Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Giving Timely Peace (4/25/24)

 After the devastation of Jesus’ death and the confusion over the empty tomb, the disciples were timely visited and comforted by Jesus.  

John 20:19-22         ¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus came and provided peace and joy to His devastated disciples! He not only physically appeared, but did so miraculously! He also graciously showed them the proof of His death. Then, He re-commissioned and empowered them to continue the difficult work He had started.  

Jesus came and gave me peace after devastation and before facing additional difficulties, too. The evening I found out we were going to miscarry (after 13 weeks of pregnancy), I was devastated. When I woke up in the middle of the night with contractions 2 minutes apart, God had me eventually get out of bed and go to the bathroom. My water broke on the toilet and then everything happened. As devastated as I was, I felt like God was holding my hand during the whole thing, starting with the fact that He had my water break not only at home, but on the toilet! I had peace knowing He was there. I felt as if He said “I know this is really hard, but I’m here with you to carry you through.” His peace brought encouragement as I faced the physical and emotional pain in the coming hours, weeks, months and years that followed.

When have you witnessed God bringing peace and joy after devastation? What encouragement and strength did it give you to persevere through the next difficult challenge? 

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Turning Grief to Gladness (4/18/24)

James wrote “He is Alive!” on the end of our driveway for Easter this year! I wonder if Mary was shouting that all the way to the disciples after Jesus appeared and spoke to her!

John 20:14-18         ¹⁴ At this, she [Mary Magdalene] turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Mary was so distraught after Jesus’s crucifixion and it grew worse when she found the empty tomb! She assumed someone had taken Jesus’s body. Jesus’s appearance, though, changed everything. He revealed He had risen from the dead in a glorified, yet bodily form. She could physically touch Him, but she wasn’t to cling to His earthly presence because He would later ascend back to the right hand of God. God the Father was His Father and her father! Jesus turned her grief to gladness.

Where are you and I experiencing grief, pain or suffering? When will you and I open our eyes to Jesus and let Him instruct our next steps like He did for Mary?

Jesus’s future ascension offered Mary hope for her future ascension. Is that same hope steering your and my daily priorities and perspective?

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – as Perfect Passover Lamb (4/11/24)

John 19:30    When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

What stood out to me this year as we studied Jesus’s death was that He chose exactly when to die when He “gave up his spirit.” He didn’t succumb to death and His life wasn’t taken from him. He died at the exact moment and time He and the Father planned. In fact, even the timing of what happened after His death continued to fulfill God’s plan.

John 19:31-37         ³¹ Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ³² The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. ³³ But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. ³⁵ The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. ³⁶ These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” ³⁷ and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

The Jewish leaders were so concerned about being outwardly clean in order to celebrate the Passover. Crucified before them, though, was the only truly clean and perfect Righteous One. All their previous Passover celebrations pointed to this final Passover sacrifice.

As God had commanded Moses and the Israelites not to break the bones of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:46), so God made sure His ultimate Passover Lamb’s bones weren’t broken.

As God had commanded Moses and the Israelites to spill the Passover lamb’s blood and take shelter under it (Exodus 12:6-7, & 13), so God made sure His ultimate Passover Lamb’s blood was spilt so you and I could take shelter under it.

Jesus was the perfect and final Passover Lamb. Have you accepted Him as your Passover Lamb who died in your place, taking the judgment you deserve? If so, you and I have shelter under His blood for forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and His robe of righteousness!  

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – And Truly King of All (4/4/24)

I mentioned last week that I wanted to add in a new tradition to our family’s Holy Week practices by washing feet on Holy Thursday. We were able to do just that, as seen in the pictures. Edmund specifically asked to wash my feet (not pictured)!

