For You, but More than Just You!
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, John wrote the truth powerfully and simply in his short little letter you call 1 John: You are my little children, so I am writing these things to help you avoid sin. If, however, any believer does sin, we have a high-powered defense lawyer — Jesus the Anointed, the righteous — arguing on our behalf before the Father. It was through His sacrificial death that our sins were atoned. But He did not stop there — He died for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2) I gave My life for you! I was crucified for your sins! I came to bring you salvation and new life. I did what I did for you, but this wasn’t just for you! My Father’s love encompasses “every nation and tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9). As John said it in one of the most famous passages of Scripture: For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. Here’s the point. God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction. (John 3:16-17) So when Pentecost came, I poured out the Holy Spirit upon those who were already My disciples and those who became My disciples. Then Peter reminded everyone present that My love is for all nations, which means all people, male and female, and all races, nationalities, social levels, and cultures. The salvation from sin and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that occurred on the day of Pentecost were just the beginning, a mere foretaste of what will happen throughout the world and throughout time. So remember this: My grace includes you, but it is also bigger than just you… and those like you. My grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit are for everyone who responds to My call to follow Me! Verses to Live Pentecost is often called the birthday of the church. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, My disciples proclaimed My death, burial, and resurrection as the message of salvation. A new era began with the baptism of over 3,000 people in response to the apostles’ preaching. I want to impress two things about this message upon you. First, this message and this salvation are for you! Second, this message and this salvation are for everyone who is willing to respond! Notice both the words Peter says to the crowd and also the response of this crowd. This message is for you and for all who will listen to the Father’s call to their hearts. When the people heard this [the Spirit-inspired message about Jesus as Messiah and the One Whom they had crucified], their hearts were pierced; and they said to Peter and his fellow apostles: Pilgrims: Our brothers, what should we do? Peter: Reconsider your lives; change your direction. Participate in the… washing of baptism in the name of Jesus God’s Anointed, the Liberating King. Then your sins will be forgiven, and the gift of the Holy Spirit will be yours. For the promise of the Spirit is for you, for your children, for all people — even those considered outsiders and outcasts — the Lord our God invites everyone to come to Him. (Acts 2:37-39) Response in Prayer Father in heaven, I realize that Jesus died for all people. Forgive me for the times when I have been short-sighted and didn’t reach out to all kinds of people. I confess that I sometimes assume I know who will respond to Your invitation of grace and who will not. Help me, O Lord, to see people through the eyes of Jesus. Help me as I seek to share Your grace with all people. I pray this in Jesus’ 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.
Sharing My Mission
Note from Jesus My Beloved Disciple, I came to earth for a divine purpose, on a mission from the Father. I was determined to complete that mission. I was committed to finishing the work the Father sent Me to do (John 4:34; 19:30). I was so passionate about My mission that I was willing to sacrifice everything to accomplish it (Philippians 2:5-11). I entered your world because I love the people of your world (Romans 5:6-11). I came to liberate people from the power of sin, death, and hell (Hebrews 2:14-15). My passionate desire is for each person to discover the grace We (Father, Son, and Spirit) long to share with them. I want each of them to find a life in Me — a life that is full of grace and rich in love (John 10:10). Before I returned to the Father, I told My disciples to embrace this same mission, My mission, as well. I sent them to reach all the people of the world (Matthew 28:18-20). Just as the Father had sent Me, I sent them, and I am now sending you (John 20:21). As you live this mission, please remember: it is a mission of love. Your mission is to save the people of your world by sharing My love for them and demonstrating that love before them (John 13:35). No matter how they receive you or treat you, don’t view the people of your world as your enemy! Liberating lost people from sin, death, and hell is your mission just as it was My mission (Luke 19:10). Always be ready to share My grace with the people of your world. Let them know the reason for your hope in Me, but do this respectfully, gently, and lovingly (1 Peter 3:15-16). Verses to Live While I could point you to many passages of Scripture that talk about your mission, I want to remind you of a very familiar one. Its truth is the foundation of My mission and must be the foundation of your mission. For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life. Here’s the point. God didn’t send His Son into the world to judge it; instead, He is here to rescue a world headed toward certain destruction. (John 3:16-17) Your mission is not an obligation, a duty, you must do to fulfill some arbitrary obligation. Your mission is rooted in and empowered by love. I invite you to love the lost of this world. Follow My example in doing everything you can to help lost people find their way to the Father’s grace. I demonstrated that love through My sacrifice at Golgotha. I demonstrated that grace and power through My victory over sin, death, and hell in the resurrection. My mission was a mission of love. The apostle Paul described My love this way: When the time was right, the Anointed One died for all of us who were far from God, powerless, and weak. Now it is rare to find someone willing to die for an upright person, although it’s possible that someone may give up his life for one who is truly good. But think about this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful love to us in a tangible display—the Anointed One died for us. As a result, the blood of Jesus has made us right with God now, and certainly, we will be rescued by Him from God’s wrath in the future. If we were in the heat of combat with God when His Son reconciled us by laying down His life, then how much more will we be saved by Jesus’ resurrection life? In fact, we stand now reconciled and at peace with God. That’s why we celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed. (Romans 5:6-11) Response in Prayer O Lord, my God, my Savior, and my Redeemer. Thank you for calling me to participate in your divine mission to reawaken the world to your love and grace. Thank you for calling me to the people of the world the way Your Son did. I ask this in Jesus’ 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.
