Category Archives: Good Friday

Jesus — The Word

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Today let’s read John 17:6-19. 

““I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word.”

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus came to reveal the Father to us. He did this through His Word. The Greek word “Logos” is used for “word”. Logos is the Divine Expression of God. 

For you and me, our words show what is in our hearts. What we speak to one another reveals how we feel, what we think, who we are. 

Jesus said that He “gave them the words” His Heavenly Father gave Him. Jesus spoke and lived out the divine expression of God — what our Heavenly Father feels, thinks and who He is. He expressed or revealed God to us! 

This is so very important to us today! Jesus is the Word of God (Divine Expression) of God. The Word and Jesus are one. The Holy Scripture (Our Bible) is the Word of God. The Word continues to reveal and express who God is to us! The Word is how we KNOW God! We cannot truly KNOW our God if we do not know His Word. 

Understanding this has been life changing to me. I have lived a lot of my life knowing that as a Christian, I needed to read my Bible. It’s kind of the thing a Christian does… BUT just reading the Bible is not the aim. KNOWing the Word or as Jesus put it “accepting the word.” (Verse 8) is what we need! Accepting is receiving what we are reading and taking it in; Obeying what we are reading; (verse 6); Letting His Word “sanctify” us (Verse 17-18), or purify us, change us into God’s image. 

Do I engage with the Word when I read my Bible or am I just reading it to “check off a box”? Do I take the Word in and let it work inside of me, changing me so that I reflect God to those around me? Am I experiencing God when I come to Him daily? 

This is God’s desire for us! 

Our time we spend with the Word is priceless!

Glorify Your Son!

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Good morning! Today let’s read John 17:1-5.

“After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.” ‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

(God’s glory is the sum total of all His attributes. It is who He is. To glorify is to reveal the divine nature.)

Jesus is getting ready to go to the cross and experience the crucifixion. He also knows that this will not be the end. He will rise again. His prayer is that His Heavenly Father would reveal to the world His divine nature — “glorify Your Son”.  And in turn, Jesus would glorify the Father — reveal God’s divine nature to us.  

Jesus death, burial, and resurrection revealed something to us about who God is: He is powerful. He is loving. He is just. He is good. 

God wants us to know Him. This knowing is an intimate knowing. He wants us to experience a relationship with Him. He generously provided The Way through Jesus. On the cross and through the empty tomb, Jesus glorified His Father. His Father glorified Him! God made Himself— Known! 

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” ‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Knowing God is VERY important to us! It is life itself! When we know God, we experience Him! We experience His life in us. This is why Jesus prayed that He would glorify God or make God’s attributes, His divine nature, known to us. 

God’s one true purpose for our lives is that we would KNOW Him and experience His life! 

Do you know God? Are you living moment by moment in a deep and intimate relationship with Him?  

The events of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday are proof that God’s one true purpose for us is for us to KNOW Him! May our desire be to KNOW Him all the more!

Jesus Has Overcome!

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Today let’s read John 16:16-33.

““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.””

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus wanted to prepare His disciples for what was coming. He knew He would suffer and die soon on the cross and He wanted them to understand that His death would not be the end. He promised that their grief would turn into joy that would never be taken away from them. He told them what was to come so they could have peace in the midst of trials and sadness — trouble. He wanted them to know that no matter what came their way, He had overcome the world!

Jesus is the same today as He was yesterday and He is the same forever!

He has overcome! Even death could not stop Jesus! We can be assured that with Jesus on our side we will overcome as well!  We can live in peace and have complete joy because of Jesus!

Jesus Served

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Good morning! Today let’s read John 13:1-17.

“It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God is omniscient (all knowing). Jesus is God so He knows all things. 

“…Jesus knew…” The events that occurred right before Jesus died did not happen by chance and they were not a surprise to Jesus. He knew! He knew that one of His twelve disciples, Judas, would betray Him. He knew another one, Peter, would deny Him. He knew the rest would scatter when faced with the danger in the moments ahead. He knew He would be arrested, beaten, spit upon, have His beard pulled out. He knew He would be made to carry a heavy cross, a Roman instrument of torture, up a hill. He knew He would be crucified. 

