New Year...New Life - A Promise From Jesus in John 11

Happy and Blessed New Year !

I am so comforted by John 11!  When all seems lost...when life is hard...when time seems to have run out...JESUS COMES.  

What a wonderful message for a New Year!  

John 11 -- The dead will rise again!

OH, WOW!  Situations are really cranking up in my Journalist John’s account of Jesus life!
John reminds me so much of a newspaper writer.  He captures conversations and situations with a keen, sharp report in his Book of John.  As a journalist myself, I am so excited to read John's account!

Soooooo..... Here we go.  Be sure to read John Chapter 11!

Remember - in John 10 -- there was our Good Shepherd - The Jews were ready to stone Him.

-- Away He goes to the area where John the Baptist ministered.  Many believed Him there!

But, life goes on and problems are everywhere.

Remember Mary & Martha?  I LOVE their story.  I am so much like Martha.  I run around, worrying, planning, and fussing sometimes!!!!  In Luke, Chapter 10,  Martha was hosting Jesus in her home. Her sister Mary was sitting at Jesus feet listening to every word He had to say.

Needless to say, Martha gets angry at her sister.  She needed help.  She asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her.
Jesus stops and lovingly talks to Martha.  

I have to smile -- I like to think of Jesus putting his hands on my shoulders (like He did Martha!) and saying,  “Laurie, Laurie (Martha, Martha) -- you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed …Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be take away from her.” -- Luke 10 

Mary sat at the feet of Jesus -- Martha served.  Nothing wrong with that, but Martha missed an opportunity to LISTEN!

In John chapter 11, however,  it is some time after that Jesus visit.  A terrible thing has happened.  Mary & Martha’s brother Lazarus has died.

What’s worse, Jesus did not rush to the rescue.  Basically, Jesus let Lazarus die.  BOY - that was confusing to the sisters!

When Jesus finally gets to the sisters, Martha runs up to pour her heart out to her friend:

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” - John 10:21-22

Martha is desperate here.  She is begging Jesus for help.  Man, I have been there many times! 

 Just check out the following conversation. Jesus words are perfect here:

 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?”

 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” -- John 11: 25-27

I am so proud -- MARTHA got it right!  She believes in Jesus! She does not know it, but  Lazarus is about to come back from the dead!

NOW --

Do you have a situation you think God is running late on?  Have you asked and asked and not heard an answer?

Is there something dead in your midst and you have given up all hope? Are you hoping the new year will bring the answer you need?

Every person has questions he or she wishes Jesus would move faster to answer -- make things clearer -- take the pain away -- SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

Jesus may be waiting for a reason.

Are you learning to depend on Jesus in the depth of your despair?  Think about it.

Lazarus was dead, smelly and closed off in a tomb.

The girls had cried, grieved and probably given up.

ENTER: Jesus!

Notice the shortest verse in the Bible:

Jesus wept. -- John 11: 35.

You see, Jesus is so connected to us, he grieves with us.  What a beautiful, touching gesture!

THE REST OF THE STORY:

Sometimes, we just don’t know what direction Jesus is moving us to … until we get to our destination and look back!

Things may seem dead and without hope, but Jesus is there beside us.  Perhaps He cries when He sees our despair -- BUT He always brings us LIFE -- not death.

I’m glad I’m a Martha who believes.

In spite of my flaws, I see ultimate hope in the RESURRECTION -- THE LIFE :  MY JESUS!

 This is a new year.  This is a new opportunity.  If you have not already done so, I pray you have stopped and asked Jesus to come into your life and take over.  

That, my friends, is truly the beginning of life.

John Chapter 10 - Good Shepherd Christmas!

Happy and Blessed Christmas !  

What a perfect time to study John Chapter 10! Oh, how I love to remember Jesus is my good shepherd! 

I, of course, am a sheep. 

Do you know about sheep? They are dumb. They tend to follow the crowd. Sometimes, when they get near distractions like flowing water or loud sounds,  they panic. Sheep have been know to jump in the rushing water if another sheep jumps. (who doesn’t tend to follow the crowd or give in to temptation?)

Sheep don’t know what they need. They wander aimlessly and can miss the best food and safest place to sleep. Ha!  How much time do I waste "wandering" in my own distracted way????

Enter: The Good Shepherd.

The Good Shepherd guides the sheep. He gently prods them in the right direction. He protects them from wolves. He stays right with the flock.

Guess what? The Shepherd stays so close to the sheep -- the sheep begin to recognize HIS voice only.
They will not follow another.

When the Shepherd brings his flock to a town, there is a gate and corral for all the sheep of several shepherds. The Shepherd coaxes his sheep into the gate. All the flocks go in there together. When the Shepherd comes back ONLY His sheep will follow Him out of the gate .

