The Daily Dose

Full of Joy

Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.  John 16:24

When you were little, did you dream about how happy you would be some day when you grew up?  Maybe you had thoughts about getting married and having the perfect family?  Did you think about your dream home and the fancy cars you would drive?  Your dreams could have included living in some exotic country doing a freelance job of some kind.  Now that you have grown, have all your dreams been fulfilled or are you still waiting to live your life of joy? 

Chances are you haven’t arrived yet, but don’t give up.  There is still hope!  In fact, Jesus promised that you could have fullness of joy right here and now.  In the world we live in today, this may seem like an impossibility, but if Jesus made that promise, it has to be true!

The first thing to recognize is that joy and happiness are two different things.  That is not to say that you cannot have both, but joy is something that takes place on the inside of a person while happiness is achieved in the external circumstances.  To have joy in your life, you have to have the peace of God working in your heart every day.

In today’s key verse, Jesus said: When you ask or pray in Jesus’ name, you will receive.  This is the reason that most people close each prayer with the phrase: “In Jesus name, Amen.”  It is actually a signature you put on the end of your prayer because of the promise that Jesus, Himself made that you would receive when you pray that way. Jesus said that He gave us the authority to pray in His name so that we would be full of joy.

So that is quite an inclusive statement for Jesus to make.  I’m sure we all have prayers that we prayed in Jesus name that were not answered in the way that we prayed for them to be.  How is that possible when we prayed in Jesus’ name?

Well, James actually gives us some insight into how that can happen.  He wrote in James 1:6-8 – But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The key to answered prayer is faith, but the key to joy is the connection and the authority you have been given to use the name of Jesus when you talk to God in prayer.  Your faith is grounded in the authority and power that you have been given to pray, in the name of Jesus.  Now that is something to get excited about.

Today I want to encourage you to get full of God’s joy.  Enter into the presence of God your Father in heaven through your authority to pray in the name of Jesus, His Son.  Learn the promises God has made in His word for every circumstance that you are facing and then pray out those promises in Jesus Holy name.  You have been given permission by Jesus, Himself to close each petition in His name.  That is the name above every name and all other names must bow to the power and authority of His.

Today’s scripture reading: John 16:16-24

16 “A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father.”

17 Then some of His disciples said among themselves, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?” 

18 They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”

19 Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 

20 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. 

21 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 

22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

23“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. 

24Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

You can trust Him

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  John 16:13

When I completely surrendered my life over to God, I wanted to press in so close to Him that I would never make another mistake in my life again.  But no matter how hard I tried, I still seem to mess up and follow after my human ways.  I came to a point where I thought: “if there was anyway that I could hear from God directly and know what His plan was for my life, certainly then, I would have no more regrets.  It was right around that time when I found this verse in John that says the Holy Spirit will tell me things to come. He wants to guide and help me in life by showing me what is up next and how to get there, but it was up to me to learn how to hear His direction and leading on the inside of my heart. 

So, I began to learn.  Sometimes it was by trial and error, but mostly it was by learning from others who followed the Spirit of God and also pressing in close to Him to recognize when He was prompting and pointing me forward.  I haven’t always gotten it right, but I get better at it every day.  Half the battle is actually following through when I do sense His direction.  Sometime my flesh is tired and doesn’t feel like following, sometimes it doesn’t make sense and I am afraid I will look foolish and other times I am just scared.  Most times, I follow through because I have done it enough now that when I do go with Him, He always makes it into such a fulfilling and exhilarating experience.  Our Heavenly Father is so wonderful, and He wants to help us and lead us away from things that can trap and harm us.  He also wants to lead us to the wonderful plans and things He has planned for our lives.  That is why He sent His Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth (His way) and away from darkness (John 16:13).

The first place to start when when you desire to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit is by entering a personal relationship with God by receiving salvation through the blood and sacrifice of Jesus.  When you do that, you are now a child of God and part of His family.  That is when you come to the point in your life when you recognize that you need a Savior and receive the Lord Jesus into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior. 

The next thing to do is to grow your personal relationship with Him through spending time talking to Him (praying) and reading His Word (the Bible) every day.  As you begin to align your life with the things He has taught in His Word, you will sense a nudging on the inside that you know lines up with His Word.  Things like be kind to others and love one another.  If you talk about other people, the Holy Spirit will remind you with  a check in your spirit that these are things you know are not pleasing to God by what you have read in His Word.  Living your life in agreement with God’s Word will empower you to know what you should be doing and what needs to be eliminated in your daily habits.

