365 Reflections

We are made to experience more than what we see. It's innate to our humanity that this world is simply not enough. We want experience, inspiration, exhilaration. There is no doubt about that! So we look for it in the baseball stadium or in the perfectly scored tear jerking movie scene, or in the achievement of fine art or the accomplishment of our own dreams. We want more because we are made for more. John however is the only human to have experienced "true more" twice in his life. The first was on the mount of transfiguration, the second on the island of Patmos.  At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came...

Two of the 7 churches in Revelation 2-3 are found without fault in the message from Jesus. And they both share one thing in common: They both don't look that impressive to themselves. The Lord describes the first church in Smyrna like this: Revelation 2:9 (ESV) ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. To the Church in Philadelphia, the Lord says: Revelation 3:8 (ESV) ‘I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. These two churches held in common the first Beatitude listed by the Lord's great Sermon on the Mount: They were both poor in spirit. That is they both understood that to stay humble and needful of the Lord is the greatest and most powerful place to live, because you shall have Him. It is those who begin to feel they've made it, that they've acquired enough knowledge, reputation, ...

It's love. God is looking for our love. Not our good deeds and great programs first. Not our reputation and doctrinal foundations first. Those are all of importance, but second to the great desire of God for His people.... LOVE.  How interesting that the FIRST letter of the 7 churches addressed is a call to repentance and that repentance is not from dead works of sin, but that of lost love: Revelation 2:4–5 (ESV)   But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. The Ephesian church was the home of John the Apostle and possibly Mary (the Mother of Jesus). They had two immense witnesses to speak straight to their heart. For all their projects and proper religious observance, they had missed the most important reality of what God has called us to, a lov...

Revelation 1:1–3 (ESV) The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. Revelation is about Jesus . It is not the revelation of the end times and last judgment before it is ultimately about who Jesus is and what Jesus will do. He is the Revelation of God to man and has finally been revealed to those who are struggling to see God in their chaotic world. John wrote Revelation in AD 95 during the tormenting reign of Dometian who insisted on Emperor worship demanding people to refer to him as "lord and god." The word, "revelation" means "unveiling." This is what Jesus sets out to ...

John 21:1 (ESV) After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. The words, "in this way" are important for the rest of John 21. Jesus reveals himself to those same men he called out of the fishing business in a way we should appreciate. These were the men who totally blew it and backslid into their old ways. Yet there He is on the shore and calling out them as "Children." Then He helps them with a miracle catch of 153 fish and greets them ashore with a ready made breakfast ready to eat.  Amazingly, this is how Jesus chose to reveal Himself to these men. Then Jesus takes the time to personally bring Peter back into the fold. Giving him three chances to reaffirm his love for Him and the calling He has placed on Peter in service to the body of Christ. It's as if He's saying, "Peter, just has I have loved you enough to stand on the shore, call out to you, care for you an...

John 20:30–31 (ESV) 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. The Gospel writers wrote with a flagrant agenda. These were not histories or biographies. These books are intended to illicit faith. He wrote these things down "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ..." Everything about John is founded on that verse. John gives us the signs that Jesus performed so that we might truly understand who Jesus is. He is the Son of God and He is the source of life.  If you are looking for a magic man, look elsewhere.  If you are looking simply for a moral code, look elsewhere. If you are looking for self-improvement, look elsewhere. This is about faith. Faith is essential to our relationship with God. Faith is the foundation of any true relationship. That...

Remember Nicodemus in John 3 who came to Jesus at night from the ruling class of Jews? He was afraid that being seen with Jesus might tarnish his status and reputation. His conversation is anything but conclusive for his faith. He seems to depart more confused that convinced. But when Jesus dies, Nicodemus breaks protocol and publicly identifies with the crucified Savior. He is there waiting to care for the body of God's Son with a tremendous amount of expensive spices: John 19:38–39 (ESV)   After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. Do you ever wonder what made Nicodemus come around to believe in Jesus?  We need to look back at the...

