The Holy Spirit

Readings for today: John 16-18, Psalms 110

Today’s reading introduces us to the Holy Spirit. What some have called the “forgotten member of the Trinity.” Because of the materialistic nature of Western thought and our discomfort with anything supernatural, we often forget the Holy Spirit and the active role He plays in our sanctification and salvation. As Christians, we do not struggle to wrap our minds around the Father. The Creator of heaven and earth. We similarly do not struggle to understand the Son. The Savior of our souls. We do struggle to understand the Spirit. The One who comes to live with us and dwell with us and point us to Christ. And yet, the Spirit is so important! He is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that though He would ascend back into heaven, we would not be abandoned. Not left stranded in this world. Doomed to wander as orphans and strangers in this world. 

The Holy Spirit is sent to accomplish several things. First and foremost, He is the Helper. (John 16:7). His role is to encourage and assist believers in following Christ. How does He do this? “When He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:” (John‬ ‭16:8‬ CSB) He operates as the “conscience” in the heart of every believer. He lets us know when we wander and stray. He tells us when we fall outside of God’s will. He brings us back in confession and repentance. He also leads us to righteousness. He doesn’t just show up when we do something wrong, He teaches us what is right and good and holy and pure.  He also reminds us all of God’s final judgment. An assurance for believers and a terror for unbelievers. 

The Holy Spirit also guides us into all truth.  He illumines God’s Word so that we may understand God’s ways more fully and seek to align our lives with Him. He gives us insight to see God’s activity all around us in creation. In the lives of those we love. Even in our own hearts. Sometimes He shows us what’s to come. Gives us a foretaste of heaven or a premonition of the future. Finally, and most importantly, “He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.”‭‭ (John‬ ‭16:14-15‬ CSB) The main job of the Holy Spirit is not to draw attention to Himself but to point us to Christ. I think this is one of the reasons He is so often overlooked. He never self-promotes but instead fulfills the will of the Father and the Son to glorify Christ above all things. 

Belief in the Holy Spirit is essential for every Christian. Learning to hear His voice. Tap into His wisdom. Follow His will is what leads us to sanctification. He is the One who makes us more into the image of Christ and surrendering to His will in our daily lives is the essence of what it means to be a disciple.  

Readings for tomorrow: John 19-21, Psalms 111 (No devotionals on Sundays)

Following the Example of Jesus

Readings for today: John 13-15, Psalms 109

I am always struck by the foot-washing episode in John’s Gospel. Jesus taking on the role of a house servant and cleaning the feet of His disciples. He cleans the feet of the men who will abandon Him in the days ahead. The feet of the one who will deny Him three times. The feet of the one who will betray Him. It’s an incredible act of humility. And then Jesus takes it one step further. He commands His disciples to follow His example. It’s why some Christian denominations consider it a sacrament. They practice it regularly. Others practice it on Maundy Thursday which is the night we celebrate the Last Supper every year. Still others may not practice the act itself but they dedicate themselves to lives of service and sacrifice in recognition of what Jesus modeled for us by taking the servant’s role.

Many years ago, I served as a volunteer prison chaplain and led a Bible study on the Book of John. When we got to the foot-washing story, I brought a bucket and some sponges. It was incredible to see the reactions of the inmates. These were men who had become good friends. Men with whom I had shared a lot of life. We knew each other’s stories. I knew the crimes they had committed and they knew of my failures as well. We had been vulnerable with each other. Prayed with each other. Wept with each other. But there was something about washing each other’s feet that made us deeply uncomfortable. In fact, when I first suggested it, the immediate reaction was “no.” As I gently pressed them, tears sprang to their eyes as they nodded their heads. One or two continued to hold out but eventually did give in. Then they washed my feet and I too wept. It was one of the most spiritually intimate experiences of my life.

There is power in emulating Jesus. Power in following in His footsteps. Power in engaging in the same practices He set before us. Listen again to His words and think about what it might mean to put these words into practice in your own life. “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you. “Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him.” (John‬ ‭13‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Jesus dedicated His life to serving others. Jesus gave up all His rights and privileges in order to stand in solidarity with the least and lost of our world. Jesus sacrificed His life in order to save sinners. And He calls us, as His disciples, to do the same for each other and for those around us. Whose feet can you wash today?

