Look Closely at the Evidence!
Note from Jesus Dear Seeker, My words have always provoked strong reactions! I do not leave people any middle ground for their decision about Me. There is no “safe” place they can put Me in the middle as just a good man and a good teacher. In the encounter with the crowd that you read about in today’s verses, I AM claiming to be the Son of God. I AM saying that what I do and what I speak I have received directly from My Father in heaven. I AM claiming that every disciple that I have was given to Me by My Father. Every contemporary Jewish person who heard Me in the events recorded below knew that I was claiming to be God walking and teaching among them. They told Me: We demand Your life because You are a man, yet you claim to be God. This is blasphemy! As an experienced rabbi familiar with their way of arguing about the meaning of Scripture, I gave them two reasons why I could claim to be God among them. First, I used a good rabbinical defense strategy: I quoted a passage that shows that others had been called “sons of God.” These people were not punished for their claim, so I shouldn’t be punished for My claim. This argument is technically correct for their type of reasoning used in rabbinical discussion. However, most of those listening knew that I was claiming that I AM much more than one of many “sons of God.” They knew My claim was that I AM THE Son of the God! Second, I could call God My Father because what I claimed about Myself was validated by what I did! When you examine the great things that I did, the authoritative truths that I taught, and the way that I lived, you see that My actions validate My words. Notice what I said to My doubters and My critics: Examine My actions, and you will see that My work is the work of the Father. Regardless of whether you believe in Me — believe the miracles. Despite My opponents’ anger at these claims, they could not disprove them. They were left to try to kill Me, but they couldn’t do so at this time. The time wasn’t right. The Father wouldn’t let them. I wasn’t ready yet to lay My life down, so they couldn’t take it. Therefore, I continued with My ministry and many others believed in Me. Verses to Live OK. What are you going to do with Me? You can choose not to read My story, but My story won’t go away. People will keep making movies about Me, they will keep talking about Me, they will be fascinated by Me, and many will come to full faith in Me. So what are YOU going to do with Me? My claims are extravagant, even blasphemous if they are not true. But if they are true, then everything rides on your decision about Me! So look closely at the evidence — not just the evidence in the verses that follow, but at everything I said and did. Look at the movement I left behind. Examine the weak and fearful men and women who became bold and were willing to be martyred. What explains it? What was their belief in Me that led them to risk everything to be My disciples? When He [Jesus] spoke these words, some of the Jews began to argue. … It was winter and time for the Festival of Dedication. While in Jerusalem, Jesus was walking through the temple in an area known as Solomon’s porch, and Jews gathered around Him. Jews: How long are You going to keep us guessing? If You are God’s Anointed, the Liberating King, announce it clearly. Jesus: I have told you, and you do not believe. The works I am doing in My Father’s name tell the truth about Me. You do not listen; you lack faith because you are not My sheep. My sheep respond as they hear My voice; I know them intimately, and they follow Me. I give them a life that is unceasing, and death will not have the last word. Nothing or no one can steal them from My hand. My Father has given the flock to Me, and He is superior to all beings and things. No one is powerful enough to snatch the flock from My Father’s hand. The Father and I are one. The Jews gathered stones to execute Jesus right then and there. Jesus: I have performed many beautiful works before you in the name of the Father. Which of these can be judged as an offense that merits My execution? Jews: You are not condemned for performing miracles. We demand Your life because You are a man, yet you claim to be God. This is blasphemy! Jesus: You know what is written in the Scriptures. Doesn’t it read, “I said, you are gods”? If the Scriptures called your ancestors (mere mortals) gods to whom the word of God came — and the Scriptures cannot be set aside — what should you call One Who is unique, sanctified by and sent from the Father into the world? I have said, “I am God’s Son.” How can you call that blasphemy? By all means, do not believe in Me, if I am not doing the things of the Father. But examine My actions, and you will see that My work is the work of the Father. Regardless of whether you believe in Me — believe the miracles. Then you will know that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father. Once again, some of the Jews tried to capture Him, but He slipped away, eluding their grasp. Jesus crossed the Jordan River and returned to the place where John was… cleansing the people through baptism in the early days. He lingered in the area, and scores of people gathered around Him.
