www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Tuesday, March 31st
John 9:18-41
The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them 'Is this son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?' His parents answered, 'We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.' His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus* to be the Messiah* would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, 'He is of age; ask him.' 2So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, 'Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.' He answered, 'I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.' They said to him, 'What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?' He answered them, 'I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?' Then they reviled him, saying, 'You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.' The man answered, 'Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but God does listen to one who worships God and obeys God's will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.' They answered him, You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?' And they drove him out.
Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?'* He answered, 'And who is he, sir?* Tell me, so that I may believe in him.' Jesus said to him, 'You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.' He said, 'Lord,* I believe.' And he worshipped him. Jesus said, 'I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.' Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, 'Surely we are not blind, are we?' Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, "We see", your sin remains.
At this point, don't you want to simply say, "Give it a rest!"? Talk about being hard headed! How many times does the blind man have to tell the story of how he was healed? They were not going to believe, and his frustration at the persistent interrogation was evident. We see the pattern continue here of taking things that are difficult to comprehend or understand, and attempting to dismiss them, and even extinguish them. People were afraid, persecution was under way. If they professed belief in Jesus as the Messiah, they were being put out of the synagogue.
The parallel today is so clear. How many stories have we heard of people "put out" of their churches because they've professed who they really are, whether LGBT, divorced, living with a partner unmarried by law, or any number of other things we can think of. How fearful are we, that if we tell the truth of God's love for all, if we minister to those that do not "fit in" or fulfill our expectations of who they should be, that we too will be expelled? May we challenge ourselves today, to consider Roman's 10:13, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. May we refuse to be like the religious leaders of that day, and even some of this day, and walk boldly, proclaiming God's love for all. kdd
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Lenten Devotional for 3-30-09
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Monday, March 30th
John 9:1-17
As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. We* must work the works of him who sent me* while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, saying to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam' (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, 'Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?' Some were saying, 'It is he.' Others were saying, 'No, but it is someone like him.' He kept saying, 'I am the man.' But they kept asking him, 'Then how were your eyes opened?' He answered, 'The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, "Go to Siloam and wash." Then I went and washed and received my sight.' They said to him, 'Where is he?' He said, 'I do not know.'
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, 'He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.' Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.' But others said, 'How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?' And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, 'What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.' He said, 'He is a prophet.'
How many times have you heard someone say that AIDS is God's punishment for gays? Given that many non-gays also experience life with AIDS, the logic doesn't make sense, but those in Jesus' day were not much different in trying to "explain" and even place "blame" for the reason bad things happen. Jesus very clearly clarified here that we don't find ourselves in need of healing because we have sinned, or because our parents have sinned. We live in a fallen world where bad things do indeed happen and the goodness or badness within us is not the source; for it rains on the just and unjust alike. But since this situation existed, just as hard places exist for us today, Jesus determined to use it as an opportunity to show compassion and mercy, and to bring glory to God in the process. It didn't matter that it was the Sabbath or that the religious leaders might be offended, because the person was more important than the law. In fact, it was all the more significant that it WAS the Sabbath, because it brings home the message that Jesus came to bring life; healing, fulfilling life to all people in a way that the law could never provide.
When we find ourselves in difficult places today, may we remember that Jesus still ministers healing through his love and tender mercy. May we, like Jesus, determine to use the hard places as an opportunity to bring glory and honor to God by demonstrating that same love and tender mercy toward others. kdd
Monday, March 30th
John 9:1-17
As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. We* must work the works of him who sent me* while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes, saying to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam' (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, 'Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?' Some were saying, 'It is he.' Others were saying, 'No, but it is someone like him.' He kept saying, 'I am the man.' But they kept asking him, 'Then how were your eyes opened?' He answered, 'The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, "Go to Siloam and wash." Then I went and washed and received my sight.' They said to him, 'Where is he?' He said, 'I do not know.'
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, 'He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.' Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.' But others said, 'How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?' And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, 'What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.' He said, 'He is a prophet.'
How many times have you heard someone say that AIDS is God's punishment for gays? Given that many non-gays also experience life with AIDS, the logic doesn't make sense, but those in Jesus' day were not much different in trying to "explain" and even place "blame" for the reason bad things happen. Jesus very clearly clarified here that we don't find ourselves in need of healing because we have sinned, or because our parents have sinned. We live in a fallen world where bad things do indeed happen and the goodness or badness within us is not the source; for it rains on the just and unjust alike. But since this situation existed, just as hard places exist for us today, Jesus determined to use it as an opportunity to show compassion and mercy, and to bring glory to God in the process. It didn't matter that it was the Sabbath or that the religious leaders might be offended, because the person was more important than the law. In fact, it was all the more significant that it WAS the Sabbath, because it brings home the message that Jesus came to bring life; healing, fulfilling life to all people in a way that the law could never provide.
