The Gospels through the Summer, Day 89 Our final day through the Gospels. Read John 21. We spent the last 89 days reading through the 4 books of The Bible that described the life of Jesus on Earth in detail. Still, as we see here, we have not even begin to scratch the surface of all that Jesus Christ is and all that he does. The works of Jesus Christ can be seen in everything. The entire world declares the glory of God and seeks to be restored to him. Are we busy understanding and learning more about Jesus is everyday? The entire world declares the glory of God through…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 88 Sent by Jesus, just like Jesus was sent. Read John 20. Jesus is alive and he appears to his disciples and to those who have been following him these past few years. Jesus shows that he is conqueror over death and that he truly is exactly who he said he was. We can trust in Jesus. Now, he gives a mandate to those that have been his disciples. He tells them that they are to go just as he has gone. He is sending them just like he was sent. We recognize that Jesus’s life was difficult and challenging and yet, that’s exactly…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 87 The death of Jesus. Read John 19. Jesus did die. But, he was not killed by others. Jesus chose to lay his life down as a sacrifice for us. We see this through his statements on the cross. Jesus laid his life down and by doing so, paid the penalty for our sin. How do we respond to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ? Have we accepted who said Christ is our own because he was killed as a result of our sin. Jesus died the death that we all deserve. But, Jesus did not deserve it. Instead, he took it on his own…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 86 What do you think about Jesus. Read John 18. Jesus asks Pilot a question, and its a question that we all need to ask ourselves. Is our belief in Jesus based on our own decisions or on what others have said? Ultimately, Pilot was being challenged by Jesus. Jesus wanted to know if Pilot was making his own opinion about who Jesus is. Or, was Pilot simply allowing the opinions of others to determine who he thought Jesus was. Each and every one of us must come face-to-face with the question of who is Jesus. Each and every 1 of us must make…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 85 What is eternal life? Read John 17. While there may be other passages of scripture that are labeled the Lord’s prayer, John chapter 17 is truly a prayer from the Lord. Here we see Jesus praying the night before his crucifixion. We see how he speaks with his father and prays for his disciples and all those who will believe in him. Also, he explains eternal life. Jesus says that eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus. There’s no mention of heaven. There’s no mention of angels or wings or halos or anything like that. Eternal life can be found in Jesus…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 84 The world = trouble. Jesus = peace. Read John 16. As we read about Jesus speaking all that he will bring about, both before his death and after, do we trust in him as our peace? It can be easy to allow what happens with others to become a focus for us, but Jesus is our peace. No matter what today brings, in him we have peace.

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 83 What do people think about me? Read John 15. While Jesus covers many things throughout this chapter, this verse stuck out to me today. I have teenagers. Two teenagers to be exact. And sometimes the conversation about what other people think about them can get pretty intense. But you know, it’s not just teenagers that worry about that. I talked to a number of different people and many of them are worried about the opinion of others. Jesus clears that up for us in this passage. We should just expect that if we are following Jesus Christ, then others are not going to…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 82 Trust in God. Read John 14. So many great and amazing verses in this chapter that it was difficult to choose just one to focus on. Still this verse sort of encompasses where I am at this point. No matter what is going on in life, we need to trust in God. He must become first in every area. We don’t need to be troubled or worried. We don’t need to stress. We simply trust in God that he will meet our needs and our concerns and know that he is trustworthy through it all.

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 81 Jesus sents the example and the standard. Read John 13. As Jesus was conducting the the passover with his disciples, Jesus demonstrates to them the essence of leadership. Servant leadership. Jesus, who acknowledges that he is their leader and teacher, explains to them that they must serve others. Jesus himself serves them and then says that a servant is not greater than his master. Jesus goes on to explain love. We are to love the people we are around the way that Jesus loves them. We are not to love people based on our understanding of what love is or based on our…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 80 Where do we look for our praise and recognition? Read John 12. As Jesus is continuing to share the message, many of the religious leaders were unhappy and trying to find a way to silence Jesus. This verse is used to describe these leaders. They were looking for their praise from the people instead of from God. Where do we seek praise and approval from? What has the top level of influence in our lives? Are we seeking God’s approval and praise above any others? How are we looking to move past the influence of others in our lives so that we are…