Bible League: Living His Word "If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him."— John 12:26 ESV If you're a Christian, then you're a servant of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1). If you're a servant of Jesus, then you're also a follower of Him. Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ is deliverance from the slavery of sin, but the deliverance is not a release to do whatever we want. It is a release to become a servant and a follower. Followers of Jesus, therefore, live lives of self-sacrifice. Jesus himself lived a life of self-sacrifice. Indeed, He made the ultimate sacrifice at the cross (Philippians 2:6-8; Mark 10:45). Like Jesus, His followers are expected to surrender any self-serving and self-seeking desires they may have. We are expected to follow His example. Understandably, as followers of Jesus we will be where He is. Where is Jesus? Bodily, Jesus is in heaven (1 Peter 3:22). Although we can't be with Him bodily at this time, we can be with Him spiritually. Indeed, spiritually, we are already seated with Him "in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 2:6). Spiritually, we reign with Him over the earth (2 Timothy 2:11-13). Wherever Jesus effectuates His reign over the earth, wherever He works to expand the Kingdom of God in the various areas of life, we will spiritually follow Him. We will take up our unique, individual positions behind Him. We will be where He is, because we will have spiritually followed Him to where He wants us to be in those areas. We must be observant and pray to find out where He is working and what He wants us to do there. Following Jesus has many rewards. In our verse for today, however, the Apostle John singles out one reward in particular. He tells us that the Father will honor us. We will be honored, perhaps not by men, but in accordance with the service to Jesus that we have rendered. Labor with Jesus and work for the reward that does not perish or fade (1 Peter 1:4). Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingJob 40, 41, 42 Job 40 -- Job Humbles Himself to God NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Job 41 -- God's Power Shown in Creatures NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Job 42 -- Job Confesses; God Makes His Friends Submit; God Blesses Job NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Acts 15:22-41 Acts 15 -- The Council at Jerusalem; James' Support; Barnabas and Paul Part Ways; Second Missionary Journey begins NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all.” Insight When the light of the truth about Jesus illuminates us, it is our duty to shine that light to help others. Challenge Our witness for Christ should be public, not hidden. We should not keep the benefits for ourselves alone but pass them on to others. In order to be helpful, we need to be well placed. Seek opportunities to be there when unbelievers need help. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Genesis 1:4 And God divided the light from the darkness.A believer has two principles at work within him. In his natural estate he was subject to one principle only, which was darkness; now light has entered, and the two principles disagree. Mark the apostle Paul's words in the seventh chapter of Romans: "I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members." How is this state of things occasioned? "The Lord divided the light from the darkness." Darkness, by itself, is quiet and undisturbed, but when the Lord sends in light, there is a conflict, for the one is in opposition to the other: a conflict which will never cease till the believer is altogether light in the Lord. If there be a division within the individual Christian, there is certain to be a division without. So soon as the Lord gives to any man light, he proceeds to separate himself from the darkness around; he secedes from a merely worldly religion of outward ceremonial, for nothing short of the gospel of Christ will now satisfy him, and he withdraws himself from worldly society and frivolous amusements, and seeks the company of the saints, for "We know we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." The light gathers to itself, and the darkness to itself. What God has divided, let us never try to unite, but as Christ went without the camp, bearing his reproach, so let us come out from the ungodly, and be a peculiar people. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners; and, as he was, so we are to be nonconformists to the world, dissenting from all sin, and distinguished from the rest of mankind by our likeness to our Master. Daily Light on the Daily Path 1 Corinthians 3:13 each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work.1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God. Romans 14:10,12,13 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. • So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God. • Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this-- not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way. Romans 2:16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. John 5:22,27 "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, • and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Jeremiah 32:18,19 who shows lovingkindness to thousands, but repays the iniquity of fathers into the bosom of their children after them, O great and mighty God. The LORD of hosts is His name; • great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, giving to everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds; New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |
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