Follow the Leader

John 10:5 “…A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

How would you define a stranger? Obviously someone you don’t know. Or is it someone you know “of” but do not really know. Most people know of world leaders, or sports icons, or movie stars, or even religious and Christian leaders. But is knowing “of” the same as knowing?

Chapter 10 is a great illustration of how Jesus taught. In this case, he tells a story of a shepherd and sheep, and then when his listeners don’t quite get it, He tells it again a little differently. All the while, His point is that there is only one door, there is only one Shepherd, and only One to follow. And He knows His sheep, and He cares for His sheep like nobody or nothing else.

The symbolism is rich, and the parallel applications cut to the heart. Just who or what do we follow when we could be following the Shepherd? Do we even recognize when a stranger is enticing us to follow? In this case, that stranger is likely something or someone we know very, very well, and yet that stranger steers us away from the Lord.

Sure, Jesus here is also giving His Jewish followers a hint that others outside of their Judaism are invited to be sheep as well. Further, He warns of impostor shepherds, the hired hands who are not really interested in caring for the sheep.

We as Christians need to get better and better at “not even knowing” the voices of strangers. What is meant here is that we recognize the voice of the Shepherd, and when we “hear” another, we disregard that temptation to follow as being “not the Shepherd”. Make sense? Basically, the ideal would be that those strangers’ voices have no negative impact on the daily life of the Christian. Such is “not knowing the voice of strangers”.

Even those posing as religious or Christian leaders can lead others astray. Essentially, if any teaching of or urging to follow God is contrary to His Word, a stranger is behind it. Ultimately pastors and other teachers, parents, friends, etc. must be pointing the sheep directly to the Master, the Shepherd. Anything less is the mark of a stranger, in Jesus’ words, not mine.

This would naturally imply that we need to know the Shepherd, and we have His Word to help us get to know Him.

Oh yeah, last thing, Jesus said the sheep would FLEE from the stranger. So, are we fleeing from sin? Join with me in the battle to flee from that which is not of Christ!

Reminds me of Proverbs 22:3, “The prudent sees the evil and hides himself,
But the naive go on, and are punished for it.”

Let’s be wise, prudent, and when we see evil, hide ourselves from it.

To See or Not to See

John 9:39 And Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind."
What a great reminder just after Christmas, this gift from God, the Savior, has made it possible for eyes to be opened to who He is.
John 9 is primarily centered around the account of Jesus healing a blind man, and the disbelief that surrounds those around the man. The story is an easy read, and one does not have to delve very deeply into theology to get what is going on. Keep in mind, John is telling of Jesus’ divinity, that Jesus is God, and understanding that will really emphasize the teaching that Jesus brings here.

Of course, Jesus gets into trouble for healing someone on the Sabbath. But on this account, that argument dissipates quickly. More attention is focused on the Pharisees, the “religious” elite trying to get their heads around who this Jesus really is. They ask the man who healed him, and when he tells them, they don’t believe him anyway. So the Jews ask his parents, and they defer the question back to their son. He is older enough to answer for himself, but they were trying to save themselves from being outcasts from the synagogue. But they knew it was Jesus.

So many great verses in this chapter. Verse 25, “though I was blind, now I see”, as a response to the claim of Jesus being a sinner. Verse 27, “You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” as a response to the Pharisees’ insistence to keep hearing the story. I personally love the sarcasm there.

Yet Jesus, the master teacher, always has a lesson, for the readers then as well as for us now. There are so many people in this world who already have it “all figured out”. Essentially, they have no perceived need for God. Those are who Jesus would label as “already seeing”, just as He described the Jews/Pharisees here. Then there are those who are blind, and who long to see in the proper Light, that which is Jesus. That kind of “seeing” only comes from true belief in Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation, the only source of redemption in God’s eyes.

As you read John 9, look at all the excuses, the diversions that are offered in opposition to Jesus. How do they compare with what we hear today? When others discredit the Savior, how do we respond? Do we point to others to answer the question, such as this man’s parents did? Or do we own the relationship we claim to have with Jesus, and point people directly to Him?

