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Tag: John

  • Verses to DATE the Word on March 3 (3/3) is 2 Thessalonians 3:3 & John 3:3

    Verses to DATE the Word on March 3 (3/3) is 2 Thessalonians 3:3 & John 3:3

    Our verses to DATE the Word on March 3 (3/3/) is 2 Thessalonians 3:3. 2 Thessalonians 3:3
    2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish (strengthen) you and guard (protect) you from the evil one.” 

    John 3:3. says, “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
    Where God guides He Provides and He Protects!

    The opening verses of 2 Thessalonians 3 provide one of the great prayer requests of the apostle Paul and subsequently a prayer request for anyone involved in ministry, especially missions.  He wrote, “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith.”  He immediately follows up the prayer request with the REMINDER that God is FAITHFUL! This BTW was one of Paul’s favorite attributes about God.  He would not only state it here but in 1 Corinthians 1:9 he wrote, “God is faithful;” in 2 Cor 1:18 he wrote, “God is faithful;” in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 he wrote, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”  

    Friends, GOD IS FAITHFUL!! He shows His faithfulness in working in our lives so we will be victorious. He provides strength and protection from the evil one who wants to devour. 
    The word for establish/strengthen has the idea of “turning one resolutely in a certain direction.”  As we commit our ways to the Lord He directs us away from temptations. We must then be careful not to disobey the nudging of the Holy Spirit as He gives direction.  

    As we live and serve the Lord in the enemy’s territory the Lord has promised to be with us with His presence (I will never leave nor forsake you; Lo I am with you always) and His power. Having both His presence and His power gives us protection against the wiles and the works of the evil one. I am not sure what you are facing today but rest assured that if you are doing a work for God, you are being opposed by the devil. 

    If you and the devil are not having a head-on collision then you and the devil must be going the same way! 

    Rest assured today of God’s power and protection and KEEP doing what He called you to do by His power!! HE IS FAITHFUL!!!

    Verse to DATE the Word on March 3 (3/3/) is 2 Thessalonians 3:3 “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish (strengthen) you and guard (protect) you from the evil one.” 

    Before closing this devotion, I feel compelled to give you another 3/3 verse on March 3.  It comes from John 3:3.  Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus and He tells him “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  On March 3 (3/3) I asked this most important question: Have you been born again?  I am certain you have a physical birth date.  Do you have a spiritual birth date?  Has there been a time when you acknowledged your need of Jesus for salvation and called on Him to save you and in doing so you were BORN AGAIN?  If not, I appeal to you today to do so for as the verse states “unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

    Verse to DATE the Word on March 3 (3/3/) is John 3:3.  It says, “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

    Continue Strong,
    And remember to DATE THE WORD
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  • Verse to DATE the Word on January 29 (1/29) is John 1:29

    Verse to DATE the Word on January 29 (1/29) is John 1:29

    Our verse to DATE the Word on January 29 (1/29) is John 1:29
    John 1:29 says, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
    The ANNOUNCEMENT OF ANNOUNCEMENTS

    John the Baptist was born to announce the Messiah as His forerunner and here in John 1:29, he does just that.  Here we read one of the greatest announcements ever made to the world as John the Baptist ANNOUNCES more than just a person and a name.  He ANNOUNCES the PURPOSE of Jesus, the Messiah, that He is the one to TAKE AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD!! 

    What no human could ever do to solve his or her greatest problem the LAMB OF GOD would be able to do! As the perfect Lamb He would die for the sins of man and with His precious blood, He would wash us from our sins! 

    For us who are believers, those who have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, there will be a day for us to make a pronouncement in heaven as we will fall down before the Lamb of God and proclaim WORTHY IS THE LAMB!!!  I trust you have trusted Him!

    Bonus: Let us with this announcement of the ages consider a few other great announcements about Jesus.

    Consider the announcement from the angel Gabriel to Mary in Luke 1:30-33.
    Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31  “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32  “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33  “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”  

    Consider the announcement of the angel to Joseph in Matthew 1:21.  “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

    Consider the announcement of the angel to the shepherds in Luke 2:10-11.  Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

    Oh, what announcements we have heard!  A Savior, the Lamb of God has come to save sinners!

