Category: Uncategorized

John 21:7

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

Personal Challenge

How much do we really love God? How about Jesus? Do we abandon everything in our life and “plunge into the sea” when we see Him active in our lives? It is so easy to get all caught up in the tyranny of the urgent that we miss those times when Jesus shows up in our lives. Or worse yet, we are so focused on the world that we live in that we stop looking for His presence. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 55:22-23 (54:23-24)

John 20:29

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Personal Challenge

They say that seeing is believing. I wonder if this saying comes from this account of Thomas. Jesus, however, teaches that believing is seeing. He calls those of us who believe in Him, having never seen Him, blessed. He appears to raise up the believers with higher esteem than the seers. We put our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ whom we have not seen, and we begin to see Him. Praise be to God!

Psalms 55:16-18 (54:17-18)

But I cried out to God,
And the Lord heard me.
Evening and morning and midday, I shall tell;
I shall proclaim, and He will hear my voice.

Encouraging Words

God hears us. Whether we whisper His name in the quiet of the night or shout it out in the midst of our trials, He hears us and responds. This is how much He loves us and cares for us. Glory be to God!

John 20:25

The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

Personal Challenge

How much are we really like Thomas? We will not believe our God and the truths about His works unless we see it with our own eyes. Where is our faith? Of course, we must be diligent as the Bereans to question what comes our way, but once we have validated the truth, we should hold on to it and live be it. We also need to be careful of going the other way and believing every conspiracy theory that comes our way. We can only fine the truth in Christ. Glory be to God!

Psalms 51:17 (50:19)

A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit,
A broken and humbled heart God will not despise.

Personal Challenge

What does God want from us? Does He want our service? He will receive it from us, but He desires something else. Our time reading the scriptures and saying prayers? He will receive and bless that, but He yearns for something else. He wants us to give our broken and humble heart to Him so that He can make it whole, pure, and filled with His Son. Glory be to God!

John 17:20-21

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Personal Challenge

Jesus knew 2,000 years ago that His bride, the church, would end up splintered and contentious. That is why He prayed for us to be one. What are we doing to fulfill our part of this prayer? We must always remember that we are followers of Christ first, Christians, and that we practice our love for Him at the church that we go to. We so often get this backwards and put our church before Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 51:1-4 (50:2-6)

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy;
And according to the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgression.
Wash me thoroughly from my lawlessness
And cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my lawlessness,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You only have I sinned
And done evil in Your sight;
That You may be justified in Your words,
And overcome when You are judged.

Personal Challenge

This psalm presents David’s lamentation after Nathan confronted him on his sinful relationship with Bathsheba. David did not fight back and defend his sinful actions. He immediately confessed his sin, repented, and reached out to his God for forgiveness and mercy. This is a prayer that we can all pray when we are reminded of our sins. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

John 17:14-17

I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Personal Challenge

This passage is taken from a prayer that Jesus was saying over His disciples, the apostles. It is clear in here that His followers are no longer a part of this world but a part of His heavenly kingdom. If we proclaim to be followers of Jesus, then it is imperative that we live our lives outside of this world. This will never be easy because the world hates Jesus and will hate us as well. We can count on Jesus to be there for us as we go through our life in this world. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!