Yeah! It is Saturday! That means tomorrow is church!! Woo Hoo!!! Arent you excited about it? I hope so! Today is a great passage, I think it will teach you something you never thought about so go ahead and get started!
A Few Thhoughts from yesterday:
Tank: Glad you could join us!
Brooke: I think the words are great! I need to figure out how to fit them into the song... maybe sometime next week I will do that.
PLMA: Love you! Thanks for yesterday! (if you are who I think you are)
Jessica: So did you get it? or not yet?
Slacker: I wouldnt have called you that, but you told me to. Thanks for getting back on! When are ya'll leaving for Tampa?
Josh L: obviously you had Clinophobia last night! What in the world were you up all night on the computer for?? You are crazy! Glad you did your devotions though!
John 8:31-36
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”
34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.
35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
This is a smaller passage but it packs a powerful punch! Jesus says: If you abide, stay, live in my word, then you are my disciples! Wow! That is such a complement to so many of you. There are definitely many of you who "abide" in the word every day.
We cannot be disciples, or followers of Christ unless we are abiding in His word! When we do, we learn the truth and the truth of His word sets us free.
Free from what you may ask? Well, the believers that Jesus spoke to asked the same thing: They said, we are not in bondage and never have been. But Jesus said, oh yes you are, you are in the bondage and chains of your sin...
I know exactly what He means there, do you ever feel like you just keep sinning and you cannot stop it. Well, the truth is, before you were saved, you honestly could not stop it. However, when you accepted Christ, you became free from the bondage of sin, and now you dont have to sin...
So why do you? Well, sometimes, we sin because we forget that we have been freed from the bondage of sin and even though we have no chains around us, we still just sit there in prison and pretend like we are back in the bondage of sin.
Jesus Christ alone has the power and ability to set each of us free from our sin. We must stay in His word, and trust that we have been freed from our sin: by doing those things, we can live a much more sinless life...
So many pastors will tell you that you will always sin again, they tell you that there is no way to stop that: but it is not true. We are free from the bondage of sin... Can you go one second without sinning?... ... ... ... Can you go two seconds without sinning?... .... .... .... .... ... .... ... what about three? Four? Five? Sixty? One full minute? 2 minutes? 3, 4, 5, ? 10 minutes? We have been freed from the bondage of sin! How long can you go without sinning?
FRIDAY, June 20th, 2008
After going through each one fo your comments yesterday, I had to acknowledge that you guys are eccentric. (Look it up) But I definitely enjoy reading your weird, animated, exciting devotional comments! Keep up the good work!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABY!!
Many Thoughts From Yesterday:
Rachel: I agree with you: I am glad that I dont have the "right" to judge, because I dont think I would show as much grace and mercy as Jesus did! Thats Why He Is So Great!
Josh S: I am not sure what you were saying yesterday? Read over your comment before you post it next time :) I am glad you are being so faithful!
Josh L: Be careful man... It is not a light thing that many of the people we read about are in Hell, you keep saying how stupid they are, but WE DO THE EXACT SAME THING! so be careful! But I do enjoy your animation very much... AND CONGRATS ON THE CAR!!!! THAT IS SWEET! You need to come and take me for a ride! (Can you drive alone yet?)
CARY: I BET YOU JUST COULD NOT DO YOUR DEVOS IF THERE WERE NO SUCH THING AS CAPITAL LETTERS!! AND WHAT IS "LALALALALALALALA..."
Tyler: Great Job: We do just need to leave the judging up to Jesus. He is the best at it!
Lucy: Girl! They were about to STONE HER!! did you not see that part?
Brooke: Glad I could be of service to you this morning... I almost texted you back on accident :) hey, chill out with the "Karma" :) that is a Hindu belief about fate that has nothing to do with God!
Alex: Shiney Pebbles? Very Cool! You really think your mom is going to let you go to England with a bunch of Drummers? I would be very suprised!
