Month: March 2023

John 17:9 “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.

I do a lot of praying. Often, praying for others feels like the only thing I can do to love and encourage them. I’m thankful that God doesn’t play a cosmic game of “How fervent is Your prayer?” He is sovereign, loving, merciful. And even when my prayers aren’t answered the way I prefer, I know He is present, He is making a way, He has an eternal, loving plan.

John 17:11 “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.

What really strikes me in this passage is the fact that Jesus is praying for His disciples. And not only that, He is praying “for those who will believe in me through their message.” That’s us. Jesus is praying for us, thinking of us in His final days. How amazing, how incredible is that?!?

John 17:13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

Lord, Thank You for Your prayers for the disciples and for us. Thank You that You want so deeply for us to have “the full measure of [Your] joy within [us].” Help us to be one with each other—loving, supporting, uplifting each other—so that we may be one as You and the Father are one. Help us, Lord. Amen.

John 17:20-21 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.”

Have a blessed day.

John 16:17 At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”

This passage makes me chuckle and shake my head all at once. I know this pattern. I’ve lived this pattern. Asking others, “What did he say? What did he mean?” instead of going straight to the source and asking directly.

John 16:18 They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

A life lesson here? Don’t stew in confusion. Go straight to the source to find information. A faith lesson? Reading commentary, other people’s words, about the Bible can be a great thing, but I must not neglect spending time in His word personally. He knows my heart. He knows me. He will be present with me as I spend time in His word.

John 16:19 Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’?

Lord, Thank You for the reminder that studying commentary is good, but it is no substitute for spending time in Your word. Thank You for the promise of peace in You alone. Cover me with Your peace, Lord. Help me to shine Your light. Amen.

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Have a blessed day.

John 15:18-19a  “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own….

It is human nature to want to be accepted, to fit in. It’s hard to feel separated, to feel “othered.” But Jesus tells us in verse 19b that He has chosen us out of the world. It reminds me of the Sanctus Real song, “When I don’t measure up to much in this life, I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ.” This truth is sometimes hard to keep hold of.

John 15:19b …As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

I am a very empathetic person. My heart hurts for those who are hurting. And I’m learning to speak up, ask awkward questions. (Are you ok? Can I pray with you?) It’s my little way of trying to remind others “You are seen. You matter. You are not alone.”

John 15:21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.

Lord, Thank You that You have chosen me out of this world. Thank You for big emotions that sit close to the surface and for the strength to ask awkward questions to help others feel seen, to feel less alone. Help me to shine Your light, to remind others, especially on the difficult days, that we are not of this world, that we are chosen by You. Help me to testify to Your steadfast love. Amen.

John 15:27 And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Have a blessed day.

John 15:4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

What does it mean to remain in, to abide in Christ? I feel most connected to Him during my morning prayer time, in my recliner, with my coffee, reading, studying, listening. It is easy to abide in Him, to sit at His feet, then.

John 15:9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.

But the moment I get up to start my day, it’s like that connection is broken. I get caught up in the world. I default to stress and anxiety, management, control—What needs doing next? Which fire needs putting out?—Jesus feels so far away.

John 15:10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

Lord, You call me to remain in Your love as a way to abide in You. You call me to love others as You love me as a way to abide in Your love. I do that, Lord. I try. Help me to abide in You so that Your joy can be complete in me. Amen.

John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Have a blessed day.

John 14:27a Peace I leave with you;

Today’s scripture is John 14:15-31, but verse 27 captures my heart, probably because I spend a lot of time worrying, fretting, planning, when what I really want is to feel His peace, a peace He gives freely. So why do I worry and fret and plan so?

John 14:27b …my peace I give you….

I realized as I was separating the verse to write that it makes a good mindful/intentional breathing exercise. Breathe in, “Peace I leave with you”. Breathe out, “…my peace I give you….” Breathe in, “…I do not give to you….” Breathe out, “…as the world gives….” Breathe in, “…Do not let your hearts be troubled….” Breathe out, “…and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27c …I do not give to you as the world gives….

Lord, I feel like I spend a lot of my life chasing Your peace, yet You freely give it if I will just slow down and center myself on You. Forgive me. Help me to be intentional when it comes to my relationship with You. Help me to breathe in Your grace, Your peace, and Your love. Help me to shine Your light for all. Amen.

John 14:27d …Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Have a blessed day.

John 14:8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

The concept of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Three in One, is one that I sometimes struggle with. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around, and that feels like what Philip and Jesus are discussing here. Philip: Lord, Show me the Father. Jesus: I am in the Father. He is in me. We are one.

John 14:9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

I have noticed, though, that my subconscious doesn’t seem to struggle as much with the idea. I’m my prayers, I pray interchangeably: Lord, God, Jesus, Precious Savior, Redeemer, Father.

John 14:10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.

Lord, You know me and my need to try to understand. The concept of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Three in One, is quite a lot to wrap my head around at times. Thank You that when I pray to You, I get it, I understand the fiercely loving, deeply compassionate, infinitely steadfast Savior of my soul. Help me to shine Your light for all to see. Amen.

John 14:11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.

Have a blessed day.

John 13:33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer….

This reminds me of giving my boys instructions before I went somewhere, especially those first few times they were allowed to stay home alone for a few hours: Now don’t forget to….

John 13:34a “A new command I give you: Love one another….

Jesus is, of course, a worried parent, but in a totally different way. His mind isn’t consumed with “what if” scenarios. He *knows* what’s ahead for His beloved disciples and wants to be sure they remember what’s important: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

John 13:34b “…As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

Lord, As a parent with kids on the cusp of adulthood, I take great comfort in Your reminder to the disciples. There’s always the fear: Have I loved them enough? Have I taught them enough? But if they can hold tight to what You told the disciples: love each other as You love us—deeply, fiercely, beyond faults and missteps and doubts, they will be ok. We all will. Help us to love as You love, Lord. Amen.

John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Have a blessed day.