November 2 – Revealed from Him Through Him

“All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”  John 16:15 (ESV)

Jesus is the Word, and the Word is God. He is the revelation of the Father. Paul expresses it as  “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).  Therefore, all that belongs to the Father also belongs to the Son.  Our verse declares how the Spirit of Truth reveals God to us. Our promise in this verse is that the Holy Spirit also speaks on the authority of God the Son. He brings glory to Jesus when He speaks and all that He hears and affirms to us. Whatever God has for us to know about himself, about Jesus, and they are one with the Spirit, it is the Spirit of God that brings that truth to us and reveals that truth to us. God our Father does not give us these promises, (the ones we read each day) and then leave us to draw them out of the Word like buckets of water from a well. No, the promises are out of His Word and are written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Our guide to truth and glory from the Bible is God’s Holy Spirit.  He takes what is Christ’s and reveals it to us daily. 

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October 24 – Hope For The Discombobulated All Day Long

“Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”  Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)

King David wrote many songs that we have as psalms in our Bible.  Most often they were prayers he offered to God in this way. This psalm is a prayer that should be appropriate for us today as our world seems to be going crazy with many things happening that upset us.  We can get  (a favorite word of ours) and God knows so well that we all need His help in knowing how to live our lives here in this world.  That, of course is one reason why He sent His Son into this world. But even before that He had inspired writers of the Old Testament to reveal to His people how they should live. And He has for all the centuries provided for us His guidance in the Word which show us His ways, teach us His paths, and guide us in His truth.  Our promise is that God is our Savior and our hope for every day all day long. Let us thank Him for His provision and then remember that it is God Himself who is guiding us through His Word.

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September 22 – Looking Upon Us

“Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?” Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!” Psalm 4:6 (NASB)

If we encounter people who are skeptical about our belief in God, it is really nothing new.  A long time ago David mentioned that he encountered people of that kind then. We can be thankful that David knew the answer to the question of the skeptics.  When they asked who could show them any good, they were challenging David's commitment to God's promises and asking for proof.  It is easy for a skeptic to challenge God's word but David knew from experience that it was his God who would in His time show us some good.  God has and will continue to do it for His children.  God had looked upon and shown His goodness and His love to David many times. I trust that we can join with David in what he said.  In our own lives has not God shown His love to us so many times?  It is wonderful to think of God looking down on us in love; in acceptance of us even when we make mistakes. He is looking at us today as we come to Him for help.

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June 29 – Obedient Love Reveals Christ

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”  John 14:21 (NIV)

We realize that we become children of God by faith – by believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior and accepting the free gift of eternal life that He offers to us.  We are saved through faith in what God has done for us and what Jesus did on the cross when He died, was buried in a tomb, and rose again three days later.  It is not by anything we do.  It is clear however from the words of Jesus in our verse that God pays attention to the things which we do in our Christian lives.  Our obedience to His commands is how we demonstrate our love for Jesus.  Our promise today is that as we love Christ and express our love through obedience we are loved by God our Father.   Jesus then shows His love to us and more than that, He promises to show himself to us. Through love and obedience to Him, He is revealed to us each day.  What a promise to count on today and every day.  

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October 25 – Believing and Loving Is Seeing

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”  John 14:21 (ESV)

The words we are looking at today are again words spoken by Jesus to His disciples on the evening before His arrest and crucifixion the next day.  Knowing that He was soon to be taken from them in a violent way by a hateful crowd, Jesus was preparing their hearts with this promise.  We know that it was God's love which sent His Son into this world to become our Savior.  Our verse speaks of God loving people who love His Son which is a special love that we can be assured  of if we love Jesus.  And, Jesus also promises that He will love those who love Him.  That is also part of the love that we receive and feel.  Another part is the promise we have for today is that as Jesus loves us with this special love He shows Himself to us.  Isn't it wonderful to sense the presence of Jesus in our lives, demonstrating to us His love for us?  Some say 'seeing is believing' but we are promised here that 'believing and loving is seeing Jesus in our lives.  

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