Jon: we listen to you! Did you see Josh's comment after yours yesterday?
Amy: ARE YOU HOME NOW? Call me so I can explain the inf about our trip! Glad Your Back!
Jessica M: Hey Congrats on your License! Listen now you need to be doing your devotions more than ever! And we all need to praying like crazy that She doesnt run over us! :) J/K
John 7: 21-30
21 Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”
22 So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”
23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
25 Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.
26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”
27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
It seems like every single day that Jesus is trying to explain to these people that He is the savior of the World, yet they wont believe... Now before we go and judge these people I first want us to understand: If Jesus were here among us, he would be trying to convince us that He is the savior of the world...
You may say: Pastor Lee, I already believe that Jesus is God and that He is the savior of the world. And I would say: They why dont your actions prove it...
Your actions prove your beliefs! If you say you believe but you don't obey there is a serious problem... So Dont judge them, judge yourself!
On to the devotions:
In Verses 21 - 24 Christ is explaining that He is the savior of the world, the payor of sins, the one true King that should be lifted up, and what do they say in verse 25? They ask: Ok, so who are you? AAAHHHHH!!!! Jesus responds: " I am exactly what I have been saying from the beginning!!!" Jesus had so much patience with these men. There is so much application here:
Even when people do not want the truth, or do not know the truth, or will not listen to the truth, I must be patient as Christ was. I must not get frustrated, I must lovingly explain it again!
Verse 27... They still do not understand!
Many times: We Just Dont Get It Either! How can we hear a message about something and then walk out the door and forget it, doing exactly what we just learned not to do?!?!
I love the end of this passage: Verses 28-29 make it clear that Jesus was here to do the will of His father. What a great example: although He was God in the flesh, He still chose to obey God the father... It says: "I always do those things which please Him"
That should be our Goal. We should strive to ALWAYS do those things which please God.
What did you learn?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABY!!
Many Thoughts From Yesterday:
Rachel: I agree with you: I am glad that I dont have the "right" to judge, because I dont think I would show as much grace and mercy as Jesus did! Thats Why He Is So Great!
Josh S: I am not sure what you were saying yesterday? Read over your comment before you post it next time :) I am glad you are being so faithful!
Josh L: Be careful man... It is not a light thing that many of the people we read about are in Hell, you keep saying how stupid they are, but WE DO THE EXACT SAME THING! so be careful! But I do enjoy your animation very much... AND CONGRATS ON THE CAR!!!! THAT IS SWEET! You need to come and take me for a ride! (Can you drive alone yet?)
CARY: I BET YOU JUST COULD NOT DO YOUR DEVOS IF THERE WERE NO SUCH THING AS CAPITAL LETTERS!! AND WHAT IS "LALALALALALALALA..."
Tyler: Great Job: We do just need to leave the judging up to Jesus. He is the best at it!
Lucy: Girl! They were about to STONE HER!! did you not see that part?
Brooke: Glad I could be of service to you this morning... I almost texted you back on accident :) hey, chill out with the "Karma" :) that is a Hindu belief about fate that has nothing to do with God!
Alex: Shiney Pebbles? Very Cool! You really think your mom is going to let you go to England with a bunch of Drummers? I would be very suprised!
Jon: we listen to you! Did you see Josh's comment after yours yesterday?
Amy: ARE YOU HOME NOW? Call me so I can explain the inf about our trip! Glad Your Back!
Jessica M: Hey Congrats on your License! Listen now you need to be doing your devotions more than ever! And we all need to praying like crazy that She doesnt run over us! :) J/K
John 7: 21-30
21 Then Jesus said to them again, “I am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come.”
22 So the Jews said, “Will He kill Himself, because He says, ‘Where I go you cannot come’?”
23 And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
25 Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” And Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning.
26 I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.”
27 They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
28 Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.
29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”
30 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
It seems like every single day that Jesus is trying to explain to these people that He is the savior of the World, yet they wont believe... Now before we go and judge these people I first want us to understand: If Jesus were here among us, he would be trying to convince us that He is the savior of the world...
