Read John 6:28-71
Verse 28 is the question of the ages: How do we do the works of God? Jesus said the work of God is to believe on him. This wasn't enough for the people, they wanted a tangible sign that what he was saying was true. Jesus reminded them of the miracle of God giving the children of Israel manna every morning. This was truly a miracle and a picture of God sending heavenly bread down to feed the people. Jesus was the fulfillment of this picture. He was the bread sent down from heaven to give nourishment and life to the people. Jesus came down to earth to save all that would come to him and raise them up at the last day.
The Jews didn't like Jesus saying he was the bread that came down from heaven... they knew he was Joseph and Mary's son so how could he say he came down from heaven? Jesus knew what they were saying so he cut to the chase: no one can come to me unless the Father draws him. So there! Then he explained again that he was the bread of life. The manna in the wilderness didn't give them eternal life but he could. All you had to do is to eat his flesh and drink his blood. I'm afraid that he might have lost me there. He certainly lost some. He said 3 times that he came down from heaven which was enough to try to swallow but to eat his flesh was cannibalistic and absurd! So Jesus gets even more complicated and says EXCEPT you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you. And when you do....you will be in me and I will be in you. This was indeed a hard saying. Even the disciples had a hard time with it. Jesus doesn't mind offending people with truth and he seems to try to weed people out with hard sayings that they can only believe if they are yielded to the spirit. The spirit knows truth and can embrace it even when the mind can't understand it. Jesus said in verse 63: "The words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life." The ones that couldn't accept this bit of truth left from following him. Jesus looked at his 12 and asked them if they were going to leave and Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? you have the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that you are that Christ, the Son of the living God." So Jesus laid an even harder thing on them: "Have I not chosen you and one of you is a devil?" What a way to break up a party? Jesus never danced around truth. He was the truth and the more they believed the more truth he dished out to them. I bet they weren't expecting that one.
Lord, expand our minds to embrace the things you want to speak to our spirits. Give us hearts that long for truth and faith to believe it when it comes.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Monday's Devo - Wait on Jesus
Read John 6:16-26
Jesus had slipped into the hills to hide from the mob so they wouldn't crown him king. The disciples were at the shore waiting for him but when it got dark and he still hadn't come they decided to leave. They rowed about 3 miles out when a very hard gale swept down and the waves got very rough. All of a sudden they saw Jesus walking towards them on the water! They were scared until Jesus called out to them to not be afraid. They helped him into the boat and immediately they were on the other side. (Jesus did this quantum physics thing a lot.)
We can draw so many analogies to this story. Matthew talks about Peter walking on water to meet Jesus. But what I want to know is why did they launch out on their own without Jesus. I wonder if the storm wouldn't have happened if they had gone up on the mountain and prayed and waited for Jesus. I can think of so many times I have impulsively jumped into something and then had to cry out to Jesus to come rescue me. I should have waited on Jesus to get in the boat with me and take me to where he wanted me to go. God is never in a hurry, but his will is always the safest. It may not look like the safest: like go to an unreached tribe in Africa, but there is safety in God's will.
The next morning the people saw that Jesus and the disciples were on the other side of the sea. They knew that the disciples had left without Jesus so they went across the sea and asked Jesus about it. He didn't answer their question but he did confront their heart. He told them that they followed them because he fed them. He explained to them that there was a meat that would endure forever and that is what they should be seeking. Only Jesus could give them that.
Lord, may we learn to patiently wait till you are with us before we launch out in our boat and may we seek the meat that never perishes. Our hearts burn for you.
Jesus had slipped into the hills to hide from the mob so they wouldn't crown him king. The disciples were at the shore waiting for him but when it got dark and he still hadn't come they decided to leave. They rowed about 3 miles out when a very hard gale swept down and the waves got very rough. All of a sudden they saw Jesus walking towards them on the water! They were scared until Jesus called out to them to not be afraid. They helped him into the boat and immediately they were on the other side. (Jesus did this quantum physics thing a lot.)
We can draw so many analogies to this story. Matthew talks about Peter walking on water to meet Jesus. But what I want to know is why did they launch out on their own without Jesus. I wonder if the storm wouldn't have happened if they had gone up on the mountain and prayed and waited for Jesus. I can think of so many times I have impulsively jumped into something and then had to cry out to Jesus to come rescue me. I should have waited on Jesus to get in the boat with me and take me to where he wanted me to go. God is never in a hurry, but his will is always the safest. It may not look like the safest: like go to an unreached tribe in Africa, but there is safety in God's will.