You can't miss the amount of prophesies Jesus fulfilled in his death. John 19:18 (ESV)   There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. This fulfills:  Isaiah 53:12 (ESV)   Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors ; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. John 19:23 (ESV) When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, This fulfills:  Psalm 22:18 (ESV) they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. After he dies, He is buried: John 19:38 (ESV)   After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for ...

I'm in awe of the control factor in Jesus when He is betrayed, arrested, denied, mistreated, questioned, doubted and handed over to be killed. He was totally in control of every situation. He predicted the betray and denial. He knew and spoke about his death often. He faced the trial of the High Priest and Pilate with absolute wisdom. At the end of John 18, He's alone, in chains, denied, betrayed, beaten, the victim of injustice, and exchanged for a notorious insurrectionist who murdered people. And the chapter ends with Pilate asking Jesus about truth: John 18:37–38 (ESV) Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, n“I find no guilt in him. Why didn't P...

Jesus wants us here. During his prayer in John 17 He made this famous request of the Father for us: John 17:15 (ESV) I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. In that one phrase Jesus establishes the guardrails of Christian living in a world under the bondage of sin and the enemy.  First, Jesus wants us here. Right where you are is where He's placed you for a purpose. He wants us not hoping for soon escape or digging holes to bury our talents, or running from society and hiding away from all the evil people "out there." He wants us rubbing shoulders with those far from God. How else will they ever know Him and what He's like? I read an article about news anchors. It was illuminating watching them confess how they didn't have a single Evangelical Christian neighbor. No wonder Christians are so poorly represented in the news outlets! We are not around them and so they are only listening to their "...

John 16:12–13 (ESV) “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. During the long discourse in the upper room, Jesus starts to realize He is startling his disciples. He is speaking of their future, the persecution sure to come, the hatred of others they will bear, and to top it all off, His leaving them to do the work. But in the middle of this discourse, he lets them in one a teaching secret of our Great Shepherd. He doesn't try to overwhelm us. He says what we are able to bear. He is a caring preacher and leader of His flock.  What does this say about us? There are things God wants to say that we aren't ready for. There are life changing truths that God is not yet revealing. We should be longing for them. We should be desirin...

John 15:2–3 (ESV)   Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. We are made to bear fruit. But it happens in relationship with Jesus. John 15:4 (ESV) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. The word for "Abide" can mean to "stay" or "dwell". Christ commands us to come to Him and stay with Him, letting His Word do the pruning (verse 3) in our lives that makes us more fruitful.  The Words of Jesus prune us but from what? They prune us from the secondary affairs of life when only "one thing" is necessary - Christ and His constant companionship.  I'm amazed at this aspect of Christ. That He would come to dwell with us and call on us to be near Him always. The L...

God responds to faith. Sometimes we are so busy waiting for Him to do something for us or on our behalf when I believe He's waiting to honor an act of faith from us! At the last supper, Jesus spent a good deal of time imploring the disciples to act. It's almost as if He wanted to make absolutely sure they didn't for a second think this movement was about sitting in a church waiting to go to heaven: John 14:12–14 (ESV) “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. Look at these promises! Do greater works than Jesus? Whatever we ask? If we ask in His name He will do it? God wants to move in your life. I'll say that again. God, the Almighty creator of the universe... wants to move in YOUR...

Have you ever been to one of those churches where they wash each other's feet? How gross. I mean, I can appreciate the sentiment... taking Jesus' words from John 13:14 literally and baring our toes for those who would willingly wash one of the top 5 nastiest parts of our bodies. But really, we need to dig a little more into what Jesus did before we lose our socks. The job of washing feet was the job of a slave, and Jews were barred from doing so at all for each other. Simply put, the lowest member of society washed feet, no one else. Jesus does this for His disciples as an illustration of the cross. He's going to serve as a slave and hang as a criminal though he is truly neither... for us. In washing their feet He is illustrating the cleansing work His death will accomplish for them. That is why He rebukes Peter (something a slave could not do) with the statement:  John 13:8 (ESV) “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” The washing of water and bl...