Are you getting the picture here???? The SHEEP know the Shepherd’s VOICE!

How do the sheep know the Shepherd ?  THEY have spent time with HIM!
The devil will try to get you to follow him…but let’s always listen for the voice of the Shepherd who loves you.

Jesus is the GOOD SHEPHERD.   With this in mind….let’s read about our loving Shepherd:

John 10 
The Good Shepherd and His Sheep 

Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 

Jesus is not only the SHEPHERD. HE is also the GATE to Heaven!

 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 

Please get to know Jesus well. GIVE YOUR LIFE TO HIM. YOU will know HIS voice and follow HIM only.

But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 

Be sure to ask yourself -- Is this from Jesus or my own selfish desire? The devil will tempt you with your own bent toward selfishness!

 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. 
Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 
All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.  I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; 

The devil has come to steal and kill -- steal innocence, steal joy, steal love, family, homes and he will ultimately KILL your ability to think outside of your selfish desires. Look how we kill babies -- Why ?
Look how we destroy marriages through divorce - why?
The devil loves to steal and kill -- Ask Jesus.

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 

Thank you, Jesus, for LIFE!

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 

Thank you, Jesus, for dying for us! 

The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 

You might follow someone or something else temporarily. Watch out! That person or thing will NOT protect you from harm !

 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.  I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” 

Jesus has just told us how He will die for us. He knows YOU so intimately -- He LOVES you so completely. He will never leave you. He died for YOU.

The Jews who heard these words were again divided. Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”  But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?” 

Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 

Again -- I love the way John captures this dialog among the Pharisees and the Jews. They are still clueless. They want PROOF.

 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 

Jesus just gave the Pharisees the salvation message!

When I teach children about Jesus' message of salvation, I make a fist and ask them to pry it open.  They can not open my fist. I tell them "Jesus holds you and no one can take you from HIS hand once you have given your life to HIM -- truly, completely -- surrendered."

I and the Father are one.” 

HERE is yet another statement where Jesus says HE is GOD.

When others say Jesus was just a good guy, but not God, you can say, “Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic or LORD.” You have to decide.

Jesus said He was GOD.

Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 

The guys want to get rid of Jesus! He is a TRUE threat to their position in society!

“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” 
Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—  what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?  Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”  Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp. 

Again, Jesus says He is God!

Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.”  And in that place many believed in Jesus. 

OH, how wonderful to believe in Jesus and know the Good Shepherd is watching out for me!

Today, may you know that peace as you walk through this tough world. 

You have a shepherd who wants to lead you. 

PLEASE - listen to His voice! 

I LOVE YOU and I LOVE JESUS! 
Have a wondrous, wonderful, grace-filled Christmas !  Remember to follow Jesus beside the swift waters of this world! 

John Chapter 9: I once was blind but now I see: THE LIGHT !

Let’s look in to John, Chapter 9.  At the beginning of November, I would not have related much to the blind guy and the spiritual journey brought by bad things
…Three surgeries and many treatments later, I’m noticing God’s speaks through hardship. 

John 9 is so rich with imagery!

Check out John chapter 9 - do some reading and come back to chat! 

FIRST -- We’ve got a blind guy -- blind since birth.   The blind guy asks for nothing, but Jesus sees his need.

The disciples, like most of us, wonder why God would let this bad thing happen.  I like Jesus’ answer.  Sometimes, pain comes to demonstrate a greater glory.

I can’t count the number of times I have been inspired by watching folks walk through tough things with Jesus.

Why does God allow certain things to happen?

SO THE LIGHT CAN SHINE!  See what Jesus says:

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 

5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jesus is the light of the world!  Some people don’t like that light because it exposes a dark side of their lives.

Other people, like the blind guy, are ready for the LIGHT (Jesus).  Did you notice he says nothing as Jesus basically puts spit and mud on his eyes?

Boy, that is TRUST!

The beggar - the blind guy -- does what Jesus says.  He then becomes, whether he likes it or not, the center of a HUGE controversy involving very powerful people.

Again, I LOVE the dialog of John!  The banter of the “Holier than thou” Pharisees and leaders is so REAL!

They critique Jesus again.  They nag at the (formerly) blind guy.  All of a sudden, this nobody, this uneducated beggar, makes a profound statement.  This is a great example of how we can share our own testimony:

“I was blind but now I see!”  John 9: 25

He goes on to boldly speak to the leaders:

30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

Wow -- It’s amazing what can happen when Jesus takes hold of a common man.  I also think it is neat -- Jesus chose the man -- the man did not choose Jesus.

Hmmm -- Once he was chosen, however, the blind guy stuck it out. -- He accepted what Jesus had to offer and then he told others.

What did this get him ?  Persecution from the Jewish Leaders.  The leaders threw him out.