When we find ourselves in difficult places today, may we remember that Jesus still ministers healing through his love and tender mercy. May we, like Jesus, determine to use the hard places as an opportunity to bring glory and honor to God by demonstrating that same love and tender mercy toward others. kdd
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Lenten Devotional 3-28-09
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Saturday, March 28th
John 6:60- 7:1
When many of his disciples heard it, they said, 'This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?' But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, 'Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, 'For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Creator.' Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, 'Do you also wish to go away?' Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.'* Jesus answered them, 'Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.' He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot,* for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him. After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish* to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him.
Just prior to the last few passages we've been studying, Jesus fed the 5000. What a miracle that was. Sensational! We love sensation, excitement and drama. Then Jesus used that miracle of feeding to draw the analogy that he had come to be the bread of life, to do more than feed us physically, but to feed us spiritually. This teaching was difficult for the crowd to grasp. They wanted the excitement to continue. They wanted a physical kingdom to be built in the natural world, not necessarily to think about and understand spiritual truths. How much are we like those followers? We shout with joy over the excitement, the wonders, and beauty when all is going our way and we are having a good time! But when the teaching gets hard...do we struggle through it? Do we sit still, listen to voice of God, and pray for openness to understand the spiritual truth God is trying to reveal to us? These are the times when many of us look for something else to capture our attention; a new sensation to wet our fleshly appetite for drama and excitement. These are the times when I suspect we may miss the most important truth that we desperately need to carry us through the next phase of our journey.
When many had left, Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter, what a blessing he was! He spoke the simplest and most basic truth of all when he answered, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God". Oh, that we might take this truth and plant it deeply into our hearts. There is no one else to whom we can go! When we are tempted to turn to other things, to people, to obsessions, to the latest craze in hopes of finding the abundant life, may we remember this simple truth. May we stop and reflect on these things, knowing that Jesus is the one to whom we can go to find peace, love, and comfort for our souls, both now and forever. Amen kdd
Saturday, March 28th
John 6:60- 7:1
When many of his disciples heard it, they said, 'This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?' But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, 'Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, 'For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Creator.' Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, 'Do you also wish to go away?' Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.'* Jesus answered them, 'Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.' He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot,* for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him. After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish* to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him.
Just prior to the last few passages we've been studying, Jesus fed the 5000. What a miracle that was. Sensational! We love sensation, excitement and drama. Then Jesus used that miracle of feeding to draw the analogy that he had come to be the bread of life, to do more than feed us physically, but to feed us spiritually. This teaching was difficult for the crowd to grasp. They wanted the excitement to continue. They wanted a physical kingdom to be built in the natural world, not necessarily to think about and understand spiritual truths. How much are we like those followers? We shout with joy over the excitement, the wonders, and beauty when all is going our way and we are having a good time! But when the teaching gets hard...do we struggle through it? Do we sit still, listen to voice of God, and pray for openness to understand the spiritual truth God is trying to reveal to us? These are the times when many of us look for something else to capture our attention; a new sensation to wet our fleshly appetite for drama and excitement. These are the times when I suspect we may miss the most important truth that we desperately need to carry us through the next phase of our journey.
When many had left, Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter, what a blessing he was! He spoke the simplest and most basic truth of all when he answered, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God". Oh, that we might take this truth and plant it deeply into our hearts. There is no one else to whom we can go! When we are tempted to turn to other things, to people, to obsessions, to the latest craze in hopes of finding the abundant life, may we remember this simple truth. May we stop and reflect on these things, knowing that Jesus is the one to whom we can go to find peace, love, and comfort for our souls, both now and forever. Amen kdd
Friday, March 27, 2009
Lenten Devotional 3-27-09
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Friday, March 27th
John 6:52-59
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' So Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Creator sent me, and I live because of the Creator, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.' He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
What did Jesus mean when he said unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you? John was a writer whose words literally dripped with imagery, not unlike Jesus himself who often told exaggerated parables to make a strong point. When we think about eating and drinking blood, we imagine taking the very life of something inside of ourselves. We eat and drink to sustain life. The point seems to be that to accept Christ as the Messiah, the Savior of the world, is to believe in him and accept his presence in our lives as the true giver and sustainer of life. When we accept Christ's gift and live in a way that shows others the love of Christ that dwells within us, life is continually sustained within us. We live abundantly now and have the promise of life everlasting.
When we live outwardly as a reflection of the life of Christ that is within us, we literally are transformed into the people God created us to be. Romans 8:29: For those whom God foreknew, God also predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. When we strive to live and love as Jesus did, allowing his life within us to sustain and flow out of us, we are conformed to his image and find ourselves to be a part of his family. God called us and as verse 32 points out, God did not withhold God's own Son, but gave him up for all of us.