Side note: Just because you have accepted Jesus into your life as Lord, doesn’t mean that whatever you are thinking or feeling is from Him.  You have to yield to Him and let Him know that you want to follow His planned path and complete the assignments He has for your life.  This is the way God wants to lead us, by relationship.  If you go through life obeying all the rules you read in the Bible, but never have a personal relationship with God by hearing His direction on the inside, you will probably miss out on things He wants to lead you to through following the leading of His Spirit.  The other thing to watch out for is not doing things because you don’t feel like it or because it may not make sense in the natural world.  Feelings are fickle and because they can change so quickly, you cannot depend on them to lead your life. Things such as tithing, loving your enemy, or submitting to one another may not make sense to you in the natural, but they are spiritual laws that God has set up to bless you.  These are things that require faith and humility and may be uncomfortable at times.  However, when you act in faith on the things God leads you to, He will give you the grace to follow through and receive His blessings in response.

Lastly, hearing from God is a step of faith, and the Holy Spirit’s direction will always line up with God’s Word.  If you are not sure God is leading you in a direction, ask Him for scripture to back up the prompting you hear on the inside.  He will bring it to your thoughts or will lead you to it in your daily reading.  I promise you God is not trying to make it hard.  He sent us His Holy Spirit to help us have an advantage over the rest of the world and know the things He is leading us to.  He is a supernatural helper that lives inside you to empower you to reach the world around you.

Today, I want to encourage you to talk to God about “hearing” from Him or getting a “word” from Him on the inside, so you can begin to learn what His voice sounds like.  You can start by saying something like “I love you, God, my Father”. Then sit quietly and wait for a response on the inside and He will tell you.  Let Him know that you want to start living your life led by the help and direction of His Spirit inside you. He will begin small, so if you act on it, you will have little risk of being wrong.  Write down what you are hearing and review it often to reinforce and remember that He is leading you.  God is so good and He has given us a Helper to help us in this life.  Don’t ignore His leading, learn His voice on the inside, and He will guide your every step. If you have never received God’s great gift of salvation through Jesus, do that today.  Jesus will come into your life and change you from the inside out.  Pray this prayer from your heart and you will never be the same:

Pray: _{God in heaven, I know I’m a sinner and I need a Savior.  I want to turn away from my sinful life to the life You have planned for me.  Please forgive my sins, cleanse me from my past, and make me new today.  I know Your Son, Jesus died for me.  I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead.  At this very moment, I accept, confess, and proclaim Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior . . . to be Lord of my life from this day forward.  I now have a right relationship with God my Father through this salvation in the blood of Jesus. I thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit to guide me and to empower me to accomplish the things You have planned for my life in Jesus’ name, Amen}

Today’s scripture reading: John 16:12-15

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 

13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 

14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 

15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

The gift

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.  1 Corinthians 6:20

I used to think that salvation was a free gift and after I received it, I had to go about my life figuring things out day to day.  The reason I felt this way was because one of the first scriptures I learned was Romans 2:8 that says I am saved by grace not of works, salvation is a gift from God so I cannot brag about my good deeds getting me closer to God or eternal life.  The problem with this is that the gift of Salvation had to be bought first before it could be given, which means it cost someone something.  In this case, it cost Jesus not only His life, but also the punishment and death penalty for sin to get this great salvation.

Think about the last time you bought a gift for someone.  Maybe it was for a birthday or Christmas or maybe it was just because you wanted them to know you were thinking of them and cared for them.  You took some time to consider what gift you would get, then you paid an amount of money to get it.  After that you decided what package you would put it in so you could offer it to the person you were giving it to. 

Now think about their reaction.  When you gave them the gift, your hopes were probably that they were excited or surprised by the gift.  You probably thought this will make their day or at best you wanted it to bring a smile to their face.  Suppose they were not interested in that gift and when you gave it to them it was set aside and they said “I’ll get to it someday.”  Or maybe the person saw the gift and said, “No, that’s not for me.”  You would be disappointed for sure.  However, what if they were excited and opened it right away and said “Thank you for thinking of me” and then put it in a closet never to be seen or used again.  The cost you paid for it was never a consideration and not just the money involved, but also the time and thought that went into the present.  The gift still belongs to them, but it was never thought of again or even used for that matter.  Ideally, when you give a gift it will be around at least for a little while and the person will consider how thoughtful the giver was every time they look at it and use it.

