The Daily Dose

Don’t seek a sign

Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” John 4:48

I feel like this happens a lot in today’s world.  People move from church to church or ministry to ministry looking for that perfect preacher or dynamic speaker, maybe even the most appealing worship team.  It is almost like a form of entertainment when people go to church only for what they want to get out of it.  It becomes self-centered and focused only on what is in it for them, never considering when or where they can serve others and how they can help make the service better for visitors or new comers.

That is the problem Jesus was having.  People were following Him because they wanted to see a miracle or some supernatural happening.  They were not really interested in His message or even the love He has for all people.  Some were even following Him to try to catch Him in breaking the law or messing up in some way.

In today’s reading, when someone did come to Jesus in faith and ask for His help, Jesus just went ahead and healed His child right were the child was at home away from the mob that was trying to see these great things.  He gave this rebuke to the people and said unless you see signs, you will not believe.

Hopefully, this is not the way we think today.  Yes, we do want to see God moving and there is great energy and excitement when physical manifestations of God’s Spirit shows up in a service, but that is not what we are to be after.  Just like God, our heavenly Father is after our heart and love, He wants us to be after His heart and basking in His eternal love for us.  A love so great that He didn’t spare His most precious gift, His only Son, Jesus.  He loved so much that He gave His only Son to pay the price for our sin, so we do not have to pay that price one day for ourselves.  Isn’t that enough?

Today I want to encourage you receive God’s love for you.  Put away any idea or searching for the perfect place to go to church that does things the way you like them done.  Instead, make yourself and your life available to Him for service and begin to serve others where God has planned for you to fit into the body of believers.

Today’s scripture reading John 4:46-48

46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 

47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 

48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”

49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”

50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 

51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”

52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 

53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household.

54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

Expect Him to show up?

Then they went out of the city and came to Him. John 4:30          

After Jesus finished talking with the Samaritan woman at the well, she went back to her town and told everyone about her conversation with Jesus and said this must be the Messiah?  It is quite remarkable to me that the people believed enough to go and check it out.  Even though she was a person with a shady background and of bad reputation with her community, they still were inspired enough by her words to go see the person that she had talked with.  When they did come out to see Jesus, they discovered that He truly was the Messiah and listened and learned from Him.  They believed, and in verse 42 the people of the city said, they believed Jesus, not because of what the woman had said but because they went and heard Him for themselves.  They were so ready for Jesus to come that they believed Him because of His words, not because of He did any signs and wonders.

I have to admit that there have been times in my life that I was intimidated to talk about salvation and the love of God for the world.  Not because I didn’t want to share God’s love, but it was because I didn’t think people would believe me.  I wasn’t confident enough in myself to share the good news because I didn’t think it would be received by others because of who I had been.  I realize now that it has nothing to do with me and is not my place to decide who will and who won’t receive the message.  My part is to share the good news with people and it is the work of God to grow that seed in the heart of the hearer.

Jesus told His disciples that the harvest was white for harvest.  Even though the disciples did not plant the seeds of salvation in Samaria, they were the laborers to would reap the harvest of souls because of what had already been sown.  This is the way we must still believe today.  We are not to decide who and where we will tell God’s message, we are just to tell all people about God’s unconditional love and He is the One that does the work in the hearts of the people around us.  He is the One that shows up and tells us when the harvest is ready.  So start expecting Him to show up where ever you share His love!

Today I want to encourage you to share the love of God with those around you.  Tell people where ever you are the good new of salvation.   Let those that come into your life know that there is hope for the future and then expect the Holy Spirit to show up and do the work in their hearts so they receive the message and then receive His Salvation and love. It won’t happen because of what you said, but because you shared, they will “come and see” for themselves. Then be ready to bring in the harvest because you know He is going to show up when His word is given.

Today’s scripture reading: John 4:27-42

27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”

28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 

29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 

30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.

31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”

33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 

35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 

36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 

37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 

38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 

40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 

41 And many more believed because of His own word.

42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

All because of Love

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” John 4:7

I’ve heard and read this account many times and really I have never understood the significance of it.  Jesus went to the well, saw a woman there and asked her for a drink of water.  They have a conversation about why Jesus is there and then she goes and tells everyone that He told her all about her life.  Then everyone came out to see Jesus and believed that He is the Savior that has come to save the world from sin.  I just didn’t get it.  What was the big deal with this woman and why did the people believe her?

What I didn’t understand was that the woman was the only person at the well at that time because she didn’t go when the rest of the women in the community went.  She was an outcast and the reason was because of her past and her present.  She was ashamed and she was considered damaged goods.  The next thing I didn’t understand was that in the culture of that day, Jewish people would not even speak to the Samaritan people not to mention their women.  This woman certainly didn’t expect Jesus to talk to her and when He did, she was sure it was only to tell her what a bad person she was.