Indeed, those who already have life all figured out, as much as they think they “see”, are really living in the darkness, and we must keep pointing them to the true Light. Our Savior is the only source of healing for their blindness. Let’s pray that they will hear, listen, and respond.

A Light to lighten all

John 8:1 “But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.”
John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."”

OK, maybe you are wondering, what’s so special about verse 1. I asked the same when I started reading John 8 today. The word “But” had me looking back to chapter 7, where everyone went home. Jesus opted instead to go to a place where He would retreat to pray. Jesus was tired after a full day of teaching and deflecting challenge after challenge, and He prayed, readying Himself for another day of much of the same.

My main focus of this chapter then fell to verse 12. When I was in 8th grade, as part of a protestant church, we went through what is known as Confirmation, a ceremony that marked my entrance into church membership by way of a two-year-long process of education in that particular denominational faith. I can separately discuss why this is not the biblical manner of joining a church, why salvation and church membership is never a “process”, and yet that is not the point here. When young people are “confirmed” they are given a bible verse of the pastor’s choosing, to hold close to them.

Truth be told, other than remembering this verse as that of my confirmation, John 8:12 never did have particular meaning until I personally accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. Up till then, I just felt good about the verse reference. Now, when Jesus says He is the Light, and when He says that by following that Light I will not walk in darkness, what tremendous meaning that takes on! Just like having a flashlight in a dark room, knowing Christ and having Him as a guide in this dark world brings everything into a bright perspective.

Believers, we have the Light of life. We have the Spirit of the Living God living in each of us. Wow! And note, Jesus said the he who follows Him WILL NOT walk in the darkness. He could have said, “might not”, or “can avoid the darkness”, but He does not. He says WILL NOT.

So are we truly following Him? Do we ever feel as if the darkness is overwhelming, that we suddenly cannot “see” well? If we follow that Light, truly walk as Christ would have us walk, the darkness need not affect us.

Now is the Time

John 7: 5-7
“For not even His brothers were believing in Him. So Jesus said to them, "My time is not yet here, but your time is always opportune. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.”

It can certainly be frustrating for us when people hear the truth and do not believe it to be so. Before we form a pity party when people reject our Christian message, we should look at this passage. Jesus’ own brothers (yes, Mary and Joseph had other children, OK, so they are half-brothers) did not believe in Him. Tradition tends to hold their unbelief until after the resurrection.

The reality is that often people need to see something before they will believe it. This may be stretching the context a bit, so I will admit that up front. I just noticed in this text so much parallel to our world today and what we face. Scripture clearly points to people being sinful by nature. This is not really a very popular message, in case that is a shock to anyone. The Bible clearly points to our need for a Savior. And with the bad news of sin comes the good news of salvation. Yet, so few are willing to accept and believe that good news, or at least believe it according to how God demands we do so.

Salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ, personally, is THE only way of salvation, and that is the truth. To accept that truth means to also accept what Jesus says in this passage, that its (the world’s) deeds are evil. And the world, for the most part, hates Jesus because he states that fact rather plainly.

In this passage, His brothers are trying to coax Him into making a big public display of His teaching, if in fact it is true, and if in fact He wants the world to know Him. But His timing is not their timing. Yet He challenges them to believe, stating that their time is always opportune, meaning that they could, at any time n their life, believe in Him.

We look forward to Christ’s return, and His timing is perfect. He’ll return on His time, not ours. So in the meantime, our time is also always opportune. Our time is now to accept Him personally. Our time is now to tell others about Him. Our time is now to live for Him. Not everyone will embrace us for this message. Many will even openly ridicule us for our belief. It’s not us they hate, but Jesus. Just as the apostles in Acts 1:8, we, too, are witnesses for Him. He - His truth - is on trial, and He calls on us as key witnesses to His defense. Let’s take advantage of our own opportune time.

Go to the Source

John 6: 41-71, specifically, verse 68, “Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.””

Peter had a way of stating things, of declaring the truth. Just say it like it is. He’s the one who answers Jesus in another account, “You are the Christ…” He’s also the one who first gets up to preach in the book of Acts, as he stakes his claim in the truth of the Word. Yes, Peter is an easy one to associate with when we see him struggle; the challenge from God’s Word to me today was to associate with Peter in his boldness to share that which is true.

