Tag Archives: John

Would bringing back blue laws help? (John 4:21-26), January 25, 2017

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Do you remember blue laws? If you’re younger than 50, probably not. We don’t have many if any blue laws around anymore, but maybe we should. Maybe we wouldn’t be in the pickle we’re in today with our worship. Listen and find out why.
Scripture
1. John 4:21-26
2. Jesus: Woman, I tell you that neither is so. Believe this: a new day is coming—in fact, it’s already here—when the importance will not be placed on the time and place of worship but on the truthful hearts of worshipers. You worship what you don’t know while we worship what we do know, for God’s salvation is coming through the Jews. The Father is spirit, and He is seeking followers whose worship is sourced in truth and deeply spiritual as well. Regardless of whether you are in Jerusalem or on this mountain, if you do not seek the Father, then you do not worship.

Woman: These mysteries will be made clear by He who is promised, the Anointed One.

Jesus: The Anointed is speaking to you. I am the One you have been looking for.

Devotional
1. I’m not sure, but I think the largest segment of the population today are the baby boomers. Generations before us, families were larger, but they have now passed on our parents started worrying about population growth, being able to send us to college and provide for all us baby boomer kids in the suburbs, and so our families tended to begin to curb those population swells. The Gen-Xers and Millennials seldom have more than two kids and many have no kids, so the baby boomers are the big chunk in the US anyway. So what’s that got to do with today’s scripture?
2. Greatest Generation and their children
  1. Raised with societal norms of Christian standards in this country
  2. Church every Sunday
  3. Blue laws
  4. Nothing open on Sunday
3. Baby Boomers became interested in money
  1. Relaxed and abolished blue laws
  2. Worship anytime or anywhere
  3. Sports took center stage on Sunday afternoon instead of family
  4. Christian values were no longer the norm
4. Today
  1. No worship tolerated
  2. 24 hour operations the norm
  3. Christian values viewed as hate speech
  4. Cesspool of sex, drugs, and violence everywhere you turn
5. Jesus’ words come back to haunt us today because we have lost our way in worship and following what He wants us to do.
  1. It doesn’t matter where or when we worship
  2. but…The Father is spirit, and He is seeking followers whose worship is sourced in truth and deeply spiritual as well. Regardless of whether you are in Jerusalem or on this mountain, if you do not seek the Father, then you do not worship.
  3. When we let the world dictate our norms and leave Him out, we run the risk of losing our eternal life

If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Give a fish or teach to fish, what does that have to do with Jesus? (John 4:8-20), January 24, 2017

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. I’m sure you’ve heard that saying many times. That old piece of wisdom popped into my head as I read Jesus’ words today. Let me tell you why.
Scripture
1. John 4:8-18
2. Jesus: Would you draw water, and give Me a drink?

Woman: I cannot believe that You, a Jew, would associate with me, a Samaritan woman; much less ask me to give You a drink.

Jews, you see, have no dealings with Samaritans.

Jesus: You don’t know the gift of God or who is asking you for a drink of this water from Jacob’s well. Because if you did, you would have asked Him for something greater; and He would have given you the living water.

Woman: Sir, You sit by this deep well a thirsty man without a bucket in sight. Where does this living water come from? Are You claiming superiority to our father Jacob who labored long and hard to dig and maintain this well so that he could share clean water with his sons, grandchildren, and cattle?

Jesus: Drink this water, and your thirst is quenched only for a moment. You must return to this well again and again. I offer water that will become a wellspring within you that gives life throughout eternity. You will never be thirsty again.

Woman: Please, Sir, give me some of this water, so I’ll never be thirsty and never again have to make the trip to this well.

Jesus: Then bring your husband to Me.

Woman: I do not have a husband.

Jesus: Technically you are telling the truth. But you have had five husbands and are currently living with a man you are not married to.