You may say: Pastor Lee, I already believe that Jesus is God and that He is the savior of the world. And I would say: They why dont your actions prove it...
Your actions prove your beliefs! If you say you believe but you don't obey there is a serious problem... So Dont judge them, judge yourself!
On to the devotions:
In Verses 21 - 24 Christ is explaining that He is the savior of the world, the payor of sins, the one true King that should be lifted up, and what do they say in verse 25? They ask: Ok, so who are you? AAAHHHHH!!!! Jesus responds: " I am exactly what I have been saying from the beginning!!!" Jesus had so much patience with these men. There is so much application here:
Even when people do not want the truth, or do not know the truth, or will not listen to the truth, I must be patient as Christ was. I must not get frustrated, I must lovingly explain it again!
Verse 27... They still do not understand!
Many times: We Just Dont Get It Either! How can we hear a message about something and then walk out the door and forget it, doing exactly what we just learned not to do?!?!
I love the end of this passage: Verses 28-29 make it clear that Jesus was here to do the will of His father. What a great example: although He was God in the flesh, He still chose to obey God the father... It says: "I always do those things which please Him"
That should be our Goal. We should strive to ALWAYS do those things which please God.
What did you learn?
THURSDAY, June 19th, 2008
Hello to All! I hope you enjoyed a great night sleep last night! Willbroke a new record last night! He slept until 7:15 this morning! YEAH!!!! Well, I hope that you were in church last night! We had a great time playing games, eating Nachos and being challenged by the word of God. I hope that last nights message worked in your heart! Remember, just like Ice cream is supposed to be cold, and split pea soup is supposed to be warm, Christians are supposed to be HOT! So get the stuff that makes you cold or warm out of your life! Be Hot for the Lord!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Alex: Good Job being first! I forgot to award you guys last night! I will make up for it next week!
Josh L: Man I wish you were there in Bible times, because then you could have set all of those "ignorant people" straight. :) You are crazy man! I like to read you devos! I was dying when you said: "I think the miracle that Jesus should have done is give these people more brain cells"
Brooke: We will miss your miniature books! Herry back on when you can!
Jessica M: It is 8:35 AM and while I am doing my devos and eating breakfast in the rain, you are sweating to death at volleyball practice. Ha! : )
Phil: Your story was not "too long for my liking" because I could look down and see that it did eventually end at the end of the paragraph!
Rachel: What in the world did you do last night from 9:00 until 12:40 when you finaly decided to do your devos! :) I am glad that you are going to "try" to do your devotions earlier!
John 8:1-11
1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
What a great story! This is one of my "top 55 favorite stories in the bible!" It is such a great picture of mans wickedness and Gods love and forgiveness! So Jesus goes up to the mount of Olives! (Pastor Chip has been there! How cool is that!) And while Jesus is there teaching, once again the "religious" people try to cause trouble! They go and "find" a woman who is caught in the VERY ACT of adultery... (Is anyone else wondering how they knew that she was caught in the act? It was probably one of two things: 1. They were watching her "in the act" or 2. They knew she was getting into the situation and they let her commit this horrible sin, just so they could use her as an example)...When they bring her to Jesus they say: What do you have to say about this; Moses told us to stone her? What do you say?
This was another one of those moments where they were trying to trick Jesus into making a rash judgment, so that they could accuse Him of wrong doing... But Jesus is God, and He is wisdom in the flesh, Jesus knew exactly what they were trying to do... So Jesus said this:
He who is without sin let him cast the first stone!
What a great statement! Noe of these men had any right to attack this woman, If they were truely Godly men, then would have tried to help her and heal her and love her, not embarass her and try to kill her. What were they thinking?
They were thinking the same thing that we often think!
So often we will Look down on what other people do, instead of loving and helping them through it! Jesus very clearly says, dont stone anyone of you have committed sin yourself!