Jesus in this chapter is explaining how it is not just an easy task to follow Him. It might even seem confusing at times from our human perspective. And Jesus here explains that He knows some will not follow. That doesn’t make it OK, but He knows it to be reality.

In our Christian lives, the going can certainly get tough. Life is not always “fun”. What Jesus offers is joy, that inner peace and satisfaction that can only come through saving faith in Him. My question is this: when things get really, really tough, where else is there to go but to Jesus, to His Word, to prayer to the Father. Really, what else will help the hurting believer? What else can comfort the hopeless? On the flip side, when life seems grand, and that inner joy expresses itself in what we see as happiness, who else should get the credit but Jesus?

What Jesus is teaching, and He does so over and over, is that when the focus shifts away from Him, the tough times will be overwhelming. When excitement is not grounded in Him, you end up with a superficial happiness. And when we truly associate ourselves with Christ, when we “eat His body, and drink His blood” (not literally, not cannibalism, remember, this is a Jewish audience to begin with), we may suffer heartache, just as He did. We may encounter those who hate this truth, just as he encountered. Yet He gives the believer direct access to God, the source of all comfort and strength.

Come to Jesus, know the Father, and the Spirit gives life eternal. God is the source of all we need for faith and practice. Really, where else could we go?

Do You Get It?

John 6:14-15 “Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.”

If I had to put a title to these two verses, it would be “They get it…but not quite.” The crowd around Jesus saw His miracles, heard His teaching, and got fed, potentially satisfying all they needed. They perceived Him to be the Prophet, to one who would come to rescue God’s people and reinstate their once-prominent position in the world. Jesus knows they want to make him king, in the earthly sense, to throw off Rome and lead this type of revival. So, they really didn’t get it after all.

More than that, after seeing miracles, and hearing Him teach, the only reason they follow Him to the other side of the lake is to satisfy their stomachs. This is where Jesus makes it clear that the Gospel is not a social one, but rather an eternal one. Sure, He met some social needs during His ministry, and He never left it there, and his meeting of earthly needs was coupled with those signs pointing to Him as Savior, as God. Remember, John writes about the divine Christ, so we actually pick up on the highlighted miraculous dealing of the Messiah here.

A favorite example of His greatness is here after He walks on the water and calms the storm. It is approximately 10 miles across the lake where they were going, and verse 19 says they had rowed three or four miles when the storm came up and Jesus walked to them. Note that after He gets into the boat with them, and the sea is calm, that immediately they were at their destination. The last six miles was instantaneous.

As Jesus continues teaching the next day, invariably He hits on the Gospel. We often wonder what God’s will is, how effectual His will is, and just how His will is played out. Perhaps we spend too much time trying to figure Him out, as opposed to just taking and holding on to what He actually gave us in His Word. Want to know what God’s will is? Verse 40 sums it up “that everyone who beholds (listens to, learns from) the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life…” He goes on to explain how on the last day He will raise the believer to Heaven. What a great hope we have in our Savior!

I pray that we truly “get” it!

Hear and Believe

John 5:24 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
Typically, when I want to make sure the kids are listening, I’ll say something like “OK, guys, listen up. Really, pay attention.” I get the idea that when Jesus said “Truly, truly”, that He meant business. He was and is serious. Yeah, I know, He’s God, and everything He said was and is still true. Yet, the Master Teacher knew how to draw emphasis when He needed to. The “truly, truly” kind of breaks up the speaking to cause a physical change to one’s listening, and what follows is more certain to get into the listener’s brain.

Jesus is emphasizing His plan of salvation. Hear His Word. Believe Him. Earlier in the chapter we find out just why His opponents wanted to kill Him. By Him claiming to be the Son of God actually equated Him with God! If they had heard Him correctly, He was saying He is God. But they could not believe that. That was too much to accept.

I feel as though today at times the opposite is true. It is an easy thing to state belief in Jesus. More and more people will answer “yes” to “Do you believe in Jesus?” or so it may seem. Yet how many people have truly heard His Word? How many have truly heard what Jesus actually states about salvation, about following Him, about true repentance? James 2:19 tells us that even the demons “believe”, and where does that get them? Even there, James was responding to people who claimed to believe in God.

