Unfinished and finished business

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 19-21; Psalm 111


TO CHEW ON: “Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We are going with you also.’ They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.” John 21:3


Peter’s simple pronouncement, “I am going fishing,” becomes complex when we put it into context. Three years earlier he had left fishing to follow Jesus. The years he had spent with this incredible teacher were quite a ride. He had seen healings of all kinds, people raised from the dead, the Scribes and Pharisees bested. The wisdom of Jesus’ lessons and stories exceeded any he had ever encountered. He had experienced the very presence of heaven.

However, in the end, it all proved confusing and disappointing. Jesus didn’t do the expected and prove Himself Messiah. Instead He was put to death at the instigation of the very leaders to whom He had proved Himself superior. But Peter’s biggest disappointment was with himself. After pledging to stick by Jesus no matter what, he denied Him – and on the prodding of a mere woman.

Now, though Jesus had risen and Peter had seen Him, the future was still utterly foggy. And so his words, “I am going fishing,” seem a poignant attempt to reverse the last three years of his life. He will go back – back to the simple way things were before he met Jesus, back to when he was oblivious to the possibilities of what life could be, but also back to before he had proved himself such a useless cad.

Intuitive Jesus knew where Peter was and how to reach him. In their interchange Jesus put His finger on the exact thing that was bothering Peter and confronted him with it. He brought closure to the unfinished business of their broken relationship.

He also made it clear to Peter that fishing was finished business. He closed the door forever on it by giving Peter a new assignment. The three Jesus-years weren’t a waste or mirage. Instead they were the doorway to more responsibility (despite his failure): “'Feed my lambs.... Tend my sheep… Feed my sheep.'”

Have you ever been at a spot in your life when you’ve gone back to “fishing”? Perhaps after sensing the call of God, things haven’t worked out the way you thought they would or you’ve let yourself down. Take it from someone who has at various times retreated to the security of the way things were before – it rarely works. If you are tempted to go back to the past in your career or ministry, don’t, until you’ve spent time with Jesus and got the confirmation that that is indeed His next assignment.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help us to leave former things and ways behind. Give us the faith to face new challenges and forge into new territory at Your bidding. Amen.






PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 111

MORE:

“…once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad; you will no longer be able to work for him on the common-sense basis.”
- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (March 4th reading)

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

He put Himself in our hands

Judas guides the soldiers - A. Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 16-18; Psalm 110

TO CHEW ON: "Now when He said to them, 'I am He,' they drew back and fell to the ground." - John 18:5

Even in this darkest of moments, when one of Jesus' friends is in the act of betraying Him and another is about to deny Him, flashes of His God-essence come through. Otherwise what was it that caused these soldiers to "fall to the ground"?

"Man was not made to handle the electricity of God" someone once said (or words to that effect; I can't find the exact quote). Which makes what Jesus did when He surrendered Himself up to die for us all the more amazing. He could have immobilized that whole detachment long enough to get away. But instead, a little later when Peter did some damage with his sword in Jesus' defense, Jesus rebuked: "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?" - John 18:11.

In a few months we'll again celebrate Christmas and Jesus' birth. It's more evidence of how intentionally the God of the universe put Himself in human hands as He took on human flesh and surrendered Himself to the human condition. Let's let the enormity of what He did give depth and breadth to our praise, worship, and thanksgiving.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, Your life was not taken from You; You laid it down, and for me. Help me to comprehend just how amazing and wonderful this is. I thank You. Love, V. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 110

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Helper, Comforter

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 13-15; Psalm 109

TO CHEW ON: "'And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever.'" John 14:16

We cherish a person's last words, whether we hear them in person or read them in a letter or story. Here, through John, we are privy to some of the last teachings and conversations Jesus had with His disciples. They didn't know what was about to happen, but we do and that makes them all the more poignant.

Jesus, realizing He will soon be gone, pre-comforts his soon-to-be-bereaved disciples with words on which they will probably meditate a lot in the days to come. He will soon send them "another Helper" -- the Holy Spirit. We learn a lot about this third person in the Trinity from this chapter (and John 16).

1. Holy Spirit will be given to all. Jesus gave this promise to His assembled disciples, not one individual ( John 14:16).

2. Different Bible translations describe Him as "Comforter"  also "Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby" (Amplified). Each of these names adds a layer of meaning to our understanding of Him (John 14:16).

3. He will live with them and be in them. What amazing intimacy (John 14:16-17)!

4. He will "abide forever" (John 14:16). In other words, He will be a permanent guest.

5. Jesus calls Him the "Spirit of truth" (John 14:17). In contrast, Satan, who is the "ruler" or "prince" of this world (John 12:31) is known for his lying (John 8:44).  No wonder Jesus says the world wouldn't see, know or receive the Holy Spirit.

6. The Holy Spirit will continue to reveal Jesus to them even though He is physically absent (John 14:21).

7. He will remind them of what Jesus said and teach what it means (John 14:26).

8. The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin righteousness and judgment (John 16:13).

9. He will guide them into truth (John 16:13).

10. He will explain future events to them (John 16:13).

11. He will explain and glorify Jesus to them (John 16:14).

The thrilling thing is that this Holy Spirit is available to us today. He draws us to Jesus and as we give Him the controls of our lives, is with us and in us, just as Jesus described. We probably aren't aware of a fraction what the Spirit does in us, around us, hopefully even through us.

