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“‘Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.'” (John 12:26, NIV)

To serve Jesus is to follow Jesus. To follow Jesus is to be with Jesus.

It is not possible to truly serve Jesus without also following Him. If our service consists only of isolated acts — even sacrificial isolated acts — without a commitment to also go where He goes; and to do as He directs; that service is deficient.

To be a true servant of Jesus is to voluntarily subordinate our will to the will of the One being served. This type of service cannot be rendered at a distance. It is intimate. It is persistent. – Luther

Tagged discipleship, obedience, servitude, the book of John

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“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” (John 11:25-26, NIV)

The world as we know it “whistles through the graveyard”; that is, it ignores all evidence that we, too, shall die.

Our Lord offers us the only hope of life through death. He, alone, is the resurrection and the life.

Our Lord’s question: “Do you believe this,” is the litmus test. To answer in the affirmative does not keep us out of the graveyard but, because of Jesus, the graveyard for the believer, becomes a passageway, not a destination.

Live each day as one going from life to life. – Luther

Tagged death, life, resurrection, the book of John, the Resurrection

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“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17, NIV)

It is worth remembering that Jesus’ primary purpose in coming into the world was to reconcile the world to God. As such, this is also our primary purpose as disciples of Jesus.

Amid all of the dysfunction and evil we see in the world, we are tempted first to pronounce judgment and then await divine retribution. However, this is not God’s way. He sent His only begotten Son into the world “to save the world through Him.”

Paul describes us this way: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV)

In all that we do, seek the reconciliation of others, both to oneself and to God, because that is our purpose. – Luther

Tagged God's plan, reconciliation, salvation, the book of John