Let’s take that belief, and pair it with God’s Word, and make sure that we take Jesus’ “truly, truly” emphasis to heart. As we also read in this chapter, Jesus wishes to grant salvation to those very people. Those who will hear and accept.

To further His claim, He cites witnesses, using a framework understood by the legal system of the day. Two or more witnesses made a legal claim worthy of acceptance. Jesus cites four in support of who He is. He cites John the Baptist, He cites His own works/miracles, He points to the Father as a witness, and finally Scripture, His Word. His point? Accept Christ for who He says He is, God Himself. And by doing so, eternal life is a sure hope. Those accepting Him have passed out of death and into life. The language makes it clear, this is a done deal.

So, do you “truly, truly” believe?
So, let’s go help others hear that very same truth, God’s Word.

Hear for Yourselves

John 4:41-42 – “Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world." “
This is a long chapter, and consists mostly of the story of the Samaritan woman at the well and her conversation with Jesus. I’ve really enjoyed lately seeing how much application there is in these passages to us, today.

The woman encounters Christ and believes. She promptly tells others, and they believe her encounter, they even believe that what happened with her is because of Jesus. And yet, it appears they did not have the ultimate saving faith until they heard it from Him, from the words He put forth. And when they hear for themselves, they know; they believe and put their trust in the Savior.

So much of Scripture is instructive to the Christian as to what the saved life should look like. Not rules and regulations, but actual actions that are the result of the changed life, the life changed by the work of the Spirit. So the salvation comes, and then works follow. But why the works?

Well, our actions and attitudes as Christians should point others to Christ. The woman in John 4 had a life-changing experience, and apparently those around her saw that change. She told them the cause, she probably told them that they, too, needed to trust in this Jesus, and they trusted what she said. She made sure they searched and found the source, though.

Likewise, I pray for encounters such as this, where I have the opportunity to share Christ with others. But if I leave the conversation at “what Christ did for me” I am only giving a small piece of the story. People need the Word of God. My conversations to others are great when they involve God, Jesus, church and so on, yet if I fail to give them the Word along with that, I really don’t give them an opportunity to truly believe. Of course the Spirit can prompt an urging for someone to look into Scripture, I get that. Still, I must constantly remember to use God’s Word in my daily conversation. His Word is (indeed) sharper than any twp-edged sword. In short, His Word is effective, and I should use it much more than I do already.

It’s Christmas. Let’s tell people the real reason for the holiday. Then remember to point them to Luke 2 for the nativity story. Have them look into John 3, like yesterday, to answer why He did what He did in Luke 2. And so on. Isaiah 53 asks “Who has believed our report?” I cannot ask the same question until I have “reported” to them who Christ is and what He has done.

Pray for your and my effective evangelism efforts. Pray specifically for opportunity and people, by name. Pray that besides hearing us that they will hear themselves, from Him, and believe.

He Came to Save Us

John 3:17 – “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

I have enjoyed of late taking some time to focus on some “lesser known” verses in the chapters I read. John 3 is well known for verse 16, but even that verse is so much more powerful when you see how Jesus led up to it in verses 14 and 15. Verse 3 and 7 are well known for the command to be “born again.”

But being that it is Christmas time, when we actually celebrate His birth, this verse really brings home the reason for the season, if you will. Why did God send Jesus? Apparently, not to judge the world, but to save it. Verse 18 explains that those without Jesus are already condemned, they are already judged, so Jesus did not need to come to judge, but rather to save.

Don’t get me wrong, when He comes again at His second coming, He will indeed judge based on His word. We’ll see that in chapter 12. But from the time of His birth, even up to today, He came to save sinners. Given that Romans 3 explains clearly that all have sinned, Jesus’ offer of salvation, of saving belief in Him, is open to all who will accept Him. That is why He came, born humbly in some feeding trough for animals in an obscure, insignificant town.

Being that the world was already judged, it is miraculous and remarkable that God would care enough to make a way for Him to save us. And He did that through an incarnation of the divine into human flesh. He showed us how to live as one who truly loves God. He showed us how to respond to the darkness and ugliness that is all around us. He showed us what it means to need to escape judgment. And once He showed us that we needed to be saved, He saved us!