So what was Jesus’s response to all the injustice He would suffer? He washed feet… He humbled Himself, took the position of a lowly servant and bowed before the ones who called Him teacher. The Master served…

Why would Jesus do such a thing? LOVE.  He loved His own and He loved them to the end. Everything Jesus did was from His love, His desire to benefit and prosper us with absolutely nothing that could be repaid to Him. 

I think the thing about this account that gets me the most is that Jesus washed Judas’s feet. Even though He knew… Would I do that? Would I serve the one who would betray me?

One more thought… It’s easy to read this account and forget that I am one of those He loves and loved to the end… When I have chosen sin over obedience, I have betrayed Jesus. When I have chosen to go my own way instead of follow His, I have denied Him as Lord. When I have repeatedly refused to live as He has called me to do, I have abandoned Him. Yet, He knows all this and He would willingly wash my feet. Because Jesus came to serve not to be served… 

What is my response to such love?  What is your response to such love? 

Jesus finishes washing feet and then gives an instruction:

““You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”‭‭ John‬ ‭13‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Help me to love as You love, Jesus. Help me to serve as You serve. 

The Romans Challenge: God Demonstrates His Love

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“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Romans 5.

I am always amazed at the love of God. It is beyond my human comprehension. I have done absolutely nothing to deserve His love, but He pours it out on me in abundance.

Romans 5:8 is one of my favorite verses in Romans. It tells us that when we were against God, deeply trapped within our sins, Jesus died for us. This is God’s greatest demonstration of His love.

I know in my own life that I was in a mess made by my own choices. I was unable to free myself from sins grip. BUT JESUS!

Within my own abilities, I would probably find it hard to die for a good person, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t entertain the thoughts of dying for someone who was evil. Especially if that person had chosen to live as an enemy of me. Yet, Jesus did just that!

I have heard it said that our choices to sin, in reality, is “cosmic treason against God.” Our choice to sin is a deliberate choice against Him. Yet even though we have lived our lives chasing after sinful ways, Jesus provided the way for us to be free!

Jesus demonstrated God’s love for His rebellious children — sinners… He died for us!

Thank You Jesus for Your amazing love!

Show Us The Father — Life

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Today is Mark 15 and 16.

Every time I read the account of the crucifixion, I feel a sense of sadness. To think of the accusations, the false trial, the mocking, the beatings, the carrying of the cross up the hill of Golgotha, the nails being driven into Jesus, and Him being lifted up on the cross… such sadness.

But Praise God the story does not end in death.

Jesus came to show us life! Not only show us, but to make the way for us to experience His life. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life…” We experience Life when we experience Him! He and the Father are one. Our Heavenly Father is life!

From the moment of creation, when Our Heavenly Father breathed life into every living being, until now. He is the ultimate source of life. The very breath of life we experience in our lungs comes straight from Him. However there will be a day when that breathing will cease in each one of us… What then?

Jesus showed us on resurrection Sunday what God’s good plan for us is — resurrection life! Eternal life!

We do not have to fear death. Our Heavenly Father desires for us to experience His eternal life. Sin brought death into our world, but we do not have to experience an eternity of the separation of death. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?””
‭‭John‬ ‭11‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Show Us The Father — Abandoned

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Abandoned — To give over entirely.

Today is Mark 14.

Jesus at any moment in His 33 years on earth could have changed His course to the cross. He knew exactly why He had came. He knew how this would all play out. He knew the rejection He would suffer. He knew the pain He would endure. Yet He “abandoned” Himself. He gave Himself over to the purpose of His Heavenly Father.

Over and over in this chapter He warned the disciples that He was going to suffer and die. But He chose to abandon His will that desired for His Heavenly Father to “take this cup” from Him. Then He spoke these words, “Yet not what I will, but what You will.” (Verse 36)

Jesus gave Himself. The Father gave His Son! (John 3:16). Our Heavenly Father abandoned, gave over entirely, His Son for us out of His love. When I consider this great love, my thoughts go to what my response should be.