But we can also stymie His presence and activity in our lives. We can test Him, lie to Him, grieve, vex or sadden Him, resist Him, insult Him, and blaspheme Him (Acts 5:9; Acts 5:3; Ephesians 4:30; Acts 7:51; Hebrews 10:29; Matthew 12:31-32).

Let's let Him search us for anything that would hinder His presence and activity in our lives (1 Corinthians 2:10).

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, thank You for being my constant companion. Please help me to realize this fully and, in the knowledge of it, live boldly. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 109

The Bible Project VIDEO - John - Part 2 (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Our very costly oil

Image: debdebdeb / pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 11-12; Psalm 108

TO CHEW ON: "Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil." John 12:3

Some of the questions that come to me as I read this story are:
- What was special about spikenard oil and why did Mary have it on hand?
- What was she intending to do with it?
- Why anoint Jesus' feet?
- What would motivate her to give such an extravagant gift?

Study Bibles to the rescue!

According to my New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, "Spikenard was a valuable and fragrant ointment derived from the dried roots of the herbal plant called nard. By the first century A.D. it was already being imported from its native India in alabaster boxes because of its costliness" - Siegfried Schatzmann, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 1465.

Why did Mary have this oil? According to the Quest Study Bible, she had purchased it to anoint Jesus' body when He did die (I'm sure not expecting it to be mere weeks later). "It was not uncommon for family or friends to spend enormous sums of money on strong perfumes and spices to mask the door of a decaying body" - Quest Study Bible, p. 1486.

As for anointing Jesus' feet, the custom was to wash a guest's feet and anoint his head. QSB suggests that Mary (and another woman who also anointed Jesus' feet—Luke 7:37-38) felt unworthy to anoint His head.

Recalling what had recently happened in Mary's life (Jesus' resurrection of her brother Lazarus), we can understand the gratitude and love and respect, and frankly awe, she had for Jesus. Her lavish gift (calculated to be "equivalent to the annual income of a labourer" - QSB, Op. Cit.) was her way of expressing all these feelings to the living Jesus.

As the scene played out, what started as a private gesture soon became very public as the perfume scent filled the house, leading to both ridicule and praise.

Applying this story to life, we in the 21st century have no physical Jesus on whom to pour our love and gratitude—for changed lives, hope for the future, help with our day to day living, healing (both physical and spiritual), etc. But we can still say thank you with the most precious gift we have—our lives. Paul makes the very comparison of our lives to perfume in 2 Corinthians 2:14:

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."

For most of us this is a private gift—a habitual and daily "yes" to what He asks of us. The perfume of this gift may not seem to be going anywhere. But there are sacrificed lives—which were also given in private—whose fragrance has "filled the house." people like David Livingstone, David Brainard, Jim Elliot and many others. I believe heaven will be full of the fragrance the the "very costly oil" of lives poured out for Jesus. May ours be among them!

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to continually give you my most valuable possession, my life, with words and actions that say "Yes, help Yourself to me." Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 108

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do our lives reveal the works of God?

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 9-10; Psalm  107

TO CHEW ON: “And His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’

Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in Him.’” John 9:23

This little story raises a question. We ask, did God allow this man’s congenital blindness, which he suffered with for many years before Jesus healed him, just so Jesus’ power could be on display at this moment in time?

Jesus’ entry into his life at this moment and saying what He did implies to me that all of the man’s life—even the time he was blind, was part of God’s plan for him.

God didn’t create the world with flaws. These things entered when Adam and Eve chose disobedience and rebellion. However, the disciples believed that the man’s blindness was caused by specific sins he or his parents had committed. Jesus said “no” to that. The writer of my Bible’s study notes explains:

“Assuming that an individual case of suffering was due to specific sin, the disciples inquired into the cause of the man’s blindness. Jesus, however, notes that beyond the tragedy of human defects, which result in a general way from man’s fall and the consequent entry of sin, sickness, affliction, and death into the world, God’s merciful and sovereign grace is available” - Siegfried Schatzmann, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1460.

What does this mean for us today? How do we square the fact that God does heal some, but not everyone who prays for healing gets healed? Is it that some don’t have enough faith? That they’re praying the wrong way? That there’s sin in the life?

For me the answer lies in Jesus explanation of why the man was born blind in the first place: “'… that the works of God should be revealed.'” In this man’s case it was a work of miraculous healing. But we also see the works of God displayed in lives lived under lifelong clouds of sickness, pain, debilitation—any one of the heavy consequences of the fall. To me the life of Joni Earickson Tada is an example of such a work of God on display in a many-year quadriplegic.

Here's Paul talking about a similar situation:

 "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

PRAYER: Dear Father, on this side of seeing You, it’s easy to be puzzled by our health (and other) problems. Help me to live by faith that You have a good reason for everything that You allow into my life. May Your presence within me reveal the works of God, whether works of healing or works of trust, faith, and rejoicing in and through pain, suffering, and sickness. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 107

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Exposed

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 7-8; Psalm 106

TO CHEW ON: "Then Jesus spoke to them again saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'" John 8:12

The scribes and Pharisess who brought the adulterous woman to Jesus figure largely in many incidents in the gospels. My Thompson Chain Bible (NKJV) gives a simple description of them:

"Scribes: Writers or secretaries who copied the Scriptures.