Then, one of our long-standing traditions is to read about Jesus’s crucifixion in darkness on Good Friday (with the help of a flashlight), followed by each person praying in total darkness. This year we read from John 19, which included the following:

John 19:19-22    ¹⁹ Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. ²⁰ Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. ²¹ The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

After reading, I asked if anything new stood out. If I remember correctly, Alexis shared how she hadn’t remembered that Pilate put a sign above Jesus that said he was the King of the Jews. What Pilate didn’t realize is that Jesus is even more than King of the Jews. Jesus is King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Ruler of all!

Is Jesus the king of your and my life? I want Him to be. Sometimes my priorities come first, instead of truly looking to His priorities. Jesus is king of all. Let’s surrender to and trust His reign in each pocket of life.

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Throughout Maundy Thursday (3/28/24)

Have you ever been overwhelmed by an overload of information in a short amount of time? I’ve felt that way at several different conferences and marriage retreats. I frantically took down a plethora of notes and wanted to put into practice all of it! It’s so difficult to remember and apply everything at once, but God has helped me layer in new practices. In fact, Joe and I enjoyed a night away by ourselves this week and had a chance to talk through some short and long-term goals. It was encouraging and refreshing!

As we celebrate this Holy Thursday, it was a day filled with significant teachings from Jesus. The disciples wouldn’t understand or remember all of it in the short term, either. However, the Holy Spirit would help them understand, remember and apply it all, bit by bit.

Did you know John spent over ¼ of his Gospel (in John chapters 13-18) detailing all Jesus taught his disciples that one night? Judas’s betrayal and Jesus’s glorification were two of over a dozen significant events and teachings that happened on “Holy” Thursday.

John 13:21-32 ²¹ After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.”

²² His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. ²³ One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. ²⁴ Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, “Ask him which one he means.”

²⁵ Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷ As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

So Jesus told him, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” ²⁸ But no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. ²⁹ Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the festival, or to give something to the poor. ³⁰ As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night.

³¹ When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. ³² If God is glorified in him God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

The disciples didn’t immediately understand who would betray Jesus or that His death and resurrection were how He would be glorified. Just like the disciples, God knows we won’t understand and apply everything at once. He is available to help us understand, layer by layer!

What’s one thing you and I can meditate on and layer in to our reverence for Jesus as we celebrate Holy Thursday, Good Friday or Resurrection Sunday this week? I would like to try washing each other’s feet with the kids tonight. I think they are old enough to understand some of it’s significance. What about you?

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Not “A” truth, but “THE” truth (3/21/24)

If you had a private one-on-one meeting with Jesus what would you ask Him? What would you want explained or defined? I have several things I would want to know and understand.

Pilate had a private one-on-one meeting with Jesus and even asked Jesus an important theological question.

John 18:37-38         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.”

³⁸ “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.

It appears Pilate was a relativist. Maybe it was because he constantly heard different people’s perspectives on all sorts of issues. However, he had an opportunity to hear straight from Jesus what truth is and passed it up! How sad and foolish.

What about you and me? We get inundated with news, people’s opinions, all kinds of statistics, and “new” research. What information is really true? Only God’s Word is 100% trustworthy. Are you like Pilate? Do you pass up the opportunity to hear truth directly from God? Do you spend more time watching and reading news articles than reading truth from God’s Word? If so, we’re just as foolish as Pilate.

John 14:6     ⁶Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Many of us chart our daily steps and hours of sleep. What if we charted the amount of time reading, studying, memorizing and applying the Bible, versus time spent taking in information from the world? Truth is available to us! Let’s not foolishly pass it up.  

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – With Selfless Surrender (3/14/24)

As a child, if you knew you did something wrong, but your parents hadn’t found out yet, did you voluntarily tell on yourself? Or did you try to pass it off like it was your sibling’s or someone else’s fault? Or did you hide in your room hoping they wouldn’t notice? J I’m guessing most of us didn’t voluntarily tell on ourselves. Well, Jesus did! He didn’t do anything wrong in God’s eyes, but the jealous chief priests and Pharisees sent soldiers to arrest Him on the charge of blasphemy against God. Jesus had escaped their arrest numerous times before, but He knew it was now God’s time for Him to be arrested. 