Authority

John 2:18 – “…What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?"

The question posed to Jesus by His detractors is a good one. It was clear that He spoke and taught with the authority in a way only He could. That question also challenges Christians today. Is there a good answer to it? You bet there is. God’s Word is just as authoritative today as it was then. Do you believe that?

Note how Jesus answers, though. He tells them to destroy the temple, and in three days He would rebuild it. Now, these are Jewish leaders He is talking to. Of course they are not going to destroy the icon of their belief system, their temple. They even respond pridefully about how long it took to build it. His disciples must have wondered why He answered as He did, but after His resurrection they “got it”.

In today’s culture, it is not politically correct to decry moral issues that are front-page news. To speak out boldly in favor of faithful and monogamous marriage, or to want to protect the unborn, labels you as a radical, a bible-banger, snake-handling Baptist. To claim there is but one way to secure eternal life with God, through saving belief in Jesus Christ as Savior makes you intolerant and offensive to even the religious.

But ultimately, it comes down to authority. And just as Jesus enemies did, so do our opponents want to know on what authority we make such “radical” stands. We need not be ashamed, as Paul says in Romans 1:16, of the truth of God’s Word, the truth of the Gospel, and the role of Scripture as our sole source of faith and practice in our lives.

So are we hearing from God regularly, daily? Let’s make sure we consistently open His Word and listen to what He has to say to us. And when we point out right and wrong, and are asked “Says who?” The answer is God; God says, He told us in His Word; that is authority enough.

The Light of the World

John gets right to the point. Jesus is God, and He always has been. Jesus is the Creator God. These chapters are packed with so much, and please allow me to simply share some notes I have made in my Bible as I have read this gospel.

How privileged the disciples and other eyewitnesses were to have had the Word dwell among them in the flesh. Their world was dark, not physically, but spiritually, yet the metaphor works very well. As you read “darkness”. Imagine trying to read instructions to some new gadget, but doing so without light. Such was the case for the religiously-minded when Jesus arrived on the scene. OK, such is the case today, too. People then, as now, were searching for God, for truth, yet were (are) hopelessly mired in darkness. Jesus tells us in other places about Him being the Light.

Light helps us see, yet sometimes light shows details we’d rather not look at. Mirrors come to mind as well. Ladies would rather not see wrinkles appear, guys like to not see those gray hairs or less-than-flattering side profiles. The light that Jesus brought revealed people’s need for Him, and that meant humbling themselves to accept a position of being “lost”, separated from God because of sin. Jesus came to brighten this dark world, and one would think this to be a great thing. Yet many chose rather to block out the Light; others, however, chose to embrace and utilize this eternal-life-giving Light.

John the Baptist had the honor to be the forerunner of the Messiah, and his humble preaching style is admirable. People loved to hear him preach and teach. Yet he continually placed the focus of his ministry on Christ, pointing people to Him. Look at the followers of John the Baptist who left him to follow Jesus, believing the prophet when he declared Jesus the Lamb of God. Jesus’ first disciples had been prepared by the Baptist to recognize His arrival. John sought neither glory nor recognition, fulfilling his ministry faithfully. He is a great example to follow for teachers and preachers today.

Just who deserves the glory and focus? None other than Christ.

John (the disciple) refers to Jesus as completely representative of grace and truth. In verse 18, he calls Him God. We should, too.

Today, in this day and age, we need this Light more than anything, and sadly, most of this world has chosen to live in the dark. If people look in the mirror in the dark, they don’t have to see their imperfections, but they are there. And if people don’t want to see their sinful position before God, that is, see themselves how God sees them, then they don’t have to, either.

Being the Christmas season, I can think of at least two instances of Jesus coming into the world as a baby marked by light: The light that shone around the shepherds as the angels announced His arrival; and the light from the star that the magi followed months later. The Light has indeed come; the Light will indeed come again.

The Divine Christ

If you care to join me, I'll be doing some devotional reading from John this month. Why John? Why not? OK, seriously, it's always a good practice to be reading a Gospel. The Gospels are where we find those direct teachings of Jesus, and although they all serve to focus on Him, each has its own distinct specific aspect of Christ in the crosshairs. John answers the question of "Who is Jesus?" with "He is God".