Readings for tomorrow: John 16-18, Psalms 110

Life isn’t Fair

Readings for today: John 11-12, Psalms 108

“Whoever told you life was fair?” If only I had a nickel for every time I heard this phrase from my father growing up. Typically it came when I was complaining about having to do more work than my two younger brothers. I was the oldest so was alway assigned the hardest chores and it didn’t make sense to me. Why didn’t my brothers have to pull their own weight? Why didn’t they have to do as much work as I did? Why couldn’t they help out more especially on the big projects dad always had planned in our backyard? It just didn’t seem fair. Looking back, I can see the lesson dad was trying to teach me. Life isn’t fair. The burdens are not equally spread out nor are the resources. Some face unbelievable challenges while others seem to cruise through life. Some work hard and barely get ahead while others work less and strike it rich. None of us have the same gifts. None of us are given the same opportunities. None of us put in the same amount of effort. So fairness clearly isn’t a value God built into the system.

Perhaps that’s what John was getting at when he summed up the fickle nature of human faith in John 12:39-40 CSB, "This is why they were unable to believe, because Isaiah also said: He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they would not see with their eyes or understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.” I know those are not easy words to hear. That doesn’t seem very fair. How is it that God would choose some and not others? How is it that God would open the eyes of some and not others? How is it God would regenerate some hearts and not others? How is it that God would actively blind eyes and harden hearts to the message of the gospel? I will not pretend to probe the mysteries of divine election in this post. Nor will I seek to untangle the Gordian knot of predestination vs. free will. I imagine that debate will last until Jesus’ return. Perhaps even beyond. It is not given to us to understand these things, only to accept them. And this is where our faith is put to the test. Do we believe God is good? Do we believe God is wise? Do we believe God is true? Do we believe God has a plan? Do we believe God is worthy? Do we believe God is righteous? All these things are called into question the very moment we read verses like these and think to ourselves “this doesn’t seem fair.”

It is a dangerous thing to question the nature and character of God. It is a fearful thing for the clay to say to the Potter, why have you made me thus? It is arrogant to demand God give an account to us or answer to our flawed notions of justice or meet our democratic standards of fairness. This is where growing up in America where our leaders must answer to the will of the people hurts us. Our cultural context works against us as we read. God is no democratically elected leader. He is our King. Our Lord. Our Sovereign. He created the universe and all that is in it. We are dust. We are ashes. We are nothing and it is only because God has decided to set His love on us that we are worth anything at all. It is only because God decided to make us in His image that we have dignity and honor. But these things are not our own! They are conveyed to us by God Himself for His own mysterious purposes.

So what if God – desiring to make known His power and reveal His glory – decided to make some vessels for honor and some for dishonor? What if God – desiring to make known His justice and righteousness – raises up some for glory and others for destruction? Does this make God unjust? Does this make God unfair? Does this call into question God’s goodness and righteousness? If we are honest, there can be only one answer. What right do we – created beings one and all – have to question our Creator? As the Apostle Paul says, “What right does the clay have to question the Potter?”

Here is where the rubber meets the road when we talk about surrender. We are called to lay it all in His hands. We give it all to Him. He alone is worthy of all glory and honor and power because He stands outside time and space and creation. He is far removed from any of our human notions of justice and righteousness. He does not answer to His creation. Furthermore, humility demands that we accept the fact that He sees far more than any of us do. He has an eternal perspective we cannot grasp. His wisdom is infinite and His knowledge without end. What seems paradoxical to us is logical to Him. What seems contradictory to us makes perfect sense for Him. What seems impossible to us is well within the bounds of His authority and rule and reign.

