LookingtoJesus

April 8

Bible Reading: John 15:1-5

John 15:5, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

We’ve a KitchenAid mixer in the kitchen.  Though I’ve never used it, I know it can do lots of things like mixing, kneading, shredding, whipping, etc.  I also know that it will do none of those things unless it’s plugged into an electrical outlet.  Likewise, it is impossible to bear fruit without being well connected to Jesus.

Some wrongly imagine the Christian life to be some kind of religious endeavor in which we try hard in our own strength to “do our best for God,” but that’s not the way it works.  With fruit-bearing, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches.  He is the life source.  Apart from him, we can’t do a thing.  Noteworthy is the term “nothing.”  Jesus did not say that we could do some things or easy things, but that we can’t do anything.  Apart from Jesus, we can’t move an inch in a heavenward direction.

As a Christian, you are a branch plugged into the vine.  The very life of Christ is in you, as the Apostle Paul put it: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).  It is His life and energy and strength that flows through you.  He produces fruit through you as you keep in close, intimate fellowship with Him.  As delightful as it is to find a tree bearing some kind of yummy fruit, so there is joy in the realization that Jesus has worked through you to bear fruit of the spiritual kind.  And, though we can’t do a thing apart from Jesus, how good it is to know that we “can do all things through him who strengthens (us)” (Philippians 4:13). 

“We talk about great men of God down through the centuries.  You will find that the men who were usable by the Spirit of God were men who were abiding.  The closer you walk with Him and stay near Him, the more evident will be the fruit.”

John G. Mitchell

If there’s no power, check the connection.

CHANNELS ONLY
How I praise Thee, precious Savior,
That Thy love laid hold of me;
Thou hast saved and cleansed and filled me
That I might Thy channel be.

Refrain:
Channels only, blessed Master,
But with all Thy wondrous pow’r
Flowing through us, Thou canst use us
Every day and every hour.

Just a channel full of blessing,
To the thirsty hearts around;
To tell out Thy full salvation,
All Thy loving message sound. [Refrain]

Emptied that Thou shouldest fill me,
A clean vessel in Thy hand;
With no pow’r but as Thou givest
Graciously with each command. [Refrain]

Witnessing Thy pow’r to save me,
Setting free from self and sin;
Thou who boughtest to possess me,
In Thy fullness, Lord, come in. [Refrain]

Jesus, fill now with Thy Spirit
Hearts that full surrender know;
That the streams of living water
From our inner self may flow. [Refrain]

April 5

Bible Reading: John 14:28-31

John 14:30, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me.”

Superman’s exploits are legendary.  He is: “Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.” There is seemingly nothing that Superman can’t do!  But Superman is vulnerable.  Expose him to Kryptonite, and Superman will quickly lose his superpowers.

Sin is man’s kryptonite.  It is the chief tool in the Adversary’s arsenal whereby he works his murderous plots.  Since “all have sinned” all our vulnerable (Romans 3:23).  And since all have sinned, all stand deserving of God’s wrath in judgment (Romans 6:23; Hebrews 9:27).  Though the “ruler of this world” had “no claim on (Jesus)” (John 14:30), he has had a claim on every other human before and since.

Enter Jesus. The Son sent by the Father on His divine rescue plan.  Unlike the rest of us, Jesus had no sin in Him and never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22)!  Time and time again, the Adversary plotted against Jesus.  Through Pharaoh, he attempted to kill all the male sons of Israel (Exodus 1:16).  He inspired Haman in his failed attempt to eliminate all the Jews (Esther 3:6).  Athaliah, Ahaziah’s mother, attempted to wipe out all the male heirs of the tribe of Judah, the tribe through which the Messiah would come (2 Chronicles 22:10).  Herod sought to murder Jesus by killing all the male children in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16).  Satan tempted Jesus three times at the beginning of His ministry.  Everywhere Jesus went, demons confronted him.  Devil inspired men conspired against Him.  But still He never sinned.  And then, in obedience to the Father, He worked to put sin to death when He died on the cross (1 John 2:2).  Then He rose victorious from the dead (Colossians 2:15). In Jesus, Satan found no vulnerability, no weakness, no place whereby he could gain a foothold.