17 Jan 2025
May we endeavour to lose our lives for the sake of God so that we may live rather than to gain the whole world and forfeit our souls and die. May we not be those that sell their souls in order to gain the world. May the Lord keep showing Himself faithful in our lives. Mark 8:34-38.
Daily Prayer for January 17
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:1-3, NIV Dear Father in heaven, we thank you that we need never feel forsaken. We thank you that we are led and guided by your hand. We thank you for all we have received from you, your care for our bodies, for our material needs, and for our inner life. We praise you, O God! Continue to lead us, we pray. Continue to work among us so that we can all see and come to know that the Good Shepherd is leading us. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Lernvergnügenstag: A Day for the Joy of Learning Patrick Tomassi Once a year, I get to teach my students whatever inspires me. Read now The Catholic Worker Pushes the Limits Laurie M. Johnson Still going strong after nine decades, a radical movement of sharing and caring proves it’s possible to escape and resist capitalism, to a point. Read now The Three Questions Leo Tolstoy What is the right time, who are the right people, and what is the most important thing to do? Read now Deerassic Park Tim Maendel A high-school science teacher and his students practice conservation in the woods and ponds of upstate New York. Read now Disagreeing Respectfully Joseph Holmes John Inazu’s Learning to Disagree aims to improve civil discourse by showing readers how to navigate differences more gracefully. Read now
Today’s Verse – Proverbs 10:11
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. —Proverbs 10:11 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Do you want to know the difference between a righteous person and a wicked one? Simple! Jesus said to check the fruit of their life. One of the most visible forms of fruit in peoples’ lives is found in the way they talk, how they talk, and their empathy as they talk. Righteous people find ways to impart life through what they say. The wicked reveal themselves by what they say and how they say it. In a social-media-dominated world filled with vitriol, sarcasm, and bitterness, this is a prover we must heed! My Prayer… O LORD God, please hear my cry as I repeat the words of the Psalmist as my earnest prayer to you: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.* In the name of Jesus, I ask this. Amen. * From Psalm 19:14 ESV. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
The Good Shepherd
Note from Jesus Dear Precious One, Few passages of Scripture were more beloved in My time on earth than the twenty-third Psalm. Like in your day, many found great comfort knowing that the Great Shepherd was watching over them, caring for them, sustaining them, giving them rest, and bringing them safely home to Him: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:1-6 ESV) So when I claim to be the “good shepherd” in the verses below, my words are heard against the background of the twenty-third Psalm. At the same time, My words about being the “good shepherd” are speaking on several different levels of emphasis. Each level is important. Each conveys a powerful truth about Me — My identity, My power, and My sacrifice. First, by claiming to be the “good shepherd,” I AM claiming to be God, the Shepherd of the twenty-third Psalm! Clearly this was offensive to many faithful Jews for whom the Shepherd Psalm was precious and personal while God was high, exalted, and beyond compare — not some carpenter they thought was from Nazareth. That was why some accused Me of being a “raving maniac”! Second, notice the specific personal knowledge that I have of My sheep and they have of Me. I know them. I call them by name. They hear My voice and recognize Me. They follow Me. They don’t trust a stranger because they know My voice, and I lead by going out ahead of them and calling them by name. Third, there were bad shepherds among My people. I called them “hired hands” as well as “thieves and robbers”! They were bad shepherds like the ones described by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34:1-31). The religious leaders who were so opposed to Me knew I was talking about them as the bad shepherds. I knew that they were about to reject Me completely. Fourth, I laid down My life for the life of My sheep. In going to the cross willingly, I laid down My life to give life to My flock. No one could take My life from Me, but I laid it down because I love My sheep, and I want to honor the Father. But, when I laid My life down, I would also “take it up again” — I have the power to rise from the dead! A list, however, of the things I taught cannot compare with Who I AM and what it means for Me to be your Shepherd. As wonderful and precious as the words “The Lord is my shepherd…” may be to you, please recognize and feel the great love I have for you as your Shepherd. The twenty-third Psalm takes on so much deeper meaning when you truly understand that I AM your “good shepherd”: that I brought you everything promised in the twenty-third Psalm and everything promised in My