Readings for tomorrow: John 13-15, Psalms 109

Blindness

Readings for today: John 9-10, Psalms 107

Who is the one who is blind? The one who cannot physically see or the one who cannot spiritually see? In John 9, we have a record of Jesus healing all kinds of blindness. The cultural blindness of the disciples who believed in a closed world of cause and effect. Every physical ailment or illness or disability was a punishment for sin. Either the individual sinned and deserved it or their parents sinned and the judgment was passed down a generation. Then there is the spiritual blindness of the Pharisees who missed the forest for the trees when it came to the ministry of Jesus. Because they couldn’t “see” beyond their own legalism, they couldn’t rejoice with the man who was healed. Instead, they criticized Jesus for breaking the Sabbath and declared He must not be from God. Finally, there is the physical blindness of the man himself. A man who had not been able to see from birth. Jesus’ healing comes in two different stages for him. First, there is the healing of his eyes. Second, there is the healing of his soul. In the first case, it was a combination of mud, a ritual washing, and the power of Jesus who gave him his sight. In the second case, it was the power of faith given to him by the Holy Spirit that brought him salvation.

All of us suffer from blindness on some level. It may be physical. It may be mental or emotional. It may be spiritual. All of us need the healing power of Jesus in our lives to give us back our sight. I have personally witnessed and spoken with those who have been healed from physical blindness. It’s incredible to watch them see for the first time in a long time. I have personally witnessed and spoken with those who have been healed mentally or emotionally through prayer, medication, therapy, forgiveness, and reconciliation. It’s incredible to see their burdens lifted and the freedom they experience. I’ve personally witnessed and spoken with those who have been healed spiritually through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing better than seeing someone come to saving faith in Jesus Christ!

Where do you find yourself today? What kind of healing do you need in your life? Where do you need Jesus to restore your sight? Pray to Him! Ask Him! He will answer. He will open your eyes in ways you cannot begin to imagine so that you may bear witness to His glory.

Readings for tomorrow: John 11-12, Psalms 108

No Condemnation

Readings for today: John 7-8, Psalms 106

We’ve all probably heard the phrase, “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” I don’t know about you but I have not found it all that helpful. First of all, those who do not believe are not convinced they are “sinners” and tend to resent the moniker. Second, it’s really hard to do. Separating one’s behavior from one’s identity is growing more and more difficult in our world. In fact, there are many who would argue it is impossible. And yet Jesus seemed to do it.  

The beginning of John 8 is a famous story. Maybe one of the most famous in all of Scripture. And though it’s origin is questionable - it doesn’t appear in the earliest and best manuscripts - it just sounds like Jesus so we tend to keep it in. A woman caught in the very act of adultery is brought before Jesus. The Pharisees and teachers of the law are almost gleeful in their condemnation. They can’t wait to pick up the first stone. They throw her down before Him, pretty convinced He will have mercy which in turn will allow them to accuse Him of breaking the Law. Of course, anyone familiar with the Law can already see the problems. If they caught this woman in the act, where is the man? According to Leviticus 20:10 both parties deserve the death penalty. Perhaps that’s what Jesus is writing in the dust? If they caught her in the act, why have they not carried out her punishment? The Law is clear. Perhaps it’s because they don’t really care about her crime but are far more concerned with trapping Jesus? 

Then Jesus does this extraordinary thing. He puts the onus back on them. “Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone.” He hasn’t condemned her nor has He affirmed her. He hasn’t condemned the Pharisees nor has He affirmed them. Instead, Jesus brilliantly lobs the ball back in their court and forces them to make their own decision. The Pharisees put down their stones and slowly walk away. The woman is left all alone, prompting this famous exchange. “Woman, has no one condemned you?” “No one, Lord.” “Nor do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” 

I simply love this about Jesus. He accepts people for who they are but loves them too much to leave them there. He meets us right where we are, takes us by the hand, and leads us to a better place. He accepts us, warts and all, without affirming our sin. To the Pharisee, he says, “Are you really without sin?” To those caught in sin, he says, “I do not condemn you.” And to both, he says, “Go and sin no more.” 

As Christians, there is a lot in this world we simply cannot affirm. Changing attitudes in gender and sexuality. Abortion on demand. Racism and sexual abuse. Deceit and falsehood. Anger and hate. These things are not of God and yet so many embrace them. Defend them. Use them as means to another end. The answer cannot be rejection. Jesus simply will not allow us to walk away from anyone, including our enemies. So we must find a way - as Jesus found a way - to accept people for who they are without affirming their beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors. Thankfully, this is the heart of the gospel. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While we were enemies of God, Christ made peace with us. While we were pushing Him away, Christ embraced us. May the Spirit give us the courage to do the same!