Pharisees: A party among the Jews of Jesus' time that laid great stress upon the observance of rites and ceremonies. They made a pretense of superior piety and separated themselves from the common people. They were believers in the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body and the existence of angels and spirits" (p. 1939).

Most people of that day held the scribes and Pharisees in awe because of their showy saintliness. But not Jesus. And not the Gospel writers. Matthew, for example shows the Pharisees and scribes as:

• Not righteousness enough to get into the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:20).

• Murderous (Matthew 12:14).

• Insincere when they pretended to be on the verge of following Jesus if He would give them just one more sign (Matthew 12:38).

• Hypocritical when they tried to entrap others over transgressing the fine points of the law (like hand-washing) while they themselves transgressed the big points (like failing to honor parents) (Matthew 15:1-9).

• Conniving as they attempted to trap Jesus into saying or doing something they considered wrong (Matthew 19:3).

Today's story from John 8 shows them in just such a scheming mode. And though there was no question that the woman they hauled before Jesus was a sinner, He was masterful in staying out of their trap. When they insisted that she be stoned:

"He raised Himself up and said, 'Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.' Then He bent down and went on writing on the ground with His finger" - John 8:7-8.

Surprise of surprises, instead of picking up stones and getting to work they began, one by one, to leave. Why? Obviously each one was convicted of his own sin.

Some say that the source of their sin-conviction was what Jesus was writing on the ground — that he was listing their sins right in front of their eyes. But I believe it was His simple presence. For, Jesus' declaration of being the light of the world (John 8:12) follows the narrative as if it's the lesson or point of the story. Their slinking away showed that in the light of Him, each one became painfully aware of his own sin and knew he could not be the one to start the stoning.

Like the self-righteous Pharisees we too find it easy to categorize sin and stand in judgment over those whose sin is, in our eyes, worse than our own. Until, that is, we come into the presence of Jesus, the light, and see our own soiled selves.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, please keep me from being pharisaical and judgmental. Help me to view myself realistically and to treat fellow travelers with the same grace that I need. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 106

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Six words we should stop saying

"Christ Feeding the Multitude" by Gustave Doré

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 5-6; Psalm 105

 TO CHEW ON: “‘There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?’” John 6;9

Philip added to his answer about how much food they had, his opinion of their supply: “What are they among so many?” This is not an unfamiliar sentiment to us when we compare what we have with the need. So it’s reassuring to remind ourselves that Jesus’ feeding of the crowd here is not the only time in the Bible God came to the aid of the desperately needy.

• The psalmist claims God’s help for mental need: “The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low and the HE saved me” - Psalm 116:6.

• Jesus healed a recalcitrant medical condition where a woman, after 12 years of hemorrhaging, had exhausted medical help - Mark 5:25-29.

• Those in storms received God’s help. Jesus came to the disciples when He saw them “straining at rowing for the wind was against them” - Mark 6:48. And a whole boatload was saved through the prayers of Paul - Acts 27:14-42.

• Jesus came to the aid of a desperate father by casting out a spirit that had oppressed his son since birth - Mark 9:17-29.

• An angel came to the aid of Peter shackled in prison - Acts 12:5-10.

Let these stories remind us that God is never limited by our lack. So whatever our need and however puny the resources at hand, let’s forever stop the faith-destroying words “What are they among so many?” from crossing our lips.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that You are never limited by my meager resources. Help me to look to You, not myself and what’s around me, when I’m in need. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 105

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Spirit-born

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 3-4; Psalm 104


TO CHEW ON: "Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" John 3:5

Talk of being born again hardly moves the needle on the Richter scale of our minds. But when Jesus first introduced this idea to Nicodemus, it was earth-shaking. It really should remain that to us too. For it is the way we "enter" and "see" the Kingdom of God.

How? In Jesus' words by being "born of water" (repentance) "and the Spirit."

J. I. Packer says of the interchange between Jesus and Nicodemus:

"Speaking corporately for Himself and His disciples to Nicodemus and to the whole class of unregenerate religious people to which Nicodemus belonged, Christ went on to explain that the inevitable consequence of unregeneracy is unbelief — 'Ye receive not our witness' (verse 11). The gospel produces no conviction in them; unbelief holds them fast.


What follows, then? Should we conclude that preaching the gospel is a waste of time, and write off evangelism as a hopeless enterprise, foredoomed to fail? No; because the Spirit abides with the Church to testify of Christ" -  Knowing God, p. 74 (emphasis added).

The Spirit's working is, by Jesus' description here, a mysterious, unaccountable thing:"'The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit'" (verse 8).

Packer again:

"It is not for us to imagine that we can prove the truth of Christianity by our own arguments; nobody can prove the truth of Christianity save the Holy Spirit, by His own almighty work of renewing the blinded heart. It is the sovereign prerogative of Christ's Spirit to convince men's consciences of the truth of Christ's gospel; and Christ's human witnesses must learn to ground their hopes of success, not on clever presentation of the truth by man, but on powerful demonstration of the truth by the Spirit" - p. 74 (emphasis added).

Which is why we must not give up on anyone, no matter how resistant to the gospel they appear. For we have no idea how the Spirit is working in their lives, what is growing in the field of their hearts (Matthew 13:24), how Kingdom leaven is spreading  in the  secrecy of their inner lives (Matthew 13:33), or how they might even now be finding themselves mysteriously drawn to God's wedding banquet invitation (Matthew 22:2,9-10).