Can you imagine how the blind guy felt at that point?  In a matter of moments, he has gone from unnoticeable beggar to a man who is the center of attention.  Then he gets persecuted for telling the truth and tossed out the temple door!

---Pretty discouraging!  BUT --  JESUS is on the other side of the door!!!!

Have you ever felt like YOU are “kicked out” ?  Look around.  Jesus is outside the door.

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.


WOOOOHOOOO!  SAVED in one fell swoop!  All that spit and mud and aggravation really paid off!  Jesus sought him out!

Is Jesus seeking you out?  Is He asking you to endure some discomfort in order to show just how brightly HIS light can shine in this world?

You can be a child of light or you can be like the Pharisees and cling to your darkness (and, by the way, also cling to your prestige, position, power, history, image, job etc…)

Here’s what Jesus says to that:

39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”  40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

 Man -- I do not want to be the one whose guilt remains!!!!!  I don’t want to be blind to what Jesus offers.  I need forgiveness.  I need to see Jesus on the other side of the door of rejection, pain, disappointment and sorrow.

I want to accept what Jesus has to give me and not worry about the persecution.

JOHN 9 is soooo COOOOOL!

I want to see the LIGHT!

Wrap it up: John Chapter 8

My darling friends!

I'm so sorry I am late in finishing  John 8.  It's such a wonderful chapter to linger over, however!
There is so much going on in this chapter, but an overarching theme is, appropriate for this time,

LOVE

The Jewish people are very very curious about what Jesus is saying -- remember -- He was talking about His Father.... the leaders asked Him who His Father was.

These guys just do NOT get it. They think in their worldly terms. Again, I love the true dialog here --

The Jews question everything Jesus says.  Their frame of reference is their tradition -- their history -- their position in life. They do not understand the Son of God. When you cling to yourself and your own resources, it's easy to lose sight of who Jesus is.

I've done that....and I have been frazzled beyond belief.

I went back and looked at the flow in what Jesus is saying.
Jesus is about to give the Jews a lesson in LOVE. He is about to tell them His own story, but, they refuse to see. Here's the exchange:

“You do not know me or my Father," Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put.  Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come.

Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

The Jews think Jesus is going to kill himself. Too bad. What they don't understand is - Jesus is telling them they are killing themselves when they refuse to believe.

While some of the Jews are not really understanding -- others are starting to believe. Jesus goes on:

"I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him. Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

Jesus explained what people should do when they believe.

I LOVE the following quote -- one which was used by Dr. Martin Luther King:

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32

Jesus goes to say (I believe He is speaking directly to us !):  Unless we know the TRUTH -- we will be a slave to sin.

This is so true. We will never truly be free until we believe in the Truth of Jesus.

Sin takes us further than we ever thought we would go. Jesus frees us from this bondage!

BUT! -- Let's go back to the temple scene!

The Jews are so smug -- They cling to their own identity and self-worth. They smugly say they are children of Abraham -- the CHOSEN (They THINK!)

Oh, how our pride can bring us down. We may think we have it all together, but if we have not included Jesus -- we are LOST!

Jesus basically tells these self-righteous guys that HE was with Abraham in the beginning. He tells them another important thing:

"Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”- John 8:23

Oh, the Jews are still trying to stump Jesus! They argue some more. Then Jesus drops the bombshell, referring to himself as :

"I AM"

In the language of the time, "I AM" means Jesus is saying He is God.  The Jews are ready to stone Jesus.
They do not understand.

In John JESUS told the story of LOVE -- He died for US! What greater love is there than THIS? Just like today, however, the people do not want to hear something that clashes with their own notions.
Stay tuned for John 9!

John Chapter 8: Silence is Golden - How to Communicate

I read John 8 last night and was blown away by the message! I am loving the speedy, sharp message of journalist John (my new name for the disciple!)

Did you know they think John wrote Revelation also ? He and his brother James were the sons of Zebedee and were some of the first called on the Sea of Galilee. These boys were later called , "The sons of thunder"!
John was the only disciple present at the cross when Jesus died. Remember? Jesus basically told John to take care of His mother.

Maybe that is why John is so succinct in telling us Jesus is God. As an eye-witness to Jesus suffering and death and also as the disciple so close to Jesus he refers to himself as "the disciple Jesus loved" -- God would give him keen insight and sharp understanding.

He sure is sharpening my understanding!

Read John 8 .

In John 7, Jesus got everybody all riled up in the temple, where the pharisees try to arrest Him...but...He disappears!

John 8 talks about Jesus spending the night at the Mount of Olives.  I'm picturing  a quiet place (we see Him there praying before His death). Jesus has again spent time AWAY from others, talking to God, I am sure!

By morning, Jesus is back to face the challenges!

Just a thought...Do we take time to regroup with God before we throw ourselves into challenges?

