Tag Archives: the book of John

May 27
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“’Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.'” (John 9:3, NIV)

As difficult as it may be to face the fact that God allows his creatures to suffer hardship and pain; it would be infinitely more difficult if it were true that God was indifferent to our hardship and pain.

We may not always know the reason why we or others must suffer; and today’s scripture cautions us against drawing conclusions about the reasons behind suffering. However, we may be confident in knowing that God both cares and is engaged.

The disciple of Jesus has the added benefit of knowing that “all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Do not be discouraged when you encounter hardship or pain — whether in your life of in the life of others. Remain faithful in all that God has given you to do, and you will experience both grace and peace.  – Luther

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May 20
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“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'” (John 6:35, NIV)

Whether in the physical sphere — or in the spiritual sphere — hunger and thirst are normal. We feel the pangs of hunger and the dryness of thirst in reaction to need.

The challenge for all of humanity is to properly satisfy this need — whether physical or spiritual.

Only Jesus permanently and properly satisfies the hunger of the human spirit.  Only Jesus permanently and properly satisfies the thirst of the human soul. The other things, activities, and people we rely on to meet our spiritual needs are only temporary and a diversion when time is critically short.

As disciples of Jesus, we must guard against the temptation to consider anything other than God’s provision to satisfy any spiritual need. God has given us His only begotten Son — Jesus.  He is the bread of life.  He is the living water.  – Luther

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May 16
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“’My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.'” (John 4:34, NIV)

As we’ve been told before: We need to be careful of what we eat. Over time, what we consume eventually consumes us.

Jesus said that His “food” was: (1) To do the will of His Father; and (2) To finish His work.

What is it that energizes you? What is it that were you to have to do without, you would die? By definition, this is our “food.”

As followers of Jesus, we should have the exact motivation that He did. To hunger for anything else assures spiritual malnutrition and the risk of being consumed by unworthy ambitions.

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these [other] things [we so eagerly seek, including literal food] will be added [provided] to us.” (Note: Bracketed words are my amplifications.)  – Luther

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