Devotional
1. So, you’ve heard the old sage’s wisdom many times in your lifetime, I’m sure. “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
  1. Simple logic when you think about it
  2. Fill his belly once yourself or teach him to fill it every day on his own
  3. Too many times we are satisfied with giving someone a fish instead of teaching him to fish
2. Why is it so easy to feed instead of teach?
  1. Takes much more time
  2. Must invest yourself in the person’s life
  3. Must understand their strengths and limitations
  4. You must know how to do it in the first place
3. Why would Jesus’ words bring me to these thoughts today?
  1. God-sized hole in each of us
  2. Easy to try to fill it with worldly pleasure; like giving a person a fish, it doesn’t last
  3. Jesus wants us to dig deep into His word
  4. Study what He tells us
  5. Put it into practice
  6. Learning from God how to fill that God-sized hole His way satisfies for eternity
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Just how much does God love us? (John 3:16-21), January 23, 2017

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Just how much does God love us? Sometimes we let familiar verses get too familiar. Listen to one today in a different translation to hear again the depth of God’s love for us.
Scripture
1. John 3:16-21
2. For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. Here’s the point. God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction.

No one who believes in Him has to fear condemnation, yet condemnation is already the reality for everyone who refuses to believe because they reject the name of the only Son of God. Why does God allow for judgment and condemnation? Because the Light, sent from God, pierced through the world’s darkness to expose ill motives, hatred, gossip, greed, violence, and the like. Still some people preferred the darkness over the light because their actions were dark. Some of humankind hated the light. They scampered hurriedly back into the darkness where vices thrive and wickedness flourishes. Those who abandon deceit and embrace what is true, they will enter into the light where it will be clear that all their deeds come from God.

Devotional
1. So many see God only as someone who wants to put a damper on life.
  1. A list of don’ts
  2. Take the fun out of any party
  3. Looking over our shoulder looking for our sins to zap us
1. Important verse tells us the nature of God
  1. Loves us so much He became one of us
  2. He came not to judge, but to rescue the world from our own self destruction
  3. He came to offer life
2. Then and now acted as light to expose the hidden things that cause that destruction
  1. Crime show detectives looking for evidence use flashlights even in the daylight
  2. Pinpoint the light
  3. Focus attention
  4. Expose ill motives, hatred, gossip greed, violence, and the like
  5. Many hate Him because they see their real self when He exposes their soul
3. Can you imagine a surgeon trying to operate in the dark?
  1. Only by exposing the diseased parts in bright light can they be removed
  2. Exposing sin makes it possible to get rid of it
  3. The Light came so we can be cleaned up
  4. Jesus came to rescue us from certain destruction
4. God loved us so much, He gave His Son, so that anyone who believes in Him for the forgiveness of their sins and obey Him, will not face that certain destruction, but will instead have everlasting life. What a Savior we have.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Nicodemus learned a lot from Jesus one day (John 3:10-15), January 21, 2017

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Do you ever take what we know about life in the Spirit for granted? Do you ever even think about life in the Spirit and what it’s all about? Nicodemus got a pretty good lesson one day. We can learn a lot from what Jesus said to him that day.
Scripture

Devotional
1. Put yourself in Nicodemus place 2,000 years ago. What would you think about the conversation you were having with Jesus? Do you ever take what we know about life in the Spirit for granted? Do you ever even think about life in the Spirit and what it’s all about?His Spirit came to live in us after His departure.
2. Important concept Jesus talked about often in His ministry.
  1. The promise He gave His disciples and the power He gave them to live the way He wanted them to live
  2. Before Jesus left He talked a lot about what God’s spirit would do for us and in us, so the conversation He begins with Nicodemus is important
  1. But Nicodemus, like many, chose to reject the truth Jesus spoke.
    1. Responsible to teach faith – a rabbi
    2. Didn’t understand the necessity of life in the spirit.
    3. We cannot live the life Jesus wants us to live apart from His spirit in us
    4. It takes faith and acceptance of His guidance, lordship in our life
  1. World doesn’t agree
    1. Self made man
    2. What’s in it for me
    3. What do I gain
    4. Selfish motive is the world’s answer
    5. Servanthood is Jesus’ goal
1. Nicodemus came to learn and based on later events in his life it appears he learned well the lessons of life in the Spirit. History gives credence to His coming to Christ and being one of the dissenters in His trial and crucifixion. He may have been in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. He learned his lessons
2. The question for you and me, will we learn from the Master? Will we believe the evidence of His words and His actions? Will we believe in Him so we may gain the everlasting life He promises? It’s up to you.
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