John 12:15  (ESV)   “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” It is referred to as "The Triumphal Entry" in most Bibles, though not actual scripture, but in subheadings. And most Christians call it by the same name. Yet it was truly anything BUT triumphant. Jesus was not the conquering General of thousands returning from war to the city that would praise Him as hero. There was no ticker-tape parade. There was no glorious stirring of the influential and notable. It was a Jewish 'Rabbi'-carpenter from Galilee riding a donkey followed by masses of messy people, the sinners, the cast aways, the drop outs, and the have-nots. From Luke's account of this moment, the Lord is weeping over the city knowing the soon destruction that will come upon her for putting to death the Lord of Glory. Where's the triumph in that? If it seems now like nothing you may have imagined you're on the right track. Perhaps thi...

The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead is a unique depiction of God's love in action. But what strange love is this? John 11:5–6 (ESV) Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Hearing Lazarus was sick, Jesus stay where he was for two more days. In those two days Mary and Martha watched their brother's condition worsen, his body weaken, his spirit fall and his eyes close for what seemed like the final time. Where could Jesus be? What's taking Him so long? And the footnote of verse 5 becomes very strange... "Jesus loved Martha and her sister (Mary) and Lazarus."  Now we have a choice with this text. We can either think John didn't really know how Jesus felt about them, or we can rethink God's idea of love . Of course we know Jesus loved them. But how He loved them is far different from how we think God should love us. God...

John 10:9 (ESV) I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:11 (ESV)   I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. These two "I am" statements of Christ beautifully depict the nature of His love for us. They also reveal what God is truly like. First, being the "door" and the "Shepherd" could mean the same thing. For a shepherd would lay down at the entrance of a sheep pen to keep watch over his sheep at night. Jesus certainly laid it down for us, allowing Himself to be nailed to a cross on which he was laid. He's the one who stops the thief then from coming in and us from wandering out. Second, He is the good shepherd that puts his life out there in exchange for sheep. I think of David's 23rd Psalm who said, "The Lord is my shepherd."  David was a shepherd who understood the sacrifice of caring for his father's sheep. H...

Your testimony doesn't have to be very complicated. It simply has to be clear, Simple, and pointed out what Jesus has done for you. In John 9 a man born blind is suddenly healed miraculously by Jesus. This of course angers the religious leaders of the day because Jesus healed the Sabbath. They call him in to testify he tells them what Jesus done. They aren't content so they call his parents and they testify that he is their son was born blind. They call him in a second time and here's what it says: John 9:24–25 (ESV) So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” The Bible has a few good "One thing" statements: Jesus in talking with Mary and Martha, says to an overly committed Martha: "One thing is necessary." (Luke 10:42) Paul in speaking abou...

A woman is brought to Jesus caught in the act. Where is her partner who should be stoned with her? Where is her husband? Where is "his" wife? All great questions. All troublesome realities in a messy and disastrous situation. What's worse is that this woman simply served the part of a pawn in their plot to discredit the power and authority of Jesus. Jesus on trial: If He agrees with the law, He's in trouble with Rome. If He lets her off the hook, He's in trouble with the Law. What does Jesus do? He tells them whoever doesn't have sin can cast the first stone. The funny thing is - He was the only one that day who could have cast a stone. And yet He doesn't. But He doesn't just let her off the hook either. Jesus was neither a legalist or a liberalist. He was savior, redeemer, friend, and Lord in one simple statement... John 8:10–11 (ESV) Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 ...

John 7:44–46 (ESV) Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” This is an amazing moment that we often breeze by in our reading. The chief priests and Pharisees wanted to arrest Jesus so they sent a guard to seize him. But they came back empty handed. Why? Because His teaching was that astonishing. His teaching was that powerful.  This is an incredible example of the power of God's Word. It can change the hardest of hearts who hear it. Romans 10:17 (ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. The Psalmist rightly declared the power of the Lord's Word. Psalm 29:4–5 (NLT)   The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. 5 The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars; the Lord shatters the cedars of L...