Jesus’ triumph at the cross is a triumph for every person who trusts in Him.  Romans 8:34-35 puts it this way: “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” 

Because the Devil had no claim on Jesus, he holds no claim against those who trust in Him and His finished work on the cross.

VICTORY IN JESUS
I heard an old, old story,
How a Savior came from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary
To save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning,
Of His precious blood’s atoning,
Then I repented of my sins
And won the victory.

Refrain
O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.

I heard about His healing,
Of His cleansing pow’r revealing.
How He made the lame to walk again
And caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, “Dear Jesus,
Come and heal my broken spirit,”
And somehow Jesus came and bro’t
To me the victory. [Refrain]

I heard about a mansion
He has built for me in glory.
And I heard about the streets of gold
Beyond the crystal sea;
About the angels singing,
And the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I’ll sing up there
The song of victory. [Refrain]

April 4

Bible Reading: John 14:27

John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

“Long ago, a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally, the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered. Only two pictures remained veiled. As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd. A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed. Surely this was the winner. A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power. A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil.”

– A Wardrobe from the King, Berit Kjos, pp. 45-46.

Peace has always been an elusive dream for those who dwell on this trouble filled planet.  Man instinctively yearns for the tranquility of soul that was lost to him because of the fall.  St. Augustine once said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless until we find rest in Thee.”  But to this day, the world works and plans and negotiates for peace, to no avail.  There is a kind of peace that the world gives (John 14:27).  It is of the temporary and circumstantial variety.  It is insecure, easily forfeited, and never a tranquility of soul or sure antidote for the troubles that are sure to come.

Jesus promised to His disciples a peace of supernatural origin.  The Greek word translated peace in this passage is “eirene”.  According to Vine’s Expository it speaks of “the harmonized relationships between God and man, accomplished through the gospel…(and) the sense of rest and contentment consequent thereon.”  The term is related to the Hebrew “shalom”, which refers to “a harmonious state of the soul” (Vine’s).  Distinct from its worldly counterpart, Jesus promised to His disciples a tranquility of soul that was firmly rooted in their relationship with Him.  It was a peace that He Himself would give to them.

It is as we abide in Jesus that we find true peace in this trouble-filled world (John 16:33).  If we look for it elsewhere, we will surely be disappointment, but “there is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God.” He can set a garrison about our troubled-prone hearts and minds that we might experience “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).  He is our peace!

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”—Isaiah 26:3

HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW
Why should I feel discouraged,
Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely,
And long for heav’n and home;
When Jesus is my portion?
My constant Friend is he;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me.

Refrain:
I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free;
For his eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,”
His tender word I hear,
And resting on his goodness,
I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path he leadeth,
But one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me. [Refrain]

Whenever I am tempted,
Whenever clouds arise;
When songs give place to sighing,
When hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to him,
From care he sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me. [Refrain]

April 3

Bible Reading: John 14:15-26

John 14:16-17, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

The news of His pending departure troubled Jesus’ disciples, so He comforted them with the promise of His future return.  But what were they to do in the meantime?  How would they cope without Jesus to lead them?  Surprisingly, Jesus declared that His leaving would be to their advantage, for it would open the door for the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to come (John 16:7)!    

Our passage reminds us of some important truths regarding the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is a person—not an “it,” or a force, or an energy.  He is a divine person—the third person of the Trinity.  The Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ! We know this is true because of the promise we find here: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).  He “will be in you,” Jesus promised, and so it is for everyone who trusts in Him.  You’ll find that same truth clearly articulated in other passages (1 Corinthians 6:19, 12:13, and 1 John 4:13).

Jesus called the Spirit the Helper, which means “one called alongside to help.”  Since the moment of saving faith, the Helper has indwelt you.  Wherever you’ve been and whatever you’ve gone through, you’ve never been alone.  Though it is possible for you to quench the Spirit, or grieve the Spirit, He has never left you and never will.  His ministry is to mediate the presence of Christ to you, in you, and through you.  His ministry is so intimately intertwined with Christ, He is even referred to as the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9).  Throughout your journey, He’s been directing your focus to Jesus, as a pilot keeping you on course!  How blessed you are in His indwelling presence!