What’s it like being born? (John 3:3-8), January 20, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Do you remember what it was like being born? I don’t and it’s probably a good thing. But maybe we should remember some of it so we can understand what it’s like to be born again. The Christian life isn’t all fun and games if that’s what you’re looking for.
Scripture
1. John 3:3-8
2. Jesus: I tell you the truth: only someone who experiences birth for a second time can hope to see the kingdom of God.

Nicodemus: I am a grown man. How can someone be born again when he is old like me? Am I to crawl back into my mother’s womb for a second birth? That’s impossible!

Jesus: I tell you the truth, if someone does not experience water and Spirit birth, there’s no chance he will make it into God’s kingdom. Like from like. Whatever is born from flesh is flesh; whatever is born from Spirit is spirit. Don’t be shocked by My words, but I tell you the truth. Even you, an educated and respected man among your people, must be reborn by the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God. The wind blows all around us as if it has a will of its own; we feel and hear it, but we do not understand where it has come from or where it will end up. Life in the Spirit is as if it were the wind of God.

Devotional
1. Born again. You’ve probably heard that term all your life if you grew up in the church or around Christian people. Those in the Christian community know what it means. Or at least they think they do.
  1. Dying to self
  2. New life in Christ
  3. Reborn into a new way of life with God’s plan and purpose in mind
2. Have you ever thought about how this sounds to someone outside the church?
  1. Nicodemus
  2. Question wasn’t unreasonable
  3. How would you explain this relationship you have with God
  4. What is being born again like?
3. Too often we talk just about the happy moment of forgiveness and forget the rest
  1. Make people disillusioned when they begin their Christian walk
  2. Childbirth is hard for both mother and baby
  3. First breath is great, but come out into a cold, brutal world
  4. Times of joy when held in mother’s arms
  5. Times of fear, aloneness, inability to express thoughts and feelings, unable to communicate
  6. So much unknown
  7. So much to learn
4. Jesus tells us to weigh the cost
  1. Christian life is a hard one
  2. Costs everything
  3. Misunderstood and hated
  4. Unbelievable reward in the end
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Is it our problem when people are about to embarrass themselves? (John 2:4)

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Is it our problem when someone forgets or miscalculates or does something that will cause them embarrassment? Jesus asked that questions, and then answered it with actions instead of words.
Scripture
1. John 2:4
2. Jesus: Dear woman, is it our problem they miscalculated when buying wine and inviting guests? My time has not arrived.
Devotional
1. So what do you think about Jesus’ conversation with His mother?
  1. I would have been slapped silly or told “wait til your father gets home!”
  2. Feminists cringe at His language
  3. Have a hard time getting past the way Jesus addresses His mother
  4. Different day and time
  5. Jesus was an adult male in a male dominant society
  6. Mary addressed Him in public which was pretty taboo in His culture
  7. Gentle but reminded her of the culture, Dear woman!
2. Let’s get past the address between Jesus and Mary and look at the next piece
  1. Is it our problem they miscalculated?
  2. Is it our problem they ran out of wine?
  3. Is it our problem they can’t get their act together?
  4. Is it our problem they will embarrass themselves in front of all these guests?
  5. Reminiscent of Cain’s question to God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Do I need to be responsible for him? Do I need to bail him out when he’s in trouble? Do I need to be accountable for his actions as well as my own?
3. You might think Jesus brushes her off with His comments to His mother, but she knows Him well.
  1. We know the rest of the story
  2. First miracle
  3. Mary tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do
  4. She is confident He will take care of the wine problem
  5. She is confident He will keep the host from embarrassment
  6. She is confident He will take care of the needs He finds around Him
4. What lessons should we learn from Jesus’ encounter
  1. Don’t address your mother the way He did, that was a cultural difference your mother will probably not tolerate, nor should she in this country and this time
  2. Like Mary, we should be sensitive to the needs of those around us
  3. Like Mary, we should take those issues to Jesus whether we created the problem or not
  4. We can help others learn from their miscalculations, but we can also help and keep them from embarrassment, failure or worse
  5. Jesus shows us we are our brothers’ keepers
5. Go do something good for someone today
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