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to birth me into Your kingdom. God, the Spirit,  please use my life to accomplish Your mysterious, wind-like workings. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 104 

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The glory of miracles

Jesus turns water into  wine - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 1-2; Psalm 103

TO CHEW ON: "This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him." John 2:11

The glory Jesus showed the people around Him was not always what we think of as glory, i.e. a bright, white, shining visual phenomenon. Rather it was the glory of signs, wonders, miracles and healing. And when we examine the Bible's telling of some of these events, we see that Jesus' glory shown in these ways accomplished different things in different people.

The glory of miracles, signs and wonders:

• Caused people to believe in Jesus.

• The disciples believed after the miracle in today's reading- John 2:11.

• When Jesus was going to meet Mary and Martha after Lazarus' death, He said, to His disciples, that He was glad it had come to this "that you may believe?" Onlookers as well as disciples believed on Him after He brought Lazarus back to life - John 11:15, 45,48.

• Caused people to ponder His identity and come to various conclusions about Him.

• Nicodemus concluded He was a "...teacher come from God" - John 3:2.

• The nobleman and His household believed Jesus was as good as His word - John 4:50,53.

• The scribes, Pharisees, and Jewish leaders saw a threat to their power in His miracles and teachings and pronounced Jesus and his works demonic - John 10:20,21.

• After Jesus fed the multitude, His disciples and those who had eaten believed He was the fulfillment of prophecy - John 6:14.

• Convicted and challenged His disciples.

• The great abundance of fish the disciples caught after following Jesus' instructions caused Peter to be aware of His sin - Luke 5:8.

• John the Baptist's faith was stretched when Jesus continued performing miracles while he, John, was stuck in prison (Matthew 11:2-6). It was an imprisonment that eventually led to his death. Like him we may sometimes have our faith stretched in this way when, no matter how great our need and how hard we pray, God doesn't perform a miracle for us. I take this as a lesson that these glory works are for God's purposes, not ours; we can't manipulate them. 

• Jesus' feeding of the multitude was proof that Jesus could care for the disciples' physical needs - Mark 8:16-21.

• Miracles performed in Jesus' name continued on in the church past His death and resurrection, causing the disciples to get into all kinds of trouble - Acts 2:22; 4:30; 8:5,6.

• Are a means of drawing people to Jesus for salvation - Hebrews 2:2-4.

The Greek word "glory" used John 2:11 is doxa  "The NT doxa becomes splendour, radiance and majesty centred in Jesus. Here doxa is the majestic absolute perfection residing in Christ and evidenced by the miracles He performed" - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1446.

This is the same glory (doxa) Jesus prayed would carry on in us, His disciples:
"And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one" - John 17:22 (emphasis added).

May His glory touch us and flow through us in signs, wonders, and miracles!


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to Earth to show us God's glory through miracles. Thank You for still performing miracles today. Help me to believe even when you don't answer My prayer with a miracle. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 103

The Bible Project VIDEO: John - Part 1 of 2 (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Darkness vs. light

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 1:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:5

Where I live Christmas day comes only days after the winter solstice. It's no wonder that for us, lights play a big part in our celebrations—candlelight, tree lights, spotlights. How wonderful that the connection of Jesus' coming to earth and light is not only a human invention but came straight from the heart of God.

Darkness as both physical phenomenon and spiritual symbol appears often in the Bible.

1. God was its creator (Amos 4:13).

2. It dominated the earth immediately after creation (Genesis 1:2).

3. Thick supernatural darkness lasting three days was one of the plagues on Egypt (Exodus 10:22-23).

4. Untimely darkness marked Jesus' crucifixion (Matthew 27:45).

5. "Darkness" is how Paul describes our pre-conversion state (Ephesians 5:8).

6. Dark activities include claiming to be Jesus' followers but living lives that don't back it up (1 John 1:6), hating others ( 1John 2:9,11), and cursing parents (Proverbs 20:20).

7. Darkness is frequently connected with judgment.
- Those who reject Jesus are cast into it (Matthew 8:12).
- It is the fate of rogue angels (Jude 1:6).
- Apocalyptic final judgments often include darkness (Joel 3:15; Amos 8:9; Revelation 6:12).

8. But when we come to Christ, we escape its clutches (Colossians 1:13)!

The use of the word "comprehend" in "The darkness did not comprehend it," is interesting. A word study article in my Bible delves into how that word enriches the meaning of this passage:

["Comprehend (katalambano) has three shades of meaning:
1) To seize, lay hold of, overcome. As such vs. 5 could read, "The darkness does not gain control if it."
2) To perceive, attain, lay hold of with the mind; to apprehend with mental or moral effort. With this meaning the verse could be translated, "The darkness is unreceptive and does not understand it."
3) To quench, extinguish, snuff out the light by stifling it. "The darkness will never be able to eliminate it."

Light and darkness essentially are antagonistic. The Christian's joy is in knowing that light is not only greater than darkness but will also outlast the darkness." - "Word Wealth," New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1443.]

John declares Jesus to be "the true Light" (John 1:9) that is incomprehensible to (controls, mystifies and quenches) darkness. 

"The the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we behold His glory..." (glory = splendour, radiance, majesty.)

 We avoid darkness and live in light as we stay close to Jesus.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, Thank You for coming to bring light. I want to live in Your light. As I expose my life to Your scrutiny help me to deal with any dark places. Amen.