John 18:3-9        ³So Judas came to the grove, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. ⁴Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?" ⁵"Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) ⁶When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. ⁷Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." ⁸"I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go." ⁹This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."

As a parent, boss, spouse, friend, or co-worker, you might be shocked if someone boldly admitted their mistake without you even asking who did it! However, would you fall to the ground? The fact that the soldiers fell to the ground, after Jesus admitted He was who they wanted, leads me to believe the soldiers were more than shocked by his words! I wonder if Jesus was radiating the glory of God!!! Jesus, a few hours before,  had just prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. ²For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. ³Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:1b-3) 

Maybe God was allowing the disciples, soldiers, and officials to see but a piece of His glory even before Jesus’ death, resurrection, and full glorification. Those who hadn’t yet believed were given another sign and an opportunity to believe! 

Plus, Jesus’s selfless surrender showed His love and submission to His Father, His great love for us, and His immediate concern for His disciple’s safety. 

When was the last time you and I made an excuse or blamed someone else to get out of trouble? How will you and I selflessly live like Jesus, looking out for the best interests of those around us instead of only thinking about ourselves? That will bring glory to God!

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Desiring Our Presence (3/7/24)

 Before we met, Joe lived in Italy for a couple years. It was an amazing experience for him to live in Rome with so much history! He talked about it a lot. It was hard for me to understand all that he talked about, since I hadn’t been there, much less lived there. However, we had an opportunity to go to Italy and France our second year of marriage. Joe was excited to show me where he had lived, what he had seen, and who he had met!

We usually don’t want to keep our amazing experiences a secret, but want to share them with others, especially those we love. Jesus has the same desire! He wants us to join Him in Heaven and experience all the blessings of knowing His full character and creation as it was intended.

John 17:24-26         “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. ²⁵ “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. ²⁶ I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Oneness with and nearness to the perfect and righteous Father in Heaven is the greatest experience anyone will ever have! Jesus wants to share that experience with you and me for all eternity! Will you be joining Jesus for this forever marvelous experience? If so, who will you pray for today about joining you and Jesus?

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Preparing Followers (2/29/24)

Happy Leap Day! Just as leap days help us stay in sync with the seasons, the Holy Spirit helps us stay in sync with God’s truths. Without him, we are left to flounder in life with an incorrect worldview.

Jesus opened the disciple’s eyes to see so many misunderstood truths of God. Just before his death, he promised additional help, through the Holy Spirit, for further understanding about God’s plans.  

 

John 16:7-11 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.

 

The Advocate (Holy Spirit) convicts people about their sin, rejection of Jesus as God’s Son, inability to earn a right standing before God, and the reality of God’s just condemnation of those who reject Him. There are absolutes – God’s absolutes. We don’t get to choose what is right for us, God does.

 

Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure with new revelations about the Holy Spirit’s work! He also prepares us! Can you think back through your life and recognize how Jesus prepared you for various challenges, situations, relationships and jobs? Will you jot it down in a journal or share it with a close family member or friend, giving glory to God?

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Enabling Fruit Production (2/22/24)

For Valentine’s Day, the school sold roses and messages that could be delivered to kids in their classrooms. We ordered one for each of the kids, but a couple of them came home broken or wilted. Without the roses remaining on the vine, they didn’t last long!

The same goes for us. If we don’t remain attached to our spiritual vine, we won’t last long either and will certainly not accomplish anything glorifying to God.

 

John 15:5-8  ⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

 

We can’t bear fruit by trying hard enough. We must remain connected to Jesus, His words and His commands. Then, He will grow the fruit through us. As we remain in Jesus, we will also desire things that are in line with His will and purpose.

 

What part of your and my day is spent with Jesus? Where could you and I spend more time with Him and His Word so our work is truly fruitful for Him?