Jesus promises the disciples that he will not abandon them. He will not be with them in the flesh but he will send the Holy Spirit (vv.5-7). In other words, Jesus will not leave them as orphans. He will also not abandon them to grief and pain (vv.20,33). Jesus is preparing his closest companions for his physical departure from earth. He is pledging that even though it may appear he has left them, if they hang in there they will experience the joy, power and victory of the presence of Christ through the Holy spirit now and the Second coming of Christ at the end of the age. On the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 the Holy Spirit comes and Jesus makes good on his promise. He hasn’t abandoned them afterall!
This is very comforting, but there is something heartbreaking going on in this chapter. While Jesus promises to be with us even in the midst of our grief, he predicts that those closest to him will actually abandon him when he needs them most (v.32). The Christ who kept his promise not to abandon us is abandoned by us when he needed our companionship the most. This is heart-breaking.
How many times have I abandoned Christ when he needed my committed companionship the most? How often have I received the gift of his love for me when I needed it but withheld my loving obedience to him when he required it? Why are we humans so quick to abandon the one who gave his life because he refused to abandon us? The abandonment he experienced on the cross was the price he paid for not abandoning us. What a friend we have in Jesus! If only we could reciprocate every now and then!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
John 15
I am challenged by v. 5. In this in passage Jesus describes himself as the vine and us as the branches. He then says that those who keep connected to him, the vine, will live fruitful lives and that without him we can do nothing fruitful. Many of us who seek to follow Christ want to live fruitful lives. But the only way for us to do this is not merely to rely on our gifts and strength, but upon the power of Christ. If our service is simply flowing out of our own power and not out of our connection to Christ the vine, nothing we do will matter because nothing we do without him will be all that fruitful. A life live disconnected from Christ won’t be real fruitful; a life lived in tandem with Christ will be fruitful.
It’s so easy for me, and I think us, to attempt to serve Christ without being all that connected to him. Today, I will focus on abiding in him so that fruit abounds. As a branch, as long as I’m connected to Christ I don’t even have to try to bear fruit, it will just come naturally. All I have to do is prioritize my intimacy with him. While reading Scripture, praying, and worshiping are all great ways to abide in Christ the vine, the best way to abide in him is to lovingly obey him even and especially when the temptation to disobey him arises. This will inevitably lead to fruitful living.
How do you abide in Christ?
It’s so easy for me, and I think us, to attempt to serve Christ without being all that connected to him. Today, I will focus on abiding in him so that fruit abounds. As a branch, as long as I’m connected to Christ I don’t even have to try to bear fruit, it will just come naturally. All I have to do is prioritize my intimacy with him. While reading Scripture, praying, and worshiping are all great ways to abide in Christ the vine, the best way to abide in him is to lovingly obey him even and especially when the temptation to disobey him arises. This will inevitably lead to fruitful living.
How do you abide in Christ?
Saturday, September 5, 2009
John 13 & 14
John 13
In the beginning of this chapter we get a model for Christian service and leadership. Jesus demonstrates that the greatest in the kingdom of God are not the ones who are served, as was the case in that culture and ours, but the ones who do the serving. Because Jesus knew his identity in light of the Father’s love (v.3), he was able to serve others. John points out that it was Jesus’ confidence in the Father’s love for Him that enabled Him to serve others so humbly. You see, when a person is secure in his relationship with God he can serve others wholeheartedly and humbly without concern of rejection, humiliation or a lack of appreciation.
I have learned in my own ministry that I can serve most humbly and sacrificially when I’m finding my deepest satisfaction in my relationship with God. It’s only when I put God on the back-burner and forget that my ultimate identity is in Him and not in what I do for Him, that my ego rises up within me. When everything in my life becomes a force focused on love for God and for others, it doesn’t matter what people think of me because I am secure in Him. Today, I will be secure enough in my identity as God’s son that I will serve others humbly and unconditionally.
John 14
Jesus promises that he will one day send the Holy Spirit who will guide us in all truth by reminding us what Jesus said and did. Jesus says that if we love him we will obey him when the Holy Spirit prompts us. This is so basic to Christian faith that we often overlook it. Faith in Christ is not merely about believing the right thing or espousing the correct doctrines. These are important for obvious reasons, but even more basic to Christian faith is obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit when he leads us to live how Jesus lived. It seems so obvious to me that mature faith is not evidenced by what a person knows about God but by whether or not a person obeys God when prompted by the Holy Spirit to do so. The level of our love for Christ is determined by the frequency with which we obey him.
Sometimes I will disobey God and apologize with something like, “Lord, I’ so sorry, but you know that I really do love you.” While Jesus forgives me, I can almost picture him thinking, “okay, Len, but if you really do love me won’t you then obey me.” If your spouse asks you 1000 times to please help with the household chores and you refuse to lift a finger to help at all, what is the logical conclusion your spouse will come to? You don’t care, right? Eventually, your spouse will begin to wonder whether or not you’re really making any effort to love. Jesus feels the same. If we live with a low level of obedience and make little to no improvements in areas the Holy Spirit is prompting us to change, then Jesus can’t help but conclude that our love for Him is minimal because it is word-based, not obedience-based.
