Maranatha Grace Church

Hello:

On January 5, 2016, we start our challenge of the Book of John. The book of John has twenty one (21) chapters, we will read a chapter everyday for the next twenty one days.

I will be sending a gentle reminder each night so we can all keep in sync. There is power in agreement, knowing that other brothers and sisters are also reading the word of God will keep you motivitated.

Please remember that the comments that I will be sending are not  "devotionals." They are just to encourage you to read the Bible for yourself. Trust the Holy Spirit, he will guide you.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 2 – John 2 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” (John 2:7-10)

The miracle of the changing of water into wine in John 2, the first miracle of Jesus at Cana in Galilee, is a miracle of love and compassion. Jesus transformed a situation that could have caused great shame for a young couple into an opportunity for great blessings. 

It is customary at the beginning of a new year to make resolution for positive changes in our lives. However, I would like to encourage you to make one more resolution, the resolution to always invite Jesus in every decision that you make. Seek earnestly for his input. When Jesus is present you are guaranteed a successful outcome even when things seem to go wrong. He will give you your “water into wine miracle,” he will turn the ordinary of your life into something very special.

With the Lord’s help everyone will marvel when they see that you have become the “best that has been saved till now.” This is my hope and my prayer for you.

 May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 3 – John 3 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,^{[f] 15} that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”^[g]

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:14-18)

In order for us to be successful in our spiritual lives, we need two key components: faith and obedience. In John 3:14 Jesus reminded Nicodemus a very important fact in the history of the Jewish people. Because of their sin, the Israelites were dying in the desert. They called out to God, and God provided for them a simple way for healing and salvation.

 “⁸ The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” ⁹ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. (Numbers 21:8-9).”  All they needed was faith and obedience, they just had to look up at the bronze snake.

All we need is faith and obedience, we just have to look up at Jesus to get healing, prosperity, abundant life, and eternal life. Every good thing that God has given us, we can only receive them by faith and obedience. God loves us, and he cares. Believe in the Lord Jesus.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 4 – John 4 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

²¹ “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²² You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³ Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”(John 4:21-24)

You are very valuable to God. This statement is very true since John 4 tells us that God is actively seeking for us. There are times when we may be tempted to think that God's first priority in our lives is that we achieve big things for him. When we do not see the big results we may feel that our services to the Lord do not matter much. But this is just a temptation, not the reality of our callings. All we need to do is to be “true worshipers who worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth (John 4:23).”

“'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the Lord of hosts,” we read in Zechariah 4:6. So, everything that we do must be done under the direction of the Holy Spirit. He is our helper in our prayer life and in our worship life, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. (Romans 8:26)”. We do not know how to worship, but the Spirit himself helps us.

Are you a true worshiper? Ask the Holy Spirit, he will help you to be more and more the kind of worshiper that the Father seeks.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 5 – John 5 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. ² Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda^[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. ³ Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. ^{[4] [b] 5} One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

⁷ “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

⁸ Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” ⁹ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. (John 5:1-9)

Do you want to get well? For me this is the key to the story. What about you? I want to encourage you to stay with the story. When we tell and retell the story of Jesus, we position ourselves to develop faith in ourselves and our listeners: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)” Find someone to tell this story? Pay your children to listen (Seriously, listening is hard work) to you retelling the story of this miracle.

Jesus was a great story teller, he taught mostly using parables. We must also be story tellers, telling and retelling the story of Jesus’ miracles, all of them. Can you see the people? Do you hear the noise, do you feel the expectation of those sick people, their disappointment, their hope and their hopelessness? Are you sick? Do you need a special word from the Lord?

Do you want to get well? Tell the story, it can be your story, or the story of your friend.”Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

May the Lord richly bless you?

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 6 – John 6 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 6:53-58)

Tonight during our evening service, we read the whole chapter of John 6 before we celebrated the “Lord’s Supper”.  But we mostly concentrated on the verses showing Jesus as the Bread of Life which gives us eternal life. We usually celebrate the Lord’s Supper during our Sunday evening services to remind ourselves of the love of God for us, to remember the Lord’s broken body on the cross and his resurrection body out of the empty tomb.

. ²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7). And his broken body brought us healing (Isaiah 53:5). It is good to remember. Come celebrate with us.

May the Lord richly bless you?

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 7 – John 7 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”^{[c] 39} By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:37-39)

I grew up not too far from “La Riviere Torcelle”. I had always wondered about the fruit trees along that river, where did they come from? Has someone planted them along the many miles of that river? Mango trees were the most abundant fruit trees around that river, producing all kinds of mangos for everyone to enjoy.