words below. On top of everything else, I offered up My life to show you that My words are true, and My love and My shepherding are real. Verses to Live Take all the wonderful promises of the twenty-third Psalm and add all the incredible promises you find in My words below and know that these promises, that My comforting and guiding presence, are yours! Jesus: I tell you the truth: the man who crawls through the fence of the sheep pen, rather than walking through the gate, is a thief or a vandal. The shepherd walks openly through the entrance. The guard who is posted to protect the sheep opens the gate for the shepherd, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When all the sheep have been gathered, he walks on ahead of them; and they follow him because they know his voice. The sheep would not be willing to follow a stranger; they run because they do not know the voice of a stranger. Jesus explained a profound truth through this metaphor, but they did not understand His teaching. So He explained further. Jesus: I tell you the truth: I am the gate of the sheep. All who approached the sheep before Me came as thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not listen to their voices. I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be liberated, will go in and go out, and will find pastures. The thief approaches with malicious intent, looking to steal, slaughter, and destroy; I came to give life with joy and abundance. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep in His care. The hired hand is not like the shepherd caring for His own sheep. When a wolf attacks, snatching and scattering the sheep, he runs for his life, leaving them defenseless. The hired hand runs because he works only for wages and does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me. As the Father knows Me, I know the Father; I will give My life for the sheep. There are many more sheep than you can see here, and I will bring them as well. They will hear My voice, and the flock will be united. One flock. One shepherd. The Father loves Me because I am willing to lay down My life — but
16 Jan 2025
I am aware that were it not for the Lord’s protection, sustenance and love, I would not be where I am today. I’m deeply grateful for His work in my life. May we reflect on this and take time to marvel at what the Lord has done and will continue to do in our lives. Isaiah 58:11-12.
Daily Prayer for January 16
I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Psalm 145:1-2, NIV Dear Father in heaven, we come before you and thank you with all our hearts. You know all that we are thankful for. Continue to sustain us, we pray, and give us strength for the paths on which you lead us. Even when we must suffer and fight long, hard battles, we know that everything has its right purpose and will still lead us to your goal. For all this we praise and thank you. Protect us in mind, heart, and spirit. Keep us courageous, and lift us above all discouragement through your Spirit, who will renew our lives forevermore. Amen. Recent articles on Plough The Catholic Worker Pushes the Limits Laurie M. Johnson Still going strong after nine decades, a radical movement of sharing and caring proves it’s possible to escape and resist capitalism, to a point. Read now The Three Questions Leo Tolstoy What is the right time, who are the right people, and what is the most important thing to do? Read now Deerassic Park Tim Maendel A high-school science teacher and his students practice conservation in the woods and ponds of upstate New York. Read now Disagreeing Respectfully Joseph Holmes John Inazu’s Learning to Disagree aims to improve civil discourse by showing readers how to navigate differences more gracefully. Read now What Do You Say to a Grieving Friend? Midge Goldberg When someone is grieving and you don’t know how to help, almost anything is better than doing nothing. Read now
Today’s Verse – Psalm 100:5
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. —Psalm 100:5 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… We come to the final devotional thought based on Psalm 100:5. The focus is on God’s enduring love and faithfulness that continues through all generations. The genealogy of Matthew 1:1-16 lists the generations that God used to bring us Jesus, our LORD and Messiah. I usually speed-read through biblical genealogies. However, let’s invite the Holy Spirit to awaken us through this genealogy to celebrate God’s love and faithfulness, which brought us the Messiah through those generations. We can close our meditations on Psalm 100:1-5 with the joy of knowing that the LORD’s faithful love continued through all these generations and saved us through Jesus. What God has done so faithfully in the past, he will do even more in the days ahead as we await the glorious return of his Son and our Savior, the LORD Jesus Christ. The Father brought us the Son through his faithfulness, and we celebrate that enduring love by the power of the Holy Spirit’s inspired praise of Psalm 100:5: For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. My Prayer… Dear Father, in my world of change and unfaithfulness, everyone seems to want something from me or out of me, even though there are very few I can depend upon. Thank you for your love, which is more enduring than the mountains and more glorious than any beautiful sunrise. I praise you in the name of Jesus, your Son. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Opening Blind Eyes #3
