Jesus Prayed for Us
I know this may not be that big of a deal for some, but it just further cements the understanding how humble Jesus was. Furthering the point, being that Jesus was fully God and fully human, I also really liked John 17:7, regarding Jesus acknowledging that everything that he had was from god and solidifying that people now knew that. In addition, Jesus desired for us to be with him and with God as he was with God.
In John 17:14-18, Jesus says that he has given us God's word, the world hates us for not being of the world (but being of God), then he asks God to keep us from the evil one. He is praying for our temptations. And lastly, he says that he has sent us into the world as God sent him into the world. Jesus told us to do as God had Jesus do. Go into the world, not be of the world and spread the word to all.
We know what Jesus said. We know what Jesus did. We know how Jesus came to us and that he was fully God and fully human. It is up to us, through Christ and the Holy Spirit, to tell others about him as God sent him to reunite us with God for redemption from our sins.
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It Is Time for Something Better
Some relationships are a mess. There is constant bickering and long droughts of bitterness. You want to be supported and they want to be right. You love them too much and they don't love you enough. There just doesn't seem to be a future. But I can almost guarantee you there is a disconnect. Staying disconnecting from God is like not recharging your smartphone after using it all day. It will DIE!!! You have to plug back in to reading the word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), yes the Bible. Start with a chapter a day. Read Proverbs. There are 31 chapters. you can read one chapter per day for a month.
We also need to submit to God's will (Psalm 143:10). How do we know what God's will is? If you don't read God's word and let that marinate and you think on it and apply what you read, then it would be hard to know what God wants from us. We are making decisions that are not conducive to our spiritual growth which is affecting our relationships. Before you check everyone else, check yourself. What else could you be doing on your side in the effort of change and relational growth with God in order to have better relationships with others?
Don't forget about prayer. When things go wrong we can find ourselves trying to fix everything and everyone. We feel like we are shaped to help, which can be true, but it is not your responsibility to fix. Our responsibility is to pray and include God (Philippians 4:6). Isn't that part of the reason why there is an issue any way? We try to fix things separate from God. We need to include Him and let Him do his work.
And also there is accountability (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). How can we grow spiritually all by ourselves. If there isn't someone that you can confide in and have walk with you through your life, it makes things that much harder. We need to be able to check in with people and have them check in with us and keep us accountable for what we want to be different in our lives according to God's will. That accountability with another Christ follower and you allows God to be present in the relationship in order to help the other parts of life benefit as well. It isn't easy, but it can be be done.
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Overcome the World
Jesus was explaining to his disciples that he came from God and man (Mary) and would be returning to God. Typically, he would say things like this in figures of speech, but changes his method hear as the time drew near that he would be crucified.
When Jesus was relaying to them that there is a time when he will return to God, he let them know that their faith may be shaken and they will return to their homes and leave him alone. That is a glimpse into the death on the cross and his body being placed in the tomb. He told them not to worry because he would be with the Father. He told them this so that they could have peace and for them to understand that there will be tribulation in the world but he overcame the world (John 16:33).
Jesus wanted them to be at peace and not worry about him as he was with the Father. His overcoming the world is the overcoming of sin by being sinless, overcoming being arrested, beaten, misjudged, and even the overcoming of death through his resurrection. Life has problems. We all have had them, will have more and may even have some now. But, no matter what the problem has been, Jesus has overcome it. With him we can overcome them too.
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Make Time for God
We all have 24 hours a day and 168 hours a week. What we do with that time is up to us. That is our decision.We cannot blame our boss for "making" our day crazy and keeping us from God's word. We can't blame the kids or spouses for things being hectic at home and keeping us from a quiet time. Our quiet time is our decision. I know people who wake up extra early (over an hour than usual) just to have a quiet time with God before they go to work. It is that important to them. That leaves no excuses for later in the day.
As cliche as it may seem, the first few of the 10 Commandments are focused on God and keeping the Sabbath holy (Exodus 20:8) and having no others gods before him and not taking His name in vain. Ask yourself, am I keeping a Sabbath? It doesn't have to be Sunday, but is there a day where you stop working and rest and give respect to God?
What other gods are there (Exodus 20:3) I don't think it just means other religions, but the other things we do that take precedence in our lives over what is most important. I know I talk a lot about social media, but we waste so much time on our devices seeing what everyone else is doing rather than spending time in the Bible and seeing what God wants from us. What was the last thing you did last night? What was the first thing you did this morning? Did it have anything to do with being thankful to God? Did it have to do with the other things that are not important?