The next morning the people saw that Jesus and the disciples were on the other side of the sea. They knew that the disciples had left without Jesus so they went across the sea and asked Jesus about it. He didn't answer their question but he did confront their heart. He told them that they followed them because he fed them. He explained to them that there was a meat that would endure forever and that is what they should be seeking. Only Jesus could give them that.
Lord, may we learn to patiently wait till you are with us before we launch out in our boat and may we seek the meat that never perishes. Our hearts burn for you.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Friday's Devo - Preparation for Passover
Read John 6:1-15
We all know this miracle as "Feeding the 5,000". I know there is a reason for every miracle that is recorded so let's look at this one. We get our clue in vs. 4: "and the passover was nigh". Passover was a commemoration of the Jews being mightily delivered from Egyptian bondage. On passover night every Jewish father was to take a spotless lamb and sacrifice it. The blood of the lamb was to be smeared on the sides of the door posts and the top. The death angel was to pass over each house and kill the first born of every household that wasn't protected by the blood. This was a picture of salvation that Jesus would give us. This miracle was to prepare them for that feast. Jesus told them that he was the bread that would be broken for their salvation. By breaking the bread and distributing it to all the people he was signifying that his death on Passover would be the bread broken and salvation would be given freely to everyone that wanted it. Salvation would come from one man and never run out. The little boy gave 5 barley loaves and two small fishes. Five is the number of grace and barley was the grain harvested at Passover. The feasts were always associated with a harvest. Barley was grain and Jesus explained later that unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it will abide alone; but if it dies, it will bring forth much fruit. He is preparing them for his death. One day he would die and his salvation would be dispersed to anyone who wanted it and there would be bread left over for the generations yet to come.
I am still meditating on the 2 fish. I know that we are to be fishers of men so men are fish. Fish in the Hebrew means prolific so it is like Jesus is not only giving them the bread which is himself, but he is also giving them the fish which enables them to go out and make more disciples themselves.
The people were so amazed at this miracle that Jesus had to leave secretly so they wouldn't try to make him a king.
Lord, feed us from your abundant supply of bread and fish that we might be filled with your miracle-giving life and disperse it to those around us.
We all know this miracle as "Feeding the 5,000". I know there is a reason for every miracle that is recorded so let's look at this one. We get our clue in vs. 4: "and the passover was nigh". Passover was a commemoration of the Jews being mightily delivered from Egyptian bondage. On passover night every Jewish father was to take a spotless lamb and sacrifice it. The blood of the lamb was to be smeared on the sides of the door posts and the top. The death angel was to pass over each house and kill the first born of every household that wasn't protected by the blood. This was a picture of salvation that Jesus would give us. This miracle was to prepare them for that feast. Jesus told them that he was the bread that would be broken for their salvation. By breaking the bread and distributing it to all the people he was signifying that his death on Passover would be the bread broken and salvation would be given freely to everyone that wanted it. Salvation would come from one man and never run out. The little boy gave 5 barley loaves and two small fishes. Five is the number of grace and barley was the grain harvested at Passover. The feasts were always associated with a harvest. Barley was grain and Jesus explained later that unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it will abide alone; but if it dies, it will bring forth much fruit. He is preparing them for his death. One day he would die and his salvation would be dispersed to anyone who wanted it and there would be bread left over for the generations yet to come.
I am still meditating on the 2 fish. I know that we are to be fishers of men so men are fish. Fish in the Hebrew means prolific so it is like Jesus is not only giving them the bread which is himself, but he is also giving them the fish which enables them to go out and make more disciples themselves.
The people were so amazed at this miracle that Jesus had to leave secretly so they wouldn't try to make him a king.
Lord, feed us from your abundant supply of bread and fish that we might be filled with your miracle-giving life and disperse it to those around us.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Thurs' Devo - But you shall receive Power to be Witnesses...
Read John 5:21-47
We'll see if we can get a little further today than yesterday:) God put judgment and salvation in the power of Jesus. In verse 25 Jesus said the time is coming when the dead will hear my voice and they that understand will live. He was talking about when he died and went down to the grave and preached to those that had died. They would get a chance to choose him. He explains in verses 28-29 what will eventually happen at the end of the ages at the Great White Throne Judgment.
Jesus starts a discourse about his witnesses that he is the son of God. The law states that a matter is established at the mouth of two or three witnesses. (Deu. 19:15) Jesus is giving his 3 witnesses and one more. The first one was John. (vs. 33) John was a burning and shining light which brought joy for a season. The second one was the works Jesus was doing on earth which was greater than John's witness because it was more than words; it was tangible miracles (vs. 36). The third one was God himself (vs. 37). Then he gives them a forth witness which is the scriptures (Vs. 39). The first 2 were temporal and visible. The next two were eternal and invisible.
