Devotional Thoughts

John 12:14-19    "And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written,  (15)  Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt.  (16)  These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.  (17)  The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.  (18)  For this cause the people also met him, for that they heard that he had done this miracle.  (19)  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him." Jesus was making His final trip into Jerusalem. He was fulfilling prophecy as He went.  Some of the people had been the beneficiary of His healing mercies. Some of them had been with Him when He raised Lazarus from the dead. Others had heard of His marv

John 12:9-11    "Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead.  (10)  But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death;  (11)  Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus." When will the world learn that they cannot do away with the Lord God Almighty?  They are still trying today to rid His influence in the world. Have you noticed that churches were closed but not the big retail stores in the year of the pandemic? It seems they think they can eliminate the influence of God by closing the doors of meeting houses. The world does not realize the building is not the church. Neither did the scribes, Pharisees, and chief priests of that day realize this fact. They felt the people would not believe in Jesus if they could get rid of Lazarus. Get rid of the visible and the rest will go away. Their

John 12:1-2    "Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.  (2)  There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him." This day is set between the day Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead and the day Jesus would die. They were celebrating the life of Lazarus. He had been dead, buried, and was now alive again.  He was seated at the table with Jesus, enjoying the wonderfully prepared meal. Notice something about this passage: "and Martha served."  She is no longer complaining that she has to serve while everyone else is sitting around. I believe she is gladly serving the One Who is The Resurrection and The Life. She is gladly serving the one for whom she had just mourned because of his death. The work of Jesus in our lives changes the perspective of our service. When we truly realize what Jesus has done for us, service is a joy r

Joshua 22:29 – God forbid that we should rebel against the Lord, and turn this day from following the Lord, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the Lord our God that is before his tabernacle. There are few more potent phrases in the Bible than “God forbid.” It is always associated with avoiding calamitous sin and error. In Old Testament and New, these words express the most vehement desire for God’s intervention. In Joshua the children of Israel were conquering and settling the land promised to their forefathers. When some of the tribes decided to settle east of the River Jordan, they realized that this river created a barrier between them and their fellow Israelites.  They then erected a giant altar as a memorial of their common bond of worship of the One True God. However, their fellow Israelites misinterpreted the memorial as an attempt to setup a separate place of sacrifice. Civil war almost resulted from the bitter emot

John 11:45-48    "Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.  (46)  But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.  (47)  Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.  (48)  If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation." Paul tells us the Greeks seek after wisdom and the Jews seek a visible sign.  For one group, if I can understand the mechanics of how something happens, then I will be satisfied. For the other group, seeing is believing.  When the Jews who were at that place saw what Jesus did, they believed on Him. These are the same ones who had wondered why Jesus did not come immediately to heal Lazarus.  Out of that group, there were those who felt threatened by this power that was exhibited. They ran to tell the Pharisees w

John 11:43-44    "And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth  (44)  And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go." Jesus had intentionally waited before going to Bethany. Upon arrival, He had spoken to Martha and to Mary.  They both mentioned the fact that Jesus could have prevented the death of Lazarus. Also their friends who had come to comfort them had said Jesus could have healed Lazarus. Looking back, we know the reason Jesus waited. They were about to experience the elevating power of the Lord Jesus Christ as He went with them to the tomb.  I wonder what the conversation was like as they walked to the grave. Jesus is still groaning within Himself.  Is He listening as they continue to mourn? Is He groaning with compassion for Mary and Martha? Is He groaning because Lazarus is going to be brought back to this sinful wor

John 11:33-36    "When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,  (34)  And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.  (35)  Jesus wept.  (36)  Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!" "Jesus wept." We know this as the shortest verse in the Bible.  In my days, we were sometimes asked to memorize a Bible verse in school. Everyone wanted this verse to be the one they memorized. At Church camp, sometimes the campers would be asked to have a Bible verse as they went into the dining hall for a meal. Yes, you guessed it. This verse was usually quoted by someone in line.  As I am thinking about this verse this morning, I see something much richer than it simply being the shortest verse in the Bible. The very character of Jesus is shown in these two words. Why did Jesus weep? For me, the answer is more complex than one simple thought. I believe there is mor

