Faithfully Yours Forever

Passage: Psalm 23:1-6
Verse: Psalm 23:1 (NIV 2011)
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Such comfort, peace, and rest are found in this passage.  May we always look to the Shepherd.  I will forever praise Him because:

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes  my soul. 
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Praise Him for what He does for us each day.  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

Passage: John 10:1-10
Verse: John 10:9 (NIV 2011)
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

An illustration, such as the one in today’s Scripture passage, that uses sheep and a shepherd, provides us with an understandable picture of what it takes to have life, and have it to the full [v.10].  If we look at the passage more closely, we can see this is a bittersweet illustration.  Some people will find the gate, others will not.  Some will hear the voice of Jesus and the gospel message, but others will be led astray or deceived by those who claim to know the way, but do not.  We have one way to enter into eternal life.  It is by going through the gate – the gate is Jesus.  May we enter into life, through Christ.  May we have eyes to see and ears to hear when our Shepherd, Jesus, is calling.  May we be reassured of our position, in Christ.  May we help others to find the gate and enter in.  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

Passage: John 9:35-41
Verse: John 9:38 (NIV 2011)
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

Jesus has a way of providing comfort and reassurance when world events, and sometimes the people in it, are bearing down upon us.  While Jesus wants us to see what is going on in the world around us, what He wants even more is for us to see what is going on spiritually… in us and in others around us.  Praise God for the grace sufficient to believe.  Praise God for the spiritual insight and guidance He provides.  May we worship Him in all we do, in all we think, in all we hope to ever do or be.  Such a blessing it is to believe in the one and only true God.  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

Passage: John 9:24-34
Verse: John 9:25b (NIV 2011)
One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!

We continue to read about the miracle of Jesus restoring the sight to the man born blind.  The religious leaders continued to question, or badger, the man whose sight had been restored.  Sometimes the answers we seek are in plain sight, but we choose not to accept them.  The man born blind held his ground and continued to speak the truth, but the religious leaders would not accept it… or the man who proclaimed it.  May we be open to the truth of the gospel and the teachings of Jesus.  May we have a simple childlike faith – one sufficient to see the truth and walk toward the light of Christ.  May we persevere and be strengthened each time we stand up for the One who saved us from a life of darkness.  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

Passage: John 9:13-23
Verse: John 9:17 (NIV 2011)
Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”  The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

Why is it that some people find it so easy to believe, while others question things even when they have seen the truth and have the proof?  Even with proof, some people still need to challenge the credibility of the evidence that has been placed before them.  Sometimes it just may not be the answer they wanted to see or hear.  May we have the faith to believe and the trust not to question the miracles and blessings from Christ.  May we stand up for what we know to be true because, as Scripture tells us, we did not receive a spirit of bondage and fear, but instead we received a spirit of freedom and truth.  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

Passage: John 9:1-12
Verse: John 9:5 (NIV 2011)
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

In thinking about this verse, I was reminded that darkness is the absence of light.  In addition, it is interesting to note that the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines light as something that makes vision possible or something that informs or enlightens us.  How fitting it is that Jesus proclaims that He is the light of the world.  He informs, enlightens, and enables us to see.  In this passage Jesus restored the sight of a man born blind.  He can, however, enable us to see spiritually, as well as physically.  May our ability to discern be informed and enlightened by the light of Jesus, the Christ.  May we see as He sees… and act accordingly. (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

Passage: John 8:48-58
Verse: John 8:51 (NIV 2011)
Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.

In this passage of Scripture, the Jews that were talking with Jesus were finding it difficult to see beyond the physical world they lived in… to the spiritual world Jesus was speaking of.  It is sometimes difficult for us too.  The death Jesus was speaking of was a spiritual death, not a physical death.  It was also hard for the Jews to comprehend how Jesus could spiritually move back and forth in time.  This is a hard concept to grasp.  We need to believe that Jesus is one of the unique persons of our Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We need to believe that God is all knowing, all present, and all powerful… in all things.  May we begin to understand the mystery of our Triune God.  May we discern the spiritual things and the spiritual world around us.  However, in addition to these things, may we obey the word [command] of the Lord to love God and love others. (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

Passage: John 8:31-47
Verse: John 8:31b-32 (NIV 2011)
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Oh, the blessings of discipleship!  Often we think about the challenges or effort required to be one of Christ’s disciples, but often miss or ignore the many blessings we receive because we have chosen to follow Christ.  The blessings we receive will only grow as we grow in our relationship to Christ and continue to follow Him and His ways.  Have you experienced the freedom mentioned of in this Scripture verse?  It produces a peace beyond understanding.  May we be empowered by the Holy Spirit to adhere to the teaching of Christ.  May we seek to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  May we be freed from all of those sinful thoughts, words, actions, and behaviors that bind us.  May we be truly set free.  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)

Passage: John 8:21-30
Verse: John 8:24 (NIV 2011)
I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.

You can’t get much more direct than that.  If we believe in Jesus, we believe He died to atone for our sins.  It is this atonement that opens the door for us to have a relationship with a holy God.  This atonement also opens the door for us to enter into eternal life with Him.  If we do not believe that His death atoned for our sins, then our sin remains and our fate is sealed.  Praise God if, in our hearts, we believe.  Pray to God to forgive our unbelief and to help us see, accept, and believe in the Truth… to believe in Jesus.  May we each be blessed as we journey on with Christ.  (inspired by Reflecting God – Devotions for Holy Living, WordAction Publishing Company)