Jesus is making it very clear to them that they are not making the right choice to not believe in him. If they knew as much as they thought they did about the scriptures, they would have realized that all the Old Testament testified of Jesus. And if they couldn't find it in the writings, how were they suppose to believe his teaching?
They were blinded by unbelief. Lord open our spiritual eyes that we wouldn't be blind to what you are saying to us. Let us be your tangible witness to the invisible witness of Jesus.
We'll see if we can get a little further today than yesterday:) God put judgment and salvation in the power of Jesus. In verse 25 Jesus said the time is coming when the dead will hear my voice and they that understand will live. He was talking about when he died and went down to the grave and preached to those that had died. They would get a chance to choose him. He explains in verses 28-29 what will eventually happen at the end of the ages at the Great White Throne Judgment.
Jesus starts a discourse about his witnesses that he is the son of God. The law states that a matter is established at the mouth of two or three witnesses. (Deu. 19:15) Jesus is giving his 3 witnesses and one more. The first one was John. (vs. 33) John was a burning and shining light which brought joy for a season. The second one was the works Jesus was doing on earth which was greater than John's witness because it was more than words; it was tangible miracles (vs. 36). The third one was God himself (vs. 37). Then he gives them a forth witness which is the scriptures (Vs. 39). The first 2 were temporal and visible. The next two were eternal and invisible.
Jesus is making it very clear to them that they are not making the right choice to not believe in him. If they knew as much as they thought they did about the scriptures, they would have realized that all the Old Testament testified of Jesus. And if they couldn't find it in the writings, how were they suppose to believe his teaching?
They were blinded by unbelief. Lord open our spiritual eyes that we wouldn't be blind to what you are saying to us. Let us be your tangible witness to the invisible witness of Jesus.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Wed.'s Devo - Lord of the Sabbath
Read John 5:17-20
Jesus told the Jews that he did miracles on the Sabbath because when God works he works. He went on to explain that he only does what he sees God doing. The Jews didn't understand the Sabbath. They saw it as a day to rigidly follow the law of the Torah and all the jots and tittles they had added to it. When God rested on the 7th day he rested because his work of creation was complete. He didn't stop working because he is always at work on this earth; he just does it from the position of rest. God's rest is the opposite of striving and he has invited us into this rest. Everything God set up in the law was to point to something spiritual. It is all word pictures to teach us God's ways and the Sabbath was a picture of Millennium which is the 7th day or year 7000. We will not work but spend 1000 years with God in heaven. It is hallowed and holy and a Jubilee high Sabbath.
Lev. 23:11 says that the people will wave their sheaf before the Lord but after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. We are responsible for doing the work of Jesus on earth, but when we get to heaven our high priest will do it.
Sabbath begins at night and the gates of Jerusalem were shut and guarded so that noone could come in or out and no burden should be brought in. (Neh. 13:19) But the gate of the inner court that is shut during the week will be opened on the Sabbath. So what I understand him to say is that once God calls his people to heaven in the end he will shut the gates of heaven and no one will be able to come in or bring any burdens in because there is no worry or hardship in heaven. Then God will open access to his inner throne room and we will be invited in. (Eze. 46:1)
I don't know all of what will happen on that millennial sabbath but by looking at what Jesus did on the sabbath it looks like he is going to heal everyone of us, loose those that have been bound by Satan, teach us, and feed us bread and corn. After all, he is the Lord of the Sabbath.
Even the land was suppose to observe the sabbath every 7th year. No sowing or pruning was to be done that year. During millennium the earth will lie dormant. After the 1000 years we will come back to this earth and clean it up and redeem it. According to Isaiah (Is. 65:17; 66:22) and Peter (2 Pe. 3:13) we will see new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells. (Rev. 21:1,2) We have a lot to look forward to.
Lord, we cannot conceive of all you have prepared us for but we put our trust and faith in you to complete your work in us and in the world.
Jesus told the Jews that he did miracles on the Sabbath because when God works he works. He went on to explain that he only does what he sees God doing. The Jews didn't understand the Sabbath. They saw it as a day to rigidly follow the law of the Torah and all the jots and tittles they had added to it. When God rested on the 7th day he rested because his work of creation was complete. He didn't stop working because he is always at work on this earth; he just does it from the position of rest. God's rest is the opposite of striving and he has invited us into this rest. Everything God set up in the law was to point to something spiritual. It is all word pictures to teach us God's ways and the Sabbath was a picture of Millennium which is the 7th day or year 7000. We will not work but spend 1000 years with God in heaven. It is hallowed and holy and a Jubilee high Sabbath.