MORE: "Here I Am to Worship" by Tim Hughes

The dark and glorious conclusion

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 12:12-26

TO CHEW ON: “Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip …and asked him, saying, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ … But Jesus answered them, saying, ‘The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.’” John 12:20, 21, 23.

Jesus had just swept into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey accompanied by the delirious cheers of the crowd. Their Messiah had arrived at last! But when some Greek proselytes approached Philip asking to see Jesus, Jesus answered Philip with a cryptic and mysterious statement about being glorified. Then He added to the puzzlement by talking about His death. How does His answer relate to the Greeks who have come to see Him? And how is death glorification?

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series comments on John 12.

“…now we come to the beginning of the end. Instead of seeing Jesus doing signs, we see signs occurring through what others do to him."
- Mary anointed Jesus’ feet (John 12:1-8)
- Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the applause of the crowd (John 12:12-15).
- Gentiles came to Him. “… which signals that the long expected hour has arrived. Jesus announces the coming of his hour and speaks of his death.”
- The Father endorsed Him - John 12:27-28. 

- IVP New Testament Commentary Series, accessed through Biblegateway.com

So perhaps Jesus’ answer to Philip speaks, as this commentary suggests, to the larger issue of what the visit of these Gentiles portends.  The nations are being drawn to Him. It’s prophecy being fulfilled so that His story can continue (see Psalm 2:8; Isaiah 2:2,3).

Jesus, speaking of His death, began by saying: “‘The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.’” How can death be glorification?

IVP Commentary again:

“…death is at the heart of the Son's revelation of the Father, for God is love and love is the laying down of one's life (cf. 1 John 4:8;  3:16). So in the cross the heart of God is revealed most clearly” - Ibid.

Today, the last day of November, we're on the verge of Advent.  During the next 24 days we prepare to celebrate the early part of Jesus’ life—the cute, happy, cuddly part. But that wasn’t all there was to it.

Now is a good time to pause and think about the whole story, including its hard end.

It’s an end that is stitched into Jesus’ story from its beginning when Simeon said to Mary: “‘Behold this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also)'” Luke 2:34,35. 

It’s an end Jesus Himself was well aware of, for we hear Him say, just beyond the scope of today’s reading: “‘Now my soul is troubled and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour’” - John 12:27.

That purpose again? To come as a baby, live the Father before us, fulfill the plan God had set in motion from the beginning of revelation (Genesis 3:15), conclude its earthly chapter by loving you and me to the extent of laying down His life in our stead, and then defeating death in resurrection.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for sending Jesus, who became that sacrificial grain of wheat for me. Jesus, I want to follow You, serve You, and be with You now and forever (John 12:26). Amen.

MORE: Feast of St. Andrew
Today the church celebrates the Feast of St. Andrew, apostle. The day's liturgy begins with this collect prayer:

Almighty God, who gave such grace to your apostle Andrew that he readily obeyed the call of your Son Jesus Christ, and brought his brother with him: Give us, who are called by your Holy Word, grace to follow him without delay, and to bring those near to us into his gracious presence; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Whose side are you really on?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 12:27-41


TO CHEW ON: "But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him."


We see a tug-of-war between faith and skepticism over Jesus' identity as God in this passage. It's clearly stated in the two verses just beyond our reading: "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him lest they should be put out of the synagogue" - John 12:42.

First we observe a serious Jesus who said disturbing things like "'My soul is troubled and what should I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour''?..." right in front of a crowd.  

 An onlooker might be skeptical and ask, could someone who is divine be a victim?

A thunderous heavenly voice answered Jesus' prayer. This caused confusion in the bystanders. They had various natural explanations about what this voice was, but Jesus told them it was God speaking for their benefit giving His very stamp of approval on Jesus.  

Faith: God speaking from heaven was a pretty strong endorsement of Jesus and His claims OR 

Skepticism: It was just thunder; He was deluded about what He was hearing.

Jesus then talked about being lifted up from the earth and drawing all people to Himself (John 12:32). As astute students of the Old Testament, which many of those in the crowd were, they would have recognized this allusion to the brass serpent that Moses erected during the Israelites' wandering, which those bitten by deadly serpents needed only to look to, to be saved (Numbers 21:4-9). 

Faith: Jesus is making some pretty powerful claims OR 
Skepticism: He's obviously crazy!

When they questioned, "You say 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus again predicted that He would leave them and pleaded with them to "'Walk while you have the light... While you have the light believe in the light that you may become sons of light'" John 12:34-36.

Skepticism: could a man linking Himself so openly with deity actually be subject to death?

Faith: He talked before about being light - John 8:12-30.)

Of course in addition to these verbal interchanges, there are all the signs and wonders Jesus performed - John 12:37.

Faith: Who but Someone with God's power could perform such powerful miracles?

All this back-and-forth did not move the skeptics, who had long since made up their minds about who Jesus was, from their position of skepticism. And yet "Nevertheless, even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" - John 12:42,43.

They believed, but they didn't make it public by changing sides!

Ouch! Isn't there a temptation for us to do this as well? In a world where faith in Christ is scorned and ridiculed for many reasons, isn't it also our temptation to be secret believers, even though our fears of what would happen if we confessed Jesus openly are as well founded as the fears of these rulers were (John 7:13; 9:22)?

But if silent, embarrassed, ashamed belief is our temptation for whatever reason, there is another consequence we should bear in mind—a consequence far more serious than losing the popularity and praise of people.