Top billing? Be careful what you ask for (Matthew 20:21-23) May 9, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Exodus 21-24

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 20:21-23
Jesus: What do you want?
Zebedee’s Wife: When the kingdom of God is made manifest, I want one of my boys, James and John, to sit at Your right hand, and one to sit at Your left hand.
Jesus (to all three): You don’t understand what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink? Can you be ritually washed in baptism just as I have been baptized?
Zebedee Brothers: Of course!
Jesus: Yes, you will drink from My cup, and yes, you will be baptized as I have been. But the thrones to My right and My left are not Mine to grant. My Father has already given those seats to those for whom they were created.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Do you ever crave that center of attention spot? When I got to my first assignment as a brand new Second Lieutenant, I thought, “It must be great to be a company commander and set your own schedule.” See, I had 27 additional duties in my first assignment along with the responsibilities of my real assignment of medical platoon leader in an infantry battalion. So my calendar seemed full. It seemed like I was going to someone else’s meeting two or three times a day. I never seemed to have enough time to do the training I wanted to do with my medical platoon.

Then I became a company commander. And I thought, “Boy, it must be great to be a battalion command and set your own schedule.” See, as a company commander, it seemed I was going to someone else’s meeting four or five times a day. I never had the time I wanted to spend with my company training them to do their mission on the battlefield.

Then I became a battalion commander. And I thought, "Boy, it must be great to be a Second Lieutenant blind to the fact that you have so much time of your own to spend with your soldiers teaching them to work as a team and do their job. I finally figured out (I’m a slow learner sometimes) the higher you go, the less time is your own. The more demands others make of you. The spot light is a pretty lonely place to be and you don’t have much control when you’re in that spot.

As a colonel, I’d come into a room full of my subordinates chatting away with each other about all sorts of things business and personal and as soon as I walked through the door, you could hear a pin drop. It’s not that I wasn’t approachable. Those that got to know me, knew I was pretty personable. But getting time on my calendar to get to know me was pretty hard sometimes. And people were afraid they might say the wrong thing and destroy their career because for many of them in the room, I was their senior rater. That meant changing a few descriptive words on an evaluation or a point or two difference in a rating could make the difference between getting promoted to the next grade. It’s an imperfect military and government system, but the one millions of employees, military and civilian are stuck with. So they were afraid to approach me and just chat.

I’ll have to admit, in my younger days, I wanted those power positions. Commander sounded so nice. But when in the position and you have the life of soldiers in your hand because of the decisions you make, it’s not so much fun. Some of those soldiers you send into battle never come home and those letters are really hard to write. They are tear-stained before they get into the envelop because those soldiers become your family.

I’m not sure James’ and John’s mother understood that about being in the limelight #1. And #2, the positions were not Jesus’ to give. As the Son of Man, He had no authority to name the people who sat on the seats around the Father’s throne. As the glorified Son of God He might, but He wasn’t in that position yet. Besides, He explained those positions were already promised. But then He talks about the difficulty of those top positions.