But now, I understand so much better.  Because she was probably the least desirable person in that city and the lowest of all their people, that is why God chose her to meet Jesus that day.  He loved her despite what she had been through and all that she had done.  Jesus told her that she had been married 5 times and now she was living with someone who wasn’t her husband, not to condemn her, but to show her that God loved her right where she was.  He wanted to rescue her and bring her into a right relationship with Him and in doing that she could become in the right relationship with her community.  It was all because of love.

Today, Jesus loves you right where you are too, only He doesn’t want you to stay there.  He wants to pick you up and put you on the road to purpose and fulfilment.  His love for people today is the same as it was for that woman so long ago.  No matter what has been done to you or what you have done wrong to others, His love wants to rescue you and save you to walk out your days in close connection with Him.  Only then will you know what truly living life to the fullest is all about.

Today I want to encourage you to come and drink of the living water of God’s love through the salvation He provided in the sacrifice of Jesus.  He carried the guilt and shame of everything you have ever done or gone through and He has a place for you at His side living out the purpose you were created for.  Receive His love today and press in so He can lead you in His perfect path of righteousness.  It is not hard to turn in His direction, simply reach out with this prayer from your heart and He will reach in and rescue you from all that life has piled on top of you.

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 4:7-26

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 

8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 

12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 

14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband. Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 

18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 

20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 

22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 

23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 

24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

He was tired

Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. John 4:6

Have you ever been weary?  Tired out from a long day at work or an even longer week of running to fit everything in?  As often as it happens to us and even as we can recognize when those around us are getting to the end of their strength, it is still hard to imagine that Jesus grew weary.  I have to admit that my perception of Him was that He was always full of energy and full of life.  Even though I know there were times that He went days without food and sometimes without sleep, I have still always thought of Him as never feeling the pains of living in a human body. 

We know it is not the case though.  There are many times in scripture that we read about Jesus being thirsty or hungry and tired.  He was all man, so He for sure felt the limitations that these mortal bodies have.  That was by design so that He could experience the things we do and sympathize with our weaknesses.

However, Jesus had a secret and that was the reason that He was often able to press through the weakness of His earthly body.  That secret was His mission.  Not that His mission was a secret but knowing His mission and purpose for being in this world propelled Him through the difficult times even through the shame and suffering on the cross.  Each day He got the plan for His activities of the day from His Father and then He carried them out.  Many times it looked like He was pulled off His mission to help someone who happened to come to Him along the way, but in reality, it was all part of the plan.  God’s plan took Him to the places that He needed to be at just the right time for the people that would step out in faith to touch Him or ask for help.  He just went to the places that God directed, and those who would reach out in faith sought Him out and received.

Now you may be thinking, “That’s great, but that was Jesus and of course everyone knows that He was here for a specific purpose and to get a job done.”  While that is true, it is also true for you and me.  Actually, there are two sides of this passage that we can apply in our lives.

1. Jesus is with us today where ever we go and when reach out to Him in faith, He responds and leads us through out struggle.

2. We are all here on mission and purpose and we must seek it out with our whole heart and walk faithfully in the ways of God that we know until that purpose is revealed.  As we walk through our daily life, it is up to us to first seek God’s kingdom and righteousness or right way of going, then He will add the mission and purpose to our lives as we are faithful to seek Him for it.  Only then will you have the strength you need to press on in the difficult times and only then will you stay the course when all Hell breaks out against you.  When you know you are doing what you are called to do and you are in the place that you were created to fill and conquer, that is when you will tear down walls and brake through barriers.  You will be determined to get you mission accomplished no matter what it takes!

So today, I want to encourage you to trust God through your struggles and seek out that mission and place where you fit.  Start by living the life you know that you were designed to live. That part is all laid out in the scripture for you.  Connect with others that can help you find those passages if you do not already know them.  Then begin to faithfully walk those out in your everyday life.  Things like spending quiet time with God each morning, loving others, being generous and kind, honoring, respecting and loving your spouse, raising your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, being faithful to serve in the church body, working a job to the best of your ability so you have something to give, and so much more.  Then as you are becoming faithful in those things you know are right and growing your relationship with your heavenly Father, He will begin to drop ministry ideas in your heart and opening doors for you to walk through to take steps toward those plans.  As you are growing closer to Him, you will be able to discern His leading on the inside of your heart.  You know that He is leading your toward reaching others and ways to help and bring others along with you to walk closer with Him.  Start today and when those weary times come, and they will, you will be strengthened by His Spirit in knowing that you are called to this, and He has all that you need for you to complete it.

