of the treasures that he has found as a result of his study and reflection. Be sure to click on the title that interests you to read the full devotion.
Live Differently Than Everyone Else -- for God's Sake, as Well as Your Own
January 10,2011
Like the plant that got choked by weeds before it could bear fruit, many of us are in danger of being choked by the choices we make in regard to what we do with our time and our money. Let us examine our lives to make sure that our lives make more room for Jesus than success.
Which is Easier: Salvation or Healing?
December 29, 2010
Jesus suggested that it was easier for someone to be miraculously healed than for their sins to be forgiven, yet today, we seem to think it easier to proclaim forgiveness than to proclaim healing. Can't we do both?
How to Stop Living a Double Life
November 24, 2010
When I was younger, I discovered that I was living a double life. On Sundays I was a churchgoer, but on Saturdays I was doing whatever I pleased. Yet when I committed myself to follow God, I meant every single moment of every single day. But how was I to do that? In Galatians 5, Paul tells us that the answer is to live by the Spirit.
Living Free From Sin (Part 4)
October 26, 2010
Paul writes plainly that we "are not under the law". That means we are free from living our lives trying to follow it. Instead, we are called to live under grace. This is the only way to find a really new life in Jesus.
Living Free From Sin (Part 3)
October 22, 2010
In order to experience the victory over sin, we have important choices to make. First, we have to believe that we died with Jesus, so that sin no longer has it's power. Then we have to choose to take what is ours and present these things to God rather than to "sin", which would seek to continue to rule over us if we let it.
Living Free From Sin (Part 2)
August 18, 2010
The idea of dying -- of being crucified -- is important to realizing our victory over sin. But how does it work? Paul indicates that when we died, the power of sin in our lives was broken. Is this something that in principle should have already helped those of us who follow Jesus, or does it give us some clues to actually seeing victory over sin?
Go For It! Overcoming Fear in Speaking What God Puts on Your Heart
June 22, 2010
Anytime we have a chance to speak and to minister, there will always be an intermingling of precious ones with swine -- those naysayers, scoffers, and mockers. But that if we aren't bold enough to speak to the precious ones, then they won't have the chance to grow and benefit from having someone point the way while they are early in their journey.
Guarding Your Heart Against Subtle Suggestions and Lies of the Enemy
June 21, 2010
Proverbs 4:23 says "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Here, we share about an experience in which the enemy planted subtle thoughts that stole the joy that we had previously enjoyed -- and how to keep the enemy from doing it to you!
Living Free From Sin (Part 1: Lessons from Baptism)
May 18, 2010
How can we who died to sin still live in it? [3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that... we too might walk in newness of life. -- Romans 6:2-4 (ESV)
We who follow Jesus should be living free from sin!
"O Wretched Man That I Am" -- NOT! (Part 3: The Requirements of the Law are Fulfilled in Us)
May 11, 2010
He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. -- Romans 8:3-4 (NIV)
What Jesus did for us was powerful. By His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, He so utterly defeated sin that its power over us was broken. He condemned it.
"O Wretched Man That I Am" -- NOT! (Part 2: Thank God That's Over With)
May 3, 2010
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord... So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. -- Romans 7:25; 8:1-2 (NLT)
This passage is confusing because Paul seems to change directions suddenly. Each person must make up his or her mind which of the two possibilities he or she believes. Either you believe that Paul was voicing the frustration of those trying to satisfy the Law while he himself had already found the way of freedom and peace; or, that Paul was trapped in a life of failure and defeat by sin.
"O Wretched Man That I Am" -- NOT! (Part 1: Stop Obeying the Law)
April 26, 2010
The law has authority over a man only as long as he lives... [4]You... died to the law through the body of Christ... We have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. -- Romans 7:1,4,6 (NIV)
This is the first part of what I hope to be a short series primarily written in response to a discussion a good friend and I were having about whether it is possible to live without sinning. I told him that I believe it is possible.
It's Your Heart, Not the Place or the Method
April 19, 2010
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." -- John 4:23-24 (NIV)
Jesus responded to a genuine question from the Samaritan woman about worship and religious tradition. Jesus was declaring that the New had come, and that True worship had less to do with place or style, and had only to do with spirit (heart) and truth.
Finding What You Really Need for Life
April 13, 2010
"Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." -- John 4:13-14 (NIV)
In this passage, we see Jesus striking up a conversation with a woman at a well, asking her to draw water for Him. He was well aware that while he was physically thirsty, the woman he was talking with had an even greater spiritual thirst.
Are You Becoming Less for Jesus?
April 5, 2010
"He must become greater; I must become less." -- John 3:30 (NIV)
John the Baptist clearly knew that since the Messiah, Jesus, had been revealed publicly, his role in preparing the way was winding down, and he embraced the idea that the time for him to shine as a preparer of the way was over.
A Refutation of Spiritual Greatness and the Self-Made Man (John 3:27)
March 29, 2010
"A man can receive only what is given him from heaven." -- John 3:27 (NIV)
John the Baptist explains why he was not worried about his own popularity or his future.
Is it Important for Us to Share the Bad News? (John 3:17-18)
March 22, 2010
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world..." -- John 3:17 (NIV)
Jesus tells why His coming into the world is a good thing, but also why people perhaps were not in as good a shape as they thought.