As we meditate on accepting the gift of love that Christ gave us, realizing that he laid down his very life so we might live, that we have the privilege to take it in and be sustained by his life within us, let us not forget that the motivation was ultimately love. The next time someone tries to condemn you and accuse that Christ does not live within you, remember God gave him up for ALL of us. Romans 8:35, 37-39: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. kdd
Friday, March 27th
John 6:52-59
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' So Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Creator sent me, and I live because of the Creator, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.' He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
What did Jesus mean when he said unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you? John was a writer whose words literally dripped with imagery, not unlike Jesus himself who often told exaggerated parables to make a strong point. When we think about eating and drinking blood, we imagine taking the very life of something inside of ourselves. We eat and drink to sustain life. The point seems to be that to accept Christ as the Messiah, the Savior of the world, is to believe in him and accept his presence in our lives as the true giver and sustainer of life. When we accept Christ's gift and live in a way that shows others the love of Christ that dwells within us, life is continually sustained within us. We live abundantly now and have the promise of life everlasting.
When we live outwardly as a reflection of the life of Christ that is within us, we literally are transformed into the people God created us to be. Romans 8:29: For those whom God foreknew, God also predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. When we strive to live and love as Jesus did, allowing his life within us to sustain and flow out of us, we are conformed to his image and find ourselves to be a part of his family. God called us and as verse 32 points out, God did not withhold God's own Son, but gave him up for all of us.
As we meditate on accepting the gift of love that Christ gave us, realizing that he laid down his very life so we might live, that we have the privilege to take it in and be sustained by his life within us, let us not forget that the motivation was ultimately love. The next time someone tries to condemn you and accuse that Christ does not live within you, remember God gave him up for ALL of us. Romans 8:35, 37-39: Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. kdd
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Lenten Devotional for March 26th, 2009
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Dear Friend,
Here is your daily Lenten meditation devotion. If you find it inspirational, we hope you will pass it along to your family and friends.
Thursday, March 26th
John 6:41-51
Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven.' They were saying, 'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, "I have come down from heaven"?' Jesus answered them, 'Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the One who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught by God." Everyone who has heard and learned from the One comes to me. Not that anyone has seen God except the one who is from God; he has seen the One Creator. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.'
Jesus faced two primary challenges, one to convince others who he was in order for them to believe in and embrace the action of his second challenge, to give his body as bread for the life of the world. He had approximately 3 ½ years in ministry before the appointed time of his death to complete challenge one, including facing the toughest crowd in and around his home area. For you see, they knew him as a young child, as the son of Joseph and Mary, not as the Son of God which he now proclaimed. Isn't that just like people, to judge based on past and "human" experience, rather than being open to the possibilities through God completing a work in us. God did complete a "work" in Christ. During those 3 years, Jesus taught as one having authority, healed others both physically and spiritually through the Spirit of God in him. Jesus performed numerous signs and wonders counting on those things to help his sheep to hear and recognize his voice. Some did recognize that he came to bring life through his sacrifice and believed, while others did not. How wonderful it is that God created us with a free will to choose! There is no coercion here, only the loving, persistent pursuit of a God who longs for relationship with the creation, in order that we the created may have life restored as God intended it to be. Christ did what he came to do. He accomplished the objectives set before him and followed the will of God completely to its end; with Jesus now sitting at the right hand of God, ever present to serve as our intercessor.
Today, we have the opportunity for Christ's work of love, compassion and calling to continue in us. For the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:14-17 that all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God, for we did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but we have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! God is my parent!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. In order for us to fully live and further the message of Christ, we too must choose to be led by the Spirit of God. We must believe that we are God's children and fully embrace our position in the family the God. It is when we begin to do this, the light and message of Christ's love for all will begin to radiate from within us for all to see. kdd
Dear Friend,
Here is your daily Lenten meditation devotion. If you find it inspirational, we hope you will pass it along to your family and friends.
Thursday, March 26th
John 6:41-51
Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, 'I am the bread that came down from heaven.' They were saying, 'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, "I have come down from heaven"?' Jesus answered them, 'Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the One who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught by God." Everyone who has heard and learned from the One comes to me. Not that anyone has seen God except the one who is from God; he has seen the One Creator. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.'