Lev. 23:11 says that the people will wave their sheaf before the Lord but after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. We are responsible for doing the work of Jesus on earth, but when we get to heaven our high priest will do it.
Sabbath begins at night and the gates of Jerusalem were shut and guarded so that noone could come in or out and no burden should be brought in. (Neh. 13:19) But the gate of the inner court that is shut during the week will be opened on the Sabbath. So what I understand him to say is that once God calls his people to heaven in the end he will shut the gates of heaven and no one will be able to come in or bring any burdens in because there is no worry or hardship in heaven. Then God will open access to his inner throne room and we will be invited in. (Eze. 46:1)
I don't know all of what will happen on that millennial sabbath but by looking at what Jesus did on the sabbath it looks like he is going to heal everyone of us, loose those that have been bound by Satan, teach us, and feed us bread and corn. After all, he is the Lord of the Sabbath.
Even the land was suppose to observe the sabbath every 7th year. No sowing or pruning was to be done that year. During millennium the earth will lie dormant. After the 1000 years we will come back to this earth and clean it up and redeem it. According to Isaiah (Is. 65:17; 66:22) and Peter (2 Pe. 3:13) we will see new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells. (Rev. 21:1,2) We have a lot to look forward to.
Lord, we cannot conceive of all you have prepared us for but we put our trust and faith in you to complete your work in us and in the world.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tue.'s Devo -Move Upon Our Waters
Read John 5:1-17
In the Old Testament God gave the Jews 7 feasts that they were suppose to observe every year. They happened at the 3 different harvest times. Every Jewish man was to come to Jerusalem with his sacrifice and celebrate the feast together. Jesus never missed a feast. This feast was the fall feasts of Roshashana, Yom Kippor, and Tabernacles. These feast have to do with the final harvest, repentance, and the 2nd coming of Jesus just to name a few. So Jesus goes to the place the sheep are kept to a pool of water that is believed to have healing powers when the angel comes down and stirs the water. There is a whole multitude of people that are crippled, blind, withered, and dying waiting for the moving of the water.
One day Jesus is going to come back with the angels for those who are waiting. These that are waiting realize the state of their humanity: that they are crippled, blind, withered, and dying and need the spirit it move on their behalf. And Jesus is going to ask them "Do you want to be made whole?" We, like this impotent man will answer that we can't do this by ourself and Jesus will say to us, "Rise, take up your bed, and walk" and we will walk right out of this world into the next.
This man was a type of what is going to happen but he was still on this earth so he got questioned about carrying his bed on the Sabbath. He told them that the man who healed him told him to take up his bed and walk. He just wasn't sure who he was. So Jesus found him later and proclaimed over him again that he was whole and that he shouldn't sin anymore or something worse would happen to him.
By this one statement he knew it was Jesus and he went back to the Jews and told them that it was Jesus that healed him. So the Jews went to find Jesus to persecute and kill him because he had done this on the Sabbath. When they did find him and asked him about it his reply was, "My Father works, so I work." Sabbath in the Greek means "a day of weekly repose from secular avocations" so what better day to do spiritual work. We'll talk more about this response tomorrow.
I find it interesting that Jesus didn't get them saved first then heal them, he just healed everyone he met. Grace is a free gift and healing is too. Jesus never judged anyone except the religious that taught false doctrine. He is jealous over his word.
Lord, may we freely give out what you have given us to everyone we meet saved or not saved.
In the Old Testament God gave the Jews 7 feasts that they were suppose to observe every year. They happened at the 3 different harvest times. Every Jewish man was to come to Jerusalem with his sacrifice and celebrate the feast together. Jesus never missed a feast. This feast was the fall feasts of Roshashana, Yom Kippor, and Tabernacles. These feast have to do with the final harvest, repentance, and the 2nd coming of Jesus just to name a few. So Jesus goes to the place the sheep are kept to a pool of water that is believed to have healing powers when the angel comes down and stirs the water. There is a whole multitude of people that are crippled, blind, withered, and dying waiting for the moving of the water.
One day Jesus is going to come back with the angels for those who are waiting. These that are waiting realize the state of their humanity: that they are crippled, blind, withered, and dying and need the spirit it move on their behalf. And Jesus is going to ask them "Do you want to be made whole?" We, like this impotent man will answer that we can't do this by ourself and Jesus will say to us, "Rise, take up your bed, and walk" and we will walk right out of this world into the next.