Hmmmm... most of the time, I just make my list and plunge right in there.  YIKES! that's not too smart ! Take time to pray, Laurie !!!!

At the beginning of John 8, Jesus comes back to the temple. There, the bureaucrats have a new trap for him.
They drag this adulterous woman to him and stand there waiting to stone her . They look to Jesus.

What will Jesus say?

NOTHING.

WHAT?

NOTHING.

Jesus bends down and draws in the sand with his finger! -- Don't you think, by that time, the pharisees are leaning closer, trying to figure out what Jesus is going to say?

-- Nothing like silence to promote interest!

This tells me something the Bible has already told me long ago: Be slow to speak and quick to listen (I think that's somewhere in Proverbs!)

Most of the time -- I let my mouth move with my feelings. Not good.

Here's what Laurie would have done:

I would have yelled, "CUT THAT OUT ! Stop mistreating her! What did she do? Who do you guys think you ARE?"

With those words, I would have lost a teaching moment (Sorry, girls, for the times I have lost the teaching moment!)

JESUS -- what a guy -- gets His message out without hitting the folks on the head.

I AM AMAZED!

Here's the rest of the story -- It is so beautiful and so very very simple:

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, 

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, 

“Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

WOW ! I'm glad to be reminded of this exchange again.

Jesus is the MASTER and the MASTER communicator. I need to remember His method of communication!

There is so much more in this chapter -- Let's talk about rest of John 8  Friday!

John 7 - A Hidden Gem !

Tonight, I decided to read John 7.  I had been so blessed by John 6, I wanted to be inspired after a long day of work!  

I really like the writing of John, the "disciple whom Jesus loved"! 

Chapter 6 was full of the Gospel.  Jesus had great things to say.  I shared John 6 with the teens at my church Wednesday.  I was proud to say I study this book with my readers!

John is such a great book ! 

I have to say, I feel like I've read John 7 for the first time,  I do not recall reading all the details of this little "Hidden Gem"

I think this chapter reflects the humanity of Jesus. He was God, but He also allowed Himself to be a man, subject to human dynamics.

Jesus is with his earthly brothers in John 7.  I can see sibling conflict brewing!  

John 7: 1-5:

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”  For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

Jesus' brothers are trying to give Him advice on how to become a "public figure"  -- ha ha!  

The brothers had a plan for glory, but God's plan was different!   Even Jesus brothers didn't believe in  Him!  

This can be so true in life. Family members can be the toughest to convince of the reality of our Savior.

I think the individuals interacting with Jesus  truly come to life in John 7.  The dialog is reported so clearly! Jesus tells His brothers: 

Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do.  The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil."

Jesus words help me understand why people have such a hard time when I  talk about Jesus.  Folks can handle my mention of God...but Jesus is just too up-close and personal.  Jesus' light reveals our sin.  Most people can't handle the thought of being "found out".  

The reality is - Jesus already knows  what we do and say and think. He knows all about us (This can be awkward!) but He loves us just the same.

Jesus tells his brothers He is not going to Judea, but then He goes in secret.  

Suddenly, Jesus is in the temple and He steps forward to preach. The Jewish officials go ballistic!

Check out John 7: 16- 19:

 Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.  Has not Moses given you the law?  Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

Busted!  This statement must have really shocked the men who truly WERE plotting to kill Jesus.  

Then comes a big exchange between the crowd and Christ.  I'm amazed at how John captures the exchange, word-for-word. - What a super reporter !    

 “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath?  Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.<sup>- John 7:20-24

Oh, my gosh !  Jesus makes a good point.  How hypocritical can we get ?  I'm cringing a bit here for the many times I have "judged by mere appearances."

I can just hear the crowd whispering.  Who does this guy think he is?  Hmmmm. This is a hometown boy.  What's up with him?  Just look at John 7:25-29:</sup>

At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. 

Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? 

But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

The crew is whispering, but Jesus hears every word.  Look how He responds in John 7:28 - 29:

Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.<sup>"

WOE !  Jesus just claimed to be connected to God in a BIG way here.  This is dangerous stuff.</sup>  

In a sneak peek as to what is to come, the priests start plotting against Jesus.  

Who speaks up for him?  NICODEMUS!  We met him in John 3!  That same timid priest who came to see Jesus in the dark in Chapter 3 is NOW speaking in the light. 

 --Experiencing the presence of Jesus can give anyone strength to do great bold things!
Just look at John 7:50-51:

    

Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

The priests do NOT like what Nick has to say !  Also, don't miss what the guards say and all the quibbling over where Jesus is from.  This is all fascinating stuff!

John 7 ends with the question to Nicodemus.  The chapter leaves us hanging -- but I LOVE the action-packed dialog and the human elements brought to play in all these exchanges!