When Life Is Hard
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, There are times when life is very hard. Remember when I fed 5,000 people out of five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14:13-21)? The people were tired, the hour was late, and My disciples were not ready to handle the problem. So I want to remind you where I was emotionally before all of this started. Herod had just killed My cousin and great forerunner, John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1-12). I felt both the personal loss of this great servant of God and also the burden of knowing that John’s fate would soon be My own (Matthew 17:10-13). I was trying to get away to a quiet place and pray when the crowd found Me. Matthew sensitively describes My situation: And so he [Herod] sent orders to the prison to have John beheaded, and there was his head, displayed on a platter, given first to Salome and then passed on to her mother. John’s disciples went to the prison, got John’s body, and buried him. Then they went to tell Jesus. When Jesus learned what had happened, He got on a boat and went away to spend some time in a private place. The crowds, of course, followed Jesus on foot from their cities. Though Jesus wanted solitude, when He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, and He healed the sick and the lame. (Matthew 14:10-14) I share this because I want you to realize that I know about life being hard — about needing to grieve and regroup by being alone, yet not being allowed to have that time. So when your life caves in around you, please don’t believe the lies of the enemy that I don’t care about your pain and that your pain doesn’t matter to the Father. There will be times when you are tempted to feel that the devil’s lie is true, but please remember the real truth. I know human anguish. I know it not just because I am God, but also because I have been mortal, God Who is one of you. I know what it’s like to face the storms of life and feel like they are going to swallow you whole. That is why what happens next is so important for you to believe. As I tried to be alone with the Father, I sent the disciples away. Soon, they were overwhelmed in their boat by a storm. What they were facing physically, I was facing emotionally. Nevertheless, I went to be with them. In the middle of My raging emotional storm, I entered into their battle with their storm. While I was approaching them in the storm, Peter did what early Peter often did: he made a bit of a mess of things by presuming to do something the others would never dream to do. But don’t miss this truth: he did it! He walked on the water to Me until he became distracted by the storm. Still, in the roiling power of the storm, this seasoned fisherman — this man so familiar with survival in the sea and her storms — didn’t try to save himself. Instead, Peter cried out to Me to save him, and I rescued him. So here’s the deal. When you are going through your own storms, call out to Me. Welcome Me into the middle of your messes, trials, struggles, and storms. When you do, I will join you in them. You will never be alone (Hebrews 13:5-6). When My arrival seems to take forever, don’t despair. I will come to you in the storm. You may not recognize My presence at first, but keep looking for me. I will be there. One way or another, I will get you to your true destination. You will find rest, hope, and peace for your soul. Don’t forget, I know what it’s like to face the worst storms of life, and I will not abandon you to fight them alone. Verses to Live Please read this account of these important events in My life. They are taken from both Matthew’s account and John’s account of these events. It is more than a story; it just may be your story or the story of a friend. Remember, I won’t abandon you in the storm. Look for Me when the storm seems most fierce and you can’t figure out how to go on — or even better, look for Me at all times and in all situations in your life and stay with Me so you will be ready for whatever comes. Immediately [after feeding the 5,000] Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on to the other side of the sea while He dismissed the crowd. Then, after the crowd had gone, Jesus went up to a mountaintop alone (as He had intended from the start). As evening descended, He stood alone on the mountain, praying. The boat was in the water, some distance from land, buffeted and pushed around by waves and wind. Deep in the night, when He had concluded His prayers, Jesus walked out on the water to His disciples in their boat. (Matthew 14:22-25) After rowing three or four miles through the stormy seas, they [the disciples] spotted Jesus approaching the boat walking mysteriously upon the deep waters that surrounded them. They panicked. Jesus (to the disciples): I AM the One. Don’t be afraid. (John 6:19-20) Peter: Lord, if it is really You, then command me to meet You on the water. Jesus: Indeed, come. Peter stepped out of the boat onto the water and began walking toward Jesus. But when he remembered how strong the wind was, his courage caught in his throat and he began to sink. Peter: Master, save me! Immediately Jesus reached for Peter and caught him. Jesus: O you of little faith. Why did you doubt and dance back and forth between following Me and heeding fear? Then Jesus and Peter climbed in the boat together,