In the beginning of this chapter we get a model for Christian service and leadership. Jesus demonstrates that the greatest in the kingdom of God are not the ones who are served, as was the case in that culture and ours, but the ones who do the serving. Because Jesus knew his identity in light of the Father’s love (v.3), he was able to serve others. John points out that it was Jesus’ confidence in the Father’s love for Him that enabled Him to serve others so humbly. You see, when a person is secure in his relationship with God he can serve others wholeheartedly and humbly without concern of rejection, humiliation or a lack of appreciation.
I have learned in my own ministry that I can serve most humbly and sacrificially when I’m finding my deepest satisfaction in my relationship with God. It’s only when I put God on the back-burner and forget that my ultimate identity is in Him and not in what I do for Him, that my ego rises up within me. When everything in my life becomes a force focused on love for God and for others, it doesn’t matter what people think of me because I am secure in Him. Today, I will be secure enough in my identity as God’s son that I will serve others humbly and unconditionally.
John 14
Jesus promises that he will one day send the Holy Spirit who will guide us in all truth by reminding us what Jesus said and did. Jesus says that if we love him we will obey him when the Holy Spirit prompts us. This is so basic to Christian faith that we often overlook it. Faith in Christ is not merely about believing the right thing or espousing the correct doctrines. These are important for obvious reasons, but even more basic to Christian faith is obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit when he leads us to live how Jesus lived. It seems so obvious to me that mature faith is not evidenced by what a person knows about God but by whether or not a person obeys God when prompted by the Holy Spirit to do so. The level of our love for Christ is determined by the frequency with which we obey him.
Sometimes I will disobey God and apologize with something like, “Lord, I’ so sorry, but you know that I really do love you.” While Jesus forgives me, I can almost picture him thinking, “okay, Len, but if you really do love me won’t you then obey me.” If your spouse asks you 1000 times to please help with the household chores and you refuse to lift a finger to help at all, what is the logical conclusion your spouse will come to? You don’t care, right? Eventually, your spouse will begin to wonder whether or not you’re really making any effort to love. Jesus feels the same. If we live with a low level of obedience and make little to no improvements in areas the Holy Spirit is prompting us to change, then Jesus can’t help but conclude that our love for Him is minimal because it is word-based, not obedience-based.
Friday, September 4, 2009
John 12
All humans learn how to be selfish from birth and, if we don’t do anything intentional about it, it persists and even worsens until the day we die. This is why the words of Jesus in vv.23-26 challenge us to the core. Jesus uses his pending physical death on the cross to talk about another kind of death. As far as I can tell, Jesus says that if someone is going to follow him as a disciple we must be willing to die. This is why he says, “whoever serves me must follow me” (v.26). Jesus is not suggesting that we are to follow him by doing on the cross physically but by picking up our cross daily. He is calling us to a death he died way before he went to the cross. Jesus, before the cross even came, was already dead to self-centered, egotistical, narcissistic living. He laid down his life by living a life of totally abandoned love for God and for people. His decisions were not centered around what he wanted or needed, but glorifying the Father and serving people. We may be tempted to say, “well that was good for Jesus but I’m not him.” True, but he says “follow me,” which means walk as I walk, live as I live.
Many of us realize that Jesus’ words are quite true when he says “if you love your life you’ll lose it but if you lose your life you’ll find it.” My most fulfilling moments in life have come when I was sacrificially and wholeheartedly loving and serving God and people. However, I am constantly tempted toward self-centered living. Even our relationship with God and service in his name can easily become more about us than it is about him. Lord, save us!
Here’s a question for you to consider and, hopefully, post a response to: How has God helped you die to self-centered living? What people, what Scripture, what prayer patterns, etc. have helped you follow Jesus to the cross where ego and selfishness is crucified?
Many of us realize that Jesus’ words are quite true when he says “if you love your life you’ll lose it but if you lose your life you’ll find it.” My most fulfilling moments in life have come when I was sacrificially and wholeheartedly loving and serving God and people. However, I am constantly tempted toward self-centered living. Even our relationship with God and service in his name can easily become more about us than it is about him. Lord, save us!
Here’s a question for you to consider and, hopefully, post a response to: How has God helped you die to self-centered living? What people, what Scripture, what prayer patterns, etc. have helped you follow Jesus to the cross where ego and selfishness is crucified?
Thursday, September 3, 2009
John 11
Have you ever been disappointed by God’s slowness in responding to your needs, your crisis, your desires? In verses 21 and 32 Martha and Mary both vent their disappointment that Jesus was not on the scene soon enough to save their brother Lazarus from death. “Lord, if you were here,” they said, “our brother would not have died.” Of course, these are not only words of disappointment but words of belief, since they assumed that Jesus could do something to heal their brother and spare him from death. What they didn’t figure is that Jesus could still do the miracle they had hoped for even though it didn’t fit into their time table or expectations. In other words, God’s timetable operates outside the bounds of our timetables. Don’t forget that upon hearing the news that Lazarus was severely ill, Jesus waited a few days before even going to him. He did this because he was looking to do a greater miracle than Mary and Martha had anticipated. They hoped Jesus would cure a sick man but he went one better by raising a dead man!