Read John 8 this weekend!  

Now, it's time to check on my patient and go to bed ! 

Maybe I can read John 8 for tomorrow! 

This is good reading!  I like the way John writes!

John Chapter 6 - On the Road Again

Hope you get a chance to read John 6! 

Midnight -- a hotel in Tennessee.  Everything is dark but my computer screen.  I have had my life and blogging interrupted by emergency surgery in Georgia (My husband's - Yes, he is recovering) 

John 6 is very appropriate.  How do we deal with life's interruptions??????

Let's see what Jesus does. 

-- I'm taking time to send a little Bible note in the midst of a crazy day!

Love Laurie

John Chapter 6 -- Those unexpected interruptions....How did Jesus handle them?

READ JOHN 6!

OK -- between you and me....I think John was a journalist.

In his Bible book, he covers so much stuff so succinctly  He covers the action in Jesus' life and  he highlights the good, meaty stuff. 

I'm enjoying reading this!

John 6 is unbelievable!  We start with feeding of 5 thousand. 

When I read this, something impressed me.  Jesus got in a boat and tried to have some "alone" time. 

 I can understand this.  He was always pressed upon from all sides. 

I'm impressed by the number of times the Bible talks about Jesus getting "away" to be with His Father.

You  need to take time away also -- Just you and God -- A lot of listening and resting in the presence of your Father.  GOOD stuff!

Well -- Jesus has left the people, but he looks up and here they COME!

What happens next - I love.  I could not do this.  I would have seen those people coming and I would have panicked and gotten cranky!  

What does Jesus do?  John 6:5  He talks about feeding them!

ZOWWWEEE!  Jesus doesn't fuss. He doesn't panic.  He doesn't send those annoying people away.

Do I???? (fuss and panic, I mean!)  I think  I do sometimes with my attitude!   Sometimes, I need to CHILL!!!!!!

Jesus feeds the 5,000, then collects the leftovers. 

Here's the deal -- God gives us gifts -- Use them wisely and HOLD on to them. 

Just like Jesus had his disciples gather extra food for another day -- we should not waste what God has given us 

There will be a time use those gifts - today and tomorrow.

Jesus leaves to be alone again and the disciples get in their boat without him. 

--Here Jesus comes !  Walking on water !  Jesus told them not to be afraid. 

In another verse (different Bible book) , Peter tries to walk on the water to Jesus.  Problem is, Pete takes his eyes off Jesus and looks at the storm.

  Hmmm when he takes his eyes off Jesus....he sinks.  Jesus pulls him out at the last minute!

--Keep your eyes on Jesus during storm.  He moves in those dangerous times.  Don't miss His leading. 

Jesus states over and over in this book that He is the Savior - the one true path to God. 

In John  6:29 Jesus says it all: 

 "The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent." 

The crowd is asking Jesus for another miracle.  I can tell Jesus is annoyed The people want miracle bread. 

Jesus says He is the bread of life.  The people are still dumb (so are we!) 

They're looking for something BIG -- something "out there"  -- but the BREAD OF LIFE is standing right before them! 

He still stands before us -- but sometimes we choose not to look at Him. 

Listen to what Jesus says in John 6: 40 : 

"For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him

shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." 

The Jews were annoyed at all of this .  They knew this guy.  How could he be from heaven?  How could he be God's son? 

"Stop GRUMBLING,"  Jesus says -- Haha -- I think he says that to me all the time!

Jesus was saying some controversial stuff.  The powerful Jews were getting uncomfortable. 

Jesus was a hometown boy with profound teaching.  This was threatening to the Jewish leaders.  They started plotting to kill him. 

A lot of Christ's followers left Him when He got too controversial.

 -- Go figure..  some of us leave Him , too, especially when the following makes us uncomfortable. 

 We think we can park Jesus somewhere outside of our lives and then do what we want. 

It's always easier to pick Jesus up on the way home after the party.   But Jesus is still there. 

Jesus is now back with the 12 disciples -- He asks, " You do not want to leave too, do you?" 

Peter answers, "to whom shall we go?"  So TRUE!!!! -- Where else can we go but to Jesus! 

Friday is John 7! 

I hope to be home with my patient by then!

John Chapter 5: Helpless - Hopeless - Hypocritical and... Heavenly!

Before I nod off to sleep -- Wanted to talk about John 5.  Please read this chapter! 

I may be sleepy, but I'm getting fired up by John Chapter 5!  We start with the beggar by the pool. 

This guy is helpless. He has been lame for 38 years.  No one carries him to the "healing" water, so he is resigned to a "hopeless" situation.

"Do you want to get well?"  John 5:6

Jesus asks the lame man this question.  Isn't that strange?  Why wouldn't the manwant to get well?

Wait a minute....