Rules Versus Right Hearts
Note from Jesus Please Note: Due to an error in our content management software, ‘A Year with Jesus’ Devotionals have been out of sequence for this year. After considering all remedies, we have decided to return to the intended order of devotionals just in time for Lent. Unfortunately this means there will be duplicates of previous devotionals that were mistakenly sent out of order. We deeply regret this mistake and apologize for the situation. Thank you for your understanding and continued support as a faithful reader of this devotional. Dear Disciple, You are probably aware that I had many disagreements with the Pharisees, scribes, and scholars during My time on earth and that I openly opposed them for their ungodly teachings and actions. In fact, a lot of My strongest condemnations were directed at the legalism and hypocrisy of these religious leaders (e.g., Matthew 23:1-33). However, I want you to understand something very important about these disagreements. I agreed with these people on nearly all of the principles they taught about the morality that God wants for His people and about adherence to God’s commands. Where I disagreed with them was on the way to achieve what God wants. Their goal was to create a set of rules — called the (oral) traditions of the ancestors — that were taught as God’s law. These rules were designed to be a hedge around the Torah to prevent anyone from getting close to breaking the commands of God. Their desire was good — to honor the character and compassion of God in their behavior. However, their design was severely flawed since external rules cannot create a holy person; true transformation has to come from the heart. While some people have tried to make My teaching into something soft and easy to fit their lifestyles, if you look carefully at My teachings, you will see that is not the case. Rather, I want people to examine their hearts. I want them to look deeper than a set of rules and listen for the heart and will of God in His teachings. To put it into the language of the issues in the verses below, let Me say it directly: I came to be a heart surgeon and not a hand washer! External rules cannot get to the real issue that lies behind all behavior: the heart! Listen to the words of the Father through the prophet Ezekiel: I will give them a new will — an undivided heart — and plant a new spirit within them; I will remove their cold, stony heart and replace it with a warm heart of flesh. Then they will follow My commands and uphold My laws and actually do as I say. They will be My people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:19-20). I came to try to win your heart to God and to transform it by the power of the Holy Spirit living in you! Don’t think that there are no people like Pharisees in your day. All around, people have turned discipleship into rule keeping, thinking they can make rules to keep people holy. It doesn’t work. The apostle Paul had to deal with the problem a few years after My resurrection. Notice what he said about rule-keeping to the Colossians: You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. (Colossians 2:20-23 NLT) The solution to this problem? A new, clean, and right heart. King David wrestled with ungodliness and did some despicable things. Yet he realized the power to change was not in making harder sets of rules, but in asking God for a cleansed and transformed heart that could change him from the inside out: Create in me a clean heart, O God; restore within me a sense of being brand new. … Give back to me the deep delight of being saved by You; let Your willing Spirit sustain me. (Psalm 51:10-12) Verses to Live I have sent the Holy Spirit to live within you as a baptized believer. The Holy Spirit is at work to transform you from the inside out. However, you need to offer your heart to Me each day. Ask Me to do the work you cannot do on your own, to cleanse and to transform the desires of your heart. Rules cannot change your heart; they can only alter some of your behavior for awhile. Before long, your rules will become more important than the will of God and your heart can be far away from the heart of God, the very God you are trying to please with your rules! Then the Pharisees returned to talk with Jesus [after He had healed many people (Mark 6:53-56)], and with them came some of the scribes and scholars from Jerusalem. Scribes and Scholars (seeing the disciples eating): Your disciples are eating bread with defiled, unwashed hands. Now you need to know that the Pharisees, and all Jews for that matter, held the tradition of their ancestors that hands must be washed before eating to avoid being ritually unclean. Likewise, they washed when they returned from the market and followed similar purity teachings as well, from the washing of their food to the washing of their bowls, cups, and kettles. Scribes and Pharisees: Why don’t Your disciples follow the traditions passed down to us? Why do they eat their bread with defiled hands? Jesus: Isaiah prophesied wisely about your religious pretensions when he wrote, These people honor Me with words off their lips; meanwhile their hearts are far from Me. Their worship is empty, void
Extraordinary God!
