John 4:15-26

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 min)

2) Scripture Reading - John 4:15-26
The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

3) Devotional
The women at the well believed that she was conversing with a kind Jewish man, and she was right. Jesus is kind but in this passage He also proves to be a good listener and one who speaks the truth in love. But Jesus is so much more. He also reveals himself as a prophet and as the Messiah. He is the only one who can provide the Samaritan women with “living water” so that should would thirst no more.

Sometimes when I speak to Jesus, I forget who He is. I forget that He is my “ Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). I talk to Him as the one who can fix my problems, and He can do that. But I have come to realize that He is so much more than that.

Many times I need some perspective when I talk to Jesus. I need to realize that He created me, He gives me purpose and He is preparing a place for me in His heaven. Compared to these things, how big are my problems? I guess that there is not much difference between me and the woman at the well. We are both too wrapped up in the here and now and too wrapped in our own problems to realize who it is we speak to.

4) Questions to Consider
Do you need to change your perspective?

5) Prayer
Lord, Please forgive me when I don’t give you the respect that you are due, when I treat you like my own personal problem solver and when I don’t recognize you as the Creator God that you are. May I realize that you are sovereign over all things, even my circumstances. Thank you for loving me and providing for my every need. In Jesus name I pray these things, Amen.  

John 3:22-30

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 min)


2) Scripture Reading: John 3:22-30 (click to listen)
²² After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized. ²³ Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. ²⁴ (This was before John was put in prison.) ²⁵ An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. ²⁶ They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
 ²⁷ To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ ²⁹ The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. ³⁰ He must become greater; I must become less.”


3) Devotional
Experiencing loss confronts us with our humanity and our limits.  We quickly realize we are not in control of our lives.  God is.  We are simply creatures, not the Creator.
Consider the example of John the Baptist.  Crowds that formerly followed John for baptism switched their allegiances once Jesus began his ministry. They began leaving John to follow Jesus.  Some of John's followers were upset about this dramatic turn of events.  They complained to him, "Everyone is going with him" (John 3:26).


John understood limits and replied "A person can receive only what is given them from heaven" (John 3:27).  he was able to accept his limits, his humanity, and his declining popularity and say, "He must increase, I must decrease" (John 3:30).


Getting off our thrones and joining the rest of humanity is a must for spiritual maturity.  We are not the center of the universe.  The universe does not revolve around us.


Yet a part of us hates limits.  We won't accept them.  This is one the primary reasons grieving our loss' biblically is such an indispensable part of spiritual maturity.


Embracing our limits humbles us like little else.


4) Questions to Consider
Name one or two limits God has placed in your life today as a gift.


5) Prayer
Lord, forgive me for the arrogance that sees interruptions to my plans as alien invasions.  Forgive me for constantly trying to do more than you intend with my life.  And help me to be like John the Baptist, embracing my losses and respecting my limits.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.


6) Conclude with Silence (2 min)


- today's devotional comes from "Begin the Journey with the Daily Office" by Pete Scazzero

John 3:16-21

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

2) Scripture Reading: John 3: 16-21 (click to listen)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

3) Devotional 
This past weekend Harold Camping predicted that the world would end.  All over the country could be seen signs that said, "May 21 Judgment Day."  It came and went and we are all still here today.  It is true that Jesus will return, though we don't know the time or the date (Matthew 24:44).  Yet, making predictions of judgment and destruction is not in line with what Jesus spoke about in this passage.  God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world, to "point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was."  Rather, he came to help this broken world that we are in.  To bring wholeness and healing and make everything right again through His death and Resurrection when we place our trust in Him.  Knowing that Jesus came to love and forgive will hopefully motivate us to love this world and share Christ with folks in humility rather than judge and condemn them.  I hope that we can all strive to look more like Jesus today and everyday.

4) Questions to Consider 
"In every encounter we either give life or drain it (Brennan Manning)."  As you encounter people today, will you give them life or take it away?  How can you give life to people you encounter?

5) Prayer

Father, you sent your son into the world to offer us a chance for hope and healing.  And while we can still call today, today.  And while you take your time in coming back, we still have the chance to receive healing.  Help us to become more like you and love others in Jesus' mighty and awesome name.  Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 3:7-15

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 min.)

