Sorrow

After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.” (John 13:21)

Ever been betrayed by someone you held near and dear to your heart? Jesus understands. In a very solemn announcement He testifies that His spirit is and troubled over the coming betrayal of one He has shared life with. It is painful to His core. What a bitter sorrow to witness an apostle turn apostate. It is evident that this is a particularly cutting sorrow to Jesus. Just because Judas’ actions were foreknown by our Lord neither lessened nor dulled the blow. Sorrow is no less acute known long in advance. Certainly our Lord had sensed the hardness and deadness that sin had produced in Judas’ heart. He knows exactly what is in a man’s heart, much better than we know ourselves, discerning even the motives behind our actions.

O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. (Psalm 139:1-4)

In this verse for today, Jesus was not only giving the other disciples a “heads up,” but also lovingly warning Judas as well. Unfortunately for Judas, he did not heed the Lord’s admonition. The next time Judas will see Jesus will be in the garden when he comes with the mob to betray him. Sadly, within a very short time both the Master and the servant are dead–the Master dying for our sins–the treacherous servant dying in his. Judas missed his opportunity to turn for his sin.

What trouble the Lord went through for the sake of our souls! Indeed, He was acquainted with sorrow and suffering.

The prophet Isaiah had prophesized regarding this as well:

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)

It is verses like these that help us see the amazing love Christ demonstrated towards sinners. He died for Judas. He died for me and He died for you as well. His love for us is beyond measure in depth and tenderness. His love carries with it the great cost of Calvary.

“Love seeks one thing only: the good of the one loved.” (Thomas Merton)

I am reminded of Paul’s words in Romans:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

This single verse in John that is our verse for today serves as a reminder to all believers that, like our Lord, we will neither be loved nor embraced by the world. We can expect opposition. We have no cause to be surprised if we share in our Lord’s lot when friends fail and men disappoint. We are in the world but we are not to be of the world. Friendship with God is to be enduring the world’s hatred.

Jesus had warned His disciples regarding this very thing:

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.” (John 15:18-20)

Take It to Heart

“Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty,
At Calvary.”
(William R. Newell, At Calvary)

“Redemption does not only look back to Calvary. It looks forward to the freedom in which the redeemed stand.” (Leon Morris)

A Willing Heart

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” (John 13:12-17)

As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are under an obligation to follow the example of our Master. What Christ has done we should not disdain to do. Our freedom in Christ was never meant to be a license for laziness and self indulgences. This ultimately results in slavery as sin always gains a foothold in a life when it is consistently allowed. The goal of freedom in Christ is loving service.

The Bible says:

Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6)

Jesus tells us:
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave–just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-28)

The wording Jesus uses in our verses for today confirms and points to the fact we are to follow in His footsteps. The word translated “should” in verse 14 is from the Greek Word opheilo which means “to owe, to be indebted” (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible–New Testament Lexical Aids).

The word “should” oftentimes in our day leaves us more with the impression of suggestion rather than obligation. This is not what Jesus means here. As His followers, He is our Teacher and Lord and it is our spiritual obligation to follow. It is the highest way and it is the best way for our lives. The loving pattern Jesus demonstrates to us by the example of His life is the best way for every human.

This is not legalism, but love. And when we begin to follow the path Jesus set forth for His followers to follow–acting according to His example through the power of the Holy Spirit it–our actions often turn from being motivated by duty to being motivated by desire. It is a high calling unearthly in its satisfaction and pleasure.

“To love God, to serve Him because we love Him, is … our highest happiness … Love makes all labor light. We serve with enthusiasm where we love with sincerity.”
(Hannah More)

In our verses for today Jesus gives us the promise that obedience to our knowledge of the truth will always be blessed. Knowledge can be a very funny thing.

