John 15 Journal

John 15 Journal

Proverbs of the Day – Proverbs 12:15 The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.

John 15 journal : There is a neat connection between Proverbs 12:15 and John 15:7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” In order to avoid the way of the fool, it’s essential to not only listen to God’s advice, but to do everything to make sure that his words remain in me. This verse is challenging me to memorize scripture, personalize scripture, and share it with others.

Verse 15 is amazing to me. He calls me a friend and has chosen me. What a privilege to be called a friend of God. A friend is someone who can be trusted with secrets. Abraham was called a friend of God. It is interesting that God revealed a lot of awesome things to Abraham. My curiosity burns to know some of God’s secrets. How do I earn his trust? It looks like it is not only to love God but also, to love others (Verse 17). What does it mean to love one another “Greater love has no one than this: To lay down one’s life for one’s friends. My prayer today is that God will cleanse me of my pride so I can live for others. I pray I can be someone that God can trust and that his words will remain in me.

John 14 Journal

John 14 journal

Proverbs of the day – Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. A humble person always realizes that there is something else to learn while a prideful person lets everyone know how much he knows.

John 14 journal. Thomas asks a great question “How can we know the way?” Jesus’ response is a classic “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” Sometimes the way can get confusing. My prayer today is that Jesus will reveal himself to me so that I can know the way to the father.

Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will come and be an advocate for them. The term advocate is similar to an attorney who defends you in court. Today I feel accused and am in need of an advocate. I praise you Jesus for being my defender. The Holy Spirit also reveals truth. Proverbs 11:2 has a lot of application here. My prayer is that God will show me the areas that I need to change and give me the strength to change them quickly. I read in a book last night that people who complain are like “Poop magnets.” Whatever you focus on gets bigger and more valuable in your life. I’ve noticed that I’ve been too focused on the problems and not the solutions. My prayer is that I will keep my focus on God today so he will grow in value and importance in my life as well as my problems will diminish.  I’m very excited about today being Good Friday and I’m looking forward to the Seder meal tonight.

John 13 journal

John 13 Journal

Proverbs of the Day : Proverbs 10:7 The name of the righteous is used in blessings, but the name of the wicked will rot. Who do you know with the name Judas? Proverbs 10:11-12 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.

John 13 It amazes me that God loves me so much that he cares about every detail and he is willing to serve me in every way. When Jesus washes his disciples feet, he fulfills John 13:1 Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Sometimes I’ve seen that I reject God’s acts of service to me, just like Peter. My prayer today is that Jesus will wash me and cleanse me. Jesus says that he is serving his disciples because he wants them to go and be a blessing to others. I pray that I can be a blessing to many people today.

The mouth of the wicked conceals violence and hatred stirs up conflict. Judas’ anger about the perfume leads him to betray Jesus. He conceals his violence and his hatred stirs up conflict. God I surrender to you today. Help  me by washing away any hatred or any violence that is in me.

John 12 journal

John 12 Journal

Proverbs of the day – Proverbs 9:10-11 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.

John 12 Journal – Mary seemed to have knowledge of the Holy One and demonstrated it by her actions. She took a bottle of perfume worth about $40,000 and poured it on Jesus’ feet. Her actions showed that she valued Jesus more than the perfume and she was willing to get on her knees to serve him by wiping his feet (People’s feet were generally very nasty from all the stuff on the dirt roads) with her hair. This part of the story challenged me to consider if there is anything that I would not sacrifice in order to demonstrate that I valued Jesus more than any possession.

On the other hand, Judas had a much different response. He got extremely angry because he saw the perfume as being wasted. How do you determine what god you worship and serve? By what makes you angry.  Judas worshipped money and he got angry that he was not going to be able to sell the perfume and help himself to the money that would be put in the treasury. Placing a higher value on money than Jesus is what led Judas to betray Jesus and experience the guilt that comes from worshipping the wrong god.