Now we do not stuggle with stoning people literally, but we struggle with stoning people in our thoughts, and in our words... Dont stone people mentally, verbally, or in any way unless you are wihtout sin. AND BY THE WAY: You are not without sin. Only Christ is, and He did not stone the woman, he told her...
Neither do I condemn thee, Go and sin no more!
That should be our motivation to live for Christ, although he had every right to condemn us for our sin, He did not. He chose to love us, and to give Himself for us, so that we would "go and sin no more"
GO! SIN NO MORE! Get the cold stuff out of your life so that you can be Hot for God!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Alex: Good Job being first! I forgot to award you guys last night! I will make up for it next week!
Josh L: Man I wish you were there in Bible times, because then you could have set all of those "ignorant people" straight. :) You are crazy man! I like to read you devos! I was dying when you said: "I think the miracle that Jesus should have done is give these people more brain cells"
Brooke: We will miss your miniature books! Herry back on when you can!
Jessica M: It is 8:35 AM and while I am doing my devos and eating breakfast in the rain, you are sweating to death at volleyball practice. Ha! : )
Phil: Your story was not "too long for my liking" because I could look down and see that it did eventually end at the end of the paragraph!
Rachel: What in the world did you do last night from 9:00 until 12:40 when you finaly decided to do your devos! :) I am glad that you are going to "try" to do your devotions earlier!
John 8:1-11
1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6 This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8 And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
What a great story! This is one of my "top 55 favorite stories in the bible!" It is such a great picture of mans wickedness and Gods love and forgiveness! So Jesus goes up to the mount of Olives! (Pastor Chip has been there! How cool is that!) And while Jesus is there teaching, once again the "religious" people try to cause trouble! They go and "find" a woman who is caught in the VERY ACT of adultery... (Is anyone else wondering how they knew that she was caught in the act? It was probably one of two things: 1. They were watching her "in the act" or 2. They knew she was getting into the situation and they let her commit this horrible sin, just so they could use her as an example)...When they bring her to Jesus they say: What do you have to say about this; Moses told us to stone her? What do you say?
This was another one of those moments where they were trying to trick Jesus into making a rash judgment, so that they could accuse Him of wrong doing... But Jesus is God, and He is wisdom in the flesh, Jesus knew exactly what they were trying to do... So Jesus said this:
He who is without sin let him cast the first stone!
What a great statement! Noe of these men had any right to attack this woman, If they were truely Godly men, then would have tried to help her and heal her and love her, not embarass her and try to kill her. What were they thinking?
They were thinking the same thing that we often think!
So often we will Look down on what other people do, instead of loving and helping them through it! Jesus very clearly says, dont stone anyone of you have committed sin yourself!
Now we do not stuggle with stoning people literally, but we struggle with stoning people in our thoughts, and in our words... Dont stone people mentally, verbally, or in any way unless you are wihtout sin. AND BY THE WAY: You are not without sin. Only Christ is, and He did not stone the woman, he told her...
Neither do I condemn thee, Go and sin no more!
That should be our motivation to live for Christ, although he had every right to condemn us for our sin, He did not. He chose to love us, and to give Himself for us, so that we would "go and sin no more"
GO! SIN NO MORE! Get the cold stuff out of your life so that you can be Hot for God!
WEDNESDAY, June 18th, 2008
Hey everyone! Today Is Wednesday. I Hope that you will be in church tonight!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Brooke: Hey! Great application with the verse "He must Increase, I Must Decrease"! I am glad that you remembered that!
Amy: No that video is not Real! When are you going to be back in town? I am not sure if you still qualify, I need to look it up: Call Me!
Jessica M: How is Volley Ball Practice going every morning at the "Crack of Dawn"!!
Cary: Good to see you being faithful on here! Now: Where is Tyler?!?!
Rachel: I am/ Will be/ Was Glad that you told/ will tell us that Ryan Was/ Would Be/ Will Be Doing His Devotions! :) Silly Girl!