The Bible tells us:

Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Corinthians 8:1)

Nothing is more common than for one to sit, soak … and sour regarding the teaching of God’s Word. Professing to know truth yet remaining in disobedience. People seem to flatter themselves in thinking that there is something redeeming and credible in knowledge alone yet they remain barren of fruit in heart or character. Sadly, to know what we ought to do and what we ought to believe and what we ought to be yet remain unaffected by this knowledge only adds to our guilt in the sight of God. Where much has been given, much is expected. We who live in a land inundated with Bibles and commentaries and sermons and churches and more Biblical resources than one can imagine should take heed to this. Unfortunately, we oftentimes are careless and indifferent to what has been graciously allowed to us.

Take It to Heart

Obedience and practice is the very life of our relationship with God. We will never truly be happy in our Lord’s service if we are content with only the head knowledge of duty. Doctrinal orthodoxy apart from practical love and humility is worthless before God. We shrink the Holy Spirit within us through our lack of willing obedience. God does not force our obedience; we always have a choice.

“In the kingdom of God, service is not a stepping stone to nobility. It is nobility.” (T. W. Manson)

A Servant of All

Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
(John 13:3-9)

Well aware of His own sovereign authority, origin, and coming destiny, Jesus fleshes out for His disciples (and for all of us as well) a wonderful example of servant leadership in action. He had been from eternity with God and He was going back to God, knowing all the dignity and majesty of His office. And yet, He condescends to perform the most menial task.

Believers comfortable in their own skin–knowing who they belong to, knowing their lives are filled with purpose and power and hope, knowing they are fully loved and accepted, have no trouble grasping this great truth of Scripture: Whoever desires to be great must be a servant. Those most highly esteemed in God’s kingdom are those who serve, those who willingly humble themselves.

Our Master has shown us true servanthood and has paved the way for our obedience. He is our great teacher of lowliness of heart, stripping off one glorious robe of honor after another until we find Him naked on a cross pouring out His lifeblood for each one of us. How then do we dare have the audacity to be proud?

Paul tells us in Philippians:
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8)

We care so much about what man thinks. This thought has permeated our churches and our ministries as well as our lives. We oftentimes rate our success or failure on the approval and accolades of man. I doubt seriously if Mother Teresa began her ministry caring for the poorest of poor on this earth in Calcutta with the Nobel Peace Prize in mind. She was simply humbly serving her Master by stopping to love and care for those who could not help themselves–and it was the Lord who exalted her in the eyes of man.
Our confidence lies in the fact that Christ is genuinely concerned about our welfare. He is acutely aware of all we are going through and has promised the grace sufficient to meet each need. He loves us and desires for us to fulfill His purposes!

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

To Peter’s credit, his opposition was motivated by humility. What he couldn’t accept was the reversal of the roles the Lord appeared to be initiating. Peter was the servant and Jesus was his Master. He had been privy to see His Master’s hands heal the leper and restore sight to the blind. He had seen Jesus raise the dead and believed Him to be the Son of God … and now He stoops to wash the feet of His disciples? Peter should be the one washing the Lord’s feet! It was a paradox beyond his comprehension. Yet Jesus’ purpose in this act of service was to teach a great spiritual lesson to His disciples and to all of us as well. We are all in need of continual cleansing and renewal to remain in fellowship with God. We sin, we fall, we break fellowship, we humbly repent, and we are then restored. This is not regarding our salvation, rather our abiding fellowship with Him.


Take It to Heart

Nothing eternal is ever accomplished in the flesh. When our fellowship is broken through sin, we unfortunately begin to operate in ways that seem right in our own eyes. Jesus tells us that apart from Him we can do nothing.

Jesus silences Peter’s objections by stating his lack of understanding. His vision was now veiled, yet later he would comprehend. How often that happens to us as well. Our vision is blurred by our circumstances and we raise objections regarding God’s best for our lives. Often, like Peter, we oppose what we do not understand. It is only through our willing obedience that our eyes will be open to more of His ways. Never forget, Christ’s way is supremely the best way.

The Great Love of Jesus

It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. (John 13:1)

Our Lord’s appointed “fullness of time” was nearing. His death and resurrection were now imminent and He was readying for His departure home.