2) Scripture Reading: John 3:7-15 (click to listen)
 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

3) Devotional
Have you ever felt the frustration of reading a passage of scripture and not being able to understand what it said? This happened to me a lot, especially before I had a relationship with God through Jesus. Now that I do have a relationship with God through Jesus,  reading a passage of scripture without understanding happens only on rare occasions. I can’t help but think that Nicodemus felt the same frustration I had felt when he was speaking with Jesus. “How could this be?”, was Nicodemus’s reaction when Jesus was trying to explain the meaning of being “born again.” He just could not understand the teaching of Jesus.

What is the difference between reading scripture with or without understanding? It is the Holy Spirit. When we enter into a personal relationship with God by accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord, God gifts us with His Holy Spirit. One of the works of the Holy Spirit is the illumination of the scriptures. In other words, Scriptures that were read before without understanding now have meaning. Since Nicodemus did not have the Holy Spirit, he could not understand what Jesus was saying.

4) Thoughts to Consider:
If you are reading the scriptures and not understanding them, you either need a personal relationship with God through Jesus or you need a mentor to help you. Either way, please reach out to an elder or staff member. We can meet with you and find you a mentor or help you to begin a personal relationship with God through Jesus which will transform your life.

5) Prayer: Almighty God, I know you have the ability to help me understand the Bible. You want me to understand Your Word and apply it to my life. Please make the words on the pages real to me so I can apply them to my life and accomplish your will on Earth. In Jesus name I pray these things, Amen.

6) Conclude with Silence (2 min)

John 3:1-6

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 min)

2) Scripture Reading - John 3:1-6 (click to listen)
 ¹Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ²He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.  ³Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” ⁴“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” ⁵Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

3) Devotional
We seem to have a preference for engaging God on our terms, putting God in a man-made box of ideas, doctrines and theologies. Nicodemus came to Jesus that night almost 2,000 years ago because Jesus wasn't fitting into the box that the Pharisees had forced God into. But, Nicodemus came to Jesus humbly and respectfully, calling Him "Rabbi", willing to learn and reshape his box with a fresh understanding of the God whose ways were higher than his ways and whose thoughts were higher than his thoughts.

We need to remember that every effort we make to define, or describe who God is or what He has done, or what He will do is at best an imperfect man-made thing. So, like Nicodemus, we need to hold such boxes with great humility and willingness to learn and experience God in new and fresh ways. And we need to be gentle and respectful with each other when our boxes bump into each other.

4) Questions to Consider
What box, or boxes have you put God in?
In what ways might God be wanting to reshape your box?

5) Prayer
Father, help me to see where I've boxed you in, or boxed you out. Give me a spirit, born again of your Spirit, that is gentle and humble and willing to learn anew from You. In Christ's name, Amen.

6) Conclude with Silence (2 min)

John 2:23-25

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes) 



2) Scripture Reading: John 2:23-25


 23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

3) Devotional: The word “but” has a way of changing everything that came before it in a sentence. Someone can give us a great compliment that really makes us feel good up until the word “but.” (“I love your outfit, but…”) The moment that word appears, we immediately forget what was said before it and brace for whatever is coming after it. That’s exactly what’s happening in this short concluding passage of John 2. Jesus has been performing signs and miracles, and many believe in His name. So far, so good. In verse 24, the dreaded “but” appears. Jesus does not entrust himself to these new believers, and John goes on in verse 25 to illustrate that Jesus sees what is truly at the core of each of us. In the original language, the same Greek word used for “believe” in verse 23 is also used for “entrust” in verse 24. The literal understanding of this word is “to pledge something to someone,” and can also be translated “commit.” Scholars are divided on why Jesus does not entrust himself- perhaps their belief is only “sign faith,” based on the signs and miracles they have seen, but regardless, two lessons are clear: Jesus sees past the facades and the opinions and affirmations of man right into our hearts to the root of our motivations for belief, and He commits His message and ministry to us as vessels to carry it to the world based on what He sees there, or not. A rather sobering thought.

4) Questions to Consider:
Do you believe because of what you have seen, or because of who Jesus is? Does the “vessel” of your life have enough integrity to carry the ministry of Christ to the world? What are the hidden things inside the core of your being that are compromising the flow of Christ in you and through you? Are you willing to commit those things to Christ and be set free?

