You can click HERE to read the passage.

So again we read in this passage that there are those who are trying to kill Jesus – and again, one last time, he slips through their grasp. Jesus knows that His time is at hand. He will soon face the cross. He will soon experience the most devastating time of His life… being isolated from God and an object of His wrath. So where does He go?

“He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained.” (v.40)

Jesus went back to where it all began. Back to the place where He was baptized. Back to the place where He heard God’s voice clearly affirming His mission: “You are my Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11)

Life is hard. It is often confusing. People hurt us. Things don’t turn out as we planned or hoped. We face tragedy. We experience loss and despair and humiliation and grief. And sometimes God is silent.

It is good during these times to go back – to go back and be reminded of those times when God’s voice was loud and clear and unmistakeable. To be reminded that we belong to Him; to be reminded all over again of His magnanimous love for us; to be reminded that we are objects of His delight and pleasure. For Jesus this was synonymous with a place. So He sought that place out. And He was buoyed with a steadfast courage to face what lay ahead of Him – no matter how difficult it was going to be.

For me, when I am struggling with life, I go back in my memory and allow God’s Spirit to remind me of those times when His voice gave definition to my life. I have written about this elsewhere. If interested you can go HERE or HERE to read about some defining God moments in my life. Moments that serve as markers for me when my path seems cloudy or my days seem dark. And as I remember, God fuels me with joy for the journey, hope for the future, and a confidence that He will be with me every step of the way… just as He was with Jesus as He began His trek to Jerusalem and toward the cross.

“Father, I am very grateful that whenever I need courage to deal with life You remind me of those times when Your voice was loud and clear as well as giving me fresh manna each day from Your Word to fuel me for the tasks ahead.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 11:1-44

 

You can read the passage by clicking HERE.

The last part of John 10:10 has always been one of my favorite verses – “I have come that they might have life and have it to the full.” But it is a verse that really needs to be understood in relation to the first part of the verse – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”

It is very sad for me to look around and see so many people who have life (bios) but  who do not have LIFE (zoe). Jesus offers the world LIFE in the fullest sense. He uses the Greek work zoe here, in contrast to the word bios – which has to do with biological life. Zoe life is full of vitality. It is animated. It is genuine and authentic. It radiates joy and peace. It is the difference between merely surviving and thriving. The thief (the enemy of our souls) has done a pretty good job of stealing LIFE from people. He has destroyed lives. Jesus has come to restore us to LIFE. He not only wants to give us eternal life so that we can enjoy life with Him forever but He also wants to give us the kind of life on earth that we were created for… zoe life. Abundant life. Life to the full.

How do we get this kind of life? The bottom line is summed up by this statement that is expressed several times in this passage: Listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd. There are many many voices in this world that are competing for our attention. And these voices are full of temptation and are very seductive. You don’t have to look far to see how much we have been seduced by this world – usually no farther than our own lives. Here are a few things that are true about the Good Shepherd that we need never forget when we are being baited by the other voices in our world:

• He is good – intrinsically. And therefore He does only what is good for us.
• He knows us – a shepherd knows sheep. He knows what we need. He knows our weaknesses. He knows how to lead us so that we can find good pasture.
• He laid down His life for us.
• He tells us what to do  for our provision and protection – not because He is a despot or power hungry lord.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psalm 23

 Next Week’s Passage: John 10:22-42

 

You can read the passage by clicking HERE.

Here are a couple of principles that struck me as I pondered this passage…

People need good community to thrive – Notice vs 20-23. The parents of the blind man were reticent to say too much because they feared excommunication from the synagogue. For Jews, their lives were centered around the local synagogue. It was not only where they practiced their faith but it was also where all their social connections were. Excommunication would have meant living life in isolation and this was too scary a thought for them to even think about. They knew how much they needed their community both to survive and to thrive.

We in America have lost sight of the value of community. Social media has shown us how  true this is. The only problem with social media, as great as it is, is that it gives a false sense of community. We feel like we are connected to people when we really aren’t. As believers we need  authentic community. It is vital to our spiritual, social, and emotional health.