Kacey: Hey Girl! Good to see you! We missed you on Sunday!
John 7:25-36
25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill?
26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?
27 However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”
28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.
29 But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.
33 Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.
34 You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.”
35 Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?
36 What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”
I dont know what you think, but it sure seems like these people are awful blood thirsty. I mean Jesus comes in to town, heals some people, teaches in the temple and now half the city wants Him dead. Sometimes I think to myself, If I were there, then I would not have crucified Him, but the truth is that any of us in that same situation would have crucified Him. The truth is that every time we sin, that sin is what He had to go to the cross for! He died to save us from the consequences of each sin we commit! I am so thankful that He did pay our sin debt!
I imagine that when John was writing this passage He wanted us to get a vantage point of everything going on there in the streets. Verses 25-27 show us a group of skeptics (unbelievers) who are talking amongst themselves discussing why this cannot be the Christ. They say that He cannot be the Christ because they know where he came from... Did they?
Next In verses 28-29 we see what Christ is teaching: He is teaching about EXACTLY what that group of skeptics needed to hear... They said they knew where he was from. He says to them... Yes, you know where I am from, but do you know who sent me?
I think it is so cool How God speaks to me right where I am at about exactly what I am going through. He did that same thing here on the street.
Next John explains to us in verse 30 that the Jews were now ready to kill Jesus. So they went to try to capture Him, but... they couldnt.
In verse 31 we see from the vantage point of Some believers standing in the crowd watching... They say: Do you really think that the messiah will do more miracles than this man has done? There you go! These people are thinking logically. They see the works of the Lord and they believe!
I will close with these thoughts... there are many different vantage points of Christ today: Some people believe, some dont. Some live like they believe, many dont. If you were to look at Christ on the street that day, would you have been a believer?or a skeptic?
Well today is no different in the matter of believing! Just as those believers were back then, we can be the same today... We must believe in Christ, and we MUST LIVE with actions the Prove our belief!
See You Tonight!!!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Brooke: Hey! Great application with the verse "He must Increase, I Must Decrease"! I am glad that you remembered that!
Amy: No that video is not Real! When are you going to be back in town? I am not sure if you still qualify, I need to look it up: Call Me!
Jessica M: How is Volley Ball Practice going every morning at the "Crack of Dawn"!!
Cary: Good to see you being faithful on here! Now: Where is Tyler?!?!
Rachel: I am/ Will be/ Was Glad that you told/ will tell us that Ryan Was/ Would Be/ Will Be Doing His Devotions! :) Silly Girl!
Kacey: Hey Girl! Good to see you! We missed you on Sunday!
John 7:25-36
25 Now some of them from Jerusalem said, “Is this not He whom they seek to kill?
26 But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?
27 However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from.”
28 Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.
29 But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
30 Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.
31 And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”
32 The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.
33 Then Jesus said to them, “I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.
34 You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.”
35 Then the Jews said among themselves, “Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him? Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?
36 What is this thing that He said, ‘You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come’?”
I dont know what you think, but it sure seems like these people are awful blood thirsty. I mean Jesus comes in to town, heals some people, teaches in the temple and now half the city wants Him dead. Sometimes I think to myself, If I were there, then I would not have crucified Him, but the truth is that any of us in that same situation would have crucified Him. The truth is that every time we sin, that sin is what He had to go to the cross for! He died to save us from the consequences of each sin we commit! I am so thankful that He did pay our sin debt!
I imagine that when John was writing this passage He wanted us to get a vantage point of everything going on there in the streets. Verses 25-27 show us a group of skeptics (unbelievers) who are talking amongst themselves discussing why this cannot be the Christ. They say that He cannot be the Christ because they know where he came from... Did they?
Next In verses 28-29 we see what Christ is teaching: He is teaching about EXACTLY what that group of skeptics needed to hear... They said they knew where he was from. He says to them... Yes, you know where I am from, but do you know who sent me?