5) Prayer: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:24-24)

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 2:17-22

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes) 



2) Scripture Reading: John 2:17-22

His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 

Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 

 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” T 

he Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

 3) Devotional 
Now here's another example of where the Gospel of John differs from the other gospels.  With the addition of yesterday's passage of Jesus clearing the temple - John has depicted this event happening at the beginning of Jesus' ministry.  In the other gospels, it's described toward the end of Jesus' ministry.  So why is it different here?  Remember that John is writing just to keep a record, but there reasons behind each detail and event he describes.  Here we see Jesus being challenged to perform a miracle to prove his authority.  The way Jesus answers ties in with how he is introduced in the Gospel of John - that He is the new way.  And that the authority they wish to see will be shown through Jesus' death and resurrection.  Jesus came to turn the world as it was known upside down.  That the way people worshipped in temples then was the old way and through the resurrection of Jesus, there is a new temple for the people of God.  And as Christians today, according to 1 Corinthians 3:16, you are God's temple and God's Spirit lives in you.

4) Questions to Consider:

How has Jesus come in my life to do away with the old, to bring in the new?  What needs to be transformed within me so that God's Spirit may dwell in me?

5) Prayer:

Father God, may my life be a temple for you.  Dwell in me and may I dwell in you.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 2:12-16

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

2) Scripture Reading: John 2:12-16
After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.  When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.  So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.  To those who sold doves he said,“Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”

3) Devotional
One of the struggles in the Christian life is that we keep veering away from a life of total worship to Jesus, and end up worshipping false, poser gods.  The Bible calls them idols.  These idols can be the worship of our jobs (and not taking a Sabbath), worshiping our anger (and becoming violent), worshiping sex (and committing adultery), worshiping things (and stealing them), or worshiping success (and coveting what other people have).  Periodically, Jesus has to drive these false god's out of our lives.  Through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, our circumstances, and struggles Jesus will identify your idols, drive them out, and replace them with more of His Spirit.  His peace.  His joy.  and His Victory.  Until our worship of Jesus can be pure, whole, and complete.

4) Questions to Consider:
What is it that I give my time, energy, body, money, focus, devotion, and passion to the most?  Is this object of my worship Jesus, or someone or something else?  How is Jesus driving out all other devotions, until He is left?

5) Prayer:
Father, help us to be sensitive to what you are doing in my life today.  Right now, you are getting rid of my idols, help me to be responsive to what your spirit is doing.  Amen 

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 2:6-11

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

2) Scripture Reading - John 2:6-11
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

3) Devotional 

What do you think when people claim to have witnessed a miracle? I admit that I view reported miracles with skepticism. However when I see the result of a miracle, I believe it with all of my heart. In this passage, Jesus turns water into wine. Just like the master of the banquet, I would have needed to experience the miracle before I believed it.

The miracles that I witness most are changed lives. Paul writes in Second Corinthians 5:17, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come.” When I claimed to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord and therefore become a new creation, I needed to see myself as a new creation in order to be sure that a miracle actually took place in me. If the water that was turned into wine did not look and taste like wine, it would not have been wine and no miracle would have occurred. If I look and act today as I did before I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord, no miracle would have occurred. Is there enough evidence in your life for you to believe that you are a follower of Jesus? If there is, a miracle has occurred. If you and your friends can experience your changed life, you then know that God did a miracle in you.

God is in the business of miracles. I have experienced one of His miracles personally. 

4) Question to Consider

Have you experienced any miracles?

5) Prayer
Lord, thank you for changing my life.  Continue to change me to look more like you.  Transform my life beyond what I think is possible.  In Jesus' name.  Amen 

John 2:1-5

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

2) Scripture Reading - John 2:1-5

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”   “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”  His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

3) Devotional Thought

In this, his first observation of Jesus and his mother, John records for us how:

1)       Mary approached Jesus fully expecting him to do something to help this young couple out of their embarrassing situation

2)       Mary persevered in her request, even in the face of a mild rebuke from Jesus

3)       Rather than prescribing a solution, Mary opened the door for Jesus to do whatever He thought best in the situation with her instructions to the servants to “do whatever he tells you”

Now, whether Mary expected Jesus to do a miracle, or simply to go get more wine, is difficult to know for sure.  Even so, her approach to Him is educational in how we can approach God with our requests and needs. Too often we don't take all of our needs to God...especially our everyday needs that we can usually handle on our own.  And in our hurry up world, we are not typically patient enough to persevere when we don't get an immediate answer to our problem.

So, learn from Mary and consider these questions...

4) Questions:

1)       Do you approach God with all of your needs, no matter how minor, or everyday?
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

2)       Do you persevere in prayer, and requests?
Or do you give up in the face of waiting for an answer, or after receiving an answer that is not what you expected?