Jesus made it clear that when we believe in him “rivers of living water will flow from within us” (John 7:38). Not one river, but rivers of living water must be flowing from within those who believe and trust in Jesus. The big question is: What is being produced around us?  

Everyone that the Lord puts in our life is a tree, our lives must touch them and transform them so they too can bring fruits for God. I have seen simple Christians with no official titles or positions quietly living the Christian life while making big positive impact on the lives of  all people around them. A river is normally calm, just going along. Trust the Holy Spirit, he will guide you and use you for God's glory.  

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 9 – John 9 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁶ After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

⁸ His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” (John 9:6-9)

Often time we outline how our prayers should be answered. It’s  always a mistake when we try to force our method on God. God is in charge, he knows what is best for us, and how best to solve our problems. So after we pray, we need to rest assured that the Father will always give us what is the best for us.

In the story of John 9, Jesus heals the blind man using some very questionable elements, mud mixed with saliva!  But since he is the Lord, everything that he touches is blessed. Jesus can touch our lives so deeply that even our close associates would have difficulties in recognizing us. The Bible called that transformative experience “being born again.”  The man replied to his interrogators that there is “one thing that he does know. He was blind but now he sees!”(John 9:25). Open our eyes Lord, so we may see.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Cor. 5:17)  

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 10 – John 10 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:7-10)

The Lord Jesus gives us a clear description of the goals of the adversary in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” He is not content to simply steal, but he is also into killing and destroying. So we must be always vigilant as Apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

If you don’t know who the enemies are, you may end up fighting the wrong battle. The enemies are not your loved ones, they are not your Christian brothers and sisters. Ephesians 6:12 lists them for us, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Jesus does not tell us about the enemy to frighten us. He tells us about the adversary so that we can be careful to stay inside. The Lord is the “gate for the sheep.” In him there is security and safety. In him we have life, and we have it abundantly.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 11 – John 11 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” (John 11:40-42)

“Si tu crois, tu verras la gloire de Dieu. (Jean 11:40)” Because Martha believed, she was able to see the glory of God. Most likely there was a conflict between what Martha believed in her head and what she believed in her heart. But in the end, her obedience to Jesus’ command was all that mattered. Lord if you ask that the stone be taken away this is what I’ll do, “So they took away the stone.” By her action, by her obedience she demonstrated the faith that allowed her to see the glory of God.

Jesus was confident that the Father always heard him. He could pray bold prayers, thanking God for the answered prayer even before he prayed. The Bible tells us that if our prayers are in the center of the will of God, we too can have the same assurance that the Father always hears us, and he always gives us an answer.

^“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1 John 5:14-15)

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 12 – John 12 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. ³ Then Mary took about a pint^[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. (John 12:1-3)

If I had to give a title to the passage above from John 12, I would call it, “Mary a True Worshiper.” We recall that in John 4 Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)” Mary shows us how true worship need to be offered to the Lord Jesus.

First, she offered something of value to Jesus, “about a pint of pure nard.”  True worship is always costly, “an expensive perfume,” it cost her a lot of her time, a lot of her money.  King David in the same spirit said in 2 Samuel 24:24, “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

Second, true worship is always done with humility. She did it not for her, not to be seen, but all was done for her Lord. She shamelessly used her hair to wipe the feet of Jesus. In those days, people’s feet were usually dirty, but that was no concern to her. She just wanted to show her love and gratitude to the Lord.

The beautiful thing about true worship is that it always touches everyone around. The perfume was poured on Jesus’ feet, but the whole house was filled with the fragrance. Everyone present benefited, they were blessed by the smell of the perfume.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 13 – John 13 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

¹² When he (Jesus) had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.(John 13:12-17)

I came from a church tradition where John 13:12-17 is taking literally. Every year on the Thursday night before Good Friday, we had the Lord’s Supper followed by a Foot Washing ceremony. I believe that Foot Washing, if practices correctly, can be utilized as a great tool to promote humility and respect in the Body of Christ. We read in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” Washing a brother’s feet is indeed a humbling experience with deep spiritual significance.

I would encourage everyone to seriously consider Jesus’ command to his disciples in John 13, “ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Foot Washing can be useful not only for the church family, but also for the family unit comprised of parents and children. The father and the mother would wash the feet of their children, and the children would in turn wash the feet of each other and of their parents. They say that “Kindness begets Kindness,” I would venture to add in that context “Humility begets Humility”.

May the Lord richly bless you!
 

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 14 – John 14 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God^[a]; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.”(John 14:1-4)

During the Book of Proverbs Challenge, we spent a great amount of time meditating and commenting on Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” People wrote me then, to let me know that verse was one of their favorite verses of the Bible. It is very wise to be careful about one’s heart, because the condition of our heart will impact for good or bad the condition of our life. “As a man thinks in his heart so is he,” the Bibles says.