Today’s scripture reading: John 4:1-6

1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 

2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 

3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 

4 But He needed to go through Samaria.

5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 

6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

Your ministry

Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, 1 Timothy 1:5

I had been struggling, trying to decide if the book of Timothy was the direction that the Lord was leading me to for the Daily Dose series.  As I read the first chapter several times to pray about what to write, I could not sense anything for my direction.  Finally, I started asking God if I should head in a different direction, especially since Timothy is a book written to a pastor.  I told God, this book is for pastors, not for me.  Who am I to write about instructions to pastors?  That’s when I finally had a breakthrough.  I believe God showed me that the book isn’t for pastors, it is for ministers and leaders.  As Christians, we all are ministers of the gospel and leaders in the Kingdom of heaven, or at least we should be.  I felt like that was the answer I needed to move forward in this direction.  So, now to continue with 1 Timothy, I will proceed with a different mindset of how Paul’s words apply to all ministry, no matter what stage you are in.

So, in today’s verse Paul is instructing Timothy to tell others not to teach other doctrines.  As we read on, he says that the message should be brought in love from a pure heart and good conscience with sincere faith.  This is also what the focus of our mission should be today.  We are to minister the good news of salvation in love from a pure/clean heart and good/clear conscience in sincerity of faith.  We are not to be distracted by other doctrines that cause separation.  God doesn’t want us to try to argue someone into salvation.  It is not a productive way to win people to the LORD and arguing usually is not done with a pure heart, clear conscience and sincere faith.  Think about it.  When we argue, usually the motivation is because we think we are right and want others to submit to our way of thinking.  This is the exact opposite of the instruction given here.  Arguing is prideful, because we think we are right and want others to know it.  Arguing is not motivated from a pure heart because it comes from a spirit of proving a person is wrong.  Arguing and disputing certainly isn’t done in love because in your heart you believe the other person is wrong and should listen to you.

Effective ministry must be done in the love of God.  Recognizing that the reason you are sharing with others is because God loves them and that is the reason you love them.  Not because of anything they have or have not done to deserve your love or God’s for that matter.  This is where a pure heart and clear conscience comes from.  Lastly, it is a step of faith to love others with God’s love.  You have to trust that God’s love will break through even the hardest of hearts.  Even when a person is underserving of your love, you can still love them with God’s love.

Today I want to encourage you in whatever ministry you have.  Whether it is a position in your church, neighborhood or workplace, share the love of God first of all.  As you speak words of encouragement and love to those around you, remember that it is God’s love for them that is motivating your heart and God’s love is first of all pure.  Speak to others with the clear conscience that you are looking for nothing from them in return and your desire is only that they would know how much God loves them to the point of sending His Son so He could have a relationship with them.  Lastly, recognize the sincerity of your faith because you are trusting that as you share God’s love with others, He will show up and make it so real to them.  It is not our place to prove that God’s love for others is real, our job is to simply share it with other.  After we share, God does His part in their life to make Himself real to them.  That is what brings people to Him.

Today’s scripture reading: 1 Timothy 1:3-7

3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.

5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,

6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk,

7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

Next generation

To Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Timothy 1:2

This is thought provoking.  Paul wrote a letter to Timothy who he called his son in the faith.  Timothy had a father.  We know because he is mentioned previously in the book of Acts.  However, Paul was Timothy’s spiritual father because he mentored and train him up in the things of faith and his walk with the Lord.  Timothy traveled with Paul on many of his missionary trips and then became the pastor/bishop of the church in Ephesus. 

So, what is a spiritual father or mother?  It is someone who walks with you in life and coaches, trains and encourages you in the things of the Spirit of God.  In the case of Paul and Timothy, Paul taught and instructed Timothy until he was spiritually mature enough to take on a ministry on his own.  In a sense, Paul was duplicating himself in Timothy to reach the next generation.  To continue the work of the ministry after Paul was gone.

It is really the way the gospel has continued to grow and pass down through the ages.  Through training and teaching the future leaders of the day.  In our day we have schools that train people for ministry, but that can only go so far.  Until you walk things out, there is training that cannot be taught in a classroom.  You may be thinking: “yes, but that was the apostle Paul, I’m not qualified to teach anyone?  The fact is every believer can bring others along with them.  It can be as simple as inviting a neighbor to church or a small group.  It can be something like praying with others or simply offering an encouraging word.  Whatever opportunity God puts in front of you, you always have something to offer.