"'Therefore, everyone who acknowledges Me before men and confesses Me [out of a state of oneness with Me], I will also acknowledge him before My Father Who is in heaven and confess [that I am abiding in] him. But whoever denies and disowns Me before men, I also will deny and disown him before My Father Who is in heaven'" Matthew 10:32-33 (Amplified)

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to come out of the closet, as it were, about my faith in you. Help me to be confess You in all company. Amen. 

"I'd Rather Have Jesus"

MORE: Holy Cross Day

Today the church celebrates the cross. The liturgy for Holy Cross Day begins with this collect:

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross that he might draw the whole world to himself: Mercifully grant that we, who glory in the mystery of our redemption, may have grace to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

The call of His presence

Philip: "We have found Him..." John 1:45

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 1:35-51

TO CHEW ON: “Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, ‘What do you seek?’ They said to Him, ‘Rabbi,” (which is to say when translated, Teacher), where are you staying?”
He said to them, ‘Come and see.’
They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (Now it was about the tenth hour)” John 1:38,39

John’s gospel starts out telling the story of Jesus quite differently from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. There is no record of His birth. There is no mention of the 40 days of fasting in the desert that culminated in His temptation. We don’t see Him preaching in Galilee, calling the disciples from their boat, or teaching in the Caperaum synagogue

We do see him with John the Baptist who identifies and baptizes Him, and then on the next day, as Jesus walks by, speaks of Him to two of his own disciples - John 1:36.

On their own initiative those disciples follow Jesus who turns out to be a man of mystery and few words: “'What do you seek?… Come and see.'”

I like what the IVP Commentary says about this aspect of John 1:

John puts a great emphasis on Jesus' almost mysterious silence...

Jesus in John appears as one hidden and aloof. These first disciples, therefore, are characterized by initiative and willingness to examine claims they have heard concerning this silent one. Most importantly, they are not put off by his silence, nor do they seek to break it. Rather they are humbly receptive, seeking only to be where Jesus is staying….

…here at the outset John gives us a glimpse of the enormous depths of silence that lay behind all that Jesus does. Jesus is fully engaged in his historical circumstances, but he is not centered in them nor controlled by them. …

These disciples, who will shortly be so full of words, opinions and activity, are characterized at the outset by a desire for the presence of Jesus more than for answers to questions. Their immaturity will become evident immediately, but the crucial issue in discipleship is not whether we are mature but whether we desire to come and see and then abide in the divine presence, the only source of eternal life and growth in grace and truth (IVP Commentary on John 1:35-51 accessed through Biblegateway.com) - emphasis added.

Nathanael illustrates this desire so beautifully. He goes from skepticism about this Man, that his friend is so high on, to outright worship in a heartbeat (John 1:46,49). What brings about the change?

The Bible doesn’t clearly tell us. But we infer from Jesus' and Nathanael’s back-and-forth that Nathanael recognizes Jesus is supernatural from His personal knowledge of a specific moment (“under the fig tree”) and what it meant to him.

I would submit that that is often the way Jesus still calls us to himself… not with many words but in the stillness of personal encounters that tell us He sees us, knows our deepest secrets and invites us to be with Him.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to hear You over the noise of everyday life and live in Your presence. Amen.

MORE: Feast of St. Batholomew

Today the church celebrates the Feast of St. Bartholomew (another name for Nathanael).

The liturgy for the day begins with this prayer:

Almighty and everlasting God, who gave to your apostle Bartholomew grace truly to believe and to preach your Word: Grant that your Church may love what he believed and preach what he taught; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

You follow Me

"Feed My Lambs" - James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 21:12-25

TO CHEW ON: "Then Peter seeing him (...the disciple whom Jesus loved following...) said to Jesus, 'But Lord, what about this man?' Jesus said to him, 'If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow me.'" John 21:21,22

There is discussion among Bible interpreters about why Peter asked the question, referring to John, "Lord, what about this man?" Was he genuinely curious? Did he  feel that John, trailing behind Jesus and him should be included in the conversation? Or perhaps he wanted reassurance that John would be joining him in the assignment Jesus had just given him (Peter) to feed Jesus' sheep and lambs (i.e. the shepherd the flock of believing people).

But Jesus' answer is not ambiguous. He says, in effect, it's not your business. "You follow me."

This speaks to me about my own tendency to compare myself—my talents, my calling, my life, the results of my work—to others. In the light of Jesus' words here, I shouldn't. Rather, I need to follow His direction and leading, and leave off comparing my strengths and weaknesses, my opportunities or lack of them, my apparent successes and failures with your strengths, opportunities, and successes. For He says to each one of us: "What is that to you? You follow Me."

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, the urge to compare (leading to envy, discontent, and insecurity)  tempts me often. Help me to be alert to Your direction, to follow, and to stay unconcerned with how my calling looks in relation to the calling of others. Amen.

MORE: Peter's end

As it turned out, Peter's and John's ends were quite different. Tradition has it that Peter was crucified. Clarke's commentary says, "...all antiquity agrees that John ... was the only disciple who was taken away by natural death."

You and I could waste a lot of time trying to figure out the whys and wherefores of our various destinies. How much better for us to simply follow Him and leave off concerning ourselves with why our paths are different.

Today is the Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The liturgy for the day begins with the following collect:

"Almighty God, whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martyrdom: Grant that your Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

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 Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Are you thirsty?