Charles Spurgeon has spoken of how blessed we are: “You that are believers have the most forcible reasons to hold the Holy Ghost in the highest esteem; for what are you now without him? What were you, and what would you still have been, if it had not been for his gracious work upon you? He quickened you… He gave you understanding…He awakened your conscience…He gave you abhorrence of sin…He taught you to believe, and made you see that glorious Person who is to be believed, even Jesus, the Son of God. The Spirit has wrought in you your faith and love and hope, and every grace. There is not a jewel upon the neck of your soul which he did not place there.”

Charles Spurgeon

“If the truth of the Holy Spirit as set forth in the name ‘Helper’ once gets into our heart and abides there, it will banish all loneliness forever; for how can we ever be lonely when this best of all Friends is ever with us?” – R. A. Torrey

BREATHE ON ME, BREATH OF GOD
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love the way you love,
and do what you would do.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until my will is one with yours,
to do and to endure.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
so shall I never die,
but live with you the perfect life
for all eternity.

April 2

Bible Reading: John 14:4-14

John 14:4-6, ’And you know the way to where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I once led a caravan of vehicles from Astoria to Idaho on a trip to do some construction and repairs at a Bible camp for a missionary that we supported. Our group included about six families, plus a couple of teens.  Near the end of day two of our travels, as we were approaching our destination, I realized I had neglected to get exact directions to the camp.  The teen who was with us who’d been there before couldn’t remember where to turn. This was before the days of GPS and cell phones, but we had CB radios.  From what I heard over the CB, the group was quickly running out of patience.  As I recall, we stopped somewhere, out of desperation, and made a phone call and got it figured out.  But it would have been better if I’d known exactly how to get where we were going.

Jesus had spoken to his disciples about the place where he was going. But Thomas’ response was that they didn’t know the way there.  “How can we know the way?” he asked.  Thomas’ question equates to asking for directions to heaven.  How can we know the way to heaven?  According to some estimates, there are about 4200 different religions in the world.  That’s a lot of options!  And don’t ask your GPS for directions to heaven, it doesn’t know! 

I once had an elderly hospice patient who had rarely been to church, had never read the Bible, and had no idea of who God is.  But God was using her desperate situation to get her attention!  One of the first questions she asked of me was how is what you believe any different from all the other religions that are out there?  Good question!  My response to her was to speak of the glory of Jesus—as the eternal Son who came to die on a cross to rescue us from our sins and then rose from the dead!  He is “the way, and the truth, and the life!” He has done everything necessary so that we can be forgiven and assured of a future home in heaven.  But note this, and it is especially important in the pluralistic day in which we live—Jesus claimed exclusivity when it comes to the matter of salvation.  And He did so in emphatic terms— “no one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)!”  Ultimately, the answer to the question of needing directions to heaven is relatively simple—if you know Jesus, then you know the way!  And when that time comes, “he will bring (you) safely into his heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18)!

We don’t need to see the way if we’re following the One who is the Way.

THOU ART THE WAY, TO THEE ALONE
You are the way; thro’ you alone
can we the Father find;
in you, O Christ, has God revealed
his heart and will and mind.

You are the truth; your Word alone
true wisdom can impart;
you only can inform the mind
and purify the heart.

You are the life; the empty tomb
proclaims your conqu’ring arm,
and those who put their trust in you
nor death nor hell shall harm.

You are the way, the truth, the life;
grant us that way to know,
that truth to keep, that life to win,
whose joys eternal flow.

April 1

Bible Reading: John 14:1-3

John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

In 1914, Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to sail to Antarctica and then to walk to the South Pole. The expedition went according to plan until ice trapped the ship and eventually crushed its hull. The men made their way by lifeboat to a small island. Promising to come back for them, Shackleton and a small rescue party set out across 800 miles of perilous seas to South Georgia Island.  With only a sextant to guide them, they made it to the island. Shackleton then led his party over the steep mountains to the whaling port on the other side. Once there, he acquired a ship to rescue his crew. Their leader returned for them.  Just as he had promised.

