John 4

Today, I am reading John 4. I invite you to open your Bible and read along with me or find it online here.

Here are the verses/thoughts that stood out to me...

John 4

9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

It is sad that acceptance offered through kindness, and because of grace, is so surprising.

11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?”

As I read this verse, I was reminded of the many times I have narrow-mindedly questioned God’s ability to do something that seemed illogical to me ... not stopping to think that God looks at life differently.

23 But the time is coming - indeed it’s here now - when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.

Apparently, there were some people in Jesus’ day trying to confine worship to a specific time and place. Jesus was teaching the idea that worship was spiritual and meant to be expressed in every aspect and every moment of our life. Others, in Jesus’ day, were trying to conform worship to fit their life. Jesus was re-teaching the fact that true worship all about God, not us.

34 Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.”

An interesting thought ... true fulfillment, spiritual fulfillment comes from obediently following God.

John 3

Today, I am reading John 3. I invite you to open your Bible and read along with me or find it online here.

Here are the verses/thoughts that stood out to me...

John 3

17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:16 gets all the press (and great seats at a lot of games); but the verse that follows it has a pretty powerful message too! God’s heart isn’t to judge ... it’s to save.

30 He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

That is really the best view anyone can have of Jesus.

Free* Part 1

This past weekend, Jonathan kicked off our new series ... Free*. As a side note, a video version of our messages are now available on our Facebook Fan Page. Jonathan talked about the possibility of living a life that is truly free ... and shared several verses that broke down some misconceptions about being a Jesus follower and experiencing freedom. Here was my favorite...

2 Corinthians 3

17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Unfortunately, most people view Christianity as a set of rules designed to exclude freedom from their life. The truth is that Jesus came to offer freedom.

I also wanted to remind you of the definition we established for freedom ...

“Total freedom means living completely fearlessly, passionately and joyfully - regardless of your circumstances, not because of them.”

I pray you have taken a step closer in your journey to experiencing the freedom God desires for your life.

John 2

Today, I am reading John 2. I invite you to open your Bible and read along with me or find it online here.

Here are the verses/thoughts that stood out to me...

John 2

5 But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

In this scene at the wedding, I appreciate Mary’s submission to Jesus. I aspire to have the same heart.

17 Then his disciples remembered this prophecy from the Scriptures: “Passion for God’s house will consume me.”

It makes me wonder ... what am I so passionate about that it consumes me?

23 Because of the miraculous signs Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, many began to trust in him. 24 But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew human nature.

This is an important thought considering our current series, “Free*”. Jesus didn’t “trust” them in the sense that He didn’t base his value of Himself on their opinion. Neither should we. Our view of who we are should be rooted in the fact that we are uniquely made by God and maintained by the love Jesus demonstrated and the grace He continually offers.

John 1

Hey everyone, I apologize for last week’s absence. It was a very hectic week; but the time away was actually good for me. I think you need to take a break every once in a while to evaluate where you are on the journey. I’ve also found that it is good to mix things up every once in a while so that your journey doesn’t become stagnant. With that in mind, I’m going to make a few changes to the blog. Beginning today, I am personally going to begin reading longer passages ... a chapter a day. I will continue to only list, and comment on, a verse (or two or three) that stand out to me as I read; but I hope you will open your Bible and read the chapter with me. With this new start, I am going to start a new book ... John. John was one of Jesus’ disciples; but more than that, he was one of Jesus’ closest friends. That is what I love so much about this book ... it’s like a biography written by a best friend. So let’s get started ... John 1. You can find a link here if you would like to read it online.

Today, there were actually three verses that stood out to me...

John 1

18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

I love John’s description of what Jesus’has done ... “He has revealed God to us.”

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

There are certain moments in time that we would all like to have seen firsthand. For me, this is one of them ... the moment Jesus is introduced as the promised messiah, what a great description.

46 “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” “Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.

I love Philip’s reply, “Come and see for yourself”. When you have a friend that you want to invite on this journey with you ... this journey of following Jesus, this is the perfect line to refer to, “Come and see for yourself”.