The gift of salvation is free to receive, but it was bought with a great price.  The most expensive price ever paid for a gift.  Today’s scripture says that you were purchased.  You were bought by God.  He paid the price of the blood of Jesus for you.  Now He is giving you to the world as a gift to lead others to His love and salvation.  Anyone can receive His gift of salvation, but now I consider that the gift is not free.  I receive His salvation and eternal life with Him in heaven and He receives me as His child and the light of the world. His hope and expectation is that I will display this gift everywhere I go and tell everyone I meet that this great gift is waiting for them too.  The fact is, I am so thankful for His gift that I want to tell the world.

Today I want to encourage you to thank your heavenly Father for the great gift of salvation that He has given you.  Tell Him how much you appreciate that He thinks about you and made sure you didn’t spend eternity in suffering and pain, paying the price for your sin.  Make a fresh commitment to Him that you want the whole world to know how good and loving He is.  Then go out and show the world what it is like to be a child of God.  Be a gift of peace and love in the lives that you come into contact with each day and then let them all know that God has a gift for them too, they only need to receive it!

Today’s scripture reading: 1 Corinthians 6:15-20

15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!

16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”

17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

20 For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

God’s Glory

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”  1 Corinthians 6:19

The glory of God!  It’s hard for us to imagine it, although it is described all through scripture.

•           Exodus 33:18-19 tells us God’s glory is seen in His goodness

•           Exodus 40:34 says God’s glory filled the tabernacle

•           Psalms 19:1 says God’s glory is on display in the heavens

•           2 Corinthians 4:6 tells us that the knowledge of the glory gives light to our hearts

•           Ephesians 3:16 says the riches of God’s glory strengthens us in our inner man

•           Hebrews 1:3 – talks about the brightness of His glory that was expressed in Jesus

•           Revelation 21:11 tells us the new Jerusalem has the Glory of God as its source of light

These are only a very few mentions of the Glory of God and how wonderful it is.  However, before Jesus came, that glory was kept behind a curtain and veiled in the temple, in the place of the Holy of Holies.  After the fall of mankind, man was no longer able to be in the presence of God’s glory or he would be destroyed because sin cannot be in the presence of God.  When God established the blood covenant and set up the temple, only one person, the high priest, could go into that place one time each year to offer up the sacrifice for the people’s sin for that year.  He could not go there without the blood that was poured out for the sins.  It was a huge deal that God set it up because of His desire to be with His family.

At the time of Jesus’ death, God tore that veil from top to bottom.  The veil was so thick there was no way it could have been done naturally.  God did it supernaturally and the reason was because through the blood of Jesus, the glory of God was now able to come out from behind that curtain and move right inside of each person who received that blood sacrifice of Jesus and entered the blood covenant with God.  What a supernatural work and so amazing.  There has never been anything like it before or since. Now, God’s people are the temple of God and He lives inside of our lives and our hearts. We no longer have to go through the high priest or any other person to commune and talk to God. We can come boldly to the through of God’s grace and walk with Him as our guide every day. (See Hebrews 4:16)

Today I want to encourage you to “see” the glory of the LORD living on the inside of you.  The Holy Spirit is growing you and becoming more evident through your daily walk.  Remember that the glory of God’s presence that used to live behind a great veil has now taken up residence in your inner person!  This is an amazing work and revelation.  As you continue to look into the perfect law of liberty (God’s Word) you give more space for His glory to move into your life to shine and be evident in your daily activities.  You are the temple of God now and this is God’s plan for all of us, to have our spirit join to His Spirit and become a new creation in Christ Jesus. We are displaying His glory and goodness wherever we go and His light and goodness shine through our love for others.

Today’s scripture reading:  1 Corinthians 6:12-20

12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!

