Tag Archives: words of Jesus

Cutting through the kudzu! (John 15:5-8), April 5, 2017

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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. If you’ve never tried to rid your property of kudzu, you’ve missed an extraordinary experience…not! Jesus’ words, didn’t have to bring back that memory today, but He did.
  3. Scripture
    1. John 15:5-8
    2. Jesus: I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear great fruit. Without Me, you will accomplish nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is like a branch that is tossed out and shrivels up and is later gathered to be tossed into the fire to burn.  If you abide in Me and My voice abides in you, anything you ask will come to pass for you.  Your abundant growth and your faithfulness as My followers will bring glory to the Father.
  4. Devotional
    1. In 1876, a simple Japanese vine was introduced into the United States at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia as a decorative plant for ground cover. In the 1930’s and 40’s agriculturalists recommended it in dustbowl areas to stop soil erosion.
      1. Extremely invasive plant
      2. Nodes on the vines stick to anything with any amount of soil or potential source of nutrients
        1. Soil
        2. Trees
        3. Buildings
        4. Almost any immobile object
        5. Just stand still long enough
    2. Removal is difficult
      1. Mow close to the ground and scrape out the crown root
      2. Burn off the plant then scrape out the crown root
      3. Let goats or sheep overgraze to eat the crown root
      4. Use herbicides to kill the crown root
    3. So why do I talk about kudzu when Jesus talks about being part of the vine or else you will be tossed aside and burned in the fire?
      1. Kudzu is everywhere in the southeast, like sin
      2. Kudzu tries to invade any field or yard or property that isn’t attended on a regular basis
      3. Like sin, until you do something with the crown root, it is likely to come back again and again
      4. Kudzu is a nuisance, not a help
      5. Removed and burned, destroyed
    4. God in us empowers us to make right choices
      1. Do we always listen and obey
      2. We get better at it as we stay connected to the vine and draw from Him
      3. We hear His voice more clearly when we stay connected
      4. The closer we stay to Him, the more nodes and roots He removes so we can clear away the plants, the ungodlike characteristics more easily
      5. He wants to perfect us each day as we will let Him
  5. 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.

Do you need a trim or a pruning? (John 15:1-4), April 4, 2017

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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. I’m not a gardener as anyone who knows me can attest. But I do know the difference between trimming and pruning. We don’t mind trims, but most of us don’t care for pruning very much.
  3. Scripture
    1. John 15:1-4
    2. Jesus: I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard.  My Father examines every branch in Me and cuts away those who do not bear fruit. He leaves those bearing fruit and carefully prunes them so that they will bear more fruit;  already you are clean because you have heard My voice.  Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is disconnected from the vine, and neither will you if you are not connected to Me.
  4. Devotional
    1. I don’t have any fruit trees in my yard anymore. I do have several bush and I try to keep them reasonably shaped so I don’t get nastygrams from my Home Owners’ Association.
      1. Want to keep them all about the same size and shape
      2. Don’t want sprigs poking out everywhere
      3. Want them to be need and attractive from the street
      4. I trim them occasionally to make them look okay when driving past the house
      5. I have never pruned them
    2. Took a trip to Disneyland a few years ago
      1. Bushes formed in the shape of cartoon characters
      2. Takes careful pruning to ensure each branch retains the right amount of foliage and grows in the right direction to form those familiar shapes
      3. Pruning takes away what might look like good healthy branches, but they are not contributing to the purpose for which the gardener planted that particular bush
      4. Looks good, but the wrong direction, the wrong growth, non-contributor to the cause
    3. Fruit trees are like that
      1. Orchards filled with trees that are not very tall
      2. Produce extraordinary crops
      3. Every branch that doesn’t produce fruit is removed
      4. It doesn’t contribute to the purpose for which the tree was planted
      5. Just soaks up nutrients that the fruit bearing branches could use to produce more and better fruit
    4. Jesus wants to do that for us
      1. Prunes us
      2. Wants to take away everything that doesn’t produce fruit
      3. Wants to remove the things that just soak up time and energy with no purpose
      4. Wants to transform us into His likeness
    5. Doesn’t want to just trim the edges to make us look good from a distance; wants to prune us to make us better, more productive in His kingdom
  5. 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.