John 6:28–30 (ESV)   Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Here was a crowd that Jesus had just miraculously fed the day before. And it seems it wasn't enough. They wanted more, and they dangled belief in Him over His head as if it could be a carrot. "You want us to believe in you Jesus? Show us the bread." I find this chapter very interesting. It begins with Jesus showing compassion. It ends with people who sought only His gifts walk away from Him. Peter rightly declared, " Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." John 6:68-69 It also shows us that the main purpose of Jesus was to bring us to faith in HIM ...

John 5:25–29 (ESV) “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. When you read the things Jesus said, especially like this, you can't leave Him at good teacher, religious reformer, moral example, or inspirational figure. He can't be anything less than He is - GOD in FLESH. God who raises the dead with His voice. God who has authority to judge. God who judges perfectly. Even much much more. John is painting a picture early on that the other three Gospels...

One of the craziest questions in the Bible is posed to a man who was paralyzed for 38 years... John 5:5–9 (ESV) One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. Jesus asks and there is no enthusiastic "yes, please!" There are only excuses. Somehow, the physical condition of this man and the other invalids surrounding him have shaped his mind. He became mentally what he was physically. Invalid. Jesus doesn't pay much attention to the excuse. He tells him "Get up!" in emphatic terms from the...

John 4:4 (ESV) And he had to pass through Samaria. In Jesus' time, Jews NEVER needed to go through Samaria. They avoided it like the plague. Samaritans were half-breed sell-outs who had their own temple and their own version of the Bible. And Jesus had need to go through there to sit at the well and minister to a woman of ill-repute.  For as blind as Nicodemus was, that is how passionately Jesus searched out the lost and lonely. The ones others avoided (like a woman coming to draw water at 12 noon in the beating Palestinian Sun) are the ones Jesus sought to save. How different Jesus is from us. We would look at a rich and powerful man like Nicodemus and bend over backwards to impress him and capture his attention for our self-fulfillment - be it a sports star or rich friend, etc. Jesus instead confronts Nicodemus with difficult truth and then moves on to someone who has nothing to offer Jesus or His ministry.  Why is Jesus like this? Because He knew Hi...

Nicodemus has cast his name in human history as the smartest person to miss Jesus. I never saw the word "the" before in John 3:10 but it makes the meaning become a whole lot clearer. John 3:10 (ESV) Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Jesus is making clear that Nicodemus was the most respected theologian in Israel at the time. And he can't see who Jesus is. He comes to Jesus by night, he makes a judgment on Jesus and puts Jesus under the microscope of his own examination. Poor Nicodemus never saw what this conversation would do to him for all history! But he was victim to the most common falsehood of our day: "We can save ourselves." We can't. Otherwise Jesus never would have said, "you must be born again." We are the passive agents in this process. God does this work of supernatural regeneration in our lives. We receive Christ by faith, God births in our lives new life not from t...

Jesus said follow me. He calls us all into discipleship to become more like Him, our Master, Savior and Lord.  But many Christians avoid a whole segment of Jesus' character because they don't want to stick out, be "offensive" or disturb the status quo. Jesus made waves on regular occasion and no greater evidence of that than in John 2 (ironically after turning water to wine). John 2:14–15 (ESV)   In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. For as much as we do not hear about the "fun" Jesus, we also seldom hear about the violently angry Jesus. And rarely is this  the Jesus many of us seek to emulate. This is the Jesus that is unafraid to take on evil and corruption vocally and with physical demonstrati...

Jesus was not a cosmic killjoy. He was not the guy you avoided having over for a good time. How do I know? John 2:1–2 (NLT) The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. Why would Jesus be invited to a wedding if He didn't know how to have fun? And these weddings were 7 day affairs in which people celebrated and feasted together in joyful communion. If there is one thing I cannot stand it is the stuffy Jesus so many people settle for in the Church. The Jesus who never smiles and never has fun. I don't think that is Jesus at all. While He was serious and straight to the point with some, there is ample evidence Jesus knew how to laugh... Some of his parables had such exaggeration, a first Century Jew would have been in stitches. The thought of a man who owed 100 years wages in Matthew 18 asking for more time to pay it back ri...