3)       Are you ready to let God define what, if anything, needs to be done?
Maybe what you’ve been asking for isn’t what is really needed… and only through perseverance in prayer, spending time with God, can you see what really is.

4)       Are you ready to obediently “do whatever he tells you?”

5) Prayer:

Father God, help me to trust you in all of my needs and desires no matter how big, or small.  And help me to accept your answer no matter how different from my preference it may be.  And forgive me when I am not ready to obediently do whatever you may ask me to do in answering it.  In Christ’s name, amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 1:50-51

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)



2) Scripture Reading: John 1:50-51
 (click to listen)
 50 Jesus said, “You believebecause I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

3) Devotional
Many times, often without meaning to, we treat God as an external force, who must be invited into our lives and asked to intervene in our situations and struggles as though He is not there already.

In this concluding passage of John 1 detailing the interaction between Jesus and the formerly skeptical Nathaniel, who now believes Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus makes a curious final statement. He declares that these new disciples will see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. There’s a small, noteworthy detail here: With heaven open, we would expect the angels to first descend and then ascend, the idea that God’s messengers would first come from heaven and then return. But in the passage, the reverse is true. That means that the angels of God are already here, already among us, already active. The other significant detail here is that the angels ascend and descend on Christ, teaching us that God’s heavenly work on earth is through one Mediator: Jesus himself.

Oftentimes we become aware of divine intervention in our lives only in moments of narrowly-averted tragedy: a missed collision in traffic, or some sequence of events which allowed us to avoid a cataclysmic life-altering circumstance. In those situations, but also in others, we didn’t even have time to invite God into their midst, but we can be thankful, because He was already there.

4) Questions to Consider:
Where might God be at work in your life that you don’t recognize right now? How might you quiet the noise and distractions of daily living to expand your perception and awareness of what He is up to?

5) Prayer:
God, I am thankful that You are always and already at work in my life and in the world around me in ways I cannot or do not see. Help me to be more aware of what You are doing in my life, and help me walk in your way and according to your purposes this day. Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 1:43-49

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes) 

2) Scripture Reading: John 1:43-49

Click here to listen to the passage.

3) Devotional 

In this passage we see again the choice of following Jesus.  Nathanael initially rejected Jesus because he was from Nazareth.  He was very skeptical.  As a student of the law, Nathanael didn't think the Messiah could come from such a simple background. He had expectations of who the Messiah was. Philip proclaimed that Jesus is the Messiah.  He believed as he was asked to follow Jesus and was excited to go to Nathanel, to tell him to come and see.  As Nathanael did decide to come along, Jesus doesn't have to convince him of how he represents what Nathanael has studied and read in the law.  Jesus tells him he knew Nathanael even before he was invited by Philip.  It didn't matter how much Nathanael knew about Jesus. It's not about the information, but about the relationship.  And through that Nathanael gives his confession of faith - that Jesus is not just the son of Joseph, but the Son of God.

4) Questions to Consider

Do you know a lot about God or do you know him intimately?

5) Prayer
Lord, I want to know you deeply.  Help me lay down my expectations of you.  I recognize that you know me through and through.  Spirit of God, open my heart and my eyes so that I can see God clearly and recognize His presence in me.  I want to follow you and see what you have for me.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 1:40-42

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

2) Scripture Reading: John 1:40-42

Click here to listen to the passage.

3) Devotional 

 When Jesus meets Simon, the first thing he does is change his name.  He changes his name to Cephas, which means rock.  Here, Jesus isn't describing his character, He is declaring who he will become.  The focus of this passage is on Jesus, and how He knows you inside and out.  He knows what you are made of and when He calls you, you become transformed into His image.  You may have been called a dozen other names: loser, failure, reject, adulterer, idiot, coward, foolish, etc; but Jesus wants to give you a new name:  Holy, perfect, righteous, courageous, pure, successful, faithful, etc.  Jesus speaks into you, what you may not see in yourself.  Yet, what Jesus sees as perfect, no man can dispute.  Be who Jesus sees you as, let Him bring out image of God in you as He works in your life.

4) Questions to Consider

In what ways do I need to adjust my life to align it with Jesus?  What would it look like to be who God has made me to be, not how I see myself as now?