Readings for tomorrow: John 9-10, Psalms 107

What does Jesus offer?

Readings for today: John 5-6, Psalms 105

The healing of the blind man at Bethesda is an amazing miracle. So is feeding the five thousand. So is walking on water. So are the many, many miracles Jesus performs over the course of His ministry. But what about the “large number” of disabled who also lay by the pool of Bethesda? Did they not long to be healed? What about the multitudes who went hungry every night in Palestine in the first century? Did they not long to be fed? What about the other boats on the water that night in Galilee? Did they too not want to survive the storm? These are important questions. They force us to ponder the purpose for which Jesus came. Was it to heal? Was it to feed? Was it to calm the storms in the world?

Jesus comes to give us eternal life. “Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.” (John‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬ ‭CSB‬‬) This is the work He was charged by His Father to do. It is the work of the Kingdom and the miracles He performed are only signs pointing to that larger reality. They are not ends in themselves. They are not the goal. After all, the man who was healed at Bethesda will get sick again. The five thousand who were fed that day in Galilee will be hungry again. The disciples who endured the storm on the Sea of Galilee will find themselves going through more storms in the years ahead. No, what Jesus has to offer is far more eternal, far more enduring, far more lasting. It is a life that never ends in a Kingdom that never ends celebrating a glory that never ends. The glory of the Father as it is fully revealed in the Son. Those who believe in Jesus receive this gift and their lives begin to transcend the boundaries of this world. The horizons of their lives are now set much higher, much further than any here on earth. And because they live with the Kingdom of Jesus fully in view, the things of this earth just don’t hold the allure they once did.

Imagine being free from the fear of disease. Imagine being free from the fear of hunger. Imagine being free from the fear of any storm that might come your way. This is the freedom Jesus comes to offer. This is the freedom we can have when we place our faith in Him and become part of His people. It’s a freedom we can experience in this life as we love and serve others the way He loves and serves us.

Readings for tomorrow: John 7-8, Psalms 106

The Call of the Christian

Readings for today: Psalm 106, John 1:4-14

I love how the Message version of the Bible describes the call of John the Baptist. “There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to look, who to believe in. John was not himself the Light; he was there to show the way to the Light.” (John‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭MSG‬‬) John was not the Light. He was not the Christ. He was not the Messiah. As he himself will say later on, he isn’t even worthy to untie the Messiah’s sandals. John was simply a man. A man called to point the way to Jesus. A man called to prepare the way for Jesus. And there was no greater man born of a woman, Jesus says, than John the Baptist.

In a very real way, all Christians are called to be like John the Baptist. We inherit his mantle. We are called to point out the way to the Life-Light. We are called to show everyone where to look and who to believe in. We are not the Light. We are the little lights that reflect the greater light. We are like the moon that reflects the light of the sun. We don’t have light in and of ourselves. Our light comes from the presence of Christ living inside us. Our light comes from the treasure of the gospel which is deposited within us. As we live authentically and fully and completely for Jesus, the world catches yet another glimpse of the “Word become flesh” and the “one of a kind glory” which He reveals in and through us.

The Apostle John makes it clear that without the Light, the world is consigned to darkness. Without the Light, the world dwells in deep darkness with no hope of escape. Without the Light, the world is doomed to live in eternal night and this is what makes our calling so important. The world needs us to embrace our calling to be the light of Jesus in the world. To reflect His glory. To live the way He lived. To love the way He loved. To serve the way He served. As I heard a good friend of mine preach this past weekend, “It’s not enough to know what Jesus knows, we must become who He is.” Our hearts must be transformed. The image of God renewed and restored by His grace and power at work within us. We must become living, breathing, flesh and blood reflections of Jesus in the world. Only then will the world find hope. Only then will the unbelieving world find faith.

Only Christ can offer the Light we so desperately need. Listen again to how the Apostle John describes it, “The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person entering Life he brings into Light. He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn’t even notice. He came to his own people, but they didn’t want him. But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten.” (John‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬-‭13‬ ‭MSG‬‬) Friends, we are the “God-begotten!” The Born Again! The New Creation! May we live and move and have our being in Him.

Readings for tomorrow: Matthew 1, Luke 1:1-2:38