But how do we guard our heart? I believe that Jesus gives us the answer in John 14:1, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God^[a]; believe also in me.” We guard our love securely by believing in God and in Jesus. This believing is not a simple intellectual acknowledgement of the existence of God and Jesus, it is something deeper which is characterized by love, trust and obedience.

A troubled heart means a troubled life, the answer to all of our difficulties is the love of God. To the question of the expert in the law regarding what is the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. (Matthew 22:37)'

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 15 – John 15 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (John 15:1-4)

Prune (verb): trim (a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, especially to increase fruitfulness and growth (Oxford Dictionaries).  In John 15:2 Jesus tells us that God prunes the fruitful believer. The fruitful believer goes through a certain level of discomfort, if not outright pain while being pruned. Why would our merciful and gracious Father put us through this process?

It is not that God wants to hurt us, his children, however since he is the perfect gardener he wants more fruits from every branch. The pruning process is necessary for our increased fruitfulness. And because we are being transformed into the image of Christ from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:8), everything that is not a reflection of the humility of Christ must be pruned away.  All of our selfishness that keeps us from joyful obedience to the will of the Father must be pruned away. In the end it is for own good, we become even more fruitful in the service of Lord.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 16 – John 16 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

⁷ But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin, because people do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ¹¹ and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. (John 16:7-11)

Sometime we wonder what would it be like to have Jesus physically right besides us, walking with us, talking to us, and performing great miracles in front of our eyes. We envy the Apostles who had that opportunity to be with Jesus day after day. But what we think would have been the best is not considered as such by the Lord himself.

Because Jesus was about to leave them, his earthly mission was coming to end, the disciples became very sad. To encourage them, Jesus told them a profound truth that we also need to take to heart, “the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Christian life is more valuable than Jesus’ physical presence was for the disciples”.  “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)”. We have now the Holy Spirit with us and in us.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 17 – John 17 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. ² For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³ Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. ⁴ I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. ⁵ And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (John 17:1-5)

Jesus’ definition of eternal is very different than what most people may think or believe. In John 17:3, Jesus, the Giver of eternal life, tells us what eternal life is all about. It is a relationship with God and Jesus, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

There is a phrase that we all love to repeat in our Haitian churches, “Marche Tou Sove”. Unfortunately "Marche Tou Sove" can mean for some Christians one day they are saved, another day they are not saved. They are never sure of their salvation. But Jesus tells us that we can be sure of our salvation because God has given us to him, and he has given us eternal life.  

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 18 – John 18 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

³⁶ Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

³⁷ “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”(John 18:36-37)

Look can be very deceptive, especially when it comes to spiritual matters.  Pilate was standing face to face with Jesus, the King of kings and the Lord of lords of Revelation 19, but he could see him even as simple king. Why?  Because Pilate was looking with his natural eyes, while to recognize Jesus for who he is, the Son of God, requires that we looks with our spiritual eyes.

We all face at times the temptation to look at people superficially. Even a spiritual giant such as the Prophet Samuel failed once into that temptation. God sent him to anoint him a king. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD. (1 Sam. 16:6)” God had to remind him, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)”

Do we see ourselves correctly for who we are, people who through their faith in Jesus have become sons and daughters of the eternal God? Our harshest judge and critics most of the times are ourselves. It is time that we start seeing ourselves as God see us.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 19 – John 19 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

⁶ As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” ⁷ The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”⁸ When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, ⁹ and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰ “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” (John 19:6-11)

What was Jesus’ secret to stay calm under such circumstances? The exchange between him and Pilate in verses 10 and 11 gives out the secret. Jesus was able to stay calm under the threat of death by crucifixion because he knew that his life was at the center of the will of God. Not even a hair of his head would perish if it is not God’s will.

People in position of power can become drunk with their own power. Pilate thought that he was all powerful, “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” he shouted to Jesus. Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.

“Don’t you realize that I have the power to fire you,” a manager shouted to an employee. Maybe yes, maybe no. The only power that anyone really has is only what is given to him from above. The next time we feel threatened by something or by someone we should remember that truth. It would definitely help us to stay calm in any situation. God is in control.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 20 – John 20 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:26-29)

I have heard people proudly say, “Mwen ce St Thomas, ce le mwen oue ma koue.” For them, seeing is believing. But when it comes to the word of God, the promises of God, the Thomas’ attitude is not the right one.  An attitude of faith and trust is necessary. We walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 6:7). And without faith is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

There was sadness in Jesus’ voice when he said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed.” The Bible is clear that we should not put the Lord our God to the test (Deut. 6:16). Thomas wanted physical proof of the resurrection of Jesus, but what he really needed was faith. Jesus had told his disciples again and again that he would be put to death, and he would come back to life again.

