John 4:1-6
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is about breaking boundaries to demonstrate how God works to radically include all people. When Jesus left Judea to head for Galilee, he could have taken the longer path to avoid Samaria, like most Jews of the time might have, but instead he opted to go through Samaria. The Samiritans were the people who were left behind when the Babylonians sent most of the Jews into exile, and they had intermarried and were generally despised by most Jews. Jesus, however, doesn't avoid anyone -- he heads toward anyone and everyone in an effort to demonstrate the love of God to all people. So Jesus goes to Samaria, and he leads the disciples there, demonsrating by his example how to love others, even those who are different and perhaps despised by others in society. There is no room for hatred or discrimination within the love of God.
In the town of Sychar, he finds a well. The town has ancient roots -- it's where God appeared to Abram in Canaan and where Jacob built an altar. It's a place with deep roots for the people of faith, and God is about to do something miraculous here to demonstrate how the love of God is still active, still reaching, still including!
Friday, June 28, 2019
Thursday, June 27, 2019
John 3:31-36
John 3:31-36
English Standard Version (ESV)
The essence of sports is athletic ability -- you can't succeed without that. The essence of summer is sunshine -- that's what brings so many summer activities to life, and if it rains throughout the entire summer, it doesn't go quite like planned. The essence of something is what that thing is at the core, what centrally defines it. Some might say the essence of the Cincinnati Bengals is disappointment...
The essence of God is love -- this defines God. The relationship that exists between the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God is based on love. It is this love out of which creation flows, and it is this love out of which the desire to include humanity in that eternal relationship comes. God invites us into something magnificent, and to come before God we must have everything that is not love removed from us.
For this reason, Christ died for us. We are unable to cleanse sin from ourselves, so God does it for us. As it is impossible for us to stand in the throne room of God with sin covering us, we must have the covering of Christ in order to join the eternal dance. God gives this to us freely, but we cannot join without it.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The essence of sports is athletic ability -- you can't succeed without that. The essence of summer is sunshine -- that's what brings so many summer activities to life, and if it rains throughout the entire summer, it doesn't go quite like planned. The essence of something is what that thing is at the core, what centrally defines it. Some might say the essence of the Cincinnati Bengals is disappointment...
The essence of God is love -- this defines God. The relationship that exists between the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God is based on love. It is this love out of which creation flows, and it is this love out of which the desire to include humanity in that eternal relationship comes. God invites us into something magnificent, and to come before God we must have everything that is not love removed from us.
For this reason, Christ died for us. We are unable to cleanse sin from ourselves, so God does it for us. As it is impossible for us to stand in the throne room of God with sin covering us, we must have the covering of Christ in order to join the eternal dance. God gives this to us freely, but we cannot join without it.
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
John 3:22-30
John 3:22-30
English Standard Version (ESV)
Many kids have grand plans to save the world in one small way or another. I think it's wonderful, because the world needs their idealism and energy. I hope that many of them keep it -- it's easy to get distracted by things that arise along the way, and when you look back, you realize that you ended up in a very different place than what you might have imagined. Not that this is always bad -- but the mission and purpose drifts and evolves, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. (I could write my autobiography next, but maybe I just did...) What's great about Scripture is that the mission never changes -- it's always about God reaching out to include his beloved creations in the everlasting Kingdom.
One of the things I love about John is that he never loses his focus. From the time he started his ministry, it was all about proclaiming Jesus. In today's reading, John's disciples expect him to be concerned that people are going to Jesus rather than John, but John remembers that it's not about him -- it's about the one whom John is pointing to. John doesn't get concerned about dwindling numbers at his meetings, because those numbers are joining Jesus, and that was the goal all along. John didn't allow his personality to take over his purpose -- he stayed focused on the goal, and that was proclaiming the name of Jesus.
So what's your purpose? What's your goal? How have you drifted from it? And what kind of prayer would you pray to ask Jesus to clarify your heart and redirect your purpose?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Many kids have grand plans to save the world in one small way or another. I think it's wonderful, because the world needs their idealism and energy. I hope that many of them keep it -- it's easy to get distracted by things that arise along the way, and when you look back, you realize that you ended up in a very different place than what you might have imagined. Not that this is always bad -- but the mission and purpose drifts and evolves, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. (I could write my autobiography next, but maybe I just did...) What's great about Scripture is that the mission never changes -- it's always about God reaching out to include his beloved creations in the everlasting Kingdom.
One of the things I love about John is that he never loses his focus. From the time he started his ministry, it was all about proclaiming Jesus. In today's reading, John's disciples expect him to be concerned that people are going to Jesus rather than John, but John remembers that it's not about him -- it's about the one whom John is pointing to. John doesn't get concerned about dwindling numbers at his meetings, because those numbers are joining Jesus, and that was the goal all along. John didn't allow his personality to take over his purpose -- he stayed focused on the goal, and that was proclaiming the name of Jesus.
So what's your purpose? What's your goal? How have you drifted from it? And what kind of prayer would you pray to ask Jesus to clarify your heart and redirect your purpose?
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
John 3:16-21
John 3:16-21
English Standard Version (ESV)
I was listening to a Tim Keller sermon last night, and he was discussing judgment and the work of the Holy Spirit. The part that stuck out to me was that God isn't letting us off the hook repeatedly for our sins, filling out the proper paperwork each time we fall short -- instead, the Holy Spirit is reminding us that the justice of God is on your side. As Rev. Keller said, it would be unjust of God to take two payments for the same sin, and our sins have been paid for. Once Jesus paid the price for our sins, which he did with finality at Calvary, there is nothing left to be done to atone for our sins -- the price has been paid, and since it has been paid, it is in alignment with God's justice that we receive the reward that comes with the atonement for our sins.
And God doesn't do this grudgingly, as though God's realized that the people God created aren't all they were cracked up to be. God doesn't regret creating us -- God willingly pours love and grace into our lives, and when the price of redemption totals up to the life of God's own Son, God freely gives that to us as well, knowing that it is worth it, knowing that death is but a temporary power anyway.
God created you out of love, and that same love redeems you and seeks you and holds you for eternity. Eternal life is a free gift to those who believe, for God came to save, and by the blood of the Lamb, we have been saved, thanks be to God!
English Standard Version (ESV)
I was listening to a Tim Keller sermon last night, and he was discussing judgment and the work of the Holy Spirit. The part that stuck out to me was that God isn't letting us off the hook repeatedly for our sins, filling out the proper paperwork each time we fall short -- instead, the Holy Spirit is reminding us that the justice of God is on your side. As Rev. Keller said, it would be unjust of God to take two payments for the same sin, and our sins have been paid for. Once Jesus paid the price for our sins, which he did with finality at Calvary, there is nothing left to be done to atone for our sins -- the price has been paid, and since it has been paid, it is in alignment with God's justice that we receive the reward that comes with the atonement for our sins.
And God doesn't do this grudgingly, as though God's realized that the people God created aren't all they were cracked up to be. God doesn't regret creating us -- God willingly pours love and grace into our lives, and when the price of redemption totals up to the life of God's own Son, God freely gives that to us as well, knowing that it is worth it, knowing that death is but a temporary power anyway.
God created you out of love, and that same love redeems you and seeks you and holds you for eternity. Eternal life is a free gift to those who believe, for God came to save, and by the blood of the Lamb, we have been saved, thanks be to God!
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