    One last thought.  As believers, we are now Ambassadors for Christ, and we are to be ANNOUNCING what JESUS DID and WHAT HE CAN DO for every lost sinner in the world.

    Verse to DATE the Word on January 29 (1/29) is John 1:29. It says, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

    Continue Strong announcing the greatest news ever!
    And remember to DATE THE WORD

  • Verse to DATE the Word on January 11 (1/11) is 3 John 1:11

    Our verse to DATE the Word on January 11 (1/11) is 3 John 1:11
    3 John 1:11 says, “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.”
    Choose carefully who you MIMIC

    Who are your role models? Who do you look up to?  Who do you want to be like?  No matter our age we have our heroes and those we would like to be like.  As we come to our verse for discovering how God would want us to live, we find a WARNING and an EXHORTATION regarding who we MIMIC.   MIMIC is one of those words in the Greek language that we translate straight into the English language.  It means to imitate.  It means to do the very same thing.  

    Knowing that we are very prone to wanting to act like someone else John issues a warning to not MIMIC what is evil.  As he writes his letter, he is dealing with a man named Diotrephes and he is doing evil things.  John does not want people to MIMIC him.  

    On the other hand, he does exhort us to MIMIC what is good.  In his letter, John commended a man by the name of Demetrius for doing good and Demetrius is someone to look up to and to be like.  

    With this challenge to NOT mimic evil but to mimic what is good how do you see yourself applying this? Will it start to matter who you have as a role model?  Will you need to filter more carefully what you listen to or read or watch?  

    Back in our verse, we find John tells just how important it is to do good as opposed to doing evil.  He tells us that a mark of salvation is that we now do what is good.  A person who is doing evil is not someone who has come to know God.  Since we are believers, we will want to do good and in learning to do good we look to see others who are doing good and mimic them.  

    As someone who is maturing in your faith, I do remind you that you are to be an EXAMPLE to other believers so that they may MIMIC you in doing good.  1 Timothy 4:12 still rings true to all of us.  It says, “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”  

    Not only do you want to MIMIC someone who is doing good you want others to MIMIC you as you do good!

    Verse to DATE the Word on January 11 (1/11) is 3 John 1:11. It says, “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God.”

    Choose carefully!! MIMIC those who are doing good!! 

    Continue Strong being a role model for others,
    And remember to DATE THE WORD

  • Verse to DATE the Word on December 24 (12/24) is John 12:24

    Our verse to DATE the Word on December 24 (12/24) is John 12:24
    John 12:24 says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”
    Death to self brings life and produces fruit for the Savior

    As a master teacher Jesus gives illustrations to bring truth to life and in John 12:24 He gives an agricultural illustration for what it is going to take to be fruitful. Since being fruitful is a major objective of the Christian life (From John 15 we have been appointed to bear much fruit and the Father is glorified as we bear fruit; The apostle Paul prayed that the Colossians would be fruitful in every good work) we need to LEARN how to be fruitful.   

    From John 12:24 we learn one of the most incredible concepts about being fruitful.  Pay close attention. For there to be fruit there has to be death.  

    FOR THERE TO BE FRUIT THERE HAS TO BE DEATH.

    My background is in farming.  I grew up on a farm in Virginia and at a very young age was very involved with my father and grandfather in growing a variety of crops.  Because of helping plant corn, PLANTING A SEED of corn in the ground I easily understood what Jesus taught in John 12:24.  Each year there were bags of SEED corn.  These SEEDS had one purpose and that purpose was to PRODUCE more grain or kernels.  Did you know that one seed of corn will, on average, produce two ears of corn with each ear having about 800 kernels?  1 seed produces 1600 kernels. 

    For us to get 1600 kernels the SEED corn had to DIE.  (The next time you eat corn on the cob look at all those kernels and remember John 12:24 and that one seed – ONE SEED – produced that and another ear of corn.  

    What are we learning about being fruitful for the Savior?  Just as a seed of corn is planted and it dies you then find the dead seed sprouts and begins to live and produce, it produces much or more grain. One dead grain, a dead seed, now produces many grains!! 