John 11:23-27    "Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.  (24)  Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.  (25)  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  (26)  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?  (27)  She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." This is part of the conversation with Martha. She had just said, "If you had been here, my brother would not have died." Then she added, "But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee."  It is very apparent that Martha knew Jesus has the power to raise people from the dead. In this last request, it seems she is hoping Jesus will raise Lazarus. When Jesus announced Lazarus would rise again, Martha's thoughts jumped

Matthew 19:2 – And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. There re numerous Scriptures that show us the importance of following God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The consequences of failing to follow our Lord are clear, but what are the benefits? Does the Lord bless us when we follow Him? Come and see. Here are just a few verses that demonstrate the blessings of following God… Psalm 119:1-2 – Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.  Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.  Proberbs 8:32 – Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Matthew 5:3-10 – Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: f

John 11:20-21    "Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.  (21)  Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." John 11:28-32    "And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee.  (29)  As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him.  (30)  Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met him.  (31)  The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, She goeth unto the grave to weep there.  (32)  Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." Next devotional, we will look at Jesus' reply to Martha concerning the resurrection.

John 11:11-15    "These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.  (12)  Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.  (13)  Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.  (14)  Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.  (15)  And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him." The disciples of Jesus had just encouraged Him to stay away from Judea because the Jews sought to kill Him. In His kind manner, Jesus reminded them that His Heavenly Father was in absolute control. Jesus walked in the Light of the counsel of His Heavenly Father.  He had an appointed time, an appointed hour, in which to die and that time had not yet come. "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep." Jesus used the term, sleep, to describe

John 11:5-6    "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.  (6)  When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was." As I look at these two verses, I must admit my mind and heart are going in two different directions. My mind asks, "Why did Jesus wait two days before leaving for Bethany?"  Jesus knew Lazarus was sick. He knew the concern of Mary and Martha.  They very rarely, if ever, sent for Jesus to come under such conditions. Even though Jesus spent much time at their house. Surely He knew they truly were seeking and needing Him at the moment; yet, He "abode two days still in the same place where He was."  That is the place where my mind wanders. Thank God, He has given my heart peace in knowing what Jesus was going to do. My mind says, "Why wait?" My heart knows whatever Jesus does is based upon two things. First, Jesus loves our Heavenly Father and is going to glorify Him. Second

John 11:1-4    "Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.  (2)  (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)  (3)  Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.  (4)  When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby." Chapter 10 ended with Jesus telling the people to believe Him for His works sake. The thought process continues to flow as we go into chapter 11. There is a traumatic event that takes place in the lives of three of Jesus' dear friends. His friend, Lazarus, is very sick. His sisters, Mary and Martha, send for Him to come. Though it is not stated, we can know their intention, their desire, was for Jesus to come and heal their brother. As Jesus hears the messengers tell Him of this sickness, He makes a

John 10:28-29    "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  (29)  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." "And I give unto them."  As I read these verses this morning, my thoughts are going back and forth between the idea of a free gift and the fact this gift is eternal.  These two verses follow a line of action that originates in the Lord Jesus Christ.  He calls us out from the state of being dead in trespasses and sin. We could not bring ourselves out of that state on our own. So the very fact that He calls us from death to life is a free gift. That calling is effectual, that is, the calling of God is effective in our lives. May I say that God never tries to do anything. He never fails when He begins an action. He never stops halfway and then leaves the finishing to mortal man. He calls. We follow. We can all agree t

I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. – Acts 26:9 Have you ever sinned on purpose? I mean, have you decided to do something you know is wrong? Probably so. Even if you did not know the right or wrong of a thing, you did not exhaust your options of learning right from wrong. None of us have been so righteous. We have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Once you admit this basic fact, you can realize the magnificence of Jesus Christ the Righteous. He affected salvation for people who strained against rules and did things contrary to the will of God and their own self interest. The Apostle Paul said of himself that he truly thought that he “ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:9). So convinced of his own self-righteousness, the Apostle believed he was right in persecuting the Church to stamp out any Christian influences, and he is not alone.  We also sin willingl

John 10:27     "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" Jesus has declared Himself to be the Good Shepherd and knows His sheep. Aren't you thankful the Lord of glory knows you? He knows you by name. He knows your thoughts, your words, your actions. He knows the deepest things concerning you and me, and still He loves me. What a glorious thought that is to me! "My sheep hear my voice."  It brings sorrow to my heart to know there are those who confess a faith in the Lord Jesus; yet, they do not believe God has daily interactions with us. Apparently they believe Jesus saved us and then threw us into this cruel world to fend for ourselves.  Jesus said His sheep hear His voice. Does that not give us the understanding and assurance of interaction on a daily basis. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." I once read of two shepherds who met each other along the road as they were moving their flocks of sheep fro

