Bible League: Living His Word To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."To whom was Jesus speaking in our verses for today? At first glance, one might think that Jesus was speaking to disciples that truly believed in Him. When one reads our verses for today in its context, however, it becomes plain that the belief of those He was addressing was not as firm as required for true discipleship. Jesus was often surrounded by people who had a superficial, conditional belief in Him. They had the kind of belief that would disappear in a moment's notice if things didn't turn out as they expected. What does it take, then, to be counted as a true disciple of Jesus Christ? Jesus answered this question by setting forth one of the main criteria for true discipleship: You have to hold to His teaching in order to be a true disciple. You have to hold to His teaching all the way to the end of your journey here on earth. It's easy to get caught up in a moment and say you believe in something or someone. The true test of your belief is whether you hold on to it through thick and thin. If you hold on to your belief, then you will know the truth. The people who Jesus was addressing didn't really know the truth. They didn't really know Jesus, who is the truth (John 14:6). They only knew the Jesus they wanted to know. Although they were willing to accept Him as Messiah, they were only willing to do this if He met their expectations of what the Messiah should be. As events unfolded, they were not willing to accept the true Messiah that was actually before them. If you actually know the truth, then the truth will set you free. Apart from Jesus Christ, people are slaves to sin (John 8:34). Sin is a bondage that keeps the soul enslaved to its evil desires. It is a blindness that keeps the soul from seeing the truth. The truth, the truth that is Jesus Christ, however, breaks through and sets us free from all this. Today, accept and believe the real Jesus, not the Jesus of your own making. Surrender to the Jesus that can actually set your soul free from the bondage of sin and sin's misguided expectations. Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingIsaiah 34, 35, 36 Isaiah 34 -- God's Judgments against the Nations NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Isaiah 35 -- The Joyful Will Flourish in Zion NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Isaiah 36 -- Sennacherib Invades Judah, Threatens Jerusalem NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Philippians 2 Philippians 2 -- Your Attitude Should be that of Christ; Becoming Blameless and Pure; Timothy and Epaphroditus NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. Insight The Corinthian believers excelled in everything they had—faith, good preaching (speech), much knowledge, much earnestness, much love. Paul wanted them to also be leaders in giving. Giving is a natural response of love. Paul did not order the Corinthians to give, but he encouraged them to prove that their love was sincere. Challenge When you love someone, you want to give him or her your time and attention and to provide for his or her needs. If you refuse to help, your love is not as genuine as you say. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Numbers 12:1 He had married an Ethiopian woman.Strange choice of Moses, but how much more strange the choice of him who is a prophet like unto Moses, and greater than he! Our Lord, who is fair as the lily, has entered into marriage union with one who confesses herself to be black, because the sun has looked upon her. It is the wonder of angels that the love of Jesus should be set upon poor, lost, guilty men. Each believer must, when filled with a sense of Jesus' love, be also overwhelmed with astonishment that such love should be lavished on an object so utterly unworthy of it. Knowing as we do our secret guiltiness, unfaithfulness, and black-heartedness, we are dissolved in grateful admiration of the matchless freeness and sovereignty of grace. Jesus must have found the cause of his love in his own heart, he could not have found it in us, for it is not there. Even since our conversion we have been black, though grace has made us comely. Holy Rutherford said of himself what we must each subscribe to--"His relation to me is, that I am sick, and he is the Physician of whom I stand in need. Alas! how often I play fast and loose with Christ! He bindeth, I loose; he buildeth, I cast down; I quarrel with Christ, and he agreeth with me twenty times a day!" Most tender and faithful Husband of our souls, pursue thy gracious work of conforming us to thine image, till thou shalt present even us poor Ethiopians unto thyself, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Moses met with opposition because of his marriage, and both himself and his spouse were the subjects of an evil eye. Can we wonder if this vain world opposes Jesus and his spouse, and especially when great sinners are converted? for this is ever the Pharisee's ground of objection, "This man receiveth sinners." Still is the old cause of quarrel revived, "Because he had married an Ethiopian woman." Daily Light on the Daily Path 1 Samuel 3:17 He said, "What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you."Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? Deuteronomy 10:13 and to keep the LORD'S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? Galatians 3:10,11,19 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM." • Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." • Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. Hebrews 1:1,2 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, • in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 1 Samuel 3:9 And Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 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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