Today I want to encourage you to look for someone you can walk along with in life to help them spiritually.  Invite someone to church or offer that encouraging word.  Even if it is not accepted the first time, seeds were planted, and you can try again when the next opportunity comes.  We won’t live here forever, let’s make sure we all do our part to ensure the next generation carries on the good news of salvation in Jesus.

Today’s scripture reading: 1 Timothy 1:1-7

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,

2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.

5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,

6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk,

7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.

He must increase

He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30

After John the Baptist introduced Jesus at His baptism as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, Jesus began His public ministry.  Some confusion came from John’s disciples about who they should follow and what their next steps were.  They came and reported to John that now Jesus was baptizing and the people were going to Him instead of John’s ministry.  John was not offended by this.  He patiently explained to them that he had already told them that he was not the Christ and then he said: He must increase, it is my time to decrease.

That was great wisdom on John’s part.  He didn’t feel the need to compete and was not at all threatened that the people were following Jesus now.  He recognized what His mission was and knew when it was time to step out of the spotlight.

Although our mission today is a little different, we can still learn from John’s example.  Yes, we are to prepare the way and make the path straight for people to receive God’s gift of salvation through Jesus, but it is equally important to remember that this mission is focused on Jesus and His paying the punishment for all people and giving us a right relationship with our heavenly Father.  Our mission is not designed to bring glory personally and it is not meant to draw attention to us.  He is the One who is increased and we are the ones who stay submitted to Him and the mission He has called us to.  Your ministry and assignment, whatever it is, gives you a platform to share the love of God with others.  It can be a temptation to use that grace that you have been given for your own fame and increase.  It is vital to recognize that your calling is not to put the spotlight on yourself or anyone else in this world, but it is to point all people to the Lord Jesus Christ and God’s great love for them.

There are some practical ways that we can do this and set up a plan ahead of time to not fall into the deception of pointing people to other ministries or even your own.  The number one thing is daily prayer and submitting your life and words to God first thing.  Make sure that you are committing to your Father that you want to point people to Him and not be taking credit for the blessing that flow in your life.  You can even include today’s scripture in your daily talk with God.  Pray that He would increase in your life and you would remain behind the scenes.

Secondly, direct people to the scripture, the Word of God.  When encouraging people in the Lord, do not send them to another ministry or website, get them in the bible as soon as possible.  I realize that it can seem like it would be easier for a new believer to understand some resources that are more modern in language, but there are many easy to read translations and application bibles that are simplified for new believers to understand.  The Word of God is the most important physical resource, and it should be our number one go to along with prayer when helping others.

Lastly, whatever audience you have been given to share the good news with, whether at work, in your neighborhood or school, commit to the Holy Spirit to surrendering all the glory to Him.  He will bless you for it and as you follow His direction and lead, you will have a great influence in impacting God’s Kingdom for all eternity.

Today I want to encourage you to submit your mission and calling to the One who has called you.  Turn all your gifts and abilities over to Him for Kingdom use.  Make a difference in this life and the next, by living your life with the mindset and heart that He must increase and I must decrease!

Today’s scripture reading: John 3:27-36

27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 

28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 

29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 

30 He must increase, but I must decrease. 

31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 

32 And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 

33 He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. 

34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. 

35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 

36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Prepare the way

You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’  John 3:28

When Jesus stepped into His public ministry after being baptized by John, John announced: He must increase, and I must decrease. John fulfilled mission to the letter: 1. He was a voice crying in the wilderness because that is where he lived.  2. His ministry was to prepare the way of the Lord’s coming, 3. so he made the path straight and clear for Jesus.  The people were ready and watching for Him. 

So, what does this mean for us today?  Since this scripture was fulfilled 2000 years ago, how can we apply it to our lives and world today?  Is this just another history lesson, or is there something we can do with it now in our time?  The answer is absolutely, yes!  Today, we are the voices crying out from the wilderness of the wild world we live in.  We are preparing the way for His salvation message to get through to hearts of the people around us.  We are walking the straight path in this crooked and perverse realm.  All people will see the salvation of God through our witness and through our testimony.  We are the forerunner of the return of our Savior, and we are to get this world ready for His return by getting the message spread throughout the whole earth.

How can we do this?  By being the hands and feet of Jesus right where we are each day.  By reaching out to the hurting and lost people in our neighborhoods and communities.  I know this isn’t always easy to do but ask the Lord to open doors and give wisdom and understanding of what will reach individuals.  Share what God has done in your life and love people right where they are.  Let them know God wants to help them, He loves them and has a way out of every pit they have fallen into.  People need to know that all they have to do is call on the name of the Lord and He will save them. (See Romans 10:13)

Today I want to encourage you to prepare the way for the Lord from the wilderness of your world to reach those around you.  Ours is not the work to save people, we are only to share the love of God and His great salvation message with them.  The Holy Spirit does the work, and He is the One that does the saving.  We just need to let those around us know that God is good and has good planned for them.  You can back it up by telling them about all His goodness in your own life.  Prepare the way of the Lord today and He will show up and rescue people right where they are.

