Imagine you’re an ice skater in competition. You’re in first place, one more round to go. The medal almost yours. Then just before your performance, your coach rushes up with the thrilling news: “You’ve won! The judges tabulated the scores and the person in second place can’t catch you. You’re too far ahead.” How will you feel? Exhilarated! And how will you skate? How about courageously and confidently? The prize is yours!
The Book of Hebrews says, “Therefore since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus. . .let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22). The point is clear: the truth will triumph. The Father of truth will win, and the followers of truth will be saved!
So skate away, my friend! Skate away!
From The Applause of Heaven
John 13:1-20
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet
13 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.[a] 2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas,[b] son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.
6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet,[c] to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
18 “I am not saying these things to all of you; I know the ones I have chosen. But this fulfills the Scripture that says, ‘The one who eats my food has turned against me.’[d] 19 I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I am the Messiah.[e] 20 I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.”
Footnotes:
13:1 Or he showed them the full extent of his love.
13:2 Or the devil had already intended for Judas.
13:10 Some manuscripts do not include except for the feet.
13:18 Ps 41:9.
13:19 Or that the ‘I am’ has come; or that I am the Lord; Greek reads that I am. See Exod 3:14.
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, August 31, 2015
Read: Luke 9:57-62
The Cost of Following Jesus
57 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.”
The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead![a] Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”
61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”
62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
Footnotes:
9:60 Greek Let the dead bury their own dead.
INSIGHT:
Although large crowds followed Jesus wherever He went (Luke 5:15; 8:42; 9:11; 14:25), Jesus knew that not all who followed Him were genuine disciples (John 6:66). Jesus taught often of the radical commitment needed if we want to follow Him. We are to love Him above all else, even our own life (Mark 10:17-22; Luke 9:23-27). In today’s passage, Jesus warns that following Him may not be easy and comfortable. It requires precedence over all other relationships, a single-minded focus, wholehearted pursuit, and an undivided commitment (vv. 59-62). God in His great mercy has given every believer the Holy Spirit to help us live a life that is pleasing to Him. Sim Kay Tee
Don’t Delay
By Lawrence Darmani
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
For many years I spoke to my distant cousin about our need of a Savior. When he visited me recently and I once again urged him to receive Christ, his immediate response was: “I would like to accept Jesus and join the church, but not yet. I live among people of other faiths. Unless I relocate, I will not be able to practice my faith well.” He cited persecution, ridicule, and pressure from his peers as excuses to postpone his decision.
His fears were legitimate, but I assured him that whatever happened, God would not abandon him. I encouraged my cousin not to delay but to trust God for care and protection. He gave up his defenses, acknowledged his need of Christ’s forgiveness, and trusted Him as his personal Savior.
Committing your life to Jesus is a decision worth making.
When Jesus invited people to follow Him, they too offered excuses—all about being busy with the cares of this world (Luke 9:59-62). The Lord’s answer to them (vv. 60-62) urges us not to let excuses deprive us of the most important thing in life: the salvation of our souls.
Do you hear God calling you to commit your life to Him? Do not delay. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).
Come to the Savior, make no delay—here in His Word He’s shown us the way; here in our midst He’s standing today, tenderly saying, “Come!” George F. Root
Today is the day of salvation.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, August 31, 2015
“My Joy…Your Joy”
These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. —John 15:11
What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— “…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2). “I delight to do Your will, O my God…” (Psalm 40:8). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?
Living a full and overflowing life does not rest in bodily health, in circumstances, nor even in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the same fellowship and oneness with Him that Jesus Himself enjoyed. But the first thing that will hinder this joy is the subtle irritability caused by giving too much thought to our circumstances. Jesus said, “…the cares of this world,…choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). And before we even realize what has happened, we are caught up in our cares. All that God has done for us is merely the threshold— He wants us to come to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is.
Have the right relationship with God, finding your joy there, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Be a fountain through which Jesus can pour His “living water.” Stop being hypocritical and proud, aware only of yourself, and live “your life…hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). A person who has the right relationship with God lives a life as natural as breathing wherever he goes. The lives that have been the greatest blessing to you are the lives of those people who themselves were unaware of having been a blessing.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We must keep ourselves in touch, not with theories, but with people, and never get out of touch with human beings, if we are going to use the word of God skilfully amongst them. Workmen of God, 1341 L
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Monday, August 31, 2015
Easy Come, Easy Go Friends - #7471
I always think I look healthier with a suntan, which means I don't look very healthy most of the time. And most of the time my suntan turns out to be a sunburn anyway. Now, the doctors are telling us that all that exposure to the sun probably makes us less healthy, even if we look healthier, because it's increasing the risks of skin cancer. But even without those warnings, I think that hours of trying to get a tan - for me at least - are pretty much a waste of time. Oh, I change color, but I have I guess what you would call easy come, easy go skin. In other words, I pick up the sun very quickly, but the color also fades very quickly. And in no time, it's taking me back to my usual shade of office white. The color that I get so easily either fades away quickly or just falls off. Actually, there are people like that too.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Easy Come, Easy Go Friends."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Matthew 26, and then from chapter 27 where we read about Judas Iscariot; one of the tragic figures of the Bible and his really tragic experience with friendship. Chapter 26, verse 14 says, "Then one of the 12 - the one called Judas Iscariot - went to the chief priests and asked, 'What are you willing to give me if I hand Him (being Jesus) over to you?' So they counted out for him thirty silver coins." They were pretty quick to accept that offer, huh?
Well, then we go to chapter 27 after the deed has been done. Notice what happens to these easy come friends. "When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. 'I have sinned,' he said, 'for I have betrayed innocent blood.' 'What is that to us?' they replied. 'That's your responsibility!' So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself."
Do you see the reaction of Judas' sinful friends? They immediately accepted him when he wanted to do sinful things with them. And I'm sure he felt all warm and accepted, and it was profitable for him. But notice the ending of the story. When he didn't play by their rules any more, they said, "Forget you, Judas." That's how it is with sinful friends. They're easy come-easy go. That's still true today. The easiest crowd to be accepted in anywhere is the crowd that's doing wrong together. They'll take you in right away.
Maybe you've drifted into some friendships yourself that are dragging you down right now, because they were easy to get into. They take you as you are. See, people won't say "yes" to Christ many times because they're afraid of losing those kind of friends. If you want to see how committed they are to you, go against what they're doing. Stop doing those wrong things with them. I think you'll find if you say to them, "I care about you guys, but I can't do what we've been doing together any more" you'll see how fast that you're "out" with them. "Forget you, buddy!" They didn't care for you; they cared to have someone else to sin with. You thought you were going to lose some friends, and you found out they weren't friends to lose in the first place.
See, rebellion needs company. The crowds that don't like Jesus, they want more people with them. They feel better the more people are siding with them and doing what they do. But they're a fickle bunch. And all that may be tying you together with those friends right now is sort of a sin pact. It's a mistake to choose easy come, easy go friends over the Savior who will never turn His back on you even when you're rebelling against Him.
Maybe these friends have become the major deciding factor in your choices, whether they're at work, or at school. Whether they're people that you hunt with, fish with, recreate with, or at the gym with. But they've become a major deciding factor in what you do or don't do.
Why don't you cultivate friendships where Christ is the glue, not where sin is the glue. Be smarter than Judas. Don't pin your hopes on people who will drop you as quickly as they accepted you.