Farewells can be good or bad (John 14:28-31), April 3, 2017

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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. Farewells. Sometimes we like them, sometimes we don’t. But there is good and bad with every farewell. Jesus tried to tell His disciples about the good in His.
  3. Scripture
    1. John 14:28-31
    2. You were listening when I said, “I will go away, but I will also return to be with you.” If you love Me, celebrate the fact that I am going to be with the Father because He is far greater than I am.  I have told you all these things in advance so that your faith will grow as these things come to pass.  I am almost finished speaking to you. The one who rules the world is stepping forward, and he has no part in Me;  but to demonstrate to the cosmos My love for the Father, I will do just as He commands. Stand up. It is time for us to leave this place.
  4. Devotional
    1. In the military, we had a lot of events we called hail and farewells. In fact, we had them almost every month.
      1. Nature of military moves
      2. Someone always coming or going to fill spots in the units
      3. Welcomed the newcomers, said goodbye to those leaving
      4. Sometimes sad to see the old-timers leave
        1. Good leaders
        2. Contributed to the unit in exceptional ways
        3. Good friends
      5. Sometimes happy to see them go
        1. Just the opposite
        2. Poor leaders
        3. Tried to climb the ranks on the backs of others
        4. Thought only of themselves and not their fellow soldiers
    2. Jesus talked about His farewell
      1. Good that He was leaving
      2. In face, wanted them to celebrate the fact that He was going back to His father
      3. Didn’t understand how they could celebrate His departure, especially if it meant the death He predicted
    3. In just a few days, though, they would be doing exactly that
      1. In a few days, we will not mourn Jesus’ death on the cross, but celebrate His sacrifice
      2. In a few days, we will celebrate an empty tomb, His resurrection and power over death and the grave
      3. In a few days, we will celebrate His return to the Father, because He proved His promises true then and now
      4. In a few days it will be Easter and the Christian community celebrates Jesus’ resurrection in extraordinary ways
    4. But we don’t need to wait a few days to celebrate
      1. He also promised a Comforter would come to be with us and in us
      2. He promised this Comforter would also teach us everything He taught while He walked among us
      3. He promised this Comforter would empower us to do what He did and more if we let Him loose in our lives to work for His glory and the glory of the Father
    5. What are you waiting for? Go do some celebrating for Jesus’ farewell today!
  5. 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.

Guns and peace just don’t mix (John 14:25-27), April 2, 2017

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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. How many guns give you peace? Guns are debated a lot in this country. Is one or two a good number? How about 13 million? Actually, guns have nothing to do with peace or fear. But they are  interesting to talk about.
  3. Scripture
    1. John 14:25-27
    2. Jesus: I have spoken these words while I am here with you.  The Father is sending a great Helper, the Holy Spirit, in My name to teach you everything and to remind you of all I have said to you.  My peace is the legacy I leave to you. I don’t give gifts like those of this world. Do not let your heart be troubled or fearful.
  4. Devotional
    1. As I read Jesus words today, “Do not let your heart be troubled or fearful.” I thought about how fearful our nation remains. We seem to be scared of everything. Sometimes for good reason with all the talk of terrorists and crime rates and road rage and general violence going on everywhere.
      1. Last available statistics from the Department of Justice Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosive
      2. Interesting they put all those things under the same department, things that are all equally deadly to our population
      3. 9 million firearms manufactured in the US 2015
      4. 3.9 million imported into the US in 2015
      5. 13 million brand new firearms floating around the country in the hands of mostly responsible, but some pretty irresponsible people
      6. I’m one of those holders of firearms, think I’m responsible
      7. Never the gun that kills, but the person that holds it
    2. Weapons don’t bring peace
      1. Instruments of destruction
      2. Provide an easier means of taking life
      3. Able to do so without getting as personal as with a club or bare hands
      4. Just pull the trigger and with a rifle, may never see their eyes or the expression on their face
      5. Comedian on the Internet
        1. Wanted to buy a defensive gun for protection
        2. Not one of those that killers and robbers use
    3. Jesus brings peace
      1. Gives gifts unlike the world
      2. Promises a legacy of peace
      3. Inner peace
      4. Will never stop the wars between nations or between fellow human beings until He returns
      5. Holy Spirit beings personal peace in the turmoil of life
      6. Circumstances don’t dictate our states of mind or emotional distress
    4. Jesus gives peace the world cannot understand or receive because the world doesn’t know Him
      1. I still like shooting my guns
      2. But my peace comes from the legacy Jesus gives, not from the legacy of the wild west
  5. 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.