Do WE want to get well?  Perhaps we're more comfortable moaning here on our mat of self-pity. Jesus says it's time we pick up our mats and walk.  That's what he tells the beggar to do. 

But that's not enough.  Later, Jesus sees the healed man. 

"See, you are well again. Stop sinning," Jesus says, "or something worse may happen to you."  - John 5:14
 

WOW!  No one can be truly healed unless they ask for forgiveness and stop sinning.  The lame man is no exception. 

OK, let's get this Bible lesson straight:  

___We should abandon our "lame" excuses, stop whining on our mats and stop         looking to others to do the work we need to do.  

___We should stop sinning,  ask for forgiveness, give our lives to Jesus, pick up our    mat and start walking! We will be hopeless no more!

Going back to the Bible -- Enter: the hypocrites.  I find it interesting in John 5: 9-10 that  the Jewish leaders don't even seem to notice that a man who's been lame for 38 years is now walking.  All they see is someone breaking a rule: 

DON'T work on the Sabbath!  They do NOT want this guy to carry his mat! They are so busy looking at rules, they missed a miracle. (Have I ever done that?????)

GEESH!  Do you know Jewish leaders in Bible times created hundreds of intricate rules to govern the lives of the Jewish people?  Their nit-picking drove them to distraction!  

The Jewish leaders loved rules.  Rules kept them in control. They did not like Jesus shaking up their instructions. How could Jesus work on the Sabbath?

Jesus told them straight about working on the Sabbath:

"My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." - John 5:17

This statement shocked the Jewish leaders.  Jesus was claiming to be God's son.  This was dangerous to them.  -What a threat to their power base!   They started plotting to kill Jesus.

"I tell you the truth," Jesus said.  -- Now, when Jesus says something like this, be sure to pay close attention!

"the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed." - John 5:19 & 20

Hmmmm.  Why do I try to do things on my own?  Have I even LOOKED to see what my Father is doing?  Am I trying to join God in great and wonderful works?  Maybe I'm just too busy trying to follow a bunch of rules.

"I tell you the truth whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." 
                                                                 -John 5:24

Wow !  There's that opening phrase "I tell you the TRUTH," once again!   

Jesus' TRUTH can set you FREE!  Here is our message of salvation in a nutshell !

Jesus is sharing some pretty heavy duty messages as He walks through the temple.  I can just see the horrified Jewish leaders following Jesus, watching and listening for more reasons to get rid of this person who threatens their power base.

I can just picture Jesus spinning around to face the men skulking behind them.  He calls the hypocrites on the carpet:

"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.  These are the Scriptures that testify about me,yet you refuse to come to me to have life." - John 5:39,40

Yikes!  If I bring this message home, I have to ask myself: Am I so busy teaching, preaching and sorting through a bunch of rules that  I miss the salvation and peace Jesus has to offer me ?

Jesus continues to condemn the spiritual leaders. 

"But I know you. You do not have the love of God in your hearts. How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?" - John 5: 42,44

I'm thinking of  church here.  I'm thinking of everyone giving each other "high fives" on jobs well done....hmmm ... have we checked in with God's opinion yet?

OUCH!  Maybe I should be more worried about God's opinion than other people's .  I would hate for Jesus to say of me: "You do not have the love of God in your heart."

YIKES!  I hope Jesus does not think I am hypocritical.

Jesus goes on to tell the Jewish leaders even more... but I have to go to bed.

 Please explore these wonderful lessons from your Heavenly Father and let me know your insights!

Read on and write me at watwelsh@gmail.com if you have thoughts, questions, comments!

Next up: John Chapter 6!

Have a wonderful July 4 and we'll see you next week!  

John Chapter 4: From Messy Life to Messiah Messenger!

"Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and 

who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him 

and he would have given you living water.”

 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?"    -- John 4:10-11

It's really hot in the middle east at noon time.  I'm sure anyone in their right mind would not be carrying heavy loads of water pots under the hot noonday sun....unless she was hiding something.

John 4:4-42  tells a wonderful story of a mess turned to message...a shunned woman...a hiding woman... being transformed into someone who influenced many people to follow Jesus.

Zowee! -- How does something like this happen? Did this woman have super powers?  -Was she a leader of a dynamic ministry?  
-Was she well-liked, respected and influential? hmmmm....

Let's take a closer look at the woman at the well.  

Who was she?
--------------------------------------------------------
Woman at the Well:

___She was a WOMAN -- Jewish men never spoke directly to women. Culture during Bible times considered women property -- of little consequence.  





When Jesus spoke directly to her, she was SHOCKED!

___She was a Samaritan. Jews traditionally despised Samaritans, considering them a "mixed breed" of folks. Jesus asked her to give him a drink. Jewish tradition holds  he would be unclean as soon as he touched the water she offered. Jesus did not seem to be worried by this. 