16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”

17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

20 For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Your Advantage

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”   John 16:7

When your children grow up and move out of your house, often times it can be a traumatic time.  You will go through many feelings such as: pleased that they have grow up and are ready to start living their own live, sad that the daily time you had with them in close proximity is over and even remorse that you didn’t get to do all the things you wanted to while they were in your home.  With that flood of emotions, you rarely consider that it is to your advantage.  You don’t think about what is coming next, you are mostly in that moment thinking your little baby birds have left the nest.

But then, so many wonderful things start happening.  First of all, those once little ones are now flying freely and discovering good things in life.  You watch as they begin to make good choices that you prepared them for all the years, they were with you.  Then your family begins to grow and instead of losing one, you begin to gain so much more.  Your family starts doubling and even tripling with more sons and daughters, grandchildren and even in-laws.  If you had not let that little one go, you would miss out on so many blessings in this life.

In today’s passage, Jesus told the disciples that He was about to leave this world.  What really stands out about His words is that He said, “It was to their advantage for Him to leave so He could send the Holy Spirit.”  They didn’t get it.  They were sad that He was leaving, but even more, they were afraid what would happen after He was gone. He said He was leaving, but He was going to send them help to reach the whole world with the good news of His Salvation; a Helper who would empower them to love others so much that they would go into the battle fields and rescue multitudes.  Then when they were gone, the Holy Spirit would continue that work through the next generation that could keep handing off His power to the next one coming up.  Not only was the Holy Spirit the Helper, He was also the Comforter when they were sorrowful and the Counselor when they needed wisdom.  The Holy Spirit was the gift of God to His people for whatever they were facing in life and He came to be with all who would carry Him with them.

Before He said all this, He said, “I’m telling you the truth about this.”  (It was like He was saying pay attention to what I’m saying now because it is for real!)  Why did He have to say that?  Obviously, He wanted to make sure they were paying attention so that they could be comforted with these word after He was taken away from them.  How could it be better for them if He went away?  They had walked with Him and learned from Him every day.  Jesus wanted them to understand that when He left, the Helper would come in His place, the Helper would be with them all the time and everywhere they went.  There would never be a time that He would not be with them.  Jesus, in His physical body, could never do that.  He would always be limited by His location and time.  Not only that, but the Holy Spirit (the Helper) would be in the world until the end of the age.  So, He could be with us even today; everywhere we go and whatever we do.  If Jesus were on the earth today, He would still be limited to be in one place at a time.  The Helper can be everywhere at once.  This is truly to our advantage, and I am so thankful for Him!

Jesus told the disciples it was to their advantage for Him to leave, but it was also for our advantage even today.  Interestingly enough, He doesn’t even mention the cross at this time.  The most important thing He wanted them to understand and remember was that help was coming!   The Holy Spirit was up next and He would be the greatest gift from God to help them in their daily walk and stay with them until the end.

Today I want to encourage you to consider the Holy Spirit, the Helper.  How blessed we are that Jesus sent Him to come along side us in life to help.  Recognize that just as it is to your advantage when your children grow up and your life grows fuller with love and joy for the fullness of their life, it is also to your advantage that Jesus paid the price and then empowered you to live a full life by sending the Holy Spirit.  Whatever you face you have someone to help you get through.   How wonderful it is that He continues from generation to generation so our children and our grandchildren can be empowered, too.  He truly is a gift from God, and I want to encourage you to thank God for Him and ask for a renewing of His presence with you today. 

Today’s scripture reading:  John 16:1-11

1 “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. 

2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 

3 And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. 

4 But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.

5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 

6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 

8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 

9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 

10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 

11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Don’t be surprised

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. John 15:18

I wouldn’t say that I have had enemies throughout my life, but there have been those who for some reason just didn’t like me.  Maybe it was because I was quiet and insecure or maybe it was because I kept to myself and just did my job in my places of employment?  I always tried to be nice to people, but for some reason, there just seemed to be those who didn’t care.  Whether they were jealous or just judgy, I just never understood why.  Even when I was living like the world, I never seem to quite fit in.  Turns out that God’s blessing can be seen on you and there are many people that are repelled by it. 

This should come as no surprise.  Jesus told His disciples about it and it is recorded for all of us to know that many people of the world will not understand what it means to have a relationship with God.  He said the world hated Him first and it is going to despise all who follow and worship Him.  He also said a servant is not greater than their master so we should expect that persecutions will come. Jesus also told the disciples that the Holy Spirit is coming, and He would reinforce in their lives and others what Jesus taught and what He did.  The Holy Spirit came into the world to be the spirit of truth that lives on the inside of each one of God’s people to strengthen and bear witness with the word of God that we know and speak.