5) Prayer
Lord Jesus, I desire to be in the light.  Search me and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts, see if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way that lasts forever.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 1:35-39

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes) 

2) Scripture Reading: John 1:35-39

Click to listen to the passage

3) Devotional

What do you do when Jesus asks you to come with Him? Do you become fearful? Do you have better things to do? Do you wonder if it is Jesus calling you?

My friends, this is how many people react when the Spirit of God calls you to join Him in His work. But what God expects us to do is act. Author Henry Blackaby calls it your, “crisis of belief.” Do you, in faith, follow Jesus or do you deny it is His Spirit calling to you? 

Following Jesus is the hardest thing to do but it is also the best and most rewarding thing to do. Listen for God’s still small voice. Be sure that you are nurturing your relationship with God so you know it is Him calling you. And in faith, follow Him as the two disciples did and see how God will transform your life just as he did for them.  

4) Questions to Consider:
Do you fear ridicule for pursuing God? Or maybe you begin to count the cost of following Him? 

5) Prayer:
Where you go, Lord, I will go.  Where you stay, I will stay.  Thank you for your invitation to follow you.  Help me to get on and stay on your path - for you are my teacher and guide.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 1:19-28

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes) 

2) Scripture Reading: John 1:19-28
 - John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah
19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah." 21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, “I am not." “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” 24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

3) Devotional 
Back in the 1990’s, many Christians began showing up to church with a new bracelet. At the time, it swept through youth groups and congregations across the country like wildfire. I am of course referring to the ‘WWJD’ fad- What Would Jesus Do?- the phrase which of course has its ultimate roots in Charles Sheldon’s book In His Steps.

For all of us who are Christians, becoming more like Christ in our thoughts and actions is a central focus as we journey through life, and it’s a good one. Sometimes, however, this focus can overstep its bounds, even if in a well-intentioned way. In our desire to see change in others or in the world around us, , we try to BE Jesus: to do all the things Jesus did, and in so doing, we overstep our humanity. In our encounter with John the Baptist in this passage, we find him emphatically stating: “I am NOT the Messiah” throughout its entire length. I am not Jesus. You are not Jesus. The simple fact is that we cannot often do what Jesus would do. We can’t save anyone or anything, and often, because of our fallen condition, we lack the morality or clarity to even see people or situations as they truly are. We CAN, however, trust in Jesus to be Jesus, and perhaps the real issue is our difficulty in trusting or releasing control of people and situations that are near to our hearts.

4) Questions to Consider: What areas of your life are you trying to be Jesus in, instead of letting Jesus be Jesus? Who, or what are you trying to save right now? How might you release control of these things to Christ and let him in peace be the one who saves, redeems, and restores?

5) Prayer: Lord Jesus, I desire to be more like you in thought, word, and deed, but I am not the Messiah. I recognize you as the only Savior of all and the only one who can bring real transformation in life’s difficulties. I release control today of the people and situations I am trying to ‘save,’ and I trust in you. Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 1:14-18

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes) 2) Scripture Reading—John 1:14-18 3) Devotional When I read this passage, I think of incarnational living.  In the Message, John 1:14 reads, “God became a man and moved into the neighborhood.”  John the Baptist was sent by God to bear witness to Jesus.  Even though Jesus came into the world physically after John, John testifies that Jesus was before Him.  The living Word of God existed before all eternity. Because of who we are as Christians, the living Word, lives in us – the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling within us – so that we may bear witness to those around us, so that they may see Jesus….incarnational living.   This is the model of Alliance missions, our missionaries live among the people they serve, building relationships of trust, learning their language and culture. This is a hard concept for me to translate as I think about where I live. I’m not being very intentional about serving my neighbors.  It’s been a process of developing a relationship of trust with my neighbors. Ever wonder why you live where you live?  Or maybe why you need to make a move?  God has gone before you, before you ever came to the place you live or where you work. Take a walk in your neighborhood today or through your workplace.   Pray as you walk and see if God has any opportunities for you to shine His light in someone else’s darkness. 4) Question to Consider Are you living incarnationally?  Are you living in a way where people witness Jesus? 5) Prayer “Thank You, Father God, for revealing Yourself to people through Your Son, Jesus. Help me also to be a faithful witness of Jesus. Help me to share the life that I have through Him with others that I come into contact with. Let people see Jesus in me, and also give me the words to share Him with others. I ask this in the precious Name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen!” Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 1:3-8

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

2) Scripture Reading: John 1:3-8
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  4In him was life,and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