God So Loved You (John 3:16)
March 15, 2010
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." -- John 3:16 (NIV)
John 3:16 is probably the most memorized verse in the Bible, and not without good reason. Many cornerstone issues of life are packed into this single verse.
Being Born Again (John 3:3)
March 8, 2010
"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." -- John 3:3 (NIV)
Nicodemus, one of the religious leaders, came to Jesus at night with questions about faith.
The Double-Edged Sword of Miracles (John 2:23-25)
March 1, 2010
During the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them... for He Himself knew what was in man. -- John 2:23-25 (NIV)
This passage is sobering and perhaps more than a little troubling, yet important for us to embrace, especially those of us in any kind of ministry.
How Dare They Prevent People from Drawing Near to God?! (John 2:14-16)
February 22, 2010
He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, "Take these things away; stop making My Father's house a place of business." -- John 2:14-16 (NIV)
This certainly blows away images of Jesus as being perpetually mild-mannered and gentle as a lamb! The lamb is also a lion!
The Power of a Mother's Insistence (John 2:3-5)
February 15, 2010
Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." -- John 2:3-5 (NIV)
This is one of the most astonishing incidents of the whole Bible: Jesus more or less tells His mother "No"; His mother persists in faith; and Jesus does it, even though he already said No".
The Excitement of Our Discovery (John 1:43,45)
February 8, 2010
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "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 (ESV)
Philip's example shows the power of our enthusiasm for Jesus to draw others in.
Preparing the Hearts of People (John 1:22-23)
February 1, 2010
"I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said". -- John 1:23 (ESV)
John the Baptist was a great prophet whose role was to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah, the Savior of the world, Jesus. He proclaimed a message which challenged people to turn their hearts to God rather than following their own ways.
Jesus Brings Grace and Truth (John 1:17)
January 25, 2010
The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. -- John 1:17 (ESV)
What are we to make of this phrase comparing and contrasting Jesus and Moses? At a very minimum, we are to see that grace and truth are superior to the law, just as Jesus -- the bearer of grace and truth -- is superior to Moses -- the bearer of the law.
Love is How All Will Know That We are His Disciples (John 13:34-35)
December 29, 2009
"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. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." -- John 13:34-35 (ESV)
Just as He loved us and still loves us with an extreme love, we too are to love one another with a love that is so exceptional that even unbelievers take notice of it.
Consider It Nothing But Joy (James 1:2-4)
December 27, 2009
My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy... -- James 1:2 (NRSV)
Instead of thinking that trials are a bad thing, I should see through the apparent badness to the joy that it was meant to bring.
Humility and Service is the Way of Jesus (John 13:14-17)
December 23, 2009
"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet." -- John 13:14 (NIV)
Even though I have been trying to follow Jesus for 30 years, I need to be reminded frequently of the basics of a life of faith. One of the most fundamental aspects of following Jesus is to learn to walk humbly, thinking more highly of others than of myself, and demonstrating that understanding by serving my brothers and sisters, helping to meet their needs.
The Father's Love for Jesus in our Hearts (John 17:26)
December 18, 2009
"I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." -- John 17:26 (NASB)
Jesus here is praying for us, asking His Father to keep revealing His Name -- the character and nature of the Father -- to as many people as will listen. Then Jesus says something truly astonishing: the purpose of revealing the Father is so that those who embrace this revelation may actually have the Father's love for Jesus in them!
Grace Upon Grace (John 1:16)
December 10, 2009
From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. -- John 1:16 (ESV).
One way Jesus demonstrates this fullness is through pouring out his blessings to us again and again and again, in ways we never expected or anticipated.
Full of Grace and Truth (John 1:14)
December 1, 2009
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. -- John 1:14 (ESV).
The mysterious "Word" that the Apostle John has been writing about so far in the introduction to his Gospel is getting closer to being revealed. We read that the "Word" actually "became flesh" -- that is, came into the world as a human being -- and lived among people rather than held Himself aloof and isolated.
Become Children of God (John 1:12)
November 27, 2009
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. -- John 1:12 (NIV)
I have been coming to realize in the last few weeks how many different things God offers to us that are really great deals but which require at least some kind of action or response on our part. And it is amazing to me the number of people who fail to respond!
To Get Peace, Give Thanks (Philippians 4:6-7)
November 23, 2009
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -- Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)
The Apostle Paul instructs us not to be anxious about anything... Don't you just hate it when somebody tells you not to worry?! It just doesn't seem helpful, unless they can give you some reason not to worry, or some way to overcome the worry. Fortunately, this is exactly what he does for us.
The World Did Not Receive Him (John 1:5,10-11)
November 21, 2009
The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it... He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. -- John 1:5,10-11 (NIV)
These are perhaps some of the saddest verses of the Bible. God does something earth-shattering -- He comes into the world to rescue people from the prison in which they are held captive. But when He comes, instead of cheers for their imminent rescue and gratitude to their brave rescuer, they do not even recognize what is happening and who it is that is there for them.
The Word was God (John 1:1-3)
November 14, 2009
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. -- John 1:1-3 (NIV)
These powerful verses draw us into a mystery. Who or what is "the Word", who was present with God at the beginning, when all things were created?