How difficult it must have been for the disciples to receive the news of Jesus’ pending departure (John 13:36)!  Adding to their confusion and anxiety was the disclosure that among them was one who would betray Jesus into the hands of His enemies.  Compounding that troubling report was the news of Peter’s pending disloyalty. Life, as the disciples had experienced it with Jesus, was about to undergo a radical change.  Jesus was going away!  Understandably, their hearts were troubled!

That was the context of Jesus’ comforting words: “Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1). The antidote for their anxiety was trust in Jesus.  He promised to come again and take them home to be with Him.  Imagine how anxious Shackleton’s men must have been, as they endured in such an isolated and harsh environment.  Their hope rested on his promised return.  But we’ve the promise, not of a mere man, but of the Divine Son who died for our sins and rose from the dead!  He always does what He says, and we can take Him at His Word.  Life is filled with all sorts of troubling news, but in the promise of Jesus’ return, we’ve a certain hope.  And in that hope, we can “encourage one another” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). 

The antidote for anxiety is trust in Jesus and the assurance that He never fails to keep His word.

WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.

Refrain:
When we all get to heaven,
what a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
we’ll sing and shout the victory!

While we walk the pilgrim pathway
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when trav’ling days are over
Not a shadow, not a sigh. [Refrain]

Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving ev’ry day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay. [Refrain]

Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open–
We shall tread the streets of gold. [Refrain]

March 29

Bible Reading: John 13:36-38

John 13:37-38, “Peter said to him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ Jesus answered, ‘Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.”

While self-confidence might prove helpful in the realm of human endeavors, it holds no power in things pertaining to the spirit (John 6:63, Zechariah 4:6).  Peter’s experience highlights this reality.  One might suppose that Jesus would have commended Peter for his confident affirmation of loyalty in his readiness to lay down his life for Him.  But that’s not what happened.  Instead of dying for Jesus, Jesus warned Peter that he would deny Him three times.

Things played out as Jesus foretold.  Jesus went with His disciples to Gethsemane to pray.  While Jesus agonized in prayer in anticipation of His pending death, the disciples, including Peter, slept.  He chided them, saying, “The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).  How weak?  Peter would soon find out.

Following Jesus’ arrest, various folks asked Peter about his relationship with Jesus.  Peter denied ever knowing Jesus and even denied Jesus to a servant girl.  Three times he disavowed any relationship to the One he said he was supposedly prepared to die for! The rooster crowed, as Jesus had foretold, and Peter “went out and wept bitterly” (Matthew 26:75).

We read of a different Peter in the book of Acts.  Following the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, Peter was Spirit-filled to boldly proclaim Jesus.  Before a huge multitude, he fearlessly spoke of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and even indicted his audience with Jesus’ murder.  Later, we read how the authorities arrested him and John and commanded them to stop speaking in the name of Jesus.  Their response? “We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20)!  The Spirit transformed Peter, who had been too timid to speak of Jesus even to a servant girl, into a courageous Apostle who boldly and relentlessly proclaimed Jesus’ name.  Peter would ultimately lay down his life for Jesus.  According to Christian tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome under Emperor Nero.  But it was the Spirit that made all the difference in Peter’s life, not his own self-confidence.

Someone once asked Dwight L. Moody, “Do you have grace enough to die for Jesus?” He answered, “No, He hasn’t asked me to do that. But if He asks me to, I know He will give me the grace to do it.”

The Christian life is not about trying harder to do better in our own strength, but a walk by the Spirit in which He and empowers us to fulfill the will of God.

JUST A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE
I am weak but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Refrain:
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Thro’ this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. [Refrain]

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. [Refrain]

March 28

Bible Reading: John 13:31-35

John 13:33-34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

In anticipation of His impending suffering and death, Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment that was to govern their relationships from then on.  The glorious nature of this new commandment was such that it brought a new word into the church’s vocabulary — “agape”.  Vine’s Expository Dictionary calls agape “the characteristic word of Christianity” and notes that it was used to “express ideas previously unknown.”