I’ve been in some of those top positions in the Army. Never as a general and I so very glad I stopped before I got there. I worked with lots of generals throughout my career and watched their lives, or lack thereof. I thought my calendars were full sometimes. They had no life. Sometimes people envied them all the travel, the special treatment they receive in meetings, the perks of being a general. I learned about those perks in some of my jobs. We put the right pen and the right paper and the right drink at the right place at the table. The temperature was just right and the right chair was at his or her spot. The lighting was just right and the screens had no glare from the general’s seat. But these were not perks. We did that because as soon as the general sat down, his total focus was on the work ahead for the next thirty or sixty or ninety minutes. We didn’t want anything to distract his thoughts because another meeting that needed his total focus was happening immediately after that one and that room had exactly the right pen and paper and drink and chair and light and… so as soon as he sat down his total focus was on the work at hand.

Perks? When you wake up in another motel room at 5:30 in the morning and don’t remember what city you’re in today because all the motel rooms start to look alike, travel is not fun. You know someone will be at your door thirty minutes later and whisk you off to breakfast, which will be a business breakfast and the day will run non-stop meeting after meeting until they plant you on another plane or in your motel room after your dinner business meeting at 8:30 that night. Then you get to answer the 300 emails in your inbox before you go to sleep. Perks at the top? Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

It’s all in there (Matthew 17:11-12) April 18, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Corinthians 15-16

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 17:11-12
Jesus: Scripture tells us clearly that indeed Elijah will come to restore all things. But see this: Elijah has come already. No one recognized him for who he was, so he was arrested and killed. That is part of the preparation of which our Scripture speaks: for the Son of Man, too, will be arrested and killed at the hands of people who do not see Him for who He is.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

There’s a problem that all prophets have when God gives them a glimpse into the future. How do you describe what you see? In the 1800’s for instance when people talked about a ‘horseless carriage’, they had some precedent to describe it. There were plenty of carriages and steam engines began to come around so a horseless carriage could be described. But what if you lived in 500 AD? How would you describe a modern automobile? Or better yet, if you lived in 50 AD, how would you describe a Boeing 757?

What if God gave you a glimpse into today from that vantage point and you saw a battle taking place? The battles you had seen were pretty gory and you thought they were loud. Roman soldiers establish their phalanx and marched toward their enemy. The sound of spears and swords smashing against shields were the noises you heard. Then above that din, you would hear the screams of the wounded and the dying.

Now transport that prophet from 50 AD to 2000 AD with its tanks, jets, smart bombs, landmines, and so forth. The noise on the battlefield is loud enough to actually cause eardrums to burst and bleed. How would a prophet describe that war? Would he call the jets metal birds? Dragons? Flying beasts that spit thunder and fire from their belly? What would you say about them? How would you describe a tank? Or the rifles? Or even the gear the soldiers wear? If you saw a fully outfitted soldier would you even recognize he is a human?

So the Bible’s prophets tell us the best they can about what will come. They talk about Elijah will come again to announce the Messiah. How best would you describe John except by comparing him to Elijah, a voice calling in the wilderness to prepare the way for the one who comes. It’s exactly what John did. It’s where he lived. It’s how he dress. The prophet described John well comparing him to Elijah.

And so did the prophets who described Jesus. The suffering servant. The perfect sacrifice. The Lion of Judah. The Messiah. Jesus point out the sad truth, though. Scripture described John but no one recognized him for who he was. The scriptures described Jesus, too, but no one recognized Him for who He was. Soon they would parade Him through the streets of Jerusalem as King of kings. They would sing Hosanna to Him and praise Him honoring Him as king in the lineage of David. But by the end of the week, the religious leaders would stir the crowd to cry crucify Him.

We all have the same scriptures available to us. Some of us see God’s word as just a collection of stories to entertain us. Some of us read them and know they are God’s word, but assume there is plenty of room to interpret them any way we want. We think since God is love, He will surely overlook anything we have done and just let us into heaven because He loves us. We don’t need to change. His love will cover us in the end because He wants all of us to live with Him. Besides, He hasn’t come yet. We have plenty of time to get right with Him before He comes.

Some read God’s word and recognize His word is truth. What God says, He means. Yes, God is love. Yes, He wants all of us to live with Him. But in making us in His image, He gives us the choice for our eternal destiny. He has left the choice of our destiny up to us. We can live with Him or we can choose not to. We read His word and recognize we are fallen, broken, in need of His grace and mercy. We learn the only way we can find our way to Him is to see He has already reached out to us and we must accept the gift of grace He holds out to us. We must believe in His Son, Jesus for salvation.