___She had a problem.  She had five failed marriages and was living with a man who was not her husband.  She was at the well at noon to avoid the gossip and piercing looks of the women who gathered water in the cool of the morning.  
---------------------------------------------------------

As always, Jesus looked beyond this woman's checkered history and saw what she lacked in her soul.  

Jesus continued to talk to this woman: 

 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 

 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” 

-- John 4:17,18

Busted!  How many of us have carefully "hidden" some embarrassing flaw from the world and foolishly thought we were hiding from God, also?

The woman at the well was SMART, though.  She wanted to learn more.  She asked Jesus several religious questions.  

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet." -- John 4:17-19

As Jesus answered her questions...this sharp woman began to understand....Jesus was not just a prophet.

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. 

When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” 

-- John 4:25,26

 Wowee!  The woman at the well knew she was in the presence of the MESSIAH!  She was so excited, she left her water jar and went rushing back to her community!  She had a MESSAGE to communicate! 

 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. 

Could this be the Messiah?”  They came out of the town and made their way toward him. -- John 4:28-30

The woman who came to the well at noon to hide from people was suddenly running down the streets of town telling people about Jesus!

She wasn't hiding her mess any more.  She had a message to share! In spite of her past, in spite of her mistakes, God used her to bring people to Jesus.  

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. 

-- John 4:39 - 41

OK...Let me get this straight.  The fallen woman, a woman who doesn't even get NAMED in the Bible, is used by God in a BIG way.....Hmmmm ... I'm figuring her life changed in a BIG way, too.

What does this mean to you?  

Stop hiding your mess.  Use it.  You could be hoarding a MESSAGE that could change a few lives!

Can you do this alone?  OF COURSE NOT!  Without an encounter with Jesus...I'm talking a significant "one-on-one" conversation - you and I will never get far with our message.

Talk to Jesus -- Ask Him to come into your life.  Thank Him for dying for you.  LISTEN to what He is telling you in prayer and in the Bible. 

Then - get out there and SHARE the message...but....

Keep it simple:  Here's what Jesus has done for me.  

Keep it personal:  Here's my mess and here's how Jesus turned it around OR helped me deal with it.

Oh, thank you, God, for the Woman at the Well!  I can relate to her in many ways.  

I like to hide from the disapproving eyes.  I would rather keep quiet than go to a lot of trouble speaking.  I have some messes to clean up.

I want to give them to you, Jesus.  Take them over.

Turn my mess into a MESSAGE.  I'll trust you with the results!  

John Chapter 3...Stop sneaking around!

Stop right now and read John Chapter 3!

Nick at Night...Sees the Light!

John Chapter 3 brings a smile to my face. The chapter features Nicodemus, a Pharisee, who comes to visit Jesus in the night.   This reminds me of a great group of kids I worked with in VBS years ago. We put on a play about John Chapter 3.

That summer many years ago,  my VBS kids performed a play I wrote called, "Nick at Night....Sees the Light!"  We had a such a great time performing this play! Two of my toughest boys played Jesus and Nicodemus -- I pray pray pray those boys and girls remember the message of being "born again,” the central message to John 3.

The first time I read John 3, I was shocked to read Jesus’ words:

 "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 
John 3:3 

WOWEE ! I always thought the "born again" phrase was made up by televangelists! WRONG, Laurie!
Jesus spoke these words long ago !

In John 3 Jesus explains that the process of being "born again" requires a total transformation, a rebirth through the Living Water and the Holy Spirit.

--More on that later!

This is such an important chapter. It is such a picture of who we are today and what Jesus can do for us!

In John 3 we meet old Nicodemus who is part of an elite group in the Jewish hierarchy. He is a pharisee, basically one leaders of the Jewish faith.  Nicodemus is curious about Jesus, but he’s afraid of what his associates may think if he is seen with this bold new “rabbi”.

Nicodemus is skulking around at night cause he's ashamed to be seen with Jesus. Are we ashamed ? Truth be told, maybe we hide our faith in the dark of indifference when we are out in the world. Hmmmmm

Jesus tells Nicodemus  what he needs to do to be born again, but Nick does not get it.

Duh...I didn't get it either 20 years ago. It seemed too simple for my Type A,  list-making mind!

In John 3:16, Jesus says,

"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." 

John 3:16 

We all repeat this verse like a chant.  A lot of us memorized it in Sunday School,  but do we realize JESUS said it?  This verse is  key to being “born again.”

To be "born again" is to pray to ask forgiveness for your sins (that stuff you know you do wrong) and also to ask Jesus to come into every part of your life, public and private, good, bad and downright ugly.