In Matthew 5, Jesus said blessed are those who are persecuted because of their right relationship with God because they belong to a different Kingdom, the kingdom of heaven.  That is the whole point.  We do not belong to this world.  As God’s people, we are part of His kingdom, and we carry that with us wherever we go each day.  Some people do like that just like they don’t like others because of race or gender or some other bias.  But that doesn’t mean that God loves them any less.  Jesus still died for them, and He still desires to rescue them from the blindness that covers their spiritual eyes.

So, what is the solution and what are we to do when others hate or persecute us?  Are we to fight and defend ourselves and our God?  No, we are to love and pray for them and do good things for them.  Jesus said it this way in Matthew 5:44 – Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.  This sounds like it is hard to do, but actually it is the most fulfilling and rewarding response.  No matter how your love, goodness and blessing on someone that hates you is received, you can walk away knowing that your response is working in them long after you are gone and God your heavenly Father is well please with the way you treated them.  It is a blessing to be a blessing to others and especially to those who do not deserve it.  That blessing you gave and prayed over them will continue to work in their lives and yours and it will go on through all eternity.

Today I want to encourage you to be aware that persecutions and refilings will come in this world.  Don’t be surprised when there is someone that hates or despises you.  Remember that it happened to Jesus and He said it was going to happen to us also.  Ask the Holy Spirit ahead of time to help you remember in those times to love, pray for and do good to those who bring a charge against you.  Also ask Him to remind you that you are of a different kingdom, the kingdom of heaven and we do things differently in His kingdom.  We don’t return evil for evil because there is no evil in God’s kingdom.  We only share God’s blessings God’s love and God’s hope with people no matter who they are.  Even if it doesn’t look like it made a difference at the time, know that blessing others is an act that will continue to work in an individual’s life long after you are gone.

Today’s scripture reading: John 15:18-27

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 

19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 

20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 

21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 

23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 

24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 

25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 

27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

Would you?

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  John 15:13

I recently saw a movie that was about rescuing children from human trafficking. It was sad but inspiring.  One man stepped up and began to walk in the direction of helping these innocent kids.  He started right where he was at the time, but soon found himself in another country where people lived beyond the laws of the land.  He did manage to build a small team of people to help him and they were able to make an impact on the world because of this one man’s involvement. 

In one scene toward the end, this man went deep into the jungles of South America to rescue a little girl that was never going to be able to escape without help.  She had been sold to a group of rebels and no one dared to go where this group of militants lived and come back alive.  As the man went into this small village, he was able to identify the little girl and wait for the right time to pick her up and get her out of there.  Then the time came!  In that scene, he knocked out one of the men guarding her and pick her up and ran out of the jungle carrying her.  He saved this little girl he didn’t even know.  He risked his life because a man he only met one time asked him to find his daughter.  This hero had his own family and his own life, but he began on a mission that ended up saving many lives and changing many government laws in many countries.   Something leapt inside my spirit as I watched this guy carrying this small child out of the deep impenetrable village.  When I saw this picture, I thought in my heart; This is what a savior looks like.  Risking his own life to save another small seemingly insignificant life.

In today’s verse, Jesus told His disciples that there is no greater love than when someone lays down their own life for a friend.  This is what Jesus did for His disciples, but Jesus also laid down His life for His enemies.  As He was hanged on the cross, He pray that God would forgive those who carried out that gruesome deed because they didn’t know what they were doing.  Jesus rescued His friend, His enemies and even those He didn’t know.  He laid down His life for all! There is no greater love.  Yet this same disciple John that wrote this account of Jesus words later on wrote: By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren in 1 John 3:16. We should be willing to lay down our lives for others.

This is a great challenge for me as I consider: Would I be willing to lay down my life for someone else?  Probably for my grandchildren, children and my husband.  But what about a friend or even a stranger.  Not likely.  I would justify that my family needs me and that is more important.  But Jesus told us to go into all the world and rescue lost people.  It may not be life threatening, but it is a mission that we all need to be on and when you consider the risk involved of just telling someone about the love of God, it is very minimal.

