John 15:1-17 – Abide

Read John 15:1-17

I love it when Jesus uses one of his “I am” statements to describe himself. What does it mean to you that Jesus is the “true grapevine”? Verse 5 sums it up for me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”  I feel honored to put myself in the “branches” category.

Jesus wants us to abide and remain in Him. Do you think the disciples knew what that meant? Do we even begin to understand the depth of meaning that Jesus’ words have for our lives and how we live? When we remain in Him, we also “abide” in Him, living our lives while acknowledging his presence. There is some great stuff to ponder and reflect on in this reading. Continue reading “John 15:1-17 – Abide”

John 14:1-31 – Great Wisdom

Read John 14:1-31

What a reading full of great wisdom! Jesus knew his time with his disciples was winding down, but the truths he had to share seemed only to be ramping up. Does that ever happen to you? You’re trying to say goodbye to loved ones, and yet you can hardly part with them, thinking of one more thing to say or one more hug to share.

What spoke to you most in this reading? It probably depends on what is happening in your life right now. Hearing Jesus bring comfort can touch us all at our point of need. “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” Jesus doesn’t want us to let the troubles of the world get us down. Continue reading “John 14:1-31 – Great Wisdom”

John 13:18-38 – Messengers of Jesus

Read John 13:18-38

Jesus’ meal and time with his closest friends continue in this reading. Jesus gives a promise to us as his messengers, identifies his betrayer, issues his final command, and surprises Peter with some news. There’s a lot packed into these verses to reflect on.

Do you know who the disciple Jesus loved refers to? Many believe it to be the author of this gospel, John. Although Jesus loved all of his disciples, John is one of the inner circle who was witness to things the others didn’t see. John had to have felt the love of Jesus because of being chosen in that manner. I know I would. Imagine being singled out by Jesus to see his power at work! Continue reading “John 13:18-38 – Messengers of Jesus”

John 13:1-17 – Be a Servant

Read John 13:1-17

Are you as perplexed by Jesus’ actions as his disciples were?  The foot washing ritual was regularly done by slaves, certainly not by the Messiah himself. But Jesus didn’t want to waste this opportunity, another teachable moment. Jesus knew his time had come; it was the moment he had anticipated his whole ministry. His disciples hadn’t quite grasped what that meant.

Jesus chose to care for and serve his closest followers with the time he had left. That speaks volumes to me about how much Jesus loves his chosen ones. There would be no slipping away this time. Jesus’ time had come, and the lesson on being a servant leader was left to last. Continue reading “John 13:1-17 – Be a Servant”

John 12:16-50 – To Believe or Not to Believe

Read John 12:16-50

John does a great job of capturing the crowd’s response, showing their lack of belief. Even the disciples didn’t understand everything completely, and it wasn’t until later that they connected what they had lived through as fulfillment of prophecy. Isn’t it amazing that even though “most” of the people didn’t believe, including religious leaders, we are still talking about Jesus all these years later?

When we read about the prophecies of Isaiah, it makes perfect sense why some couldn’t see Jesus. It was supposed to be that way. Yet Jesus spoke truth to those who would listen. Plenty of people were open and receptive to Jesus’ message. They would be the ones to carry Jesus’ message to us. Continue reading “John 12:16-50 – To Believe or Not to Believe”

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