Week of December 27, 2009
John 1: 35-51
How Jesus Deals with Us
MONDAY, DECEMBER 28 <Read John 1: 35-50>
And he brought him to Jesus. John 1:42a
One of the amazing things about this passage is that everyone is pointing to or bringing people to Jesus. John begins it all by pointing Andrew and another of his disciples to Jesus. Andrew immediately goes to Peter and brings him. Jesus then invites Philip to follow Him and Philip goes and gets Nathaniel. There are three prerequisites to being a good witness. First, we must remember it is never about us. As John put it, “I must decrease and He must increase.” Second, it is always about bringing people to Jesus. We can do so in our prayers. We can do so in our words. Or we can do so by inviting people to church or a Bible Study or our home or simply staying up with them all night and letting them ask their questions. And the invitation is simple too: “Come and see! Check Him out for yourself. Make up your own mind. Ask questions.” Third, you are not alone. God is at work too and we can put our trust in Him through the whole process. If we remember these things, we will find that we can indeed be good pointers to Christ.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be like Andrew who made it his business to bring people to you time and time again. Let his example fill me with the courage I need to be a witness for you. Amen.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29 <Read John 6:60-71>
Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” John 1:38a
When Andrew and another man followed Jesus, he asked them their motivation. People wanted to know Jesus for many reasons. Some wanted to use him to accomplish some kind of agenda, like the Zealots. Others wanted to debate with him or test him, like the religious leaders. Some were simply looking for Jesus to fix whatever problem they had or to give them something, while others wanted him to prove himself to them by performing something. Jesus always tests our motivations as well. The temptation for all of us is to see Jesus as a tool to make our lives better, but not fully surrender to Him; or perhaps only go to him when we need something. In the end, surrender is what it takes. Jesus is not a spiritual add on to make our lives better, nor a spiritual butler ready to come when we call. Rather, he is life itself and only as we surrender to Him, worship Him, and spend time with Him, do we experience the life only He can give.
Prayer: Forgive me Lord when I see you only as a tool for my personal betterment and not the Lord of my life. Cleanse me of wrong motives and help me to surrender to you each day. Amen
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30 <Read Matthew 7:7-11>
“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. John 1:39
Checking our motives does not mean Jesus will not allow questions. Andrew and his friend (possibly John himself) met Jesus at about 4:00 p.m. and remained with him all night. What a night it was! Jesus essentially said to them, “Check me out.” And they did. Not able to contain himself, Andrew immediately goes to his brother Peter and declares, “We have found the Messiah!” Often we are afraid to voice our questions and doubts because deep down inside we fear God will not show up, or somehow we will have issues with which God cannot deal. God does not mind honest doubts and questions. He encourages them because they are the path we walk to learn and grow and get answers. God is bigger than any doubt we might have, and is the answer to any question we might have too. Bring your doubts. Ask your questions. Over time, you will find that God will answer the questions that need to be answered and prove that He is indeed bigger than any issue we might have.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for allowing questions. Help me to know that you are bigger than any doubt and will answer all my questions in your time. Amen.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31 <Read Matthew 16:13-20>
Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). John 1: 42b
One can imagine when Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter (rock), many around them may have said: “Him! You’ve got to be kidding.” God looks to the heart and sees potential while we often judge by appearances. It is likely that Peter was not much when the Lord first saw him—a man given to a rough life with rough manners and language to go with it. But Peter had potential and the Lord saw it immediately. We often stop at what we see, particularly with ourselves. We say: “I can’t do this or that. The Lord will never choose me.” The issue is more often “I won’t” and not that “I can’t.” We let our fear and yes even our sloth, determine who we are and what we can do. But just take a look in the Scriptures and see those who God choose to do His work. Like Peter, rarely are they the great or the powerful, but when they finally surrender to God, they are able to reflect His greatness and His power.
Prayer: Lord, I often use the excuse that you would never use a person like me. Help me see it for what it is: an excuse. Forgive me and give me the “want to” to serve you. Amen.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 1 <Read Matthew 17:14-21>
Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” John 1:50
If we put all our trust in Jesus, He can turn our little into a lot. Nathaniel was convinced Jesus was the Messiah because Jesus had seen him under a fig tree a long time before they met. Jesus in effect says to Nathaniel, “You believe because of this little thing, you will see many things much greater than that!” The Lord knows that we are weak and our faith and resolve often waver. But if we will give Him even the little that we have, like the loaves and the fishes, or the faith like a mustard seed, He will multiply it and use it. If, however, we hoard it like our last few dollars, He cannot use us in the way He wants to. As you get ready for the New Year, resolve to give what little you have and watch what God will do in your life and through you.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for being so good at math. Help me to give you what little I have and give me the faith to know you will turn it into a lot. Amen.