John 10,11

Jesus wept with Mary and Martha because of the passing of their brother. Does Christ still weep when we go through difficult times?

The writer of Hebrews described the compassion of Christ by saying, “For we have not an high priest (Jesus) which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” [Hebrews 4:15]

Jesus was God in the flesh and has the range of emotions that we have. We are instructed to cast all our cares on Him because HE CARES FOR US.

John 8,9

The religious leaders of Christ’s day called Him “demon possessed.” They could be no further from the truth. Yet, in their hatred and envy, they hurled accusations against Him and threatened anyone believing in Him to be expelled from the synagogues.

There is a similar campaign against our president. I’m not telling anyone how to vote, but the hatred and resistance against the elected leaders of our land is rooted in similar motivations. How sad it is.

Gratefully, Christ was empowered and protected by the Heavenly Father and put His whole focus on what His Father had called Him to do.

John 8

Jesus was the truth of God. He came to bring truth to us, and He ONLY spoke truth.

The truth was difficult for many to hear. They were so steeped in their own concepts and the shortsightedness of their sins. Yet He confronted their misconceptions with the eternal truths God wanted to reveal through His teaching.

If we don’t want the real truth, we are fooling ourselves. At the end of the road, only real truth will permit us to live eternally. The sooner we buckle down and accept truth, the sooner we can progress in our spiritual growth.

Truth exposes all error.

Lord, shine the spotlight of Your truth on our lives.

John 6,7

How strong a voice must you have to be heard by 5,000 people in an outside setting? PRETTY STRONG! Jesus not only had the strongest spiritual content ever heard … He must have had a strong, resonant voice that could project well enough to be heard by great crowds of followers.

On another occasion when He was in the temple [John 7:28] He cried out/shouted with a loud voice to address the worshipers. It is recorded that He spoke boldly. No doubt the Holy Spirit was heavily upon Him as He made these emphatic proclamations.

This voice could still the tempest, heal the sick, drive out demons, preach to thousands, yet it could calm and soothe the broken heart and bring peace to all who heard Him.

John 4,5

Jesus healed a lame man at the pool of Bethesda. Soon after the miracle, Christ saw the same man in the temple. He was probably reporting to the priests to be declared ceremonially clean.

Christ said, “You are now well. But don’t sin anymore or something worse might happen. He definitely established a link between sin and painful consequences.

Charles and Francis Hunter, evangelists who prayed for healing, would often command their followers, “Stop sinning!”

The writer of Romans exhorts, “Shall we continue in sin that grace has to keep abounding? God forbid!”

John 3

God’s Spirit is offered to us without limit. As much as we can seek Him and be filled with His Spirit, we can never exhaust it’s limits and never reach a point of maximum saturation. He’s infinitely available to us.

John 1,2

Disclaimer:

I and my wife are both abstainers when it comes to drinking alcohol. We were both raised that way and choose to maintain this posture for our own reasons. This post in no way supports or condemns you if you choose to imbibe.

When Jesus turned the water into wine, His miracle produced “choice wine.” It was THE BEST! He didn’t produce the cheapest or most reasonable beverage. He produced a wine that was superior to anything yet tasted at the wedding.

It’s been said, “God don’t make junk!”

He is certainly capable and able to make anything in a superlative way.

A story: My recent mother-in-law, Frances Beck, led ladies’ Bible studies around town. She needed a car to get to them. She began praying for a vehicle.  A friend told her one day, “Go down to the Buick dealer and pick out a new car. I will pay for it.” Frances picked out a gold-colored Buick … the BEST.

I could tell you many other true stories to prove this point.

Luke 24

Clearly the disciples and followers of Jesus were looking for a king that would deliver them from Rome’s clutches. When He began to supernaturally reveal Himself to them after the crucifixion, They began to realize what was really going on.

It’s the same with us. We are only beginning to become aware that the deliverance from life-besetting sin through His blood sacrifice is the most important freedom we can receive.

I sang a song many years ago that says, “Believe Him, come unto Him, receive from His power. There’s life in Jesus’ name.”

http://www.bensonsound.com/lyrics/0491.htm

Luke 23,24

Christ’s suffering brought our redemption. He submitted to the Heavenly Father’s plan for Him to die on a cross to bring about our eternal salvation.

Surely His disciples were perplexed at the way events transpired. They were looking for Him to set up His Kingdom in a much different manner. Yet, this was God’s process to bring about His perfect will.

We don’t understand why our nation is going through the present Coronavirus trial, but we must trust God that there is an eternal and transcendent reason. It shall be revealed as we endure it. God has a plan to redeem us and bring His Kingdom closer.

Lift up your heads …

Luke 22

Christ’s disciples argued over who was to be the greatest in His Kingdom to come. Can you imagine? Here they were with Him at the end of His earthly ministry. You’d think they would have achieved a more mature spiritual attitude by now. Rather, they were showing how carnal and self-serving our human nature is.

Jesus characteristically corrected them by clarifying that the mature disciple chose to serve above being served.

Christ was our example in EVERYTHING. Look for the one who serves … they are the mature ones. They will have a great reward in Heaven.