We can also see Jesus words and John’s revelation and in those descriptions, it’s not too difficult to see the signs they talked about when the end would be very near. Earthquakes, famine, signs in the sun, moon and sky. We are closer than many want to believe. The earth is going through pains like a woman in childbirth. Last year over 25,000 earthquakes above 3.0 on the richter scale shook our planet. They are coming faster and stronger this year than last, just like a woman in labor as described in scripture.

Is it time for us to read the Bibles on our tables and bookshelves and see the signs, read the descriptions, and understand that time is running out? Check it out for yourself.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Something is afoot! (Matthew 11:4-6) March 7, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Genesis 36-39

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 11:4-6
Jesus: Go back and tell John the things you have heard and the things you have seen. Tell him you have seen the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers cured, the deaf hear, the dead raised, and the good news preached to the poor. Blessed are those who understand what is afoot and stay on My narrow path.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

John expected someone to come and rescue the nation from the oppressive rule of the Roman Empire. When he baptized Jesus in the Jordan several months earlier, God showed him Jesus was that Messiah he was looking for. But Jesus didn’t fit the image everyone, including John looked for. John did what God asked and instead of finding relief from the oppression, he sat in a prison cell in Herod’s basement. Did he make a mistake? Was Jesus really the one he was looking for? Did God really point Him out as the Messiah? How could he still be in prison if the Messiah had come?

So, John sent his disciples to ask Jesus the ultimate question, “Are you the One we’ve been waiting for or should we look for someone else?”

I like Jesus’ answer. He didn’t answer yes or no. He just told them to look at His actions. Go back and tell John the things you’ve heard and the things you’ve seen. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers cured the deaf hear, the dead raised, the good news preached. Go tell John what you’ve seen. That will be enough for him.

I think it was not to John, but to John’s disciples and the crowds that followed Jesus out of curiousity that He said those last words, “Blessed are those who understand what is afoot and stay on My narrow path.” I think those are the critical words for us, too. Do we understand what is afoot today? Do we look for the miracles God performs in our lives and know He lives today? Do we acknowledge His authority over all things and recognize His hand at work when He comes to our rescue? Do we see Him for who He is?

Jesus told John’s disciples to just look around and see the miracles happening around them and report back to John. He will know the truth when he hears their report. Can we look around and see the truth of God’s word around us? If not, maybe it’s because we’re not in touch with Him. Maybe we need to open our eyes and look around at the things He does for us everyday to understand what’s afoot. If you have a hard time finding miracles, just think about the process of breathing the air around you, the miracle of life. Think about how extraordinary it is that God makes you in such a way that your body naturally pulls in enough oxygen to power the processes that turn food into energy so your muscles can do what they do, so your brain can think, so your body can function, so you can live. Life itself is a miracle beyond description!

God is afoot!

The other thing I think Jesus wants us to know is afoot as He talks about staying on the narrow path with Him is that there are many things that would try to pull us away from Him. We live in evil times, as did those around Him then. Then, as now, the mainstream religious institution fell far short of God’s expectations for His people. In our churches, we say we are Christian, but often our actions are no different than the world’s. A Barna survey several years ago noted that the only difference between the churched and the unchurched in terms of outward behavior was that the churched didn’t curse as much. We used cleaner language. Wow!

If that’s the only difference between those who call themselves followers of Christ and the rest of the world, something is afoot. Many have left the narrow path Jesus told us to follow. People saw a difference in Him and those who followed Him. People noted the change in behavior when Christ came to dwell in their lives. Something is afoot when others cannot see the difference Christ makes in our lives.

How does this happen? How can we be lulled to sleep and become like the world and so unlike Christ? The answer is simple. We stopped listening to Him and started listening to false prophets that tickle our ears and make us feel good about ourselves. We don’t want to hear about sin or God’s wrath or judgment. We don’t want to hear about following His standards or living under His commands. We want to hear about His love and grace and mercy and forget the rest of the story.