I think it is so cool How God speaks to me right where I am at about exactly what I am going through. He did that same thing here on the street.
Next John explains to us in verse 30 that the Jews were now ready to kill Jesus. So they went to try to capture Him, but... they couldnt.
In verse 31 we see from the vantage point of Some believers standing in the crowd watching... They say: Do you really think that the messiah will do more miracles than this man has done? There you go! These people are thinking logically. They see the works of the Lord and they believe!
I will close with these thoughts... there are many different vantage points of Christ today: Some people believe, some dont. Some live like they believe, many dont. If you were to look at Christ on the street that day, would you have been a believer?or a skeptic?
Well today is no different in the matter of believing! Just as those believers were back then, we can be the same today... We must believe in Christ, and we MUST LIVE with actions the Prove our belief!
See You Tonight!!!
TUESDAY, June 17th, 2008
Hey Guys! Keep up the good work! It is so nice to read your comments each day! I am so proud of you all! I am looking forward to this Wednesday Night! We are going to have Nachos and Cheese, a great time of fellowship, and an important challenge; so make sure that you do not miss it!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Alex: POLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jeff: So, your new nickname for Alex is "Joshy Poo"?!?! Scary!
Cary: Yes! Lets get together! Call me!
Josh Sandefur: Hey man! I am excited about reading your political analisist blog. And I am even more excited about you doing your devotions more faithfully! Keep up the goos work!
Jessica: We missed you! I am glad that it was weird not doing your devotions with us! :)
Phil: Tell Heather that we would LOVE to see her on here with us! What is she talking about?? I talk to her every time I walk by her! Tell her I am sorry I gave her that impression! And Tell Her I said EVERYONE is Welcome on the devo blog! Especially Her!
John 7:10-20
10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
11 Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?”
12 And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.”
13 However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.
14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.
15 And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”
16 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.
17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.
19 Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
20 The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”
So we continue on with what we read yesterday... we see that Jesus did go up to the feast, but He did not want to go publically. Jesus wanted to go in secret. When He got there He saw many people talking about Him some good and some bad, but in verse 13 it says that the people would not talk about Jesus in front of the Jews.
I think that we often do the same thing. We fail to talk about Jesus to the people that need to Hear it the most. We have lost neighbors, lost friends, lost teachers, lost acquaintences, lost co-workers... and Just as these people did not talk about Jesus in front of the Jews, we do not talk about Jesus in front of the lost people in our life!
Verse 14 explains that Jesus left the feast and went to the temple to teach... This part is so cool. When Jesus begins to teach, the Jews begin to ask: Where did this man learn so much? If this were modern day, they would probably say What are his credentials?? Where did He graduate college from? The truth is Jesus did not need to go to "college" Because He is the Son of God. He is Omniscient (all-knowing)
Verse 18 is one that is very applicable to many of us, I am sure! Who do I live to build up...
This verse makes it clear that If I am speaking about myself all the time, then I am trying to build myself up. I am trying to glorify myself, instead of Christ.
I remember seeing this commercial all about worship yourself songs. They take the normal worship songs and change the lyrics to make them sound how we often live. It is funny, but true in many ways, and it also helps you realize how often we try to build ourself up, instead of building Christ up!
Watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9dvVp0Nxjo
What did you get out of the passage today?
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Alex: POLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jeff: So, your new nickname for Alex is "Joshy Poo"?!?! Scary!
Cary: Yes! Lets get together! Call me!
Josh Sandefur: Hey man! I am excited about reading your political analisist blog. And I am even more excited about you doing your devotions more faithfully! Keep up the goos work!
Jessica: We missed you! I am glad that it was weird not doing your devotions with us! :)
Phil: Tell Heather that we would LOVE to see her on here with us! What is she talking about?? I talk to her every time I walk by her! Tell her I am sorry I gave her that impression! And Tell Her I said EVERYONE is Welcome on the devo blog! Especially Her!