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, On two previous days, I have had you look at John’s account of the man who was born blind and whom I healed. We’ve seen how people can willfully be blind to the people in need around them. Instead of viewing each person as someone in whom “the deeds of God may be put on display” (John 9:3), they treat those people as something less than people created in Our image — they treat them as a religious question, a label, a problem, or a biological product. Today, I want you to focus on the journey to faith of the man whom I healed of blindness — both his physical blindness and his spiritual blindness. His journey toward faith began as a person in need. I healed his physical blindness, and he began his journey toward his spiritual blindness being healed. You can follow this man’s journey to faith by watching what he said about me: “a man named Jesus.” (John 9:11) “this man is a prophet.” (John 9:17) “I only know one thing: I was blind, and now I see.” (John 9:25) “This man must come from God.” (John 9:33) “Lord, I do believe [that You are the Son of Man — Messiah and Lord — promised to us].” (John 9:38) I want you to look at this man’s journey of faith. Many of you have made a similar journey in what you believe about Me. Others whom you are trying to reach with My grace are somewhere on this journey. Use gentle persistence to lead them to a deeper understanding of My identity. Notice some things about this man’s coming to faith. While I wasn’t with him, he was still coming to a deeper understanding of My identity. And even at the end of the journey, he couldn’t explain everything about Me, but he had a determined faith in Me. Realize that even when you are not with those you are trying to lead to faith, the Spirit is working in their lives through what others do and say — even if it is hostile. Realize that while your friends may not be able to explain everything about Me, they can point to the clear changes in their lives as rock solid evidence of what they believe about Me. You have heard Me tell you that people have to decide whether I am a lunatic who is delusional about His identity or a liar who is trying to take advantage of people for his own good, or whether I AM the Lord. That is ultimately the decision that people have to make about Me. So help your friends stay on the journey of faith and be there to help them come to the full understanding of My identity. As you work in their lives to lead them to faith, know that you are not alone: I AM there with you and them — even when you are not present — helping them journey to full and saving faith. Verses to Live Notice how the Pharisees push this man to give up what he knows is true. The man never yields to them. He doesn’t back down. The Pharisees cannot defeat his logic nor can they discredit the truth of My miracle. So they end up doing what many do to you today. They ostracize him and demean him. Don’t be surprised when people do that to you. Just realize that when they have to resort to belittling you, they have lost the battle and are left to pettiness and living in their own willful blindness. Formerly Blind Man: This man [Jesus] must come from God; otherwise, this miracle would not be possible. Only God can do such things. Pharisees: You were born under a cloud of sin. How can you, of all people, lecture us? The religious leaders banished him from their presence. Jesus heard what had happened and sought out the man. Jesus: Do you believe in the Son of Man? Formerly Blind Man: I want to believe, Lord. Who is He? Jesus: You have seen His face with your new eyes, and you are talking to Him now. Formerly Blind Man: Lord, I do believe. The man bowed low to worship Jesus. Jesus: I have entered this world to announce a verdict that changes everything. Now those without sight may begin to see, and those who see may become blind. Some Pharisees (who overheard Jesus): Surely we are not blind, are we? Jesus: If you were blind, you would be without sin. But because you claim you can see, your sin is ever present. (John 9:33-41) Response in Prayer O Father, I thank You for my journey of faith. I ask that You help me as I try to walk with others on their journey toward faith in You. Please be at work in the following people’s lives that I want to see come to faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord and as Your Son. (Think of people who need to know Jesus. Bring them before the Father and mention them by name.) Help each of these people to come to full and active faith in Jesus. I pray this in His name. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
15 Jan 2025
Apart from the enemy seeking to destroy us, we have another problem. The heart is generally wicked and therefore susceptible to evil. We should guard it by surrendering our lives to God and surrounding ourselves with positive things and people. Jeremiah 17:9-10.