May 22: John 18:1-11
Key Verse: John 18:11
Jesus commanded Peter, ‘Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?’
Devotion:
When was the last time you compared two Gospels for a certain point in time? John wrote in his own style and recorded the events which made a bigger impact on him than others – there was only a certain amount of detail each disciple could record! John’s focus here was not on the garden where Jesus took the disciples, nor on how Judas was going to betray Jesus to the officials.
Instead, John focuses on the interaction between the soldiers and Jesus. This was a small crowd of people sent to bring Jesus back to the authorities so He would stand trial for things which were not true, a small crowd which was determined to carry out what they were being paid for. They were after the one who was called Jesus of Nazareth; so they asked His name. Jesus replies saying He is this Jesus they are looking for, not once but twice – to be sure!
When Simon Peter drew his sword and tried to fight back, Jesus stopped him after he had managed to cut off Malchus’ right ear! Jesus berated him saying this was the will of God. All what was about to happen, all that was happening was the will of God. Not a very pleasant thing to go through, but the only way which would make it possible for God to demonstrate His total love for us!
Jesus was going to obey God, no matter what! This is what we need to take away from this story – not the name of the garden, where it is, who was there, what Judas did, what Peter did... just the simple fact Jesus was going to obey God no matter the cost! This is not a cost Jesus is saying we all have to bear – He bore it for our sakes and did it once and for all!
Points to Ponder:
What is God asking you to do?
Will you obey Him?
May 21: John 17:20-26
Key Verse: John 17:24
Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
Devotion:
Read through these verses before you read my words. Read them carefully and mindfully.
This is a prayer Jesus prayed to God the Father for us! This prayer is for all of us who are believers in Christ to be one body, one church, now and forever! This is not just a prayer for us to be friends or to love our neighbours, but to be as one body, one being... just the same as Christ and the Holy Spirit and God the Father are one God! This is the type of closeness Christ wants with us – not just friends!
When we sing that chorus “what a friend we have in Jesus” it is not worthy of the prayer Jesus prays here. Jesus wants to be much closer than friends with us. Jesus wants us to be much closer to God than just believers who will get to be in heaven one day. Jesus wants us to be one with Him just as He is one with God the Father. This means Jesus wants us to be one with the Father!
Jesus made sure we got to feel the real love by giving us the Holy Spirit, that He could dwell in us and love us in a way we could not explain in words. Jesus wants us to experience the love He shares with the Father. Jesus wants us to know this love He has for us! Just as Jesus has loved us from the beginning of time, so too is this love He wants us to experience with Him and God the Father.
We may find it difficult to figure out the Trinity – how God can be three parts but one – but this is the same one-ness God wants for us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like having the Holy Spirit with you?
Will you make room for God in three persons in your heart?
May 20: Psalm 117:1-2
Key Verse: Psalm 117:1
Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.
Devotion:
If there was one thing I could wish for and see it come true, it would be for all nations around the world to come together and praise the Lord! If we were able to allow people in every country to freely come to God and worship, the world would be a much better place! Instead, we continue to have to endure countries who say they accept the freedom to worship but impose such restrictions to make life impossible for those who want to worship.
God sent Christ to this world to make the choice to believe a reality and open to all people, starting with His chosen people. If we look at modern society around the world, we may be pushed to believe the countries who claim to be followers of God do allow people the choice of following God! We see politics taking over religious places and organisations making them an extension to the political world instead of places where people can freely come to worship God!
God showed us His amazing love by creating a world for us to live on. He continued to show His love by maintaining this place in a hostile universe. He continued to show His love when people rejected Him and chose worldly temptations instead! He continues to show us His love despite the world doing some horrible things! Why? Because He loves us!
Because of His love, He continue to be faithful and just no matter what goes on in the world around us. We have the choice to believe or not to believe. In the Western world this choice is open and on the table. My fear is for the people who want to find God in their countries where they would be persecuted for doing anything the governments cannot control – they cannot and never will control God! Choose God, choose freedom and pray for those who are stuck behind enemy lines!
Points to Ponder:
What one thing would you prayer for right now?
Undecided? Will you join me in prayer for the world-wide freedom to worship?
May 19: 1 John 5:9-13
Key Verse: 1 John 5:13
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Devotion:
What does it take for you to believe something? What if a stranger told you something – would you believe it? What about a friend? What if you read a story in a trashy tabloid newspaper? What if you read it in a scientific journal? We each have our definition of what or who we can trust and we tend to stick with our pre-defined ideas of what we can trust. Sometimes those things we trust in are what we learn from friends – so how far back do you have to go before you actually trust?
When you read the bible, do you trust the words written down, or do you think they are just a guide book for what you can think yourselves? We have to have a definition of what we believe is the truth or we have nothing to compare the stories to! The disciples spent a long time walking round with Jesus, watching the miracles and listening to every word He taught. They had learned to believe in what Jesus was saying!
We may not have the luxury of walking around with Jesus, but we do have our bibles which are a written account of Jesus’ life as well as a history book of what had happened before Jesus came to earth in human form. When the writer penned these words, it was as a definition of what the truth he had learned. The truth he had witnessed.
Jesus came and did this all so we would be able to have faith in what God was and is trying to teach us. He came to display the truth in front of others so they could write it down for us to learn from. He did this all without hesitation because of His love for us and for the world He created. When we place our faith and trust in this truth we have in our hands, we can be encouraged by everything Christ has done for us and everything He has promised us. This is faith – believing in the unseen, knowing it to be true and righteous!
Points to Ponder:
How far do you trust the truth?
Are you trusting the truth given to you by Christ?