Love is the universal language of the world (John 14:23-34), April 1, 2017

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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. We hear about love a lot. We think we see it everywhere. Jesus commands that we love. So what is it, anyway?
  3. Scripture
    1. John 14:23-34
    2. Jesus:  Anyone who loves Me will listen to My voice and obey. The Father will love him, and We will draw close to him and make a dwelling place within him.  The one who does not love Me ignores My message, which is not from Me, but from the Father who sent Me.
  4. Devotional
    1. I went to everyone’s favorite source of perfect information to find the answer to the question, “What is love?” The Internet, specifically Wikipedia
      1. Love is a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes that ranges from interpersonal affection (“I love my mother”) to pleasure (“I loved that meal”). It can refer to an emotion of a strong attraction and personal attachment.[1] Love can also be a virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection—”the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another”.[2] It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, one’s self or animals.[3]
      2. Ancient Greeks identified four forms of love: kinship or familiarity (in Greek, storge), friendship (philia), sexual and/or romantic desire (eros), and self-emptying or divine love (agape). Modern authors have distinguished further varieties of romantic love. Non-Western traditions have also distinguished variants or symbioses of these states.[4][5] Love has additional religious or spiritual meaning—notably in Abrahamic religions. This diversity of uses and meanings combined with the complexity of the feelings involved makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, compared to other emotional states.
      3. Love in its various forms acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships and, owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative arts.[6]
      4. Love may be understood as a function to keep human beings together against menaces and to facilitate the continuation of the species.[7
    2. Does that get us any closer to understanding love?
      1. Definition of love is like definition of ice cream
      2. Must experience it to really understand it and even then do you really understand it?
      3. How can you really describe the experience?
      4. Yet when we go through the event, when we eat ice cream for the first time, we know we like it and we want more
      5. When we experience real love, not the mushy fake lust we see advertised, but real love,we know we like it and we need it and we want more
    3. How do we get love?
      1. We get it unconditionally from God
      2. Most of us get it unconditionally from mothers and fathers who try to be good parents no matter how flawed they are
      3. Most of us get love, though sometimes misunderstood and again flawed by the image of what love is from the media and the world in our marriages
      4. But the best way to get love? Give love to others – unconditionally
      5. What kind of love? – that one that says, “Love can be a virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection—”the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another”.[2] It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans,
      6. That’s the love God shows toward us and asks us to give it to others in return
    4. Jesus says if we love Him we will obey Him, His commands usually come in the form of helping others, thinking of others more than we think of ourselves. Doing and giving and lifting others to show them real, genuine love in a world that knows so little about real love today
    5. Love is the universal language, but so few know how to speak it today. Go out and teach them through your actions
  5. 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.

We need to be loved (John 14:18-21), March 31, 2017

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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. Have you heard about the studies done in some of the Romanian orphanages? They’ve been going on for more than 80 years and all say the same thing. We need to be loved.
  3. Scripture
    1. John 14:18-21
    2. Jesus: I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.
  4. Devotional
    1. Studies have been going on about attachment and bonding in orphanages since the 30’s and 40’s by psychologists and psychiatrists.
      1. Astounding results
      2. Both physical and emotional impact of not being held and nurtured as infants
      3. 30’s and 40’s studies were on a small scale
      4. Same results are being found today on a large scale with more than 100,000 subjects as part of the study
    2. More orphans than people to take care of them
      1. Same in Jesus’ day
      2. War a part of every generation
      3. Parents killed in battle or part of collateral damage
      4. Parents who cannot care for their children and leave them in the hope  someone else will care for them
      5. These detached orphans grow up with significant emotional problems
    3. They may not have done psychological studies in Jesus’ day, but they knew orphans didn’t fare well
      1. Command was to take care of widows and orphans they need help
      2. Needed someone to love them
      3. Jesus said He wouldn’t leave His disciples or us as orphans
      4. He would not let us suffer the pains of unattachment
      5. He comes to us
    4. What constitutes having Him with us and in us?
      1. He gave us the formula for freedom from the lack of attachment problem
      2. Whoever has His commands and keeps them
      3. Whoever loves Him is loved by the Father and by Him
      4. Whoever He loves has Him living inside him
      5. If He is living in us, we can never be alone
      6. He desires relationship with us in the deepest most intimate ways
  5. 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.