John 10:10-11    "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  (11)  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." "The thief comes to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." "The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep."  We see the contrast between the two. One only wants to destroy us. The other, not only was willing to die, but indeed laid down His life for us. Which one will we seek to follow in our daily lives? It should be a "no-brainer" as to which one's influence we follow. But the truth of the matter is the thief is really good at his craft. He presents temptations before us with bright, crisp colors and sparkles all over.  It may look pretty, but it is full of poison.   The good news is though the thief comes to kill, he cannot do that. He cannot have our life. That was bought and paid for by th

John 10:9    "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Jesus spoke of the sheepfold in the previous verses. Usually the sheepfold was a place prepared by the shepherd for his flock wherein they could find safety and comfort in times of storms.  The shepherd would lead the flock down the path to the sheepfold and then would take them inside where protection was found. Jesus refers to us as being His sheep. He is the Good Shepherd. David, a shepherd himself, wrote of the Lord being His shepherd in the 23rd Psalm. He spoke of the "still waters, green pastures, and paths of righteousness" which fed his soul. You and I can identify with that analogy as we go from day to day. We find rest for our souls as we enjoy fellowship with the Shepherd of our souls, the Lord Jesus Christ. In today's verses, Jesus reminds us that He is "the door", the entrance, into this place of comfort for our souls

John 10:2-4    "But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.  (3)  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.  (4)  And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice." As the transition from Chapter 8 to Chapter 9, so is the movement from Chapter 9 to Chapter 10. I'm thankful for the convenience of the chapter and verse numbers, but sometimes we tend to put a break in the action where it is not intended. Chapter 10 is a continuation of the conversation that was begun at the end of chapter 9. The Pharisees had cast the young man out of the temple. Jesus was there to catch him and lift him up spiritually. The Pharisees had begun to question Jesus concerning their sight, especially their insight into the Scriptures. At one point, the young man had asked the Pharisees if they were wanting to be a disciple of Jesus. &q

John 9:35-38    "Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?  (36)  He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?  (37)  And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.  (38)  And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him." A popular song from the 70's says, "What a difference you've made in my life." Would that not apply to this man who had lived all his life in darkness, until Jesus came into his life? In one day, Jesus turned his life completely around. As he was brought to the place where he normally would sit and ask for alms, he had no idea about this one named Jesus. And now, he confesses Him to be the Son of God, Lord of his life. Again, I say we cannot put the Lord in a box and say He works in the same manner each time, but this is basically the same way the Samaritan woman had been brought to the understa

Jeremiah 23:5 – Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. Who’s in charge?  Is it you?  Is it me?  Government?  Corporations?  Honestly, I am not in control, and I doubt you are.  The government has some power and influence certainly as do corporations.  Even the church has influence, but none of these are truly sovereign.  We all must bow before powers and circumstances beyond our ability to handle.  Only Almighty God has true control, and He has given that power to Jesus Christ, the Son. This same Jesus has been raised up out of the house of King David.  The Apostle Peter said it best, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).  Thus we live in the age of the Kingdom of God, a spiritual nation without border or ethnic limitation.  This kingdom ca

John 10:14-18    "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.  (15)  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.  (16)  And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.  (17)  Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.  (18)  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." I could not have planned this Devotional Text any better than how it worked. Today, we remember the death of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Today, we stop to remember the excruciating pain that Jesus, our Saviour, endured. His flesh was torn as the scourge was laid to His back. His humiliation as He was being paraded down the street as a common criminal. The unimaginable

John 9:24-25    "Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.  (25)  He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see." This poor man was being "put through the wringer" by the Scribes and Pharisees. They could not fathom anyone having their eyes opened and able to see for the first time from birth. They asked time after time how it had been done and who did it. Finally the man put it as plainly as he possibly could have: "He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see."  You and I have the blessing of being able to read this with the understanding that the One Who did this great deed was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. The Pharisees' eyes were blinded to this great truth. They heard it strictly from the natural sense. He put mud on my eyes. I washed. Now I see. How could this possibly happen?