This man was a type of what is going to happen but he was still on this earth so he got questioned about carrying his bed on the Sabbath. He told them that the man who healed him told him to take up his bed and walk. He just wasn't sure who he was. So Jesus found him later and proclaimed over him again that he was whole and that he shouldn't sin anymore or something worse would happen to him.
By this one statement he knew it was Jesus and he went back to the Jews and told them that it was Jesus that healed him. So the Jews went to find Jesus to persecute and kill him because he had done this on the Sabbath. When they did find him and asked him about it his reply was, "My Father works, so I work." Sabbath in the Greek means "a day of weekly repose from secular avocations" so what better day to do spiritual work. We'll talk more about this response tomorrow.
I find it interesting that Jesus didn't get them saved first then heal them, he just healed everyone he met. Grace is a free gift and healing is too. Jesus never judged anyone except the religious that taught false doctrine. He is jealous over his word.
Lord, may we freely give out what you have given us to everyone we meet saved or not saved.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Monday's Devo - Let's Work Together
Read John 4: 31-54
The disciples come back and try to get Jesus to eat something. Jesus tries to make a point that there are more important things than eating...like doing God's will. Jesus points out that you harvest your crops every 4 months, but you can harvest souls all year round. Just like in farming you have reapers and sowers. They are both responsible for the harvest and both receive payment for their work. That is how it works in the kingdom. You may be the sower and only plant seed into people's hearts and never see the result. Or you may the reaper who comes along and says just the right thing that evokes a response to God. The seed in that person had grown to the stage where it was ready to be harvested. The harvest could not have happened if the seed had not been planted.
Jesus ended up staying in Samaria for 3 days because the people were so hungry then he went to Cana. Cana was where Jesus did his first miracle which was to turn the water to wine. He is fixing to do his second one there. This time it was raising a young boy from his death bed. The father came to Jesus to ask him to come and heal his son. Jesus just told him to go home because his son was alive and healed. The man believed Jesus' word and when he went home he found his son had been healed at the exact hour Jesus proclaimed it.
Jesus made the statement that he couldn't do much in that city because a prophet doesn't have honour in his own country or his own house. Jesus country was Cana and his house was the house of Abraham. In Matthew it says that they were offended by him because they knew he was the carpenter's and Mary's son so he couldn't do many mighty works because of their unbelief.
We do that too. We get familiar with people and don't respect the spirit of God in them. It comes down to jealousy which leads to murder. In Jesus case it was a physical murder, but with us it is usually a death by mouth. We tear down with our tongues. When will we realize we are on the same team fighting for the same cause? When one of us is exalted, we all win.
The fields are white and ready for harvest. May we work together to scatter the seed and reap the harvest.
The disciples come back and try to get Jesus to eat something. Jesus tries to make a point that there are more important things than eating...like doing God's will. Jesus points out that you harvest your crops every 4 months, but you can harvest souls all year round. Just like in farming you have reapers and sowers. They are both responsible for the harvest and both receive payment for their work. That is how it works in the kingdom. You may be the sower and only plant seed into people's hearts and never see the result. Or you may the reaper who comes along and says just the right thing that evokes a response to God. The seed in that person had grown to the stage where it was ready to be harvested. The harvest could not have happened if the seed had not been planted.
Jesus ended up staying in Samaria for 3 days because the people were so hungry then he went to Cana. Cana was where Jesus did his first miracle which was to turn the water to wine. He is fixing to do his second one there. This time it was raising a young boy from his death bed. The father came to Jesus to ask him to come and heal his son. Jesus just told him to go home because his son was alive and healed. The man believed Jesus' word and when he went home he found his son had been healed at the exact hour Jesus proclaimed it.
Jesus made the statement that he couldn't do much in that city because a prophet doesn't have honour in his own country or his own house. Jesus country was Cana and his house was the house of Abraham. In Matthew it says that they were offended by him because they knew he was the carpenter's and Mary's son so he couldn't do many mighty works because of their unbelief.
We do that too. We get familiar with people and don't respect the spirit of God in them. It comes down to jealousy which leads to murder. In Jesus case it was a physical murder, but with us it is usually a death by mouth. We tear down with our tongues. When will we realize we are on the same team fighting for the same cause? When one of us is exalted, we all win.
The fields are white and ready for harvest. May we work together to scatter the seed and reap the harvest.
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