In every situation and circumstance of my life, may I echo the words of my loving Savior. “Yet not what I will, but what You will.” My Heavenly Father gave without reservation His only Son. Jesus gave without reservation His very life. May I give without reservation EVERYTHING I am and live a life that is abandoned to God’s will!

Reflections on John 19: Where Do You Come From?

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Pilate could not find a good reason to crucify Jesus. He knew the religious leaders of the Jews had brought Jesus to him out of jealousy. Pilate had Jesus beaten in hopes that this would suffice the crowds. As Pilate presented Jesus to the crowd he told them, “Here is the man!” The crowds shouted all the more loudly crucify Him! At this point, the Jews told Pilate that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. This made Pilate afraid. He asked Jesus, “Where do you come from?” Once again Pilate is faced with a decision and it had become crunch time. He tried to wiggle his way out of making the final decision to crucify Jesus.

What complicated matters was Pilate had heard that Jesus was not only King, but He was the Son of God! The Romans were surrounded with a long list of gods/ idols they worshipped. They feared offending or angering any of their long list of gods. The possibility of Jesus being God made Pilate shutter. He wanted nothing to do with Jesus being crucified. Wanting to verify what he had heard from the Jews he asked Jesus, “Where do you come from?”

We often live our lives as Pilate did. We want to live in conformity of the world around us, but we also have Jesus- the man standing in front of us. We understand where Jesus came from. We know Jesus is the Son of God, yet we don’t want to fully live in that reality. It would mean an upset of our lives, our control, our power over ourselves. Pilate knew where Jesus came from, but in order to preserve his power, his way, his “self”, he handed Jesus over to be crucified.

Jesus is before us today. We ask the same question Pilate asked Jesus, “Where do you come from?” May we decide to give ourselves in response to what we already know is true, Jesus is the Son of God our Heavenly King!

Reflections on John 18:25-40: Who Is Your King?

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During His arrest and trial, Jesus could have fought back. He had all the power and position to do that. He was innocent and without sin. He was and still is KING!

As Jesus stood before Pilate, the Roman governor, Pilate wanted to know what charges Jesus had against Him. The leaders simply said that they wouldn’t bring Him to Pilate if He wasn’t a criminal. They wanted the permission only granted by the Romans to execute Jesus. Pilate then stands face to face with Jesus and he asks Jesus a profound question, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Pilate stood as many of us stand today, uncertain of what to do with Jesus. If Jesus is who He claims to be, that requires a response on our part. It required a response on Pilate’s part. No one comes in contact with Jesus without having to make a decision. The decision is whether or not to accept His kingship. Since Jesus is King (Sovereign, Supreme Authority), we encounter Him as King just as Pilate did, this is where the decision is made. Whose King is He? We can know He is a King. We can know He is over all. But do we live with Him as our own King? As ruler of all of our lives? Exactly who is Jesus king over?

Pilate rejected Jesus’s kingship. Pilate missed His face to face opportunity to finally know the truth, God. Do we reject that same opportunity given to us when we come to the question above?

Exactly who is Jesus King over? Is He King over you?

Reflections on John 18:1-23: I Am He

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This chapter records the beginning of the events that led up to Jesus’ crucifixion. When the soldiers came to arrest Him and they told Jesus who they were looking for, “Jesus of Nazareth”, Jesus spoke the words, “I am He.” John records the reaction of the soldiers. “They drew back and fell to the ground.” Why would they react in such a way? They were men carrying weapons who had come with authority and power.

The soldiers had come in contact with the King of Heaven, who had ultimate power and ultimate authority. His words were spoken centuries before when He told Moses, “I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14) It was understood by the Jews of Jesus time that God was “The Great I Am.” Jesus spoke the same declaration, “I Am.” When encountered with Jesus’ words declaring Himself God, they “fell to the ground” at the power of Jesus’ words.

Jesus could have stopped the events to follow at any time. His words were powerful enough to cause big burly soldiers to fall down. BUT He did not stop what would happen. He was determined to follow through with total submission and total obedience to His Father’s will knowing exactly what He would suffer.

What love! And What an example to us who desire to follow Him with all our hearts! May we follow Him with total submission and total obedience to His will and His plan for our lives as well!