Category Archives: God
God Sees, Knows, & Rewards
John 10:12–13 “But the worker who serves only for wages is not a real shepherd. Because he has no heart for the sheep he will run away and abandon them when he sees the wolf coming. And then the wolf mauls the sheep, drags them off, and scatters them.” (TPT]
We will start today’s devotional by wrestling with this question: with God’s work, are you a hireling [a hired servant] or a shepherd? What is your approach to your work, your vocation in the market place? Do you approach it as a hired servant or is it as an owner? The truth is, wealth does not flow to you Read the rest of this entry
God’s Sheep
John 10:4-5 “After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
In John 10, Jesus uses two illustrations for the Shepherd and the sheep. The first is of a big sheep pen, with several shepherds each having their sheep inside the pen and the area is guarded by a gatekeeper. The second illustration is of one Shepherd, his sheepfold, and his pen. Read the rest of this entry
Voice Gate
John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.”
Even as He lies down to be the door, so He lays down His life for the sheep. Every night the shepherd lies down and becomes a living gate, he knows that he may never see the next day. But he would rather die protecting his sheep than have a wolf come in. Read the rest of this entry
Man’s Way vs. God’s Way
Mark 7:7-8 “Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
John 9:16 “Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath…” (emphasis added). It is interesting that as part of their laws, the Pharisees actually forbade spitting on the Sabbath. Read the rest of this entry
Under Cover
John 8:59 “At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple.” (emphasis added).
The stones they picked up were the same stones that the Pharisees and the leaders had dropped because the stones were for Jesus all along. Though this crowd did not join the Pharisees and the leaders at that point, they just stood and watched the exchanges. Read the rest of this entry
The Angel
Judges 6:21 “Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed…” (NKJV, emphasis added).
John 8:58 “Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!” What was Jesus really talking about here? In the Old Testament, the Bible refers to angelic beings using the term an angel of the Lord or an angel from God. Read the rest of this entry
The Charge
1 Peter 2:16 “For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.”
John 8:33 “But we are descendants of Abraham,” they said. “We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, ‘You will be set free’?” Never been slaves, really? What about the four hundred and thirty years [430 years] in Egypt? If it was for ten years, then they can forget after some generations. Read the rest of this entry
The Verdict
Rom.8:1 “So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One.” (TPT]
John 8:10-11 “Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.” (NRSV, emphasis added). Read the rest of this entry
In Context
John 7:37-38 “On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”
Let me give you some background to today’s anchor scripture. The festival here is the festival of Tabernacles also knows as the festival of Shelters, or the festival of Booths [Succoth]. There are two dimensions to the festival of Tabernacles; there is a Historical Dimension and there is the Agricultural Dimension to the festival. Read the rest of this entry
The People, I
John 7:17-18 “Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honour the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies.”
Over the next few days, we will be studying John 7:25-53 [please read]. Studying the Book of John has been amazing. I want you to read the following passages on your own: John 6:16-21, John 6:22-59, John 6:60-70, and John 7:1-25. Devote a day to each section or more and really get into God’s Word. Read the rest of this entry