Today I want to encourage you that most of us will never have to lay down our life for another person. However, when we begin to love others enough to be concerned with their eternity, we will lay down our fears and complacency to share God’s salvation with them.  Leading people to the only hope in this world will become the greatest assignment on our lives and we will begin to step in the direction of rescuing people from an eternity of separation from our Father in heaven.  Share the greatest love with those around you today by laying down your self focus to become other focused. Would you?

Today’s scripture reading: John 15:9-17

9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 

10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 

12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 

13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 

14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 

15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 

16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 

17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

Abide in Him

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  John 15:7

I live in my home.  I am very comfortable here and I enjoy spending much of my time here.  I feel safe and it is really my “happy place” that I come to each day.  Yes, it is about where my stuff is some, but it is also where my husband is and I enjoy being with him when we can be together here.  My home is also in me.  I know it well and there is a place in my heart i give it.  I know that sounds kind of weird and certainly I don’t love it, but it is special to me, so it takes up space in what is important to me.  Obviously, my house cannot fit inside of my heart physically, but I do feel like it is part of who I am because it has taken on some of my personality by the things that are in it.

As I consider this concept of me in my house and my house in me, it helps me to better understand that through God’s salvation, Jesus lives in me and I in Him.  It is not a physical thing, but a spiritual picture. I invited Him into my life because I wanted to live my life according to His ways.  In doing that, now I live in Him and in agreement with His word.  Oh, I am not perfect by any means, but it is easier not to fall into sin like I once did because I stay far away from the line of temptation and commit to keeping in agreement with Him.

In today’s verse, Jesus said if I abide or live in Him and His words live in me, I will ask what I desire (according to His Word) and it will be done for me.  Jesus makes this promise because He knows that when we live our lives by the word of God, we are living by the will of God.  God’s Word is Gods’ will!  Now we understand that when we are facing an uphill situation or crisis in life, we go to God’s word and find the promise that He will bring us through to victory.  Words like “I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me” (Romans 8).  “I can do al things through Christ Who strengthens me” (Philippians 4).  “All of my children have great peace because they are taught by the Lord” (Isaiah 54).  Because God made these promises in His word, I know they are His will for me.  I know that I am more than a conqueror so I will win this battle I am in.  I know that His words say that I can do all things so when I ask Him for the grace to accomplish His plan, I know I have it.  I know it is His will that my children live in peace because His word told me that.  I have no trouble believing He will bring them through every problem because I can ask for them to live in peace according to His word, which is His will. No matter what the outward circumstances look like, I know that the pressure of God’s promises on that situation will turn it around for His glory.

So today I want to encourage you to abide in Him.  As the branch cannot have life without the vine, find your life and purpose in Him.  Give Him first place in your life so that He can live at the head of all you do each day and direct you in His perfect path of purpose.  Then you will know how to pray and petition for yourself and those you love because you live your life according to God’s word which is His will.  Trust His provision of peace, grace and love through His word for every one of life’s circumstances that come your way and you will have whatever you ask from Him. When you do, vs. 8 says that God will be glorified by your victory in Him.

Today’s scripture reading: John 15:5-8

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 

6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 

7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 

8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

The Vine

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.  John 15:4

My husband is a gardener.  He likes it very much.  Even though he has only been at it for just a few years now, he so enjoys taking time to watch over the crop and taking care of the needs of each individual plant.  He spends time each day keeping the weeds away, making sure they are watered and get enough sunlight.  As the plants grow, sometimes he has to remove dead leaves and even cut off little growths called “suckers.”  That is a great name for the little leader sprigs that form up between two existing stalks and if they are not cut off, they will steal the life and nutrients that the existing branches need to produce fruit.

His garden also grows in his heart.  As he takes time each day to care for his produce, he thinks about each need and even cares that no outside wildlife gets in and causes damage.  In the case of my husband, he even looks for natural ways to get rid of parasites and other damaging insects to protect each vegetable from being damaged or becoming diseased.  The more time he spends tending to and caring for the garden the more he thinks about it when he is aways from it.  As he goes to work each day, he thinks about the time he will spend with the plants in the evening hours when he gets home.  Not in a weird longingful way, but in a caring and nurturing way. He knows that the success and protection of each seedling is dependent on his attention to their life.