Note from Jesus Please Note: Due to an error in our content management software, ‘A Year with Jesus’ Devotionals have been out of sequence for this year. After considering all remedies, we have decided to return to the intended order of devotionals just in time for Lent. Unfortunately this means there will be duplicates of previous devotionals that were mistakenly sent out of order. We deeply regret this mistake and apologize for the situation. Thank you for your understanding and continued support as a faithful reader of this devotional. Dear Child of God, What is your greatest need? Seems like a simple question, doesn’t it? But when you look deeper, the events in the verses below from in My life story clarify some things for you… including what three of your deepest needs are! First, many times people going through hard times, especially if they involve illness, think that a cure for their disease is the most important thing. However, in this story, the man who was paralyzed received blessings that far outweighed having his physical problem removed. This man had friends. These determined friends were willing to take risks that could cost them something. These were friends of faith. I saw their faith and it led Me to help this man with his greatest need. He needed forgiveness. He needed a right relationship restored with the Father. I gave him that at great risk and cost to Me because of the reaction of the Jewish leaders to My ministry. And if you have been paying attention to what I have been saying these last few days, you know why I did it. As God with you, I want you to know by My actions that God wants you both holy and whole — to enjoy full shalom! Second, the religious leaders in this story can point you to another great need. Notice what the religious leaders said: Who can pronounce that a person’s sins are forgiven? Who but God alone? Now don’t miss the point, because some religious groups who claim to be My disciples miss it. My actions show that I AM God among you. I healed the man to show I have the power, the authority, the right to do what only God can do: forgive people of their sins, both the ones that involve only them and God and the ones that involve other people as well! No matter your problem, please recognize the most important issue in your life involves your relationship with the Father. I can bring you forgiveness no matter what you’ve done if you will only come to Me and be honest about the sin issues in your life. Don’t believe Me? I recommend you read what My beloved disciple wrote about forgiveness (1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:1-2). Finally, and most importantly of all, recognize that I AM God. The Father and I are One. I came as God in human flesh, Immanuel — God with you! This conviction is the most basic and important belief of all. To understand God’s love, the meaning of My sacrifice, and the importance of your obedience, you must believe that I AM God, come in human flesh to save you — and not just you, but everyone else in the world who is willing to recognize Me for Who I AM and follow Me! As My apostle Thomas said when he saw Me raised from the dead, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28 NLT). Verses to Live In the following story, there is a paralyzed man whose life was forever changed because of the faith and determination of his friends. If you have friends who are determined in their faith, give thanks to God. Affirm them. Lean on them. Just as was the case for this sick man, there will be days when your friends may have to have the faith to get you to Me when you don’t seem to have the power, courage, or willingness to come to Me. So value those friends. One day Jesus was teaching in a house, and the healing power of the Lord was with Him. Pharisees and religious scholars were sitting and listening, having come from villages all across the regions of Galilee and Judea and from the holy city of Jerusalem. Some men came to the house, carrying a paralyzed man on his bed pallet. They wanted to bring him in and present him to Jesus, but the house was so packed with people that they couldn’t get in. So they climbed up on the roof and pulled off some roof tiles. Then they lowered the man by ropes so he came to rest right in front of Jesus. In this way, their faith was visible to Jesus. Jesus (to the man on the pallet): My friend, all your sins are forgiven. The Pharisees and religious scholars were offended at this. They turned to one another and asked questions. Pharisees and Religious Scholars: Who does He think He is? Wasn’t that blasphemous? Who can pronounce that a person’s sins are forgiven? Who but God alone? Jesus (responding with His own question): Why are your hearts full of questions? Which is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven” or “Get up and walk”? Just so you’ll know that the Son of Man is fully authorized to forgive sins on earth (He turned to the paralyzed fellow lying on the pallet), I say, get up, take your mat, and go home. Then, right in front of their eyes, the man stood up, picked up his bed, and left to go home — full of praises for God! Everyone was stunned. They couldn’t help but feel awestruck, and they praised God too. People: We’ve seen extraordinary things today. (Luke 5:17-26) Response in Prayer O Jesus, You are Lord and Christ, God’s Son, Immanuel, God Who came to us in human flesh. You are my Lord and my God! Thank You, God, in the name of the
What Will You Do with My Grace?