God doesn't want our left over, but our first fruits (Genesis 4:4-5). If you are struggling with making time for God, maybe put a sign on the first thing you are going to see every morning to remind you to make time for God. The sign could be a verse or a simple reminder to pray or be thankful. Whatever it is, make time for God and keep Him first.
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True Vine and Branches
We understand it is not our good deeds that bring us salvation, but salvation does require a action steps of faith like the bleeding woman (Matthew 9:20-22) following Christ unlike the rich man (Matthew 19:16-30) and most importantly over all else is grace from God (Ephesians 2:8). You must believe that Jesus is the son of God and was God in the flesh. And once that has been done, we do as Christ said with being born again of water and spirit (John 3:5).
But then what? After I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior and follow him, can I sit on the couch and watch TV all day? Can I just hang out on social media and keep up with the Kardashians? I don't think that is the best way to serve God, by inactivity. When you love you serve. Serving is a way to show that Jesus is working through us.
When he said "I am the true vine" Jesus was telling you that when you are connected to him (the true vine) which is cared for by God (the vinedresser) you will be pruned when producing fruit in order to produce more fruit. But if the branch (us) is not producing fruit, God takes it away.
The fruit is the proof that you follow Christ. How do you serve or do you serve at all? Do you love people? That is the fruit. The actions that you do out of love for people by following Christ. We have seen numerous examples of his heart and humility, purpose and service. Follow him and his example.
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Keep the Commandments Out of Love
We can think of following Christ out of obligation. Or maybe you were raised that way and your parents made you go to church when you were a kid. I have even heard people claim to be certain walks of faith based on pleasing their parents. But, what about your relationship with Jesus? I mean, we don't date or marry people (typically) if the purpose is to make your parents happy. So, why would we pretend to follow Jesus with no to low commitment?
Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." That is not "if you wanna make other people happy, then pretend to follow me." How can we overlook the love Jesus had for with the intent to unite us with God if we follow Jesus and just treat it like Jesus' sacrifice doesn't matter? It DOES matter. The life of Jesus is what caused the split between BC and AD. His life mattered. His death and resurrection mattered as well.
Keeping his commandments takes action. Even inaction is an action. It is an action of defiance. But our actions should be focused on keeping the commands of Jesus. That doesn't mean that if we just do what Jesus said that we are saved. Look at it like this, if you love Jesus and you understand what his purpose was for you and me, then why wouldn't you follow his commands? If you are in a relationship or married then it is safe to say that you love (or at least are loving) the person you are with. In that, aren't there things that you would do to show that love to that person? Make their favorite food, watch their favorite movie with them, tell them you love them and spend time with them. Granted, we can't take Jesus out to eat, but we can spend time with him and read the word in order to understand what he wants from us. He wants our pride wiped away and our humility and selfless love for him and others, especially those that are less fortunate. Do as Jesus did for the sake of love for him.
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Jesus is the Portrait of Humility
Are there certain jobs or careers or tasks that seem "beneath" you? Would you ever clean a toilet? Pick up trash? Cutting grass? Maybe you see jobs like that or other ones as beneath you. You can try to qualify your pride by saying you are over qualified, but what about when we are serving others. Are we "too qualified" to be humble and serve? If so, then you are also too prideful.
Jesus wasn't prideful at all. He didn't go on and on about all of the works he has done and bragged about being the son of God. He didn't get all the fancy robes and attire fit for a king. Jesus was humble and sought to serve the will of God above all else. We see in John 13:15-17, after Jesus washes the disciples feet that he tells them that he has set an example for them that they are to follow. We are to do for others what Jesus has done for us. This is not to gain something from God or people, but to serve God by serving people.
In John 13:21, Jesus reveals that he knew one of the disciples would betray him. I love that he didn't call out the guy's name and put his name all out there. Jesus was still serving and did not ostracize him. In this day and age, if we feel wronged by someone we ignore them, hate them and maybe even talk about them on social media. Or we may gossip to people about them. What good does that do? How does that glorify God or reflect our walk with Christ. Yes, we are all imperfect, but we need to check our decisions too.
If you are looking for a way to stretch yourself to serve this coming week, Subway has a deal on Tuesday, November 3, 2015. If you buy one sub you get one free. That doesn't mean you eat both, but give one away. Maybe to a homeless person or someone you work with. Anyone!! Click here for to read more on the offer.
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