Today’s reading is also about gardening.  Jesus continues His last words to His disciples, but He shifts to give them some illustrations to help them remember what He told them.  He compares our relationship with Him to a fruit plant.  In this picture, He actually says that we need each other.  He said that even though He is the Vine, He cannot bear fruit without branches.  Likewise, as branches, we cannot bear fruit without the nutrients that the vine supplies.  He also said that even the good branches need to be pruned.  That sounds like it could be painful, but pruning is actually a freeing procedure.  The old and dead parts are taken away so that life can flow freely through every area.  Also, the “suckers” (distractions in life) are removed so that they are not taking the nutrients that need to be focused on where the fruit grows.

My favorite part is that my Father in heaven is the gardener.  In a similar way that my husband cares for and even thinks about his garden, God cares for and thinks about us.  Except His care for us goes way beyond the investment of time my husband puts into his garden.  God in heaven actually loves His Vine, branches and fruit.  He watches over, tends to the needs, prunes and even thinks about each part every day.  We are so much more than a garden to Him; we are His family.  The picture Jesus gave is a great one, but God’s love for us goes way beyond fruit and vegetables.  We are His family, His people and His children.  There isn’t one thing that He wouldn’t do for us, including sending His only Son (at the time) to come and rescue us.

Today I want to encourage you to consider how the branch that is your life is connected to the vine.  Are you firmly and strongly connected in, or are you just barely holding on?  Do you spend time each day strengthening your connection by communing with Him in prayer and His Word?  Jesus said that you must spend time living in the Vine if you want to bear fruit which means you have to set aside time to live and press into your relationship with Him.  God, your heavenly Father is watching over, caring for and loving you each step of the way, and He always will.  It is your job to make sure your connection is solid and strong to receive that love through the Vine.  Abiding in Him is through:  Time with Him, standing on His Word and following His plan.  Make your attachment stronger today by letting His life flowing into yours.

Today’s scripture reading: John 15:1-4

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 

2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

Judge angels?

Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?    1 Corinthians 6:3

God’s angelic force!  The thought of them can be quite intimidating.  The scripture actually talks a lot about them, but most people know little if anything about His angelic hosts.  Below is a short list of some of the attributes and descriptions God has told us about them in His word:

1. One angel will put 1000 to flight and two 10,000 – Deuteronomy 32:30
2. God puts them in charge of our protection – Psalms 91:11
3. Angels excel in strength and listen for His word to be spoken to do it – Psalms 103:20
4. Messengers from God – Luke 1
5. Ministering spirits to minister for God’s people – Hebrews 1:14
6. Worship the Lord – Revelation 4 & 5

There are many more references that give us insight into what God’s angels are like.  If you do a search for just the word angel, you will immediately find over 100 results.

The focus of today’s reading says that WE will judge angels about things in this life and in this world.  I didn’t understand this for the longest time until I was employed as a driver where I operated a vehicle for 4-6 hours per day.  I have been in several near misses, many almost collisions and even more close calls.  To the point that now even before I am on the road I declare: “Angels, I judge you more than able to keep me in all my ways.  God has put you in charge of my safety and protection and you have proven to me that you are well able to accomplish this.  Therefore, I judge you worthy of keeping me safe and my vehicle and all those around me.  I judge you mighty in strength because you have brought me through many narrow escapes and ministered grace and peace to me along the way.”

I judge my angels well able to watch over me and my loved ones and even those who are just around me.  How do you judge your angels?  Do you even realize that they are close by waiting to hear your direction?  Psalms 103 says they are listening to your words for the “word of God” to do it.  Do you release them with the power of grace, protection, wisdom and peace in your life or are they standing by with nothing to do because they do not understand your language?  They are God’s ministering spirit sent forth to minister for you (Hebrews 1:14) but it is up to you to send them out.

Today I want to encourage you to release the angels over your life and the lives of those you love.  Speak the word of God and send them in the direction that you need some mighty strength poured out on (Psalms 103).  Judge them worthy to be in charge of your safety and protection because God has put them in charge of it and rejoice with them that one day you will stand beside them in heaven praising and worshiping your Father, just like the apostle John did in Revelation!

Today’s scripture reading:  1 Corinthians 6:1-11

1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?

2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?

5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?

6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!

7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?

8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!

9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.