The chief priests also had the wrong motives. They wanted to kill Lazarus because many people were putting their faith in Jesus.  How sad it is that they could not see the wonderful miracle that Jesus performed and put their faith in him.

My prayer today is that God would give me the faith of Mary. I pray that my actions will show that I value Jesus above anything else.

John 11 journal

John 11 journal

Proverbs of the Day – Proverbs 8:13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.

The opposite of Proverbs 8:13 is found in the story from John 11. After Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, the Pharisees became terrified that the people would believe in Jesus. The result would be that they would lose their temple and nation. It’s sad that they derived their self worth and identity from the temple and the power from ruling their nation. It’s fascinating to me that because they did not believe in Jesus, they lost the temple and their nation 40 years after Jesus was crucified.

The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead gives me a tremendous amount of hope.  Jesus waits 4 days after Lazarus was put in the tomb. There was no doubt that Lazarus was dead. I’m trying to imagine what the facial expressions of the crowd were, when Lazarus walked out of the tomb. WOW! What a moment that must have been. Jesus makes a powerful statement “I am the resurrection.” If something is dead in your life, go to Jesus with Martha’s attitude “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God. . .” I believe Jesus can resurrect someone’s finances, marriage, estranged family members or any grave situation. My prayer today is that I will completely reject the prideful attitudes of the Pharisees and the doubtful depressing attitude of Thomas. Instead I pray that I can fully adopt Martha’s attitude of belief and faith that Jesus is the resurrection and brings life.

John 10 Journal

John 10 journal

Proverbs of the day – 7:21-23 With persuasive words she (adulterous woman) led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk. All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.

John 10. The voice of the adulterous woman and Jesus’ voice lead to different outcomes. Following Jesus’ voice results in abundant life (verse 10). There are many other voices, but they lead to death. In John 10 Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd who is willing to lay his life down for his sheep.  A hired hand will flee when a wolf comes, but the shepherd who owns the sheep will fight the wolf even if it means death. It’s awesome that God will never abandon us. Those who do not hear his voice will reject him and dismiss the miracles he performs.  My prayer today is that I will hear his voice and follow him like a sheep. 

John 9 Journal

John 9 journal

Proverbs of the day. Proverbs 6:16 There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. This passage parallels well with John 9. The eyes of the Pharisees were blinded because of pride (haughtiness)

John 9 journal – I love the story of Jesus healing the blind man. When the Pharisees question the blind man about who Jesus is, he says “I don’t know if Jesus is a sinner or not. All I know is that I was blind and now I see.” After the Pharisees kick him out of the synagogue, he finds Jesus and worships him. This story makes me want to praise God for all the things he has done in my life. He has blessed me with an incredible wife and daughter, awesome friends, and a great purpose for my life. How has God changed my life? He has healed me and given me confidence. He has given me a hope of a better future. He has given me peace. The response of the Pharisees and the blind man’s parents is unfortunate. The Pharisees felt threatened because Jesus healed on the Sabbath and the blind man’s parents were afraid of being thrown out of the synagogue. It’s interesting that the one that was not blinded by pride nor afraid of what others think got to know Jesus and believe in him. My prayer today is that I will reject the fear of what others think and renounce the pride that wants to blind my eyes from seeing the beauty of my Lord.

John 8 Journal

Proverbs of the Day – Proverbs 5:3-4 “For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword.” Many things appear to provide pleasure forever. If those things go against God’s will, they will end up in bitterness.

John 8 journal – The story of the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus by bringing a woman caught in adultery is an example of how deceived people will do everything possible to rebel against God. There have been times when I felt like almost everyone wanted to throw stones at me, make false accusations, or amplify my challenges. It’s comforting to know that I have one who will fight my battles. Jesus then tells the woman to leave her life of sin. How is God asking me to change my life? I see areas where I have pride. I read a great Proverbs the other day (Proverbs 22:4 the reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches, honor, and life). My prayer today is that God will give me a humble heart and show me how to respect him more. I praise you God for fighting my battles.