We find Him telling His disciples this a little later in John:
“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” (John 16:28)

In Christ’s incarnation, He came from the Father. In Christ’s humiliation, He uncloaked His glory, entered this world and subjected Himself to the despising of those He came to save. He further humbled Himself by taking upon His sinless body the full chalice of God’s wrath against every sin committed by man–past, present, and future.

By having these sins nailed to a cross and bearing the full weight of them upon His body, He lovingly provides a way for mankind to regain access to God. Every evil deed, every act of gross vileness, every sinful word spoken, every slight, every selfish act–all depravity and all evil–He bore upon His perfect flesh. Therefore, in Christ’s exaltation, He was resurrected and ascended back to His Father’s side in all glory.

Praise His Name! I am reminded of Paul’s words to the Philippians:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death–even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11)

In our verses for today, realizing His time is drawing near, Jesus is about to show to His sheep–those He dearly loved–the full extent of His love. This love He is readying to demonstrate appears to be all wrapped up in selfless serving.

In reading the Biblical definition of love we find the following:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)

Jesus was patient with His disciples, bearing with their infirmities and never taking away His loving kindness from them. Though He reproved them, He never removed His love from them and they remained in His constant care and concern. He rejoiced when they “got it”; He protected them; had high hopes for them; persevered to the end with them; He served them. He perfectly demonstrated Biblical love to His closest companions. This remains true of His disciples today. He has a warm and friendly love for those that are His own. Nothing can separate the believer from the love of Jesus.

I am reminded of Paul’s encouraging words to us in Romans:

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord
.
(Romans 8:31-39)

Take It to Heart
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What actions do we choose to do when we are leaving someone we hold dear? How is it that we manifest our love towards those we care for deeply?

“Love seeks one thing only: the good of the one loved.” (Thomas Merton)

Pay Attention!

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 
Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” (Luke 22:7-8)

The critical and decisive point had arrived and Jesus tells His closest disciples to, “Go and make preparations.” Why is it that oftentimes we do not take advantage of the opportune moment? For me, the critical moment is when I am asked about my faith and I stumble and trip over my words leaving my listener with no greater understanding of who Jesus is. Sometimes I miss an opportunity to teach the truth to my children because of my all too important busyness–robbing me of intimacy in my family life. I am sure that you can name your own ways of not making the most of every opportunity.

Scripture tells us that we are to be “very careful” regarding how we are to live:

Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Have you noticed that many times, we just get one shot? Some opportunities only present themselves once.

While Paul tells us we are not to dwell on the past losses or mistakes, we are to strain toward what is ahead in this race called life:

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Philippians 3:12-16)

Let’s be honest, the greatest gift in human history was about to be accomplished for mankind and the disciples were basically unaware. The prophets had foretold it, Jesus had spoken plainly to His closest confidents about it, and still the disciples were, for the most part, clueless. I am reminded of Jesus’ appearance to two of His followers after His resurrection as they walked along the road to Emmaus.

Unaware that it was Jesus, they were downcast and befuddled:
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.

He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

“What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”

He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24: 13-27)

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Take It to Heart
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“Our God is a God who not merely restores, but takes up our mistakes and follies into His plan for us and brings good out of them.” (J. I. Packer)

“Real trust in God is above circumstances and appearances.” (George Muller)

“We mustn’t doubt in the darkness what God has shown us in the light.”
(Robert J. Morgan)

That You May Have Life

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31)

In our verses for today John notes that there were other signs performed by our Lord Jesus not recorded in his Gospel. It wasn’t that there wasn’t enough evidence of our Lord’s miracles and of His resurrection–indeed, there were plenty of proofs. But the penman who wrote regarding Christ’s resurrection provided sufficient evidence that one stands on solid ground in believing on a risen Savior. John wrote with the intention of confirming our faith.

Indeed, the authors of the scripture, guided by the Holy Spirit, gave their accounts without any view of temporal benefit to themselves. Their goal was to establish the faith of their readers–bringing people to Christ and to heaven.