Jesus faced two primary challenges, one to convince others who he was in order for them to believe in and embrace the action of his second challenge, to give his body as bread for the life of the world. He had approximately 3 ½ years in ministry before the appointed time of his death to complete challenge one, including facing the toughest crowd in and around his home area. For you see, they knew him as a young child, as the son of Joseph and Mary, not as the Son of God which he now proclaimed. Isn't that just like people, to judge based on past and "human" experience, rather than being open to the possibilities through God completing a work in us. God did complete a "work" in Christ. During those 3 years, Jesus taught as one having authority, healed others both physically and spiritually through the Spirit of God in him. Jesus performed numerous signs and wonders counting on those things to help his sheep to hear and recognize his voice. Some did recognize that he came to bring life through his sacrifice and believed, while others did not. How wonderful it is that God created us with a free will to choose! There is no coercion here, only the loving, persistent pursuit of a God who longs for relationship with the creation, in order that we the created may have life restored as God intended it to be. Christ did what he came to do. He accomplished the objectives set before him and followed the will of God completely to its end; with Jesus now sitting at the right hand of God, ever present to serve as our intercessor.
Today, we have the opportunity for Christ's work of love, compassion and calling to continue in us. For the apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:14-17 that all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God, for we did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but we have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! God is my parent!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. In order for us to fully live and further the message of Christ, we too must choose to be led by the Spirit of God. We must believe that we are God's children and fully embrace our position in the family the God. It is when we begin to do this, the light and message of Christ's love for all will begin to radiate from within us for all to see. kdd
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Lenten Devotional 3-25-09
www.HopeandHelpCenter.org
Wednesday, March 25th
John 6:27-40
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Creator has set the seal.' Then they said to him, 'What must we do to perform the works of God?' Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in the one whom God has sent.' So they said to him, 'What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, "God gave them bread from heaven to eat."' Then Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Parent who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which* comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.' They said to him, 'Sir, give us this bread always.'
Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Creator gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the One who sent me. And this is the will of God who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that has been given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Parent, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.'
Bread is a symbol of sustenance and nourishment. Jesus describes himself as the "bread of life". This bread is not like the manna which was the only bread from heaven they had experienced before Jesus came. Manna was to be enjoyed for only a season. Manna spoiled after one day.
When we come to Jesus and believe in his words, we will never hunger nor thirst. This true bread from heaven does not spoil and gives life to the whole world. It is the will of our Creator that we all experience the eternal nourishment of Jesus Christ.
Lord, feed me every day. VJ
Wednesday, March 25th
John 6:27-40
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Creator has set the seal.' Then they said to him, 'What must we do to perform the works of God?' Jesus answered them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in the one whom God has sent.' So they said to him, 'What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, "God gave them bread from heaven to eat."' Then Jesus said to them, 'Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Parent who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which* comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.' They said to him, 'Sir, give us this bread always.'
Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Creator gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the One who sent me. And this is the will of God who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that has been given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Parent, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.'
Bread is a symbol of sustenance and nourishment. Jesus describes himself as the "bread of life". This bread is not like the manna which was the only bread from heaven they had experienced before Jesus came. Manna was to be enjoyed for only a season. Manna spoiled after one day.
When we come to Jesus and believe in his words, we will never hunger nor thirst. This true bread from heaven does not spoil and gives life to the whole world. It is the will of our Creator that we all experience the eternal nourishment of Jesus Christ.
Lord, feed me every day. VJ
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Lenten Devotional 3-24-09
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Tuesday, March 24th
John 6:16-27
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles,* they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, 'It is I;* do not be afraid.' Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.
The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.* So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, 'Rabbi, when did you come here?' Jesus answered them, 'Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Creator has set the seal.
Few things last forever. Given time, most of that which we work so hard for will rot and decompose. Carol House Furniture recognized human nature when they coined the phrase "Because you like nice things". We want the "good life" for ourselves and our loved ones. It's OK to want a better life and comforting experiences. But we can lose our way when we believe that those "nice things" are what bring love, peace and happiness.
Jesus wants his followers to redirect their focus. He wants us to work for that which brings eternal life, not for that which will perish. Jesus admonishes us to seek, first, the kingdom of heaven.
Lord, help me to keep my heart focused on you and your words which bring eternal life. vj
Tuesday, March 24th
John 6:16-27
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles,* they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, 'It is I;* do not be afraid.' Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.
The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.* So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, 'Rabbi, when did you come here?' Jesus answered them, 'Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Creator has set the seal.
Few things last forever. Given time, most of that which we work so hard for will rot and decompose. Carol House Furniture recognized human nature when they coined the phrase "Because you like nice things". We want the "good life" for ourselves and our loved ones. It's OK to want a better life and comforting experiences. But we can lose our way when we believe that those "nice things" are what bring love, peace and happiness.
Jesus wants his followers to redirect their focus. He wants us to work for that which brings eternal life, not for that which will perish. Jesus admonishes us to seek, first, the kingdom of heaven.
Lord, help me to keep my heart focused on you and your words which bring eternal life. vj
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