Category: Jesus

The more we become like Christ, the more our thinking shifts from self-satisfaction to God-satisfaction. Jesus prayed, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” (Jn 17:4) The work God gave his Son to do was not easy. Jesus had to persevere… and so must we: “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (Heb 10:36)

In the parable of the sower Jesus explains what happens when the Word of God is spread. The devil snatches it from many hearts before faith takes root. Others believe for a while but when the times of testing come, they fall away. Others are overcome by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures. “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” (see Lk 8:11-15)

No one has produced more fruit than Jesus and he teaches us the way. Through hardship and loss; through criticism and slander; through temptation and opposition from the devil… Jesus kept his eyes on the Father. His critics even accused him of being possessed by demons. “I am not possessed by a demon, but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself, but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge… If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.” (see Jn 8:49-54)

Jesus persevered by keeping total trust in his Father, and we are to do the same. There is only one source of lasting fruit. When we chase the compliments of men and try to look good in the eyes of the world, we may gain self-satisfaction but we miss what is most important. “Apart from me you can do nothing.” To produce fruit and bring glory to the Father, we must steadfastly remain in the Son. In Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to persevere and accomplish the will of the Father. May we encourage each other and may we receive encouragement from our Teacher.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will 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. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:1-8

“Does this offend you?” Jesus asked his disciples as he finished telling them who he was. “I am the bread of life,” he repeated over and over (see John 6). “It is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ‘OK,’ the people said, ‘we’ll take this bread from now on.’ In John 4 the Samaritan woman made a similar statement: ‘OK, give me some of this water so I won’t get thirsty any more.’ But instead of simplifying his message, Jesus said things that offended his listeners.

Have you ever been offended by Jesus? He does not mind offending our flesh. “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” He knows our pride must exit before we can receive him. He can expose our motives and tell us the truth. The woman at the well confronted the truth about herself and ended up believing in the Christ. The crowd in John 6 enjoyed a miracle meal but could not accept that this Teacher was the only hope for true life. ‘Who does this man think he is, saying he will raise us up at the last day?’ “I am the living bread that came down from heaven… Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day… This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.”

So what do we do when we’re offended by God? What if we really don’t understand? What if the ‘abundant life’ does not seem so abundant? After many disciples walked away, Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, ‘Do you want to leave too?’ Peter gave a great reply: ‘Where are we going to go? We believe you are the Holy One. You have the words of life.’ We must remember the One who offends is also the One who loves. If I can humbly say, ‘I may not understand, but I’m going to trust you,’ Jesus smiles.  God help us trust completely.

“Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.” John 6:57

If Jesus is our food, our drink, and our rest… we might as well say He is our life. This is exactly what Paul concluded as he encouraged believers: “Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Col. 3:2-4

We must remember that Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit and the more we rely on him, walk in him, and live in him, the more we understand that Jesus is truly our life. When King David confronted his own sin and cried out to God for mercy, he pleaded, “Take not your Holy Spirit from me!” The child of God has no life without God’s Spirit, so daily we should thank him and enjoy the fellowship He provides for those He loves.

This ‘abundant life’ Jesus gives is also experienced in his Body. Without my family and brothers and sisters in Christ, I have no life. God created us to walk in community with his children. I am overwhelmed when I think about the love poured out to my family over the past several years. I praise God for the Body of Christ.

Some have asked about my health lately. It has been two years since the last stem cell transplant, so at the first of August Emory put me through all the tests. My blood came back clean, but there were concerns about my bone marrow. At the end of August, I was given a PET SCAN and everything came back good. The doctor wants to do more tests in sixty days, so until then we’ll just not think about it. Our greater present concern is for our youngest daughter, Karlyn. This past Saturday, on her eighteenth birthday, we discovered she has diabetes. Susan was diagnosed at age twenty-six when she was pregnant with Taylor, so we know quite a bit about the disease. Yesterday we spent a lot of time with the doctor that has worked with Susan for over twenty-five years. Karlyn has a great attitude, and though she hates needles, she is bravely facing a new challenge. We appreciate your prayers and love more than I can express.

The ‘life’ Jesus gives is sometimes understood more plainly in the face of difficulty. We know God is with us and have already experienced his peace and protection in many practical ways. May God give us all grace to keep our hearts and minds on things above.

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:9-10

We all know our bodies need rest, but Jesus knows our souls need rest.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Burdened? Weary? Troubled? “Come to me.” How often we look for other solutions, but Jesus knows He is all we need. Confusion about purpose, questions about eternity, sufferings from temptation, fear of death… What all wars against the soul? We don’t fully understand, but Jesus does. He knows how we are created inside and out, and He knows what brings true rest. Jesus understands all we endure because He lived on earth and was bombarded by the same pressures and temptations of this world.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by his death He might destroy him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels He helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For  this reason He had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because He himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” Hebrews 2:14-18

While on earth, Jesus found rest in his Father and He bids us find rest in him. ‘Teach us, Lord, to rest in you.’

“My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’” Psalm 91:1-2

“I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” (Jn 4:32) ‘Who brought Jesus food in this remote place?’ the disciples asked. But Jesus was talking about the sustenance he received from his Father. “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

Jesus lived in his Father… and his Father lived in him. Constant fellowship with God was the secret of his life. “I do nothing on my own but speak just what my Father taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” (Jn 8:28-29) “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” (Jn 7:16-17) “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” (Jn 14:10) “The Son can do nothing by himself, he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son does also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.” (Jn 5:19-20)

Once Jesus spoke to a blind man, “Your faith has healed you,” and the man was healed. Another time he touched the eyes of two blind men and they were given sight. Another occasion he spit on the ground, made mud with saliva, put it on a blind man’s eyes, and told him to go wash in a certain pool. After the man followed the instructions he could see. Still another time he spit on a man’s eyes and put his hands on them. “Do you see anything?” Jesus asked. “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” So Jesus put his hands on the eyes a second time and the blind man could see clearly.

Why didn’t Jesus heal the same way on every occasion? Because the Father didn’t lead him to do it the same way every time. Jesus was led by the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit gives light and life and love and just the right thing for each situation.

And now he says to us, “‘If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” (Jn 7:37-39) Our drink, our food, our sustenance must come from the Son of God. We must learn to drink deeply of the Spirit. “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.” (Jn 6:63)

Several of us were talking about these things over the weekend. One person asked, “Can we live on earth the way Jesus did?” Another person answered, “Yes.” A third said, “That’s a little scary.” What do you think?

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5)