John was zealous for those in his sphere of influence to believe in the risen Savior–it was of utmost importance to him.

The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. (John 19:35)

In like manner, the Apostle Paul burned with passion for the salvation of souls, particularly for his brothers, the Israelites. He writes in Romans:

I speak the truth in Christ–I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit–I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. (Romans 9:1-5)

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. (Romans 10:1)

The Lord’s first disciples were confident in what their eyes had seen and their ears had heard–propelling them to tell others of a saving faith and life in Christ.

Take It to Heart

We are to be like minded. Not simply living as unto ourselves but also for the good of those God strategically places in our paths. They are not there by chance. Believers have life-saving news for every soul:God richly blesses all who call on Him in faith! We are to speak it and live it.

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:9-13)

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" (Romans 10:14-15)

I think it interesting when John writes:  “that by believing you may have life in his name.” We have life in abundance when we walk as He walked–when we manifest His character through the Spirit’s power. This truth greatly affects our here and now. This changes everything when we grab hold and apply the truth that we are to walk as Jesus did. Freedom, peace, joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment–indeed, every promise in Scripture is a “Yes” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). It is the fullness of our joy.

Love for Jesus

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:17-18)

Oh, the zealous love Mary had for her Lord! With all her might, she gripped Him with the fervent attempt of not ever letting Him go! She simply never again wanted Him out of her sight. The thrill of seeing her Master alive and standing before her produced within her an immense excitement and an extravagant joy. I wonder, do I love the Lord like that?

No one had loved Him more or clung to Him more tenaciously than she, and she was richly rewarded for this. It is no wonder the Lord Jesus conferred upon her such high honor.

“Singular honor is reserved for solitary faith. Mary has the first personal manifestation of Christ after His resurrection. She is the first witness of this most important and illustrious fact, and the first messenger of it to His disciples.” 

Jesus forbids Mary to dote on His bodily presence as before, leading her rather to a spiritual communion which she would enjoy with Him even after His ascension. What perhaps reads harsh to us, Christ is lovingly pointing her to look higher than His bodily presence–further than the present state of things. The best service she can now do for Him is to go and tell others. This was the very first work that our risen Savior proposed to John as well. Jesus calls Mary to an active duty to others–to arise and be useful. He calls every believer to this high calling as well.

Mary becomes an apostle to the apostles in reward for her constancy in clinging to Christ. She was comforted by the sight of her Master and now she is sent with the good news to comfort others. When God comforts us, it is often with the purpose of comforting others:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Take It to Heart

Jesus was entering glory and He now refers to His disciples as brothers instead of friends. He wanted them to know that the earth was not their home. He wants us to know this as well. We are born from heaven and are bound for heaven. We are to keep earth under our feet and heaven in our eyes. We are to seek things above, not earthly things. Paul states:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Believed

Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:28-29)

Our verses for today illustrate the willingness of the crowd to know and to do their duty regarding the requirements of God. They were totally convinced the “food that endures” that Jesus had spoken of (verse 27) would be theirs at the completion of such works. They presented both a serious and humble question in response to Jesus’ words; willing to do the work, they now sought to know what the work was.

I can so relate to their inquiry! We live in such a works-oriented culture, do we not? Ever pushing ourselves to do more and more–get up earlier, stay up later–push, push, push, work, work, work, do, do, do. We even come back from our vacations needing rest! Sometimes I wonder what underlying factors propel our motivation toward this frenzied lifestyle–pride, insecurity, a continual desire for more, greed, power, selfishness, a desire to blend, a desire to stand out–you fill in the blank. I know what it definitely is not–it is not God’s requirement for our salvation. Scripture tells us:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Our works will never be good enough because flawed people do flawed works. Simply put, we lack. This is why we need a Savior; we simply cannot save ourselves no matter how hard we try.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Jesus gives the people an answer quite contrary to their works-oriented thinking.