But to listen to the good news, the gospel, we must hear all of it. Paul reminds us the wages of sin is death. We all are sinners and all our attempts to reach God in His glory fail. But that doesn’t mean we are hopeless. We have a Savior. We have a Redeemer. We have One who wants to rescue us from the penalty we deserve. God incarnate, in the flesh as Jesus, His Son, gives us that hope. But as with almost all of God’s promises, that hope comes with an if clause. If you believe. If you follow Me. If you obey Me.

Something is afoot. It is hope for our salvation. It is hope for eternal life. But we must follow Him to have it. What path will you take?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

No one else can do your job (Matthew 3:15) January 1, 2016

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Isaiah 1-6

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Matthew 3:15
Jesus: It will be right, true, and faithful to God’s chosen path for you to cleanse Me with your hands in the Jordan River.

Today’s Devotional

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Have you ever thought about those first words of Jesus recorded in the first gospel? Why wouldn’t He say something about His mission? Why wouldn’t He affirm John’s proclamation that He is God’s Son? Why wouldn’t Jesus use the opportunity to give a message of encouragement, a call to repentance, or some special revelation to the crowd gathered by the Jordan River that day? It was His perfect opportunity to set everyone right from the very start.

Instead, Jesus chose to share with his cousin, John a very special message designed just for him, but one that also speaks volumes to each of us. Listen to those words again as translated in The Voice, “It will be right, true, and faithful to God’s chosen path for you to cleanse Me with your hands in the Jordan River.”

What was the point of Jesus submitting to John’s baptism? From these words, it wasn’t for Jesus, but for John. Paul tells us Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for us because he lived life without falling to the temptations to which we so easily succumb. He was blameless before His Father. Faultless. Spotless. Without blemish. Sinless. He did not need cleansing or repentance to stand before His Father as a righteous individual.

What Jesus told John and us, though, is you have a mission. Your mission from the Father is to proclaim His word and to baptize, ritually cleanse through this outward sign of inward repentance that they will follow the will of God. Jesus went through the ritual of baptism to announce to the rest of the world He would follow the will of God. But He also told John through His actions, “You’re doing the job God gave you to do. Don’t stop. Keep it up. Even though I’ve arrived and part of your mission is to announce My coming, you mission isn’t over. Keep preaching the importance of repentance and the individual, outward proclamation of that repentance through baptism.”

I think Jesus has the same message for each of us. God has a chosen path for me and a chosen path for you. They look different. He has given each of us different skills, talents, experiences, and desires that direct us on the path He laid out for us. He did that because we are interdependent creatures. Some people like to think they are independent. They are not. No one knows enough or is skilled enough to enjoy life alone. Neither does God want us to be completely dependent. God created us to need each other. He created us to live in community and use the different skills He gave each of us so we can enjoy life in community. We corrupted His plan with that first sin in the Garden of Eden, but Jesus came to bring us back into alignment with God’s perfect plan.

Jesus also told John to cleanse Him with his own hands. I think that tells us to stay engaged. Don’t let anyone else do the job God gives me to do. I can only begin to imagine the blessing John received in baptizing God’s Son. I think about how I felt officiating at my children’s weddings and some of my grandchildren’s dedications, but those must pale in comparison to what John felt that day. But that was the mission God gave John.

When we carry out God’s plan for our life, though, we will have those John moments. I’ve had them praying with someone at an altar and watching them experience the forgiveness of their sins for the first time in their life. Sometimes that altar is in a church. Sometimes it’s at a chair in a home or a table in a coffee shop. Sometimes it was by a truck on a battlefield. But every time, the experience is overwhelming.

God gives each of us missions to perform. How appropriate for Jesus’ first recorded words in this first gospel of the New Testament to be directed to each of us, saying, “Get on with the work I’ve given you to do. No one else will do your job for you.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.