    In Luke 9:23 we are called to DIE DAILY!  We are called to die to self!   In doing so we can become producers and bring forth fruit, much fruit, fruit that will remain. 

    We are called to die to self like that seed of corn and when we do we begin to truly live and be fruitful!  

    Verse to DATE the Word on December 24 (12/24) is John 12:24. It says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”

    Continue Strong by dying to self
    And remember to DATE THE WORD

  • Verse to DATE the Word on November 2 (11/2) is John 11:2

    Verse to DATE the Word on November 2 (11/2) is John 11:2
    John 11:2 says, “It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.”
    Our verse to DATE the Word on November 2 (11/2) is John 11:2. John 11:2 says, “It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.”

    A Display of Extravagant LOVE for Jesus

    While John 11 is the story about the sickness and the death of Lazarus and then how Jesus brought him back from the grave John interestingly found it necessary when introducing the sisters of Lazarus to tell about Mary’s display of extravagant love toward Jesus.  The full story is told in John 12 but John, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, believed the reader needed to know about the beautiful action that Mary had done.  It seems like John believed anytime anyone hears about Mary of Bethany they need to think about her display of extravagant love for Jesus.  And what a way to be remembered!!!

    In pondering the actions described by John about Mary allow me to point out just a couple of things.  First, notice the statement that she “wiped His feet with her hair.”  There are three stories in the Bible about Mary of Bethany and did you know that in each story you find Mary of Bethany at the feet of Jesus?   In Luke 10:38-42 Jesus came to dinner at the home of Mary and Martha.  Jesus will start TEACHING and Mary LEFT the kitchen to SIT at His feet to LISTEN and  LEARN.  It was a pleasant day and Mary took advantage of the opportunity to store up knowledge about Jesus!

    Later in John 11, we find her again at the feet of Jesus.  This time the day is painful and has been very perplexing as she and her sister had informed Jesus that Lazarus, whom He loved, was sick yet Lazarus died. One can imagine how disappointing it must have been as they BELIEVED Jesus COULD heal Lazarus and they KNEW He WOULD heal Lazarus.  Yet Lazarus died.  When Jesus did arrive Mary went to His feet and there wept.  One can see her TRUSTING Jesus though she did not understand.  On this painful, perplexing day, she LEANED on Jesus and told Him how hurt she was.  Jesus would weep as He saw her tears. 

    Moving to John 12 (and back to John 11:2) we see Mary one more time at the feet of Jesus.  This story of her anointing Jesus with fragrant oil is told in Matthew and Mark.  John tells her she goes to His feet to wipe them in a beautiful act of humility and servanthood, yes, of love!  John 12 as well as Matthew and Mark will tell that the anointment was no ordinary anoint but rather some of the best money could buy.  It was valued at a year’s wages!!!!!

    Her expression of love was, without doubt, EXPENSIVE and EXTRAVAGANT. But for Mary of Bethany, Jesus deserved nothing but the VERY BEST.  And even though the disciples thought it was a waste Jesus commended her and paid her one of the highest honors in that wherever the gospel is preached Mary’s story of extravagant love is to be shared as well. (I fulfill His words with this devotional.)

    May I ask you if you are giving Jesus your best?  
    May I ask you if you are doing something that is extravagant – YES – appearing to be EXCESSIVE for Jesus?  
    Do you worry that family and friends might say THAT IS TOO MUCH?

    Years ago I read a message about Mary of Bethany from Chuck Swindoll and he gave the challenge to BREAK A VASE for Jesus!   Don’t hold back!  After all, He did not hold back.  Talk about extravagant love, He gave His life as a demonstration of His love. 

    Friends, you can never do TOO MUCH for Jesus! 

    To the one who went all in for us, we should go all out for Him. Follow the example of Mary of Bethany!
     
    Verse to DATE the Word on November 2 (11/2) is John 11:2. It says, “It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.”

    Would it not be great that every time someone said your name they thought of something you did for Jesus?

    Continue Strong displaying EXTRAVAGANT Love for Jesus!
    And remember to DATE THE WORD