This prayer requires total belief and commitment to the One who loves you most, Jesus Christ.  It is the key to eternal life with Jesus, the LIGHT of the world.

In verses John 3:19 - 21, Jesus refers to himself as the LIGHT.  Jesus explains to us why people are so afraid of Him.  His light reveals their sins....

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, 

but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 

Everyone who does evil hates the light, 

and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.  

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, 

so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done 

has been done in the sight of God.” 

Jesus is the light, but some people hate the Light.  I’ve noticed, when I share my faith,  people don't seem to mind when I talk about God, but when I mention Jesus, they  get agitated. They shift from foot to foot.  Their heads drop.  The Light is just too personal.  Jesus is just too close for comfort.

John 3:22 switches back over to John the Baptist. I love his words:

John Chapter 2

-- Hold on to your hats, girls ! God's got great, glorious, grungy, 

growing, gripping, goal-filled things in store for YOU!



Happy Friday -- I'm behind so let's read John 2. 

This has been quite a week. Someday, I will tell you........ 

John is an account of a few events in Jesus ministry. Read John 2.

John 2 tells about Jesus’ first miracle,  turning water into wine at a wedding.

Why does he do this? Hmmm....was Jesus a "party animal" ? Was He in to good wines? OR Is there something more the Word is saying to us here?

First of all, before you get all bent out of shape, when Jesus says, "Woman" in John 2:4,  this is not a sign of disrespect: The Greek word  for Woman does not denote any disrespect. Nuff said.

Why water into wine?

I tried to figure this out last night, but it was after work so my brain was fried.  I’ve looked at a commentary and here is what the smart people said: This account symbolizes how Jesus makes things NEW and DIFFERENT.

When we accept Christ, we are NEW and DIFFERENT.  Changing water to wine is creating a whole NEW drink.

The water to wine transformation also filled a NEED of the wedding party.  Wine  was needed at wedding celebrations.  This party had run out of drink.  Jesus saw the need and helped his mother, Mary, out.

Jesus sees our needs and fills them.

In this case, Jesus' mom needed wine for the party.  Jesus filled the need.

Jesus later in the Bible says you can't put new wine into old wineskins.  That’s a good thought.   Once we've been changed, why do we insist on going back to those same old habits and hang-ups (old wine skins)?

Don't we understand we are NEW?

Water into Wine -- We are something different  when we place ourselves into the hands of Jesus.

YOU and I are NEW.  Let's start acting zesty and attractive and be the life of the party (without the alcohol, please!)

WOOOOOHOOOOO!

NEXT in John 2, we find Jesus in the Temple.  Jesus is very angry.

Long story short, Jesus does not like the hypocrisy of the temple leaders who are basically "users.” They plant themselves in the temple (church) just to reap the benefits of the association and the perks.

Jesus doesn’t like any form of hypocrisy.  He talks about this throughout the Gospels.

Hmmmmm -- lesson learned.

Jesus also predicts his death in John 2:

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”  -- John 2:19

The temple leaders don't get this, but we do.

After all, we know “the rest of the story.“  Jesus will die and live again in three days.

We serve a risen, living Savior who makes us new and fills our needs.  I am so grateful for that! 

Now move on to John 3 -- Enjoy your weekend!

John Chapter 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. -- John 1: 1-5

The Book of John....Who is this Jesus?   

OK, guys! Here we are starting the first chapter of John! FIRST - let's say a prayer and ask God for insight.  NOW, let's read the first chapter.   Here's the link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+1&amp;version=NIV


This book was written by John for folks like us: normal, every-day workers.  We need to know who Jesus is and the special qualities He brought to earth.

We also need to know Jesus and God are One: Father and Son, joined in the perfect unity of the Trinity:  Father/Son and Holy Spirit.

You may recall the words to an old hymn:

"God in three persons....blessed Trinity!"  

The Book of John starts with the words: "In the beginning was the Word...."   Jesus is "The Word."  If you substitute Jesus for "Word," you begin to understand who Jesus is.

There is no doubt Jesus has been around a while! Jesus created us.  He was with God in the beginning.

Check out all the terms which are used for Jesus throughout John Chapter 1. Each refers to a quality of Jesus.

___The Light of the World
___The Word - which became flesh and lived with us
___The Truth
___The Nazarene
___The Rabbi - Teacher
___The Son of Man

The analogy of Jesus as LIGHT is very beautiful.  It's easy to see the darkness does not understand the LIGHT today.

Our world is so full of dark thought and action - One can see how people want to hide from the LIGHT. No one wants to be exposed.

The Truth - This name tells us Jesus is the measure of all things good.
The Nazarene takes us back to Old Testament prophesy.
The Rabbi/Teacher sets the stage for future lessons we can learn

Go ahead and explore more of the Book of John !  We are on to Chapter 2 Chapter 3!