Perhaps Christ is wanting to do an even greater miracle than we anticipate. And sometimes the greater miracle seems longer in coming than the smaller miracle we hope for. We may want the miracle of getting a lucrative job that will help us maintain our lifestyle but maybe God is doing the even greater miracle of helping us downscale and be content with less. We may want to meet the guy or girl of our dreams but maybe God is wanting to do an even greater miracle by giving us peace and contentment with him alone. We may want our sickness to go away but maybe the greater miracle comes when he gives us joy and a profound sense of his presence even in the midst of the storm of sickness. Today, I am willing to wait for the miracle God wants to do in my life- in his time, in his way!
Perhaps Christ is wanting to do an even greater miracle than we anticipate. And sometimes the greater miracle seems longer in coming than the smaller miracle we hope for. We may want the miracle of getting a lucrative job that will help us maintain our lifestyle but maybe God is doing the even greater miracle of helping us downscale and be content with less. We may want to meet the guy or girl of our dreams but maybe God is wanting to do an even greater miracle by giving us peace and contentment with him alone. We may want our sickness to go away but maybe the greater miracle comes when he gives us joy and a profound sense of his presence even in the midst of the storm of sickness. Today, I am willing to wait for the miracle God wants to do in my life- in his time, in his way!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
John 10
In this chapter Jesus compares himself to a good shepherd. While Jesus is the ultimate shepherd and “overseer of our souls,” as a pastoral shepherd myself I want to imitate his model of shepherding. This, of course, sets the bar quite high in several ways when it comes to my shepherding of his flock, the church. In verses 11-13 Jesus says that the good shepherd is willing to lay down his life to protect and preserve the sheep under his care. He does not abandon the sheep when he sees trouble coming, but stands in between his sheep and the looming trouble. The typical hired shepherd cares more about his own self-preservation than the protection of the sheep. It’s just a job to him and not a vocation through which he lays down his life, his rights.
To be honest, there have been several times when trouble has come against a church I was pastoring and I wanted to jump ship. I wanted to leave ministry or at least leave that group of sheep. There have been a few times during my first few years at SWC when I was tempted to quit my shepherding role not because God was calling me away but because there were problems I didn’t want to face with courage, commitment, and sacrifice. By the grace of God, I stuck it out and I’m so glad I did. Whenever I am tempted to make pastoral ministry more about me and my natural desire for comfort, convenience, and safety, I am hit in the face by Jesus’ challenging words- “the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (10:11). And, as you know, Jesus laid down his life, literally, for us sheep! The question that challenges me is, will I do the same for the sheep under my care?
To be honest, there have been several times when trouble has come against a church I was pastoring and I wanted to jump ship. I wanted to leave ministry or at least leave that group of sheep. There have been a few times during my first few years at SWC when I was tempted to quit my shepherding role not because God was calling me away but because there were problems I didn’t want to face with courage, commitment, and sacrifice. By the grace of God, I stuck it out and I’m so glad I did. Whenever I am tempted to make pastoral ministry more about me and my natural desire for comfort, convenience, and safety, I am hit in the face by Jesus’ challenging words- “the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (10:11). And, as you know, Jesus laid down his life, literally, for us sheep! The question that challenges me is, will I do the same for the sheep under my care?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
John 9
A blind man sees Jesus more accurately than the Pharisees. That is the irony of this chapter. In Jesus’ day, blindness and any illness was considered a spiritual disease. That is, the one who was physically sick was believed to have spiritually sinned. This was a popular but erroneous belief of that day. Jesus challenged the belief and at the end of the story, it is the blind man who has not only physical but even spiritual vision that is more insightful than that of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. The problem the Pharisees had was overconfidence in their own theological opinions. The blind man was humble enough to recognize something special about Jesus that made him worship Him (v.38). The Pharisees were to proud to even give Jesus a chance.
Pride has a way of blinding even good, religious people from seeing spiritual truth. This frightens me. On most days I’m humble enough to recognize that maybe I haven’t figured out everything there is to know about God. But there are occasions when I put God in a box and because of my opinions, hunches, and preferences, may be blind to God and His work even when it’s right in front of my face. Today, I want to be open enough to see God show up in new ways and do new works in my life and in the world.
Questions to consider??? When have you opened your eyes to see God do something you hadn't seen him do before? When was the last time you humbled yourself by submitting your opinion/preference to the Word and Will of God?
Pride has a way of blinding even good, religious people from seeing spiritual truth. This frightens me. On most days I’m humble enough to recognize that maybe I haven’t figured out everything there is to know about God. But there are occasions when I put God in a box and because of my opinions, hunches, and preferences, may be blind to God and His work even when it’s right in front of my face. Today, I want to be open enough to see God show up in new ways and do new works in my life and in the world.
Questions to consider??? When have you opened your eyes to see God do something you hadn't seen him do before? When was the last time you humbled yourself by submitting your opinion/preference to the Word and Will of God?
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