Note from Jesus Dear Follower, In today’s events from My life on earth, you will meet a man who had great difficulties. But like so many who find themselves in very difficult situations, this man makes the situation worse by refusing to take responsibility for anything in his life. As you read, notice that I ask this man if he really wants to get well: Are you here in this place hoping to be healed? (John 5:6) He states the truth about his situation, and yes, it is a sad truth, but also notice that he never really answers My question. Instead, this man blames his circumstances. He never really says, “Oh yes, more than anything, I want to be healed!” When I heal the man, he gets in trouble with “the overly somber religious enforcement society” of his day for breaking one of their rules. Notice what the man does: he passes the buck and blames it on Me! (I think you will find it very helpful to compare his reaction to “the overly somber religious enforcement society” with the fellow you meet in John 9:1-41, whose actions are quite different after I healed his blindness and he was then questioned by the Pharisees!) Don’t miss two points! Point 1: You should have compassion for all people, but don’t be discouraged when some of those you help still hang on to their victim mindset. You can recognize this by their words and actions: “It’s not my fault!” “Don’t blame me; I can’t help it!” “My problems are all because nobody will help me!” “That person told me to do this, so don’t blame me; I was just doing what I was told!” As much as you want to help everyone, some folks will never assume responsibility for their circumstances or for getting better. Even in their greatest moments of joy, they refuse to celebrate and praise God — or thank you — for their blessings. Nevertheless, as My disciple, your love should still lead you to help people as I did. Point 2: Many folks don’t get what being My follower really means for them. They are caught up in the religious rules of everything. You, however, need to be guided by three calls in your life. They will keep you focused on the heart of My mission! They will also keep you from being part of “the overly somber religious enforcement society” of your day! What are those three calls? Love the Lord your God with all you are and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). Light the way to God with your good deeds done to others (Matthew 5:14-16). Lead people to follow Me (Matthew 28:18-20). Verses to Live Ask yourself two questions as you read the scripture today. First, if you had been healed after 38 years of bondage, would you have blamed your healer or praised God no matter what anyone else said? Second, as My follower, would you be one who helped get this guy into the pool when he had no one else to help him? … Jesus led His followers to Jerusalem where they would celebrate a Jewish feast together. In Jerusalem they came upon a pool by the sheep gate surrounded by five covered porches. In Hebrew this place is called Bethesda. Crowds of people lined the area, lying around the porches. All of these people were disabled in some way; some were blind, lame, paralyzed, or plagued by diseases, and they were waiting for the waters to move. From time to time, a heavenly messenger would come to stir the water in the pool. Whoever reached the water first and got in after it was agitated would be healed of his or her disease. In the crowd, Jesus noticed one particular man who had been living with his disability for 38 years. He knew this man had been waiting here a long time. Jesus (to the disabled man): Are you here in this place hoping to be healed? Disabled Man: Kind Sir, I wait, like all of these people, for the waters to stir; but I cannot walk. If I am to be healed in the waters, someone must carry me into the pool. Without a helping hand, someone else beats me to the water’s edge each time it is stirred. Jesus: Stand up, carry your mat, and walk. At the moment Jesus uttered these words, a healing energy coursed through the man and returned life to his limbs — he stood and walked for the first time in 38 years. But this was the Sabbath Day; and any work, including carrying a mat, was prohibited on this day. Jewish Leaders (to the man who had been healed): Must you be reminded that it is the Sabbath? You are not allowed to carry your mat today! Formerly Disabled Man: The man Who healed me gave me specific instructions to carry my mat and go. Jewish Leaders: Who is the man Who gave you these instructions? How can we identify Him? The man genuinely did not know Who it was that healed him. In the midst of the crowd and the excitement of his renewed health, Jesus had slipped away. Some time later, Jesus found him in the temple and again spoke to him. Jesus: Take a look at your body; it has been made whole and strong. So avoid a life of sin, or else a calamity greater than any disability may befall you. The man went immediately to tell the Jewish leaders that Jesus was the mysterious healer. So they began pursuing and attacking Jesus because He performed these miracles on the Sabbath. Jesus (to His attackers): My Father is at work. So I, too, am working. He was justifying the importance of His work on the Sabbath, claiming God as His Father in ways that suggested He was equal to God. These pious religious leaders sought an opportunity to kill Jesus, and these words fueled their
I Bring Hidden Things into the Light
Note from Jesus Dear Faithful Follower, Hide and seek is a great children’s game. However, it is a dangerous and deadly spiritual game. If you are My follower, don’t hide your loyalty and commitment to Me from others. When you have guests in your house, you don’t hide the lamp so they can’t find their way around your house in the dark. So if your friends are lost in spiritual darkness, why would you hide My spiritual light from them? Do you want them to stumble around in spiritual darkness? Remember, I see what you do in your life. I’m not there to snoop, spy, or try to catch you doing something wrong. I’m there to strengthen, encourage, and bless. And know this: where I go, I bring true light. Hidden things are exposed. So I’m asking you to let My light penetrate deeply into your hidden places and drive out your darkness (John 3:19-21). When you let My light into your life, it will be filled with more and more light. However, if you try to keep things hidden away in the dark corners of your spirit, little by little you will lose the light you have now (Matthew 6:23). And be sure of this: even if you drive My light from most of your heart, sooner or later, everything in your heart will be revealed (Matthew 10:26-33). Finally, remember I AM the One Who can help you find truth by shining My light in all places. As you try to look through the Bible for truth, don’t forget Me. I AM here to help you make sense of it all in a way that is a blessing to all! So just ask Me to use the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, to help you know what Scripture means and how it all points to Me. I AM the One Who brings light to dark places, the one Who exposes truth and error, the One