Today’s scripture reading: John 3:22-36

22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. 

23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. 

24 For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

25 Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. 

26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”

27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 

28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 

29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 

30 He must increase, but I must decrease. 

31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 

32 And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 

33 He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. 

34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. 

35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 

36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

“Rub off”

“Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there.”  John 3:22

This is a transition scripture that really doesn’t get that much attention because on the surface it doesn’t look like it holds much meaning.  However, if we look a little deeper, it is actually a time when Jesus just “hung out” with His guys for a while.  Recently I heard a message about the word that was translated “spent some time with”.  It actually means to “rub off” on like you would when you spend a lot of time with certain people.  You actually take on the same attitudes and even mannerisms.  This is extremely important because Jesus was imparting Himself into His disciples.  By spending time with Jesus, the disciples were becoming more like Him.  For three years they were pretty much together all the time, which explains how they eventually became great teachers and started the New Testament church that is still living and active today.

My point in saying all this is that Jesus didn’t make converts, He made disciples and the way He did it was by investing time in them.  Not just time, but actually His life.  He still had other things going on and crowds of people around Him most of the time, but He selected a specific group that He kept close to Him all the time.  They were His apprentices studying intently so they could take over His ministry when He was gone.  

Building relationships with others is the key to bringing people closer to the LORD.  Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”  Those that you are giving the most attention to and spending the most time with keep you connected in a unique way.  Even though you may not realize it, you are impacting those lives in some way.  Jesus told us in His last words here to go and make disciples.  He never said go and make converts.  The way to make disciples is the way He did by purposefully spending time with others and “rubbing off” on them, helping them to develop the habits that will keep them close to their Savior.

Today I want to encourage you to, first of all, spend time hanging out with God in a special quiet time each day and let Him “rub off” on you.  Secondly, invest in others.  Spend your time and resources to make a conscious effort to make disciples.  Start by working with one individual that needs your love and attention and then impart your life into them.  Take them along with you where you go and make time to spend hanging out with them.  Eventually, grow your sphere of influence and disciple others.  Whether it’s one at a time or a whole group, the best way to be effective for kingdom progress is to bring people alongside you each day and let God “rub off” of you on to them.

Today’s scripture reading:  John 3:20-24

20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 

21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

22 After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. 

23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. 

24 For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

Be A Superhero

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:17

We all love superhero movies.  We love to see the good guys win and the bad guys lose, but what is it about a superhero that makes him super?  Sure there are those that are a product of some freak of nature that gives them some sort of super power and there are some that are products of a scientific experiment (usually gone bad), but what about those who just end up being heroes?  How is it that they become superheroes?  The answer is in what they do when they are not doing heroic acts.  Maybe it’s work outs or maybe it’s research.  It could even be practice, but the fact is, usually heroes are doing something beyond normal within their regular routine.

Now let’s talk about the superhero inside of you.  What are you doing within your regular routine to promote your superhero work?  Do you “binge” out every chance you get?  Maybe you play games or watch video clips for hours on end.  Not that any of these things are wrong in their proper place.  However, down time is also a time for building up and preparing for things to come . . . planned or unexpected things.  For example, we can be building up our faith muscles by reading, meditating, and listening to the Word of God.  We can be preparing for things we know are coming up such as tests, trials, and temptations.  In today’s world the things we are most preparing for are how to become more comfortable, not how to overcome the obstacles that are a guarantee in life.

Here’s the truth!  You are a superhero!  You have been supernaturally born again by the power of the blood of Jesus.  You have the greater One living on the inside of you continuously.  Each one of us has the opportunity to be good at being a superhero!  We can become the hero to others by giving of ourselves to encourage, build up, and the greatest gift of all, save lives by leading them to eternal life with our loving Heavenly Father through the love and sacrifice of Jesus!  Now that’s superhero work!

Today I want to encourage you to focus on getting beyond yourself and turn your attention to those around you that you can bless.  Whether it’s offering an encouraging word, lifting someone up in intercessory prayer or talking to someone about the great love God has for them.  Always be on the look out to be a hero to someone wherever you are.  You have been given supernatural ability for the purpose of connecting your Heavenly Father with others here in the world.  Be the superhero today that your soul longs to be and start your super hero work, now.

Today’s scripture reading: John 3:13-21

13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. 

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 

15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 

21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”