John 7:10-20
10 But when His brothers had gone up, then He also went up to the feast, not openly, but as it were in secret.
11 Then the Jews sought Him at the feast, and said, “Where is He?”
12 And there was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.”
13 However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews.
14 Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.
15 And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”
16 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.
17 If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.
18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.
19 Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”
20 The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”
So we continue on with what we read yesterday... we see that Jesus did go up to the feast, but He did not want to go publically. Jesus wanted to go in secret. When He got there He saw many people talking about Him some good and some bad, but in verse 13 it says that the people would not talk about Jesus in front of the Jews.
I think that we often do the same thing. We fail to talk about Jesus to the people that need to Hear it the most. We have lost neighbors, lost friends, lost teachers, lost acquaintences, lost co-workers... and Just as these people did not talk about Jesus in front of the Jews, we do not talk about Jesus in front of the lost people in our life!
Verse 14 explains that Jesus left the feast and went to the temple to teach... This part is so cool. When Jesus begins to teach, the Jews begin to ask: Where did this man learn so much? If this were modern day, they would probably say What are his credentials?? Where did He graduate college from? The truth is Jesus did not need to go to "college" Because He is the Son of God. He is Omniscient (all-knowing)
Verse 18 is one that is very applicable to many of us, I am sure! Who do I live to build up...
This verse makes it clear that If I am speaking about myself all the time, then I am trying to build myself up. I am trying to glorify myself, instead of Christ.
I remember seeing this commercial all about worship yourself songs. They take the normal worship songs and change the lyrics to make them sound how we often live. It is funny, but true in many ways, and it also helps you realize how often we try to build ourself up, instead of building Christ up!
Watch this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9dvVp0Nxjo
What did you get out of the passage today?
MONDAY, June 16th, 2008
Another Monday of Summer!! What are your plans for this week? I hope that you sleep in today to recover from the campout last week. I am very excited about Wednesday night, so be thinking about who you can invite to bring with youthis week! It will be a great time!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Brooke: I love the fact that you were able to read the comments that other people put on here about the messages and that you were able to make a personal application for both the Sunday School lesson and the Morning Service message. I am glad that everyone else listened and posted their thoughts so it could speak to you as well! Great Job!
Josh S: I am glad you listened so well to the sunday school lesson... sorry for poking your eye out! :)
Phil: I love outback as well... and I always get the outback special (12 oz. beccause for like a dollar more you get 25% bigger steak: good for leftovers) with garlic mashed potatoes... mm mmm delicious! Katie offered to take me there, but I said naa. Your comment made me wish that I accepted her offer!
Tyler: Where were you last night man? and What are your plans for this week? I want to get together with you guys some time... let me know!
Jeff: I liked your "Happy Fathers Day God"; He is the best father of all! :)
John 7:1-9
1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.
2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.
4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”
5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
6 Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
8 You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.”
9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.
This is a neat passage: It begins with Jesus walking through the city of Galilee. The reason why He was in Galilee was because He did not want to go to Judea, because He knew the jewish authorities would seek to kill Him. His brothers make a comment to Him in verses 3 and 4 that show their unbelief in who Christ really was.
Jesus' brothers make a sarcastic comment to Him, basically saying that NO ONE does anything is secret when he seeks to be known openly. In other words, they think that they need to give God advice on how to run his program.
Sometimes I do the same thing... Gods word is clear on how I am supposed to live, but I try to justify why I should do it my way instead of Gods way. How foolish!
Jesus knew that His brothers did not believe in Him, so therefore He just explained to them that it was not His time to come, but they could go ahead.
Once again, Christ shows kindness in the face of skepticism, and sarcasm. That is a love that I cannot understand! I am so thankful for that unconditional love that Christ shows!
The application here is that I dont need to try to convince God why He should do what I want Him to do. I need to trust Him and trust that He is the All-knowing God! If He is all knowing and all loving then I know that I can just trust him! In every aspect of life! I will trust Him by obeying what He says about sin, purity, love, faithfulness, holiness and everything else! Trust His Word!