Who gives light to those seeking light, and the One Who helps you know how to use the Scriptures to unlock the truth and find great treasures! Verses to Live I AM the light to illuminate dark places, the guarantee that everything hidden will be brought to the full light of truth. Jesus: You wouldn’t light a lamp and cover it with a clay pot. You’re not going to hide it under your bed. No, when you light it, you’re going to put it out in the open so your guests can feel welcome and see where they’re going. Hidden things will always come out into the open. Secret things will come to light and be exposed. I hope you’re still listening. And I hope you’re listening carefully. If you get what I’m saying, you’ll get more. If you miss My meaning, even the understanding you think you have will be taken from you. (Luke 8:16-18) Just like hidden things will ultimately be revealed, people will ultimately be seen for who they are and what they have done. Jesus: Or think of it this way: the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, a net that caught a world of flickering fish. When the net was full, the fishermen hauled it to shore. They separated the good fish from the bad, placing the good fish in a bucket and throwing out the inedible fish. That is what the end of time will be like. The heavenly messengers will separate the good from the bad, the righteous from the wicked, the repentant from the prideful, the faithful from the hard-hearted. The bad, the wicked, the prideful, and the hard-hearted will be thrown into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Do you understand? Disciples: Yes, we understand. (Matthew 13:47-51) My servant, the apostle Paul, said it very well: the holy Scriptures “enable you to be wise and lead to salvation through faith in Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). So not only will hidden things be revealed and not only will people’s works be revealed, but the truth of the Scriptures can also be revealed to you so that you can find many treasures if you approach them through faith in Me! Just as I said in this next verse, regardless of where you are in your walk of faith you should be on the lookout for new things as well as old familiar things as you study the Scriptures. Jesus: Every scribe and teacher of the law who has become a student of the ways of the kingdom is like the head of the household who brings some new things and some old things, both out of the storeroom. (Matthew 13:52) Response in Prayer Father, help the light of Jesus to shine through everything I do and say. Please open my eyes to see Jesus and hear the voice of the Spirit in every bit of Scripture that I hear, read, and memorize. I ask this in Jesus’ 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.
My Plan to Train and Teach!
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Leadership and choosing leaders are very important in any group, but especially among My followers. Please notice two things of great importance in the verses below. They will help you have a lasting impact for Me in your world. First, I prayed all night before I chose those whom I would call to be My apostles — those who would be My special emissaries to minister and lead My movement when I was gone. I regularly withdrew to have special times of prayer with the Father to tune My heart to His mission. I also dedicated long stretches of prayer to important events in My life. Selecting My apostles was one of those watershed events. Their selection was so important that I prayed all night! My early church family dedicated themselves to worship, prayer, and fasting to choose their leaders (Acts 13:1-3; Acts 14:23). So please, don’t let choosing leaders for your group, house church, missional community, organization, or congregation become a political event. Leadership is crucial to My mission in the world. Never choose leaders without prayer! Second, no leader, no matter how faithful or influential, can lead alone or forever. I chose twelve in whom I invested My life (Mark 3:13-19). I trained them to follow in My steps (Luke 6:40; Matthew 20:25-28). If any leader among My people is following in My footsteps, that leader will choose and train other leaders to assist in his or her work and to continue that work into future generations (2 Timothy 2:1-2). You can find this principle all throughout the New Testament. A prime example is that I — the Messiah, your Lord, the Son of God — chose apostles to assist in My ministry and to continue My work. Other examples of not leading alone are Barnabas working with Paul (Acts 11:22-26), Timothy with Paul (Acts 16:1-3), and John Mark with Barnabas (Acts 15:39-40). Leaders in your day most surely need to follow the examples of My early leaders! Verses to Live Leadership is vital for the future of My work in your day. I challenge you to invest in others. Share My truth and My way of life. Then, help them invest in others just as you have invested in them. This approach was the vision I left right before I returned to the Father (Matthew 28:18-20), this was the method I used to train and teach in My ministry, and this was the method My earliest followers used to train and teach. I call on you and the leaders of your day to do the same. Around this time, Jesus went outside the city to a nearby mountain, along with a large crowd of His disciples. He prayed through the night to God. The next morning, He chose 12 of them and gave each a new title of “emissary” [or “apostle”]. They included Simon (Jesus called him Peter) and Andrew (Simon’s brother), James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus) and Simon (known as the Zealot), Judas (son of James) and the other Judas (Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus). The whole crowd of disciples (including the 12 now designated as His emissaries) came down together, and they stood on a level area nearby. They were joined by an even greater crowd of people who had come from across the whole region — from all of Judea, from Jerusalem, from the coastal areas of Tyre and Sidon. These people came to hear Jesus teach and to be healed by Jesus of their diseases. Those who were troubled by demonic spirits were liberated. Everyone wanted to touch Jesus because when they did, power emanated from Him and they were healed. (Luke 6:12-19) Response in Prayer Father in heaven, I confess that I often don’t feel like much of a leader. I am also frustrated with the lack of leadership I sometimes see among Your people and in Your church. But I know that You have given me an area of influence in the lives of others. So as I influence those I love and those who are my friends and associates, please help me see ways of involving others to do Your work in my world. In addition, I pray now for my spiritual leaders by name… Please bless them and bless us through their spiritual leadership. I pray that the Holy Spirit will stir the hearts of Your people and that we will be intentional about raising up new leaders for the future. I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus, my Lord. 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.
