Dec 3 - John 3

A very common verse from John u3:16, "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."

Breaking down the scripture here, I think this is telling us that God loves each of us so much that He allowed Jesus to reside here on earth in order to teach us His ways. In this coming to earth, Jesus paved a road for us to dwell in heaven with Him.

However, in order to get to eternal life, we must believe that Jesus is the Messiah, that He died for all sins and rose again. Our salvation means eternal life in the heavenly realms.

Father God, you call the stars by their name; you are worthy of our praise. Because of the sin in this world, your own Son was sacrificed. Forgive me, Lord, for ever doubting that You didn't love me or You didn't hear my cries. Please fill the hearts of anyone around me that has not accepted Christ as their Savior. Help them to see and hear and know that You are Lord. Give them a hunger and a thirst to grow closer to you. Thank you for consistently encouraging me to grow closer to you! Thank you, also, for all the people who stumble upon these blogs. In the name of Jesus I pray these things,
Amen

Dec 2 - John 2

Please forgive me, Friday was a very busy day for me so I was not able to post.John 2 describes the first of the miracles of Jesus, where his mother gets him involved before his time is ready. This happens at a wedding and the wedding party runs out of wine. Mary asks the servants to ask Jesus what to do. Jesus tells the servants to fill jars to the brim, to nearly overflowing, with water. As a cup is drawn from the jar, it is found to be the choicest of wines.Later, Jesus finds himself at the temple courts just enforce the Passover. The people there are using the temple as a market. This makes Jesus angry.

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

The disciples do not yet understand, the temple Jesus describes is himself, not the temple they are standing at. Jesus is the temple that will be destroyed and in three days, He will rise again. It is important to remember that Jesus quotes scripture as well as prophesies. He uses many parables and symbolism that needs to be understood. In this scripture, Jesus is sharing His authority for destroying the market at the temple. It is also important to notice that this is one time Jesus gets angered. When we do things that angers God. He may be a God that knows everything, but that doesn't mean that He cannot be angered because of the choices we make. He is a loving God that allows us to make choices. It is to love Him that God seeks, not a forced love, but a free will to love Him.Almighty God, you are all knowing. You give me choices to make and it's up to me to figure out the right response to these choices. Sometimes I make the wrong choice or sometimes I confuse the choice You want for me with the choice I want for myself. Lord, please guide me throughout the day so I can make the right choices. Thank you, Jesus, for allowing yourself to be destroyed so that you can rise again. It is because of that sacrifice that God sees me as pure and I may enter the kingdom of heaven. In Jesus name I pray these things,Amen.

Dec 1 - John 1

So, hopefully you've had time to read John 1 on your own and developed an idea of what it's about. I read it this morning, but haven't had time to write until now.

A great way to study the Bible is to follow a few simple steps:
1. Pray to remove distractions & ask God to reveal what He wants you to get out of the reading
2. Read
3. Journal
4. Pray

Whoa, journal? Really? Yes! It's great to get your thoughts on paper. Journalling is easy, you just need to get into practice!

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope shares his journalling technique of SOAP. Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. It's pretty self explanatory and these next few weeks of going through John will be similar to this process.

S - "He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." ~John 1:2-3

O - Here, I believe, scripture is telling us that Jesus was with God in the beginning. He was with God before the creation of the world. All things were made through Jesus. Nothing was made without Jesus.

A - Jesus was born here on earth, but it wasn't when he was created. Jesus, along with the Holy Spirit and God the Father were together when the world was created. With Jesus, everything on this earth was created. So, Jesus already was and then came to this broken world knowing He would be flogged and crucified? All I can say is, "Wow!" is there any other god out there that can say that for himself? My God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above!

P - Father God in Heaven, you are ever present, the Creator, the alpha and the omega. Through the trinity of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, everything in this universe was created. Thank you, Lord, for everything You created, even the trees and birds and gorgeous sunsets. Your majesty and glory are all around me. Through the unity of the Spirit and Christ Jesus, everything comes together. In Jesus name, I thank you for all these things,
Amen.

What did you receive from this chapter? Encourage your friends and family to seek God first!

"If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." ~Romans 10:9-10