Bridal Veil Falls, BC, Canada

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 7:32-52

TO CHEW ON: "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" John 7:37,38

A description of one of the Feast of Tabernacle customs gives us the context for Jesus' outburst:

"Each day during the Feast of Tabernacles a joyous celebration was observed in which the priests brought water (symbolic of the water supplied from the rock - Exodus 17) to the temple from the pool of Siloam in a golden pitcher. During the procession the people recited Isaiah 12:3 ["Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."]. The water was poured out on the altar as an offering to God while the people shouted and sang. Jesus was the fulfillment of that ceremony typified (see 1 Corinthians 10:4)" - Siegfried Schatzmann, notes on John, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1457.

Knowing about this custom helps us understand the impact Jesus' words must have had on that crowd with their rich culture of water. For in addition to God supplying water during its scarcity during their wilderness wanderings, their scriptures were full of references to it:

• As part of God's shepherding of them - Psalm 23:2.

• As a source of life in desert places - Isaiah 35:6.

• As flowing freely in a longed-for future - Isaiah 49:10.

• As a prophetic invitation from God to an abundant life - Isaiah 55:1.

• As a coming-home destination after repentance - Jeremiah 17:13; 31:9.

The beautiful thing for us is the promise, in verse 38, that our belief in Christ leads to rivers of living water flowing from our lives by the Holy Spirit. Is it happening?

Our Bible commenter expresses these good thoughts:

"Those who are satisfied by Jesus will themselves become channels of spiritual refreshment for others. The figure of rivers contrasts with "a fountain" (John 4:14), illustrating the difference between one's new birth and one's experience of the overflowing fullness of the Spirit-filled life" - Ibid (emphasis added).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for being living water. May my thirsts be satisfied in You. And please flow rivers of water through me. I want to be a channel of Holy Spirit refreshment to others. Amen.

MORE: "All Who are Thirsty" by Robin Mark

God keeps us

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 17:1-11

TO CHEW ON: " ' Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.' " John 17:11

How wonderful to hear Jesus pray for us—because this prayer was not only for the disciples present but also " ' … for those who will believe in Me through their word' " John 17:20. He prays that God will keep us. the need for such a prayer signals a danger of which we need to be aware: the possibility we could lose faith.

A short sweep through the Bible shows us some of the ways.  God keeps us:

• Wherever we go. Like He was with Jacob, God is with us - Genesis 28:15; Proverbs 2:8.

• Physically. The psalmist expresses it: "He guards all his bones. Not one of them is broken" - Psalm 34:20.

• Always. He never sleeps - Psalm 121:4.

• Through His name. What does it mean to be kept "through His name"? The Amplified Bible expresses John 17:11: " 'Holy Father, keep in You name [in the knowledge of Yourself] them whom You have given Me' " - John 17:11 AMP. I understand it as getting to know the breadth and depth of His essence (His name) and seeing how capable He is of whatever we need.

• As we lay our anxieties on Him. He then guards our hearts and minds with His peace - Philippians 4:6,7.

• From the evil one - 2 Thessalonians 3:3.

• ...and what we have committed to Him - 2 Timothy 1:12. If we have committed our lives, His power can keep us through our lifespan until we see our salvation - 1 Peter 1:5.

• From stumbling, so we will be able to stand in His presence with joy - Jude 1:24.

• From the extreme test of end-time events, the "...  the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth" - Revelation 3:10.

When we feel we are on precarious footing in our faith—perhaps after going through a test of sickness, bereavement, family troubles or whatever, we can take comfort in the fact that Jesus prayed for us to be kept. We can trust Him to make a way for us, through the difficulties, back to a firm footing of faith.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your keeping power. When my grip on faith in You is weak, please send an answer to Jesus' prayer for me. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

A home for God

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 14:15-31

TO CHEW ON: "Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our home with him.'" John 14:23

What a delightful possibility—to make a home with God, to have God make His home with us. This is what we have when we have the Holy Spirit. Our passage today gives us some ideas of what God at home with us is like.


1. We live with a Helper - John 14:16, 26

[Helper - parakletos 3875. Para = beside. Kaleo = to call. Called to one's side, intercessor, comforter, helper, advocate, counsellor. In nonbiblical literature parakletos had the technical meaning of an attorney who appears in court in another's behalf. The Holy Spirit leads believers to a greater apprehension of gospel truth. In addition to general help and guidance, He gives the strength to endure the hostility of the world system. - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1472.]

What are some of the ways He helps us? He will teach all things and bring Jesus' sayings to mind. For the disciples one way this promise was fulfilled was by the Holy Spirit bringing to mind the sayings of Jesus so Matthew, Mark, Luke and John could write them down in the Gospels. For us, it is words, ideas, songs, and memorized Scriptures that come to mind to encourage us in everyday life.


2. We live with truth - John 14:17
When the Holy Spirit lives with us we have within us a spiritual and moral compass based on what is real, true and unchanging. No longer is there any question about whether it's okay to lie, cheat, spread gossip, or nurture jealousy and unforgiveness.

3. We live with family - John 14:19-20
Jesus said, "I will not leave you orphans," implying that when He imparts the Holy Spirit, He comes with an aspect of family—of parenting. He also said, "I am in My Father and you in Me and I in you." This reminds us of how we carry the characteristics of our ancestors in our very DNA. Oh that we would carry God's characteristics in our makeup to that extent!