One of the Hardest ‘Miracles’
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, What’s the hardest miracle to perform? I know many of you would love to see some great miracle of your selection to help you believe. Yet all around you every day, some of the most amazingly wondrous transformations happen by divine power at work in My followers. As My disciples show in the verses below, one of the hardest of the wondrous transformations is for the power of grace to lead a wounded heart to forgive. This very important reality is the focus of My teaching about prayer and miraculous results. One of the hardest “miracles” to believe possible is forgiveness. I taught about this repeatedly in My ministry on earth. This teaching is rooted in the two greatest commands — to love the Lord your God with all you are and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). You cannot be wrong with your brother or sister on earth and be right with your Father in heaven. It’s that simple to say and yet very hard for the wounded human heart to love as it should. This teaching is also based on another essential reality: you do not truly appreciate the forgiveness you have received if you do not pass along that same grace of forgiveness to others (Matthew 6:14; Matthew 18:23-35; Ephesians 4:32). Yes, this is a hard truth. That’s why your forgiveness of others may be one of the hardest “miracles” to perform. Feeding 5,000? Not hard for Me with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Raising the dead? I have done that. Healing the blind, the lame, the paralyzed, the leprous? I have done that repeatedly. However, changing a wounded heart that has been abused and mistreated is so much harder because that change depends on the submission of the person to My will in spite of whatever may have happened to him or her. Grace has to permeate down to a broken and dark place in a person’s soul and capture it with the truth of what I did to redeem it. For you to genuinely forgive those who come in repentance and ask for forgiveness is a hard wonder to perform, but not impossible! What I want you to realize is that if you can have “faith the size of a single, tiny mustard seed”, then that “little faith can accomplish the seemingly impossible” — including turning your wounded heart into a gracious heart like Mine! Watch what I do as I journey toward Jerusalem to take up the cross. Remember My words of forgiveness. Remember why I did what I did — not because I wanted to face suffering and heartbreak, but because those who sinned and rejected Me, both then and in your day, need My forgiveness and grace. The same spirit of forgiveness and grace must be true of you as you deal with those who hurt you and sin against you. They need your grace displayed to them to understand the power of My grace. So when you forgive, don’t act like you deserve a medal for doing something hard. Yes, it is hard, very hard, and sometimes it feels impossibly hard. If you call yourself My disciple, that means you have committed to the lifestyle of the cross. Sometimes that will seem as hard for you to face as it was for Me to face the rejection, mockery, agony, and humiliation of My cross. Forgiving others is not only a sign that you have faith to follow My example of forgiveness. It also means that you realize that you are My servant and “unworthy of extra consideration or thanks” since you were just doing your “duty”. I don’t say that to be harsh, but to help you realize how important forgiveness is in My family of grace! Verses to Live I want you to know, My dear disciple, that much of My teaching during My journey to Jerusalem and the cross is challenging and sometimes just very hard to accept at a human level. It doesn’t make sense. It seems upside down to the way your world works. So I ask you again to watch Me and what I do on the way to My cross and all that goes with My passion. Redeeming a lost world means living a radical discipleship. I wasn’t crucified because I was a nice sweet man. I was crucified because I was a loving, kind, gentle, truth-telling world-changer Who lived the character and compassion of God before a world opposed to His ways. I call you to follow Me in this world-changing lifestyle! Jesus (to His disciples): You can’t stop temptations to do wrong from coming. But how tragic it will be for the person who becomes the source of the temptation! It would be better if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. So each of you needs to be careful. If your brother sins against you, confront him about it, and if he has a change of mind and heart, then forgive him. Even if he wrongs you seven times in a single day, if he turns back to you each time and says he’s sorry and will change, you must forgive him. The Lord’s Emissaries: We don’t have enough faith for this! Help our faith to grow! Jesus (pointing to a nearby mulberry tree): It’s not like you need a huge amount of faith. If you just had faith the size of a single, tiny mustard seed, you could say to this huge tree, “Pull up your roots and replant yourself in the sea,” and it would fly through the sky and do what you said. So even a little faith can accomplish the seemingly impossible. Imagine this scenario. You have a servant — say he’s been out plowing a field or taking care of the sheep — and he comes in hot and sweaty from his
A Matter of Obedient Trust
