John 12:46
“I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” We have the Light of Christ within us, and it is up to us to shine so that others may see the glorious Light of the Gospel. Proverbs 4:17-19 “For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.” In the middle of the darkness, “the path of the just” can light the way; because this is not just any shining light, but the Light of the World. John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Darkness allows the even the dimmest light to shine. No matter how dark it may seem, we have the opportunity to allow Christ to shine through us so that others may see Him. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” We shine brightest when we hold up the Word of God. Philippians 2:15-16 “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.” It is His Word that makes the difference. Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Shine the Light today. Bible Reading: Judges 5-6 | Acts 22
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John 6:63
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Persecution can make us feel like the life has been taken out of us; but we can find renewed life each day through the Word of God. Psalm 119:88 “Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth.” His Word gives us life. When we feel defeated, His Word revives us. When we feel empty, His Word sustains us. When we feel needy, His Word provides for us. Ephesians 2:4-7 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” He wants us to know we can have eternal life through Him. 1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” He does all of this, because He loves us. Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” God loves us so much that He not only gave His Son for us, but He also preserved His Word for us. He wants us to know we have life through His Son, and we can renew our minds each day through His Word. Bible Reading: Judges 3-4 | Acts 21 Philippians 2:5-8
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God willingly chose to humble Himself and become a Servant. In the context of this passage, the Apostle Paul was exhorting the church of Philippi to be like Christ. The same applies to us today…”Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”. He was not worried about what others thought of Him. He was willing to make Himself the Servant of Servants. He was robed in human flesh just like us. He tempted just like us, yet He did not sin. He humbled Himself far beneath Who He truly was and is. He was obedient, even unto death. He suffered and willingly died on the cross for us. The Servant of Servants is our Ultimate Example of what it means to serve. The only way we can strive to have “this mind” is to strive to become more like Him. We need no reputation. May others see Him. Are we serving others or serving ourselves? Pride and humility cannot coexist. Are we obedient? Even if it costs us our lives? Mark 8:35 “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” Dying to ourselves daily is part of walking with the Lord; but someday, we may be forced to decide whether we are willing to die for our faith. If we will choose to let the mind of Christ be in us, we too can become a true servant for His glory. Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Bible Reading: Judges 1-2 | Acts 20 John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God gave His Only Begotten Son so that we might have life, the ultimate example of giving. He did not withhold Himself from giving what He had to give. He gave so that we could also give, and He expects the same from us. Proverbs 3:27-28 “Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.” He wants us to give cheerfully. 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” The more we give, the more we will receive. 2 Corinthians 9:6 “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” Luke 6:38 “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” We desire to receive; yet so often we neglect to give. We expect others to show us love and mercy, yet how often do we fail to extend the same grace in return? Acts 20:35 “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” God tells us time and time again that it is wise to give. What are you giving today? Bible Reading: Joshua 24 | Acts 19 John 2:5
“His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” The wise words of His mother were heard by the servants at the marriage in Cana of Galilee. Can you imagine their reaction? Perhaps confusion or maybe anticipation. She obviously knew something they did not. There were six waterpots of stone nearby. John 2:7 “Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water…” The servants had a choice to make. Do they ignore both Jesus and Mary’s instructions or choose to follow them? “…And they filled them up to the brim.” Not only did they obey, they anticipated that something marvelous was about to take place. Why else would they have filled them to the brim? If we want to see the impossible, we have to be willing to not only do what we are told, but to the best we can, and then allow Him to take over. Colossians 3:17 “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” It is not our ability that matters, but rather our obedience. How willing are you to obey whatever He says? John 2:8 “And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.” He allowed them to have a part in the miracle. They had no part in performing it, but He gave them the opportunity to do more than just see something miraculous. They not only witnessed the impossible, but imagine the faces of six servants as each of them dipped into what was once clear water, and now came out red like crimson. The miracle was in their hand. What might the Lord allow us to be a part of if we were simply willing to allow Him to get the glory? Bible Reading: Judges 15-16 | Acts 27 Mark 16:15
“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” In Christ’s last Words before He ascended to Heaven, He commissioned His disciples to spread the Gospel through His power and not our own. One day there will not be any more opportunities to share the Gospel. Within this one verse are seven segments of the Great Commission to help us understand the responsibility that we have been given. These segments also pose seven questions for us to consider how they apply to our lives. Remember that each of these Words are written in red, spoken by the Word Himself. Go. A verb. A verb requires action to take place. Go simply means to move from one place to another, to leave, to travel. Who should go? Ye. Who was He talking to? His followers. Are you a follower of Christ today? Do you profess to be a Christian – a follower of Christ? Then this applies to you just as much as it did to those who heard the words from the very lips of the Risen Saviour. How are you involved in the Great Commission? Into. A preposition, meaning to express movement or action with the result that someone or something becomes enclosed or surrounded by something else. What or where does Christ tell us to go into? All the world. He wants us to go into all the world. Not only in your Jerusalem; not just in your Judaea; not just in your Samaria, but also unto the uttermost part of the earth. We are to go out into the highways and the hedges and compel them! Where do you share what Christ has done for you? Preach. How are we supposed to relay the Message? We are to preach…to publicly proclaim or teach; to earnestly advocate our belief. This is not limited to those called men of God who are preachers. This is to every Christian. How are you proclaiming what Christ has done? The Gospel. What are we to preach? The Gospel. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ…plus nothing, minus nothing. We cannot earn our way to Heaven. It is only by our belief and acceptance of how Jesus paid the price for our sin and rose victoriously from the grave on the third day. What are you doing with the Gospel today? To every creature. He did not exclude anyone. There is not a person on the planet that does not need the Gospel. We have the Good News and yet we routinely keep it to ourselves. Who is waiting for you to tell them? “The Gospel is only good news if It gets there in time.” – Carl Henry Before He returned to Heaven, the last Words of the Word summarized the purpose of why He came. His purpose must be our purpose. Bible Reading: Joshua 22-23 | Acts 18 John 21:6
“And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.” Simon Peter had decided that he was going to go fishing, and several of the disciples followed him. They all entered into the same ship, and that night they caught nothing. John 21:4 “But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.” They were focused on their own efforts…or lack thereof. So much so, that they were unaware that the Resurrected Saviour stood before them. John 21:5 “Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.” The unrecognizable Voice gave them specific instructions, and they obeyed. When the net was miraculously full of fish, John knew it had to be the Lord. Only He could provide such a multitude of fishes. John 21:11 “Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.” With their own efforts and focus, they were left emptyhanded; yet, under the Lord’s direction they had more than enough. It was the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ that made the difference. The same is true for us today… When we attempt to do the Lord’s work under our own power, we too will be left emptyhanded. Any work done in our flesh is all in vain. John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Alternatively, when we seek the Lord, willfully follow His direction and allow Him to do the work through us, anything is possible. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Choose to obey His Word today, and discover the same Truth as the disciples…“ye shall find.” “God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply.” – Hudson Taylor Bible Reading: Joshua 20-21 | Acts 17 John 20:29
“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” After He arose, Jesus appeared until His disciples several times. He once stood in the midst of ten, and Thomas was not there. When he heard that Jesus had came, he chose not to believe since he had not seen Jesus himself. John 20:25 “The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Many people today have also chosen not to believe, simply because they cannot see Jesus themselves. Thomas went so far as to say four of the saddest words in all of Scripture…”I will not believe”. He was determined in his disbelief. How many times in our lives have we refused to believe something simply because we did not witness it ourselves? There is no faith in determined doubt. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Faith in only that which is seen is a lack of faith. The Bible is very clear on what that brings. Romans 14:23 “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Jesus explained this same Truth to Thomas after he finally believed after he had Him. Thomas’ story is written within the pages of the The Gospel According To John so that we may read them and believe. John 20:30-31 “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” Seeing Jesus through the pages of the Word of God is a matter of faith. Faith is what pleases God. Faith in salvation, yes, but we must have faith in every aspect of our lives as we walk with the Lord. Romans 1:17 “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” How is your faith today? Bible Reading: Joshua 18-19 | Acts 16 Luke 24:44
“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” Praise God that Jesus was and is Who He said He was! He died for our sins, spent three days and three nights in the tomb, and then raised victoriously on the third day defeating death, hell, and the grave. His resurrection made the Gospel possible! Without the resurrection, our faith would be in vain. His resurrection provided us the free gift of salvation, if we would only believe in Him. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9 Crowds of people gather daily at the Garden Tomb outside of Jerusalem longing to see the fact that Christ is not in that grave with their own eyes. Some come searching for answers to believe, but many come already knowing the answer… Matthew 28:6 “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” We set aside a weekend every year to celebrate His sacrifice and resurrection, and we should. But the truth is…the Monday after Easter He is STILL our Risen Saviour! Are we as enthused today as we were yesterday? Will we be less excited tomorrow to celebrate His resurrection? Next month? Six months? Every day is Easter. He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today He walks with me and talks with me Along life's narrow way He lives, He lives, Salvation to impart You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart! Alfred H. Ackley Bible Reading: Joshua 16-17 | Acts 15 Luke 24:8
“And they remembered his words,” The Pharisees were haunted by the Words of Jesus, but His believers needed reminded that He said He would rise again in three days. When the women came to the sepulchre very early in the morning on the first day of the week, they were perplexed because His body was not there. They forgot. Perhaps out of shock, but still…they neglected to remember what He had said would happen. How often in our lives are we in the same state? We get so perplexed over the circumstances we are in that we forget what the Word of God says. These women needed reminded, so two angels spoke these words of comfort: Luke 24:5-6 “…they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” Mary Magdalene was the first to see the Lord Jesus Christ after He had risen. Mark 16:9 “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.” She was commissioned by Christ to go and tell the Good News, and she obeyed. John 20:17-18 “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.” Just like Mary. Magdalene, we too have been given the opportunity to share the Gospel with others. Have we obeyed? What great blessings have we missed out on because we neglected to remember what Jesus said for us to do? He is Risen. His resurrection makes the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Good News. 1 Corinthians 15:17 “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” If He had not risen there would be no Good News for us to share. Share the Gospel with someone today, and every day. Bible Reading: Joshua 14-15 | Acts 14 |
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