The “old” commandment was: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31).  But as with any of God’s commands, there is a tendency for man to look for loopholes.  Just as the man seeking to justify himself had asked, “And who is my neighbor” (Luke 10:29)?  Most of us do not find it too difficult to love (in a “love your neighbor as yourself” manner) those who reciprocate.  The standard is not that high. But the new commandment is no longer, “love your neighbor as yourself,” and instead love “just as I have loved you” (John 13:33).  Jesus’ command elevates love to a previously unimaginable height, for God showed His love for us “while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:7-8).

“God is love” (1 John 4:8).  Love in innate to His being and personality.  Jesus, in His sacrifice on Calvary, manifested that which is inherent to God.  Apart from His sacrifice, and the Spirit’s work in revealing to us the truth of it, we would forever lack the capacity to comprehend God’s kind of love (1 John 3:16). The world throws that “love” term all around and uses it in sorts of questionable ways, but Jesus has defined true love for us.  What does true love look like?  It looks like the God-man dying on a cross for our sins.  It looks like sacrificially putting the needs of others ahead of one’s own (Philippians 2:3).  It looks like Jesus.

How loving of a person am I?  That’s kind of a trick question.  If I am so foolish as to measure my capacity to love by how others are doing, I might not fare too badly in my self-examination (2 Corinthians 10:12), but others are not the standard.  He commands us to love others just as He has loved us (Ephesians 5:1-2). God points us to the cross and says—look there to My Son, remember what He has done for you, walk in that same manner!  The challenges of this endeavor are too big for any of us.  Apart from the Spirit’s empowering and instructing presence, we could never hope to love this way (John 15:5, 12).  But He has indwelt us that His fruit might be born in us (Galatians 5:16, 22).

As Francis Schaeffer once said, Christlike love is “the mark of the Christian” (1 John 3:10, 4:7-8, 4:20-21).  To love as Jesus loved is to bear the mark that points to Jesus and the greatest act of love this world has ever seen.

“The church is to be a loving church in a dying culture.” — Francis Schaeffer

THEY’LL KNOW WE ARE CHRISTIANS BY OUR LOVE
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord;
We are one int he Spirit, we are one in the Lord;
And we pray that all unity will one day be restored.

Chorus: And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand;
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand;
And together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land.

We Will work with each other, we will work side by side;
We will work with each other, we will work side by side;
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity and save each man’s pride.

All praise to the Father, from whom all things come;
And all praise to Christ Jesus, His only Son.
And all praise to the Spirit who makes us one.

March 27

Bible Reading: John 13:21-30

John 13:21-22, “After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, ’Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’ The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.”

An art forger made millions by painting and selling fake duplicates of expensive works of art.  His forgeries looked so authentic that no one could tell they were frauds.  He was finally “found out” by a forensic art detective who discovered that the forger had used a paint that was not available at the time of the painting he had forged.  His paintings were near perfect but were faux representations.

Jesus broke the news regarding the imminent betrayal of one of the twelve.  While it’s not surprising that Jesus knew—for He was well aware of all that was soon to happen—it is surprising that the disciples didn’t know.

Judas was a faux disciple.  That was true of him, though he was a privileged recipient of unique spiritual advantages.  Judas walked with Jesus.  Judas saw Jesus do things that no man had ever done.  He heard Him speak as no man had ever spoken.  Jesus’ words worked to calm storms and raise the dead, but they did not work to move Judas’ heart.  Judas associated with a unique company of God-chosen men partnered together in a glorious enterprise.  Despite these special privileges, Judas was not and was never a true disciple.  He spoke “disciple words” and did “disciple things.”  He accompanied Jesus and the others and was with them day and night and day-after-day.  They saw in him nothing that would set him apart as a phony.  He was a chameleon.  He blended in.  He feigned interest.  He mimicked what the others were doing. He serves as a reminder of the hazards associated with mere external religion. Religious profession and religious practice, no matter how impressive, are not a suitable substitute for possessing a personal relationship with Jesus (Matthew 7:21-23).