Stay Faithful!!
A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Brooke: I love the fact that you were able to read the comments that other people put on here about the messages and that you were able to make a personal application for both the Sunday School lesson and the Morning Service message. I am glad that everyone else listened and posted their thoughts so it could speak to you as well! Great Job!
Josh S: I am glad you listened so well to the sunday school lesson... sorry for poking your eye out! :)
Phil: I love outback as well... and I always get the outback special (12 oz. beccause for like a dollar more you get 25% bigger steak: good for leftovers) with garlic mashed potatoes... mm mmm delicious! Katie offered to take me there, but I said naa. Your comment made me wish that I accepted her offer!
Tyler: Where were you last night man? and What are your plans for this week? I want to get together with you guys some time... let me know!
Jeff: I liked your "Happy Fathers Day God"; He is the best father of all! :)
John 7:1-9
1 After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him.
2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
3 His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing.
4 For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.”
5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.
6 Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready.
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
8 You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.”
9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.
This is a neat passage: It begins with Jesus walking through the city of Galilee. The reason why He was in Galilee was because He did not want to go to Judea, because He knew the jewish authorities would seek to kill Him. His brothers make a comment to Him in verses 3 and 4 that show their unbelief in who Christ really was.
Jesus' brothers make a sarcastic comment to Him, basically saying that NO ONE does anything is secret when he seeks to be known openly. In other words, they think that they need to give God advice on how to run his program.
Sometimes I do the same thing... Gods word is clear on how I am supposed to live, but I try to justify why I should do it my way instead of Gods way. How foolish!
Jesus knew that His brothers did not believe in Him, so therefore He just explained to them that it was not His time to come, but they could go ahead.
Once again, Christ shows kindness in the face of skepticism, and sarcasm. That is a love that I cannot understand! I am so thankful for that unconditional love that Christ shows!
The application here is that I dont need to try to convince God why He should do what I want Him to do. I need to trust Him and trust that He is the All-knowing God! If He is all knowing and all loving then I know that I can just trust him! In every aspect of life! I will trust Him by obeying what He says about sin, purity, love, faithfulness, holiness and everything else! Trust His Word!
Stay Faithful!!
SUNDAY, June 15, 2008
Today is Fathers Day! Make sure to tell your Dad Happy Fathers Day!
I hope you made it to church this morning! It was a great day!
For today's devotions why dont you post one of two things:
1. Comment about what you learned in the Sunday School lesson today.
2. Comment about what you learned from the message in church today.
I really enjoyed pastor Chip's message today. The part that really spoke out to me when when he said that we need to trust Jesus just like Jarius trusted Him. We need to trust that his plan for purity is best, we need to trust Christ that his plan for our money is best, we need to trust Christ that his plan for respecting our parents is best.
There are so many reasons why we must trust God.
When I fail to trust God, that is when I go my own way and often lose control. If Jarius would have failed to trust God then his daughter would not have come back to life...
See how much God blesses when we TRUST HIS PLAN FOR OUR LIFE!!!
What did you learn today?
I hope you made it to church this morning! It was a great day!
For today's devotions why dont you post one of two things:
1. Comment about what you learned in the Sunday School lesson today.
2. Comment about what you learned from the message in church today.
I really enjoyed pastor Chip's message today. The part that really spoke out to me when when he said that we need to trust Jesus just like Jarius trusted Him. We need to trust that his plan for purity is best, we need to trust Christ that his plan for our money is best, we need to trust Christ that his plan for respecting our parents is best.
There are so many reasons why we must trust God.
When I fail to trust God, that is when I go my own way and often lose control. If Jarius would have failed to trust God then his daughter would not have come back to life...
See how much God blesses when we TRUST HIS PLAN FOR OUR LIFE!!!
What did you learn today?
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