We receive great blessings when we put our faith in the words of Jesus. You and I do not have the opportunity to see Jesus physically, but since we believe in the resurrection we are declared blessed, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 19:29).

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 21 – John 21 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

 --Tomorrow our challenge continues, we will jump all the way to the back of the Bible to the book of 1 John, Chapter 1.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.  (John 21:15-17)

The question is not how much God loves you, but “how much do you love God?” There was no doubt in Peter’s heart that Jesus loves him. Likewise, there should be no doubt in our hearts that God loves us. We must know with certainty that if we fall, he will catch us times after times. Every child of God can always come back home.

This story shows that love must be professed. Jesus knew that Peter loved him, but he wanted Peter to audibly make that profession of love for him. Since Peter had denied him three times, Jesus asked him three times, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”  A complete cancellation of the denial of Peter was necessary so he would no longer depend on his own strength to follow Jesus, but to rely solely on the grace of God.

How much do you love the Lord? Do you love him more than these? Are you sure?

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 22 – 1 John 1 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Psalms)

 We have completed the Gospel of John, to continue our John Challenge we go to the back of the Bible to the first Epistle (Letter) of John: 1 John, Chapter 1.

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all^[b] sin.

⁸ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:5-10)

The story of creation in Genesis 1 tells us that God created light the first day, a long time before he created the sun and the moon on the fourth day. If the stars, the sun and the moon were not created until the fourth day, where did the light of the first day come from? A mystery?

Not for John: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5). God is light. We are told in Exodus 34:29 that after Moses had spoken with God on Mount Sinai, when he came down the skin of his face shone. He had touched the light.

We don’t have to worry about the darkness around us. Jesus’ name is Emmanuel, which means "God with us." Light with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Books of John Challenge – Day 24 – 1 John 4 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the book of  1 John)

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:16-19)

Many years ago a chance conversation with a colleague changed my views completely about the homeless in New York City. We were talking about the homeless, and he told me that  his brother was homeless at a certain point of his life. I looked at him shocked. He told me, “Joseph, every homeless person you see in the streets of NYC is the daughter or the son of someone, the brother or the sister of someone, the cousin of someone.” Since that time on, I’ve never looked at a homeless person without seeing someone who is loved by a parent, by a relative, by a friend, and ultimately by God Himself.

1 Corinthians 13 tells us what love is, 1 John tells us how to live a life of love. We can live a life of love because we are loved by God. We love each other because we recognize that we are sons and daughters of one God. We are brothers and sisters. “We love because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1 John 4:16)."  It is like an open bottle that is thrown into the ocean, “the bottle is in the ocean, and the ocean is in the bottle.”  We live in God, and God lives in us.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 25 – 1 John 5 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the John)

¹³ I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. ¹⁴ This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

16 If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that you should pray about that. ¹⁷ All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.  (1 John 5:13-17)

The Word of God is true (Prov. 30:5) and is good (Heb. 6:5). But sometimes we act as if it is too good to be true.  God tells us to ask, but we don’t ask. Why? Most likely we don’t believe that God is willing to give us what we ask for. But, if we sincerely ask, we will always receive what we ask for. Only one condition is imposed, that we ask according to the will of God. And we know the will of God, it is revealed in his Word.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14-15)” God can free us, our loved ones, our friends, our brothers and sisters from sin if we would just pray about it.  We need to do more praying than talking, “If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life. (1 John 5:16)”

May the Lord richly bless you!

Hello:

Book of John Challenge – Day 26 – 2 John and 3 John (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the books of 2 & 3 John)

2 John and 3 John each has one short chapter. We have now completed the Books of John Challenge, and on February 1, we will start the Book of Acts Challenge, 28 Chapters for the 28 days of February.

² Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health [physically], just as [I know] your soul prospers [spiritually]. (3 John 1:2, AMP)

² Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. (3 John 1:2, NIV)

In Genesis 2:7 we read, “The Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” For a person to be complete the body and the soul must work in harmony. We cannot neglect one for the other, the soul must prosper and the body must prosper.

Can you pray 3 John 1:2 for yourself consistently? “Lord, I pray that in every way I may succeed and prosper and be in good health, just as my soul prospers in the name of Jesus. Amen!” It sounds a bit selfish and awkward!

But, if John could pray that prayer for his beloved friend, so can you. If you feel uncomfortable praying that prayer for yourself, why don’t you pray it for your children and your loved ones and ask them to pray it for you. “Lord, I pray that in every way my loved ones succeed and prosper and be in good health, just as their souls prosper in the name of Jesus. Amen!”

May the Lord richly bless you!