Judas’ example serves to remind us that religious profession and practice alone are no guarantee regarding a person’s salvation.  A person can grow up in a Christian home, attend church, hear Christian teaching, and do Christian things.  They can be baptized and even share in communion.  They can do all these things and yet remain unsaved.  The question is not whether a person has associated himself with Christians or heard or done Christian things.  The question is, does that person possess a personal relationship with Jesus (John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 13:5; 1 John 5:11-12)?  The other disciples were far from perfect.  All fled at Jesus’ arrest.  Peter denied Jesus three times.  But they belonged to Jesus and “none of them (were) lost except the son of destruction” (John 17:12).  How blessed, then, are those who know, and are known, by Jesus!  For that blessed reality, there is no suitable imitation!

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool Jesus at all!  How important it is then, to be known by Him as one of His own!

JESUS LOVES EVEN ME
I am so glad that our Father in heaven
Tells of His love in the Book He has given;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see,
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me.

Refrain:
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves me, Jesus loves me;
I am so glad that Jesus loves me,
Jesus loves even me.

Though I forget Him and wander away,
Kindly He follows wherever I stray;
Back to His dear loving arms would I flee,
When I remember that Jesus loves me. [Refrain]

O, if there’s only one song I can sing,
When in His beauty I see the great King,
This shall my song in eternity be:
O, what a wonder that Jesus loves me! [Refrain]

March 26

Bible Reading: John 13:12-20

John 13:13-15, “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”

I noticed my Uncle Bob walking gingerly on the path that led back to the village.  He was wearing different shoes that were old and worn out.  “What happened to your shoes?” I asked.  He explained that he’d given them to a Ugandan pastor because his shoes were hurting his feet.  When we returned to the guest house, we examined the shoes.  Nails, used to secure the soles, were protruding through, making them painful to wear.  But Uncle Bob, the US Director of Hope and Mercy Mission, didn’t hesitate to give his shoes away.  In serving like that, Pastor Bob was glad to follow the example of Jesus.

Jesus is the best example for us in every virtuous thing.  And so, He is here.  Jesus, the Master, set aside His outer garments, tied a simple towel around His waist, and set about as a servant to wash the disciple’s feet.  Anyone could have done it, but none took the initiative.  Though one of the twelve would soon betray Him and the rest would abandon Him, He nevertheless served them in memorable and dramatic fashion.

The Greek term translated “example” refers to a pattern to be copied.  Jesus laid out a pattern of humility and servanthood.  He came “not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45).  Having left His Father’s throne above, He “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7).  And then “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).

He thereby established a pattern for the believer in Christ to follow.  We are to “have this mind among (ourselves), which is (ours) in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).  We are prone to pride and selfish behavior, but in Christ we are to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility of mind (we are) to count others more significant than (ourselves)” (Philippians 2:3).  This is the divine pattern Jesus has laid out. 

Jesus washed the feet of His disciples.  In humility, He put their needs ahead of His own.  He would do the same in transcended fashion at the cross.  But soon after the foot-washing, an argument broke out amongst the disciples regarding who was the greatest (Luke 22:24).  The tentacles of sin-selfishness lie deep in the heart of us all (James 4:1-3). 

Jesus has established a pattern, but it takes more than just His good example if we are to follow in His steps. Nothing less than a radical heart change will do.  He is of sin, the “double-cure,” cleansing from its “guilt and pow’r” (“Rock of Ages”).  We need Him first as Savior if we are to follow in His steps.  Set against the backdrop of selfishness in sin, how beautiful is the example of Christ!  And how beautiful it is when the Spirit works to transform us so that we might follow His divine pattern!

Your life as a believer helps paint your neighbor’s picture of God.

THE SERVANT KING
From heav’n You came, helpless Babe
Entered our world, Your glory veiled;
Not to be served but to serve
And give Your life that we might live

Chorus
This is our God, the Servant King
He calls us now to follow Him
To bring our lives as a daily offering
Of worship to the Servant King

There in the garden of tears
My heavy load He chose to bear;
His heart with sorrow was torn
‘Yet not my will but Yours,’ He said

Come see His hands and His feet
The scars that speak of sacrifice;
Hands that flung stars into space
To cruel nails surrendered

So let us learn how to serve
And in our lives enthrone Him;
Each other’s needs to prefer
For it is Christ we’re serving
-Graham Kendrick