Bible Reading: John 20
John 20:27-29 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Thomas would not believe until he saw. Thomas is not the norm! As one of the twelve, he had a very privileged position. He got to see and hear all that Jesus did and taught. He would be a necessary soldier of the Lord's in preaching the gospel. Thomas heard the stories from the other disciples and yet he would not believe. When Jesus appeared again eight days later, he invited Thomas to touch him and he told him to be not faithless but believing. However, the blessing of Jesus is pronounced upon those who have NOT seen and believe. The Bible says:
1 Peter 1:8-9 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
How can you love someone you have not seen? How can you believe in someone you have not seen? The answer is by faith. We receive the message of Jesus by faith. We also know him because of the Holy Spirit's work within us. Jesus does not produce faith in us by seeing. He produces faith in us by hearing:
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
When Mary Magdalene saw Jesus that Sunday morning, she mistook him for the gardner (20:14-15). It was not until she heard him speak her name that she realized it was Jesus!
Have you heard his word? Do you place yourself in a position to regularly hear his word? How do you do that? Read the Bible prayerfully every day. Gather together with the church and hear gifted Bible teachers preach and teach the Word. Jesus wants you to have ears to hear. Be not faithless but believing!
In Christ,
Rody
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Given thee from above
Bible Reading: John 19
John 19:10-11 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? 11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
Jesus told Pilate something that John the Baptist fully understood. We all need to understand this. It is a fact that applies whether a person believes in Jesus or not. There is no power here on earth that was not given to men from God above. John said it like this:
John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
Pilate thought he had power and authority over Jesus. Jesus reminded him that his power and authority came from God. The apostle Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit told the Corinthian church:
1 Corinthians 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
What do you have that you did not receive? Your health, your mind, your strength, your spouse, your home, your children... Really, what do you have that you did not receive? Nothing...
Then where would glorying in ourselves ever come from? It comes from pride and God opposes the proud. We need to be humble before God and grateful to him for his gifts. What we have and where we are comes from God.
Why not just sit down today and think of all you have and be grateful to God? Maybe it will help you to refocus on being a steward of God's things instead of worrying about being an owner. Even a man in Pilate's position did not get there by himself. He was placed there by God. Pilate found himself at a strategic place of power at a critical moment of history.
What about you? Where does God have you? This is a very important position. This is a very critical time. Realize that God placed you there and live for Jesus.
In Christ,
Rody
John 19:10-11 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? 11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
Jesus told Pilate something that John the Baptist fully understood. We all need to understand this. It is a fact that applies whether a person believes in Jesus or not. There is no power here on earth that was not given to men from God above. John said it like this:
John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
Pilate thought he had power and authority over Jesus. Jesus reminded him that his power and authority came from God. The apostle Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit told the Corinthian church:
1 Corinthians 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
What do you have that you did not receive? Your health, your mind, your strength, your spouse, your home, your children... Really, what do you have that you did not receive? Nothing...
Then where would glorying in ourselves ever come from? It comes from pride and God opposes the proud. We need to be humble before God and grateful to him for his gifts. What we have and where we are comes from God.
Why not just sit down today and think of all you have and be grateful to God? Maybe it will help you to refocus on being a steward of God's things instead of worrying about being an owner. Even a man in Pilate's position did not get there by himself. He was placed there by God. Pilate found himself at a strategic place of power at a critical moment of history.
What about you? Where does God have you? This is a very important position. This is a very critical time. Realize that God placed you there and live for Jesus.
In Christ,
Rody
Friday, August 26, 2011
Them also which shall believe
Bible Reading: John 17
John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.
Jesus prayed for the sanctification of the twelve. He prayed that they would be sanctified by the Father's truth.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
They needed the transformation of the Word and the Spirit in their lives. He also prayed this for you and me! Isn't it amazing that Jesus prayed that those of us who believe because of the word preached by the apostles would be sanctified too. This is High Priestly work that Jesus was and still it performing. He is in heaven making intercession for us right now. We are not on our own! He is at work on our behalf bringing transformation into our lives.
He also prayed for the mission that the apostles were sent on:
John 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Jesus sent his apostles into the world with the same mission he had! They went to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10 He also prayed this for us! The mighty work of Jesus is to be carried on by his followers.
Have you ever thought about what Jesus prayed for you? He prayed for two things for your life:
1. Sanctification - He wants your life to be one that is consecrated to him. He wants you to live a holy life.
2. Mission - He is sending you with the same mission he had.
You have to be set apart for his work in order to do his work. Transformation and Telling the Truth.
Consecration and Conversation. Maturity and Mission. Sanctification and Sending. This is Jesus' prayer for you.
In Christ,
Rody
John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.
Jesus prayed for the sanctification of the twelve. He prayed that they would be sanctified by the Father's truth.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
They needed the transformation of the Word and the Spirit in their lives. He also prayed this for you and me! Isn't it amazing that Jesus prayed that those of us who believe because of the word preached by the apostles would be sanctified too. This is High Priestly work that Jesus was and still it performing. He is in heaven making intercession for us right now. We are not on our own! He is at work on our behalf bringing transformation into our lives.
He also prayed for the mission that the apostles were sent on:
John 17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
Jesus sent his apostles into the world with the same mission he had! They went to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10 He also prayed this for us! The mighty work of Jesus is to be carried on by his followers.
Have you ever thought about what Jesus prayed for you? He prayed for two things for your life:
1. Sanctification - He wants your life to be one that is consecrated to him. He wants you to live a holy life.
2. Mission - He is sending you with the same mission he had.
You have to be set apart for his work in order to do his work. Transformation and Telling the Truth.
Consecration and Conversation. Maturity and Mission. Sanctification and Sending. This is Jesus' prayer for you.
In Christ,
Rody
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