4. We live in a mutual relationship - John 14:21, 23-24
Our mutual relationship with God is characterized by revelation and love on the Father's part, obedience and love on our part. Revelation comes through His commandments (God's word - the Bible) and His promise to "manifest" Himself to us. We keep our end of the relationship when we become familiar with and obey His words, and thus demonstrate that we really do love Him.

A home is not made in a day. It is something that lasts and can endure a lifetime of day-to-days, of experiences, of walking through life together. That's what God wants to do with us—make a home with us, do life with us.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the Holy Spirit — in a way the oxygen, blood and synapses of my life with You. Help me to be a worthy, compliant and obedient host for Your life in me. Amen.

MORE: My Heart Christ's Home

I have in my packrat collections, a little booklet called "My Heart Christ's Home" by Robert Boyd Munger. A few years ago, I posted several sections of it on my personal blog promptings. Munger has done a wonderful job of extending the metaphor of our life being a home for God. The booklet is longer than these two sections, but they will give you an idea:

Heart cleaning — the library

Heart cleaning — the dining room

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Vine life

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 15:1-17

TO CHEW ON: “'These things I have spoken to you that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.'” John 15:11

Jesus here relates life in the vine to joy—the joy that comes as a result of “these things.” What things is He referring to?

If we read back, we find Jesus has described life with Him using the metaphor of a fruit-bearing vine. He has talked about “abiding” in the vine, being part of it, dependent on it for life. In fact, we risk being severed from the vine if we don’t “abide.” When we do, we are pruned to bear more fruit.

We get the idea that living this way contains elements of giving up a right to be separate, to choose one’s own way, be one’s own self-determining, egotistical self. There is also love in the mix—God’s love for Jesus playing out in Jesus' love for us.

Leaving the metaphor aside, we might ask, how does this look practically?

I think one word sums it up: OBEDIENCE: “'If you keep My commandments you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love'” - John 15:10.

However, doesn’t “obedience” often conjure up visions of boring duty, being hemmed in by what we should and shouldn’t do, rather than what we want to do, feeling stymied by “don’ts” or guilt-ridden when we mess up?

Yet, following His description of the compliant vine, Jesus says:  “'These things have I spoken to you that My joy may remain in you, that your joy may be full.'”

What is He talking about? How does such surrender and obedience lead to joy?

The IVP NT Commentary gives this helpful insight:

But the obedience Jesus is talking about is an obedience not to societal rules, but to the Father who is all love. To obey him is to conform one's life to the very pattern of God's own life. Such obedience shares in his life, which is characterized by harmony, grace, goodness and beauty. We are in intimate union with him and swept up into his dance for which we were created and which brings the deepest fulfillment and deepest joy to our lives.

Jesus' joy came from such intimacy with the Father and his delight to do that which pleases the one who is all love and goodness.

Jesus is showing how our joy may be complete…. Indeed, we might ask ourselves, what does bring us joy. The answer will reveal to us our own hearts” - IVP NT Commentary on John 17:11 (accessed through Bible Gateway "Study This") emphasis added.

 That last question “What does bring me joy?”  is what I leave myself (and you) with today. If obedience to Him doesn’t bring us joy, we may discover why in the answer to that question.


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, help me to experience vine life and its end product of joy to the extent that You describe it here. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Spiritual hearing

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 10:1-10

TO CHEW ON: “‘To him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him for they know his voice.’” John 10:3,4

Jesus is here setting the scene for one of His iconic “I Am” statements—actually two: “'I am the door of the sheep'” - John 10:7 and “'I am the good shepherd'” - John 10:11.

These verses speak so powerfully to me that I’ve chosen them as my 2017 verses of the year to accompany the word “Listen,” my word for the year.

Two things stand out about the shepherd-sheep relationship from them: 

1. The shepherd knows his sheep individually and intimately: “…he calls his own sheep by name.”
2. The sheep follow him because they recognize and know his voice and obviously trust him.

This is what I want above all—to hear the voice of my Shepherd, recognize that it’s Him, and that I can confidently follow. How does this happen? We find some clues as we look at other places in the Bible that talk about spiritual listening and hearing.

• We discover that it may involve tuning our ears to listen, and watching and waiting. In one of his Lady Wisdom poems, Solomon, speaking as wisdom personified says, “Blessed is the man who listens to me / Watching daily at my gates, / Waiting at the posts of my doors” - Proverbs 8:34.

• It is listening to rebuke: “The ear that hears the rebukes of life / Will abide among the wise” - Proverbs 15:31.

• It is going to church with a receptive attitude: “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools” - Ecclesiastes 5:1.

• It is recognizing that spiritual truth and wisdom may not always come from the places we expect: “Words of the wise spoken quietly should be heard / Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools” - Ecclesiastes 9:17.

• We can pray to have renewed hearing even if we’re getting on in age: “O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known” - Habakkuk 3:2.

• It involves acting on what we’ve heard—obedience for the long haul, as Jesus taught: “‘But the ones (seeds) that fell on the good ground are those who having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience’” - Luke 8:15.

• God’s words to and in us can flourish when we live with an attitude of saying less and listening more: “… let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” - James 1:19.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for Your words as recorded by the apostles, as well as all the words of the patriarchs and prophets in the Bible. May You, by Your Holy Spirit, help me to hear, understand, know how to apply, and then obey what You say to me through them. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.