Note from Jesus Dear Friend, I talked to you yesterday about managing your assets with spiritual wisdom — about investing your assets in the places where you saw Me invest My life and in the things the Father talked to you about in the Scriptures (the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings). So this is a good time to build on that principle and add a very important insight. In today’s parable in the verses below, you meet a foolish rich man who lived only for himself and neglected the people in need around him. This rich man invested his assets in what he wanted and in what made him feel important, secure, and powerful. What he did and how he did it went against the teaching of the Scriptures. The things that he did were clearly out of phase with the people and things in which I invested My life. So the rich man is everything opposite to what I taught you yesterday — he is the anti-hero. This situation is sad. Even sadder is his neglect of a brother in need at his doorstep. The Father dealt with this rich man as He said He would. There are no surprises for anyone who knows the Scriptures. Unfortunately, the rich man didn’t realize his foolishness until after his untimely death and because of the punishment he had brought on himself. So I want to remind you to use your blessings to care for your brothers and sisters in need; that’s investing in what matters in heaven! While that’s a very important point and fits perfectly with what I taught yesterday, that’s not the main thing that I want you to focus upon today. People want to blame their lack of passion, their lack of focus on godliness, and their lack of living with urgency for God’s kingdom on everything but themselves. They say things like: “I needed it made clearer.” “My church didn’t talk about these things.” “I really needed a couple of miracles to show that the teaching was true.” All that is a self-delusional rationalization. If folks don’t get the truth from Scripture, they are not going to believe it even if it is talked about more frequently or if the teaching is accompanied by a couple of miracles. Getting the message of Scripture is a matter of obedient trust in the truth of Scripture. If folks don’t believe the Scriptures, then it won’t matter to them even if someone comes back from the dead and shows them that this way of life is true. If you say you believe in God, then value what God values. Miracles won’t convince you if your heart chooses to be callous and greedy. Each of you must invest your life in things that align with the heart of God. His will, His character, and compassion must be the passion of each heart — your heart, My friend. So where is your heart? What is your focus? Are you listening to what Scripture teaches? Verses to Live You are saved by grace through faith — your New Testament makes this clear. Grace, however, not only saves you from the consequences of sin and death, grace also saves you for a life of character and compassion as My disciple. Read from My brother James (James 2:14-22) and also from the apostle Paul (Ephesians 2:1-10). Paul summarized it well when he said, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5:6 NIV). If you listen carefully to what I AM saying to you today and what I teach a little later, you will see that James and Paul were saying essentially the same thing I taught! Jesus (with another parable): There was this rich man who had everything — purple clothing of fine quality and high fashion, gourmet meals every day, and a large house. Just outside his front gate lay this poor homeless fellow named Lazarus. Lazarus was covered in ugly skin lesions. He was so hungry he wished he could scavenge scraps from the rich man’s trash. Dogs would come and lick the sores on his skin. The poor fellow died and was carried on the arms of the heavenly messengers to the embrace of Abraham. Then the rich fellow died and was buried and found himself in the place of the dead. In his torment, he looked up, and off in the distance he saw Abraham, with Lazarus in his embrace. He shouted out, “Father Abraham! Please show me mercy! Would you send that beggar Lazarus to dip his fingertip in water and cool my tongue? These flames are hot, and I’m in agony!” But Abraham said, “Son, you seem to be forgetting something: your life was full to overflowing with comforts and pleasures, and the life of Lazarus was just as full with suffering and pain. So now is his time of comfort, and now is your time of agony. Besides, a great canyon separates you and us. Nobody can cross over from our side to yours, or from your side to ours.” “Please, Father Abraham, I beg you,” the formerly rich man continued, “send Lazarus to my father’s house. I have five brothers there, and they’re on the same path I was on. If Lazarus warns them, they’ll choose another path and won’t end up here in torment.” But Abraham said, “Why send Lazarus? They already have the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets to instruct them. Let your brothers hear them.” “No, Father Abraham,” he said, “they’re already ignoring the law and the prophets. But if someone came back from the dead, then they’d listen for sure; then they’d change their way of life.” Abraham answered, “If they’re not listening to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be convinced even if someone comes back from the dead.” (Luke 16:19-31) Response in Prayer Father, thank You for Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The change in the apostles from fear at