Bad theology is a prescription for spiritual disaster – The Pharisees were picking and choosing from the Older Testament what they wanted to believe about the Messiah. This was true concerning their other beliefs as well. This is why their theology was so off base concerning the blind man and why he was blind.

There are many many people in our churches today whose theology is very shallow. All believers are theologians – theology being the study of God. The question is whether our theology is based on all of Scripture or do we just pick and choose what sounds good to us. This much I do know – if our theology is bad it will fail us as we try to make sense of life and cause us to be a laughingstock to the unbelieving world. Don’t shy away from studying theology – it is good for your soul.

“Father, thank You for my Connect Group, the community of believers I have that helps me to grow and challenged me to know You better.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 10:1-21

You can click HERE to read the passage.

If you could ask God any question what would you ask Him? Some people would ask Him big picture questions – like the following:

• How can a good God allow so much evil in the world?
• Why did You create people in the first place?
• Where do dinosaurs fit into the picture?
• How can one man die for the sins of the world?

Some people would ask Him questions that have to do with themselves – like the following:

• Will I ever get married?
• Why did You make me the way that I am?
• What is my purpose in this world?
• Why did You let such and such happen to me?

The disciples had opportunities to ask the Incarnate God, the Rabbi Jesus, lots of questions as they walked from place to place. In this passage they ask Him a question about why a man was born blind. They assumed that it had something to do with sin, either on his part or his parent’s part. They assumed wrong. Their assumptions were based on things they had learned from others as they grew up.

Here is the point of my pondering.There is a lot that we have been taught that may or may not be true. Things about worship. Things about heaven. Things about the end times. Things about the way we do church. Things about how to be saved. Things about discipleship. Etc. Don’t assume that everything you have been led to believe over the years  is true. Challenge every assumption. Weigh it against the Word of God. Ask questions. Have stimulating conversations about life and faith issues.

Here is an example from a conversation I had last week: The question was asked, “To what extent has our culture defined and shaped our worldview and our lifestyle?” We talked about the affluence of our country. We talked about the way we as Americans tend to spend money. We talked about the size of the houses that we live in. We talked about the millions of people who barely even have enough to eat each day. We talked about compassion and conformity. We talked about balancing a lifestyle of comfort with a lifestyle of generous giving.

It was a great conversation for a couple of reasons: 1) It went beyond the mundane topics that we typically talk about – weather, sports, health, etc. 2) It made me think about how I live. Have I chosen a lifestyle that is pleasing to God or have I conformed to the cultural standards of my community? 3) It challenged my assumptions.

May God give us the courage to ask questions that challenge our assumptions and force us to think biblically about life and culture.

“Father, I am very grateful to be an American and to live in this great country. But would you fuel me with the courage to live first and foremost as a citizen of the kingdom of God and to value the things that You value, not the things that our culture values.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 9:13-41

You can click HERE  to read the passage.

Verse 31: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” So this got me pondering what else the New Testament might say about really being a disciple. Here are a few things that I found… starting with this verse:

Obedience to the Liberating Word of God – John 8:31     ³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Daily Denial of Self and Surrender to our Savior – Matthew 16:24-26  ²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 

A Life Centered on the Cross – Luke 14:26-27, 33   ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. …³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

Genuine Love for Other Believers – John 13:34-35    ³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The Fruitfulness of Abiding in Christ and  Steadfast Prayer – John 15:5-8    ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Here is the question that I have to ask myself: Am I a disciple of Jesus, a fully devoted follower, or am I just a tag-a-long? One of the reasons that Jesus was so candid in His conversations was because He knew there were many who were just tag-a-longs. He wanted His disciples to know what they were getting themselves into. Being a disciple is not a walk in the park. It is a life-long journey that WILL involve trouble and crisis and heartache and quite possibly will involve persecution and suffering and mistreatment.

“Father, by Your Spirit would You give me the courage and fortitude to wholeheartedly follow You no matter what. I don’t want to just be a tag-a-long who follows after You only as long as things are going well.”

Next Week’s Passage: John 9:1-12