Hidden in plain sight (John 14:15-17), March 30, 2017

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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. Have you ever been around someone you should have known but didn’t? Or you were with someone you thought everyone else should know but didn’t? Today’s lesson talks about that problem.
  3. Scripture
    1. John 14:15-17
    2. Jesus: If you love Me, obey the commandments I have given you.  I will ask the Father to send you another Helper, the Spirit of truth, who will remain constantly with you.  The world does not recognize the Spirit of truth, because it does not know the Spirit and is unable to receive Him. But you do know the Spirit because He lives with you, and He will dwell in you.
  4. Devotional
    1. I do some part-time work training senior medical staffs on the use of some software I was a part of visioning almost two decades ago. At that time, the then future Surgeon General and I were in discussion about what would be useful for commanders to know to better anticipate medical needs on the battlefield.
      1. Wrote the medical support plan for Desert Storm
      2. Commanded medical units in the field
      3. Trained medical units of all sizes
      4. Had a pretty good idea of what would help if the right information could be collected
    2. Enter more recent technology
      1. Higher speed Internet
      2. Hardened machines that could handle the rough treatment of field conditions
      3. Electronic medical records
      4. Processing speeds that could assimilate information rapidly
      5. Databases with the power to analyze information on the fly
    3. I get to teach and train some of those systems for decision making
      1. Retired more than ten years
      2. Senior commanders now were captains and majors when I retired
      3. Many weren’t in the service when Desert Storm happened and those plans were written
      4. Some of their staff weren’t even born
      5. They don’t know me or my expertise
      6. They don’t know I’ve been where they are or authored the changes to doctrine they are using to support the battlefield
      7. Just another contractor to most
    4. But to some
      1. They’ve read the records
      2. They remember the conflicts
      3. They’ve seen the documents that supported the doctrine
      4. They’ve seen my picture in the halls of the schoolhouse
      5. And remember
      6. With those, I often have long after hour conversations during those training days as they ask questions about how I came up with the plans, how the training was orchestrated, how the plans were written, how the communications were executed, how the casualties were evacuated and accounted for under such austere conditions. They pick my brain…what little is left.
    5. Imagine what we can learn from the spirit of God when we recognize Him!
      1. Jesus let His disciples in on the secret and passes it on to us
      2. Believe in Him
      3. His spirit will live in us
      4. We will recognize Him and He will give us incredible knowledge and empower us to become more like Him each day
  5. 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.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town (John 14:13-14), March 29, 2017

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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. Topic Introduction with headline.
  3. Scripture
    1. John 14:13-14
    2. Jesus: Whatever you ask for in My name, I will do it so that the Father will get glory from the Son.  Let Me say it again: if you ask for anything in My name, I will do it.
  4. Devotional
    1. When I was growing up, there was a show in which a multimillionaire went around the country and just arbitrarily wrote a check to people for several thousand dollars.
      1. Not worth quite as much today, but a lot of money then
      2. Never showed the millionaire’s face or mentioned his name
      3. Show focused on what the recipients did with the money
      4. Some squandered the money on frivolous junk
      5. Some spent it on things that seemed like good investments, but only on themselves
      6. Some did charitable things for other people
    2. Sometimes we read these verses with that kind of thought in mind
      1. Santa is coming
      2. Get whatever we want
      3. Just ask and it will appear
      4. All we have to do is tag on His name at the end and it will happen the way we want
    3. Twisted view of these verses
      1. About His name, not ours
      2. About His ministry, not ours
      3. About His plans, not ours
      4. About His wants, not ours
    4. Jesus wants to answer our prayers to bring glory to Him which gives glory to the Father
      1. Goes back, then, to what is the Father’s desires and plans for this world
      2. Desires that all will know His saving grace and follow Him
      3. That all will recognize Him as God and serve Him as God
      4. That all will come to a saving relationship with Him
      5. That all will worship Him
    5. Do our prayers reflect that attitude, that request, that outcome as an end result?
      1. He will answer
      2. He wants the glory
      3. First commandment, He is a jealous God, He will not share our devotion with anyone or anything
      4. He alone deserves our worship
      5. He wants His name untarnished
      6. Ask in His name
  5. 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.