John's Gospel is very complementary to the other three, and yet it is distinct in that it has a very unique appeal. Not written specifically to a Jewish (Matthew), Roman (Mark), or Greek (Luke) audience, it addresses a universal audience. This was probably written after the other Gospels were already in circulation, and John sought to partray Jesus Christ as fully human and fully God.

Eternal life is a major theme in the book, and some of the major events of Jesus' life are recorded here, some of which should be part of the believer's normal everyday life and conversation as we interact with those around us who still need Christ.

Remember that John is the disciple to whom Jesus entrusts His mother at the crucifixion. John is often referred to as "the disciple whom Jesus loved", and as you read through this narrative, keep in mind the close, dear, personal friendship this author had with the Savior while Jesus was on earth. Years after Jesus' ascension, John maintained a vital, healthy ministry in the region of Asia to which the letters are written in Revelation. That Jesus chose this disciple as the receipient to those end-times visions should cause us to take special note to what this book has to offer.

Take a quick read through the first few chapters, take some notes as the Word speaks to you. We'll dive in together tomorrow. Jesus: fully God, fully man. A great study this Christmas season!

Take heed to our ministry

I’ve really enjoyed a quick read through Colossians. I encourage such a read regularly; it really helps keep our focus in life on Christ. And how does Paul end this epistle, which is basically a Christology? By highlighting what the lives of strong believers look like, based on following the Almighty Christ.

Devoted to prayer, and prayer with an attitude of thanksgiving. Prayer for open doors for the gospel message. Prayer for clear speech when presenting the gospel. Yes, we know we need to share the gospel, and how often do we remember to pray for those opportunities, open doors, and clarity of speech? The Spirit desires to help, if we’ll let Him.

We need wisdom toward “outsiders”, those outside of faith in Christ. A focus on truth and defending our faith is great, and we also need not be belligerent in how we present that. Our speech should be such that those in need of Christ want to hear us, want to listen to our message; or if they are offended, that perceived offense should only be the working of the Spirit on their hearts, offending them about their sin.

Making the most of opportunities is a key as well. We ought to pray for our sensitivities to be sharpened to see more of the opportunities that face us each day. It is so easy to miss them, as we busy ourselves with ourselves.

Epaphras labored "earnestly" in his prayers for others to stand firm. What a great prayer from one believer for another!

Finally, we have been handed a ministry, just like Archippus. And we, too, should take heed to that ministry. We are to be on guard, be careful, in essence, take care of it. And we do this so that we can fulfill it! Paul uses some military terms here; so, as a soldier takes his role seriously, we, too need to own the ministry from Christ, which is the Gospel of Christ!

Old or New?

Read Colossians again, sure the whole book, it takes 10-15 minutes, max. Chapter 3 caused me much pause to reflect.

What better place to look for optimism, for something positive, than “above”. This is where we should set our mind, on “things” related to Christ, who has hidden our old lives in Him. When God the Father looks at the believer, He sees Christ. What could make us feel better than that? But it is much more than a feeling, it is fact, and that fact should change lives.

Colossians 3 tells us what we should consider dead. If we are commanded to stop doing something, these headline that list:
Immorality, impurity, passion (the inappropriate variety), evil desire and greed, basically – idolatry.

There are more: anger, wrath, malice (cruel spite), slander, abusive speech, lying.

Yet the focus on this chapter is remembering what Christ has done on our behalf, and now with the power of the Holy Spirit, we actually CAN put these old things away, and the best way to do that is to “put on” the new attributes that signify the believer.

Compassion, kindness, humility (can we ever have enough of this one?), gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, forgiveness, love.

Christ’s peace should dwell in us, we should be under His direction, His rule. The most direct way for this to happen is to have His word dwell in each of us. Does God’s word reside in us? Do we take in enough of His word regularly to allow it to impact our lives? Or do we struggle with the “don’ts”, wondering why we continually succumb to sin habits?

Brothers and sisters, let’s take some significant time to invest in God’s word, allowing it to form and frame our thought, enabling it to foster real change in our lives, for His glory.