3) Devotional 
All I heard was the word, "CURB!" but it was already too late!  I had driven my 1983 Dodge Mirada onto the sidewalk, hitting the curb and nearly missing the jogger that had jumped into the bushes to escape my beast of a car.  Both of the tires on my right side were completely damaged.  I was commuting to my college with my roomate when this whole incident occurred.  It was the morning and as we went down the street the sun glare was so strong I couldn't see the curb jutting out, and the damage was already done.  Light can be a good thing, but it can also be a damaging thing depending on who you are.  When you or I are in sin, hiding from God, the last thing in the world that we want is to have the light shine on us.  But if we are in utter darkness wandering and looking for hope, light is the very answer to the question we have been seeking.  As Christians, we are called to simply bear witness to the light.  For some it will be a glare that they will want nothing to do with, but for others it will be a source of joy and peace.  We can't change how the light will be received, but simply let the light of Christ shine through our lives in every day and situation.

4) Questions to Consider
Is being in the light a source of hope and joy, or of shame and despair?  What would it look like for you to be in the light?  What steps would you need to take today to get there?

5) Prayer
Lord Jesus, I desire to be in the light.  Search me and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts, see if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way that lasts forever.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 1:1-2

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

2) Scripture Reading: John 1:1-2
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.

3) Devotional
“Word”. “A man is only as good as his word”.

How many of us were raised by a parent that reminded us of that truth growing up?  It is interesting that Jesus is described in John 1:1 as “The Word”.  He also calls us to be like him in word and in deed.

Every year in this country:
• 3,500 churches die,
• 1,200 churches are planted.
• Up to 80 percent of those fail.
• That means we’re losing 3,000 churches a year.
• We’re losing 60 churches a week—a week, just dying and getting buried, every year.
• What is desperately needed in our world of multiple cultures and multiple understandings and multiple realities, is people like John the Beloved, author of John’s Gospel.   For they are people who understand Jesus well enough and can understand the world well enough to be able to take a simple concept like the Logos and use that as a means of articulating the whole that brings the parts together.

And so, that’s what we exist for.
• Stonecrest is a (little w) word of God.
• You are a (little w) word of God.
• Not that you are divine,
• but that you are a speech,
• you are a statement sent into the darkness of this world to communicate the truth that there is light.
• God has sent you into the world as a (little w) word of God to speak about grace and to show it, and to speak about truth and to show it, and to speak about Jesus, and to be a witness pointing to him.
• How does God get his things done in this world? How does God get his word spoken in this world? That would be through us. That would be through you and me, just like he did it through John the Beloved.

And so, that’s what we strive to be. That’s what we are about. Word is produces word does.  When the Word (Logos) changes us on the inside, our “word” is in daily life.  That’s the most important thing.

4) Questions to Consider
How has the Word changed you?  How has God used you for His glory?

5) Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for your Word.  Help me to hide your Word within my heart in order to know you more and to know your heart.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)

John 1:12-13

) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)

2) Scripture Reading: John 1:12-13
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

3) Devotional
When we receive the reconciliation Christ gave us on the Cross, it re-establishes our relationship with God the Father and John tells us that we are given “the right to become children of God.”

Think about that!  93 times in Scripture, the same Greek word “exousia”, translated here as “right”, is used. Most often, that Greek word is translated into English as “authority”.

We have the authority to be children of God the perfect Heavenly Father!  ... Seriously?!

I don’t know about you but I feel completely unworthy of such a relationship … and I am… except for the fact that God’s word says that I have been given the authority to have it!

Simply by receiving His gift of reconciliation, forgiveness and salvation purchased for me by Christ Jesus on the Cross I can have the right to become God's child. 

4) Questions to Consider
Have you received God’s free gift of reconciliation and forgiveness in Jesus, including the right to become God's child?

Do you understand the fullness of the authority that you’ve been given to be God’s child?

How can you spend time reflecting on that promise and living like it were real?

What messages of others, or the world, do you need to stop listening to (or stop repeating to yourself) in order to hear the truth of God’s word to you today?

5) Prayer
Lord God, what an awesome gift of love you have given me in Christ Jesus, your only Son. He died for me so that I might live forever with you as your child. Forgive me for the times when I have forgotten or ignored your gift. Thank you for your unconditional love that did not let me stay separated from you. Change me to be who you want me to be. In Christ’s name, amen.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)