"The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

Do we believe in the One He has sent? It is God who does the work of faith; the one thing necessary for us is that we believe or trust in the One He has sent. Jesus, sent from the Father, full of grace and truth, came to seek and to save that which was lost–which is everyone:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:9-10)

Take It to Heart

While grace is lavishly and freely poured out to those who believe, it came as a great cost to God. The cross of Christ was the price of grace. Sometimes I think we, as modern day believers, have the gift of grace down so well we are trampling upon it. Grace is not a license for licentious living, rather it is the ultimate response given in the law of love by our Lord. It calls every believer to a higher calling through His power. This love is found in the hearts of those who believe, transformed by the power of the precious indwelling Holy Spirit.

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:13-19)

“It is not a question of our equipment but of our poverty, not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us.” (Oswald Chambers)

Worship in Spirit and Truth

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24)

Jesus tells us the old has gone and the new has now come. Paul puts it this way:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!   
(2 Corinthians 5:17)

No longer bound to worship in the ceremonial way of the Mosaic Law, Jesus now shows us what is essential and necessary: to worship God in both spirit and in truth. The stress is placed on the state of our minds and of our hearts. I am reminded of a time when God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to His people in regard to trusting in their place of worship rather than in Him. At that time in history, the Jews mistakenly thought they were safe to do all sorts of detestable practices because they worshipped in the temple of the Lord–practicing a form of outward religion, with no inward change:

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Stand at the gate of the LORD's house and there proclaim this message: "'Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, "This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!" (Jeremiah 7:1-4)

Jesus tells us we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. We are to depend on God’s Holy Spirit for strength and assistance, worshipping with sincerity of heart and bringing glory to the One we worship because we believe Him to be true. Paul says:

For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3)

This true form of worship begins by setting our hearts and minds on things above–earnestly seeking to bring heavenly direction to our earthly duties by fixing our attention on the eternal rather than the temporal. We are told in Colossians:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Take It to Heart

Simply put, the more we know Him, the more we love Him. The more we love Him, the more we desire to worship Him. The more we worship Him, the more we desire to serve Him. Our worship of Him mirrors the condition of our hearts. The true worship which God desires from His children works from the inside out. Our worship of Him should result in personal transformation.

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God's Great Love

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

The battle rages over the souls of men and while Satan lures us with lies, God lures us with love. God’s ultimate motivation towards His people is love. This love is not limited to a few choice souls or to a few distinct groups, rather His gift of love is given for the whole world.
“The essential fact of Christianity is that God thought all men worth the sacrifice of His Son.” (William Barclay)
To be sure, God delights in us and it is His desire for this delight to be evident to others as well. The prophet Zephaniah tells us:

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

The Bible teaches that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Paul tells us:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

God loves us–we must let the truth of these precious words resonate in our weary souls–impress them upon our hearts and our minds. Indeed, God loves us! Even when we were His enemies, He so loved us that He gave us His one and only Son that those who believe in Him will not perish but experience life in abundance both now and forevermore.

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:15-16)

“The supreme happiness of life,” Victor Hugo said, “is the conviction that we are loved” ... Unfortunately, many people go through life feeling unloved–and unlovable ... No matter the reason, your feelings aren’t telling you the truth! God loves you, and if you begin to see yourself the way God sees you, your attitudes will begin to change. If He didn’t love you, would Christ have been willing to die for you? But He did! The Bible says, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16). God loves you. Hammer that truth into your head and mind every day. It will make all the difference. (Billy Graham)

Take It to Heart

“I was the enemy of God. I was stamping through God’s universe, shaking my fist in His face. And in the very moment when I was shaking my fist in God’s face and tramping through the Creator’s universe, muddying all His streams, that’s when Jesus died for me. And if this is when Jesus died for me, what hope it gives me now! Now, even when I fall, the blood of Jesus is enough. He didn’t save me because I was strong; He saved me when I was weak. He didn’t save me when I was a pretty thing; He saved me when I was a mess. On the basis of this reality, I can have comfort.” (Francis Schaeffer, The Finished Work of Christ)

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32)