An incredible story! (John 14:9-12), March 28, 2017

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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. Has anyone ever told you a story that just seemed too incredible to be true? We’ve all heard those before. Put yourself in Philip’s place as he listened to Jesus’ words at that last Passover supper.
  3. Scripture
    1. John 14:9-12
    2. Jesus (to Philip):  I have lived with you all this time, and you still don’t know who I am? If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father. How can you keep asking to see the Father?  Don’t you believe Me when I say I abide in the Father and the Father dwells in Me? I’m not making this up as I go along. The Father has given Me these truths that I have been speaking to you, and He empowers all My actions.  Accept these truths: I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me. If you have trouble believing based on My words, believe because of the things I have done.  I tell you the truth: whoever believes in Me will be able to do what I have done, but they will do even greater things, because I will return to be with the Father.
  4. Devotional
    1. My father-in-law was an insurance claims manager for many years. Every once in awhile he would bring home a claim story that just sounded too incredible to be true.
      1. Working on the roof
      2. Slipped on the shingles
      3. Hit the ladder and tool box
      4. The tool box hit the chimney and ladder fell back against the chimney
      5. No ladder and fell off the roof
      6. Ladder broke the chimney
      7. Bricks fell on the man’s head
      8. Sounds like Wile E. Coyote
    2. As Jesus closes His ministry and speaks to His disciples, must have sounded much like that story
      1. Going where you can’t go
      2. You’ll look for me but you won’t find me
      3. Soon you’ll see me again and then you won’t see me
      4. I’ll leave but I’ll be with you
      5. My Father and I are one
      6. If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen My Father
    3. How do you put all this together?
      1. Hide-and-seek?; you’ll look but you won’t find me; I’ll leave but come back
      2. Father and Son twins?
      3. This stuff sounds about as crazy as the story of the man fixing his roof
      4. But He says, “I’m not making this stuff up as I go along.”
      5. My father-in-law had to investigate the circumstances surrounding the man on the roof injuries and discovered they were true
      6. When we investigate Jesus’ words by looking into God’s word, we find His words are true.
    4. We can believe all He tells us
      1. It was hard for the disciples on the other side of the resurrection
      2. We have the evidence of an empty tomb to tell us Jesus is who He said He is
      3. He and the Father are One
      4. He invites us to believe in Him and be empowered to live transformed lives as He makes us more like Him each day
  5. 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.

There’s only one door (John 6-7), March 27, 2017

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  1. Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
  2. Why do we argue about the simplest things? If we believe God’s word, then how can we miss the fact that Jesus is the only way to heaven?
  3. Scripture
    1. John 14:6-7
    2. Jesus:  I am the path, the truth, and the energy of life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.  If you know Me, you know the Father. Rest assured now; you know Him and have seen Him.
  4. Devotional
    1. So I think I’ll take a vacation this summer. I’ve always enjoyed Disneyland in California
      1. Disneyworld is fun, too, but hot and a lot more walking than in Disneyland
      2. Travel plans
        1. Train from San Antonio to New York City
        2. Hop on a ship and sail to Iceland
        3. Catch a plane and fly to London, England
      3. Then enjoy Disneyland
      4. That should work, right?
      5. Doesn’t matter how you get there as long as I’m sincere about going, right?
    2. Maybe a little far fetched so let’s try again
      1. I really will go to California this time, but I decide that I’m going to go by way of a commercial plane, but I don’t have the money to buy a ticket.
      2. Sneak onto the tarmac
      3. Climb into the wheel housing
      4. Fly non-stop in the wheel housing to California on a 757
      5. Only 3 hour flight from here
      6. At 35,000 feet: frozen, no oxygen, dead
    3. If I want to see the original Disneyland, I can only go to one place and I must go through the entrance to that magic kingdom in Anaheim, California to see it.
      1. No other way to see it
      2. No matter how sincere
      3. No matter how else I might try
      4. I need a ticket and entrance through that front gate or I’ll be thrown out of the park as an intruder
    4. If the Bible is true, then Jesus’ words are true also
      1. Every time someone tries to disprove something, they find themselves stuck with circular arguments or proofs of scripture on their hands
      2. If what God’s word says is true
      3. Then Jesus is the only way to the Father
      4. He is the entrance and the only entrance
      5. Any other way is unacceptable, all other means make you an intruder and like the parable of the master of the wedding feast, those not in the proper garments are thrown into the street
    5. We can argue the point all we want
      1. We can argue the sun is not really the source of heat for the earth
      2. We can argue the earth is really flat instead of round
      3. We can argue God is not the creator of life
      4. We can argue Jesus is not the only way to heaven
      5. Just because we argue those things, does not mean we are right
    6. God’s word is true, I want to be on the right side of the argument when He returns
    7. Easy as believing in Him
  5. 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.