John 8: 21-30

1) Silence, Stillness and Centering before God (2 minutes)
 
2) Scripture Reading: John 8: 21-30

21 So he said to them again, “I am going away, and ^you will seek me, and ^you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.” 22 So the Jews said, “Will he kill himself, since he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?” 23 He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. ^You are of this world; ^I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that ^I am he you will die in your sins.” 25 So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning. 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but ^he who sent me is true, and I declare ^to the world ^what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that ^he had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, ^then you will know that ^I am he, and that ^I do nothing on my own authority, but ^speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And ^he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, ^many believed in him.

3) Devotional:
I hate it when traffic is slow. The other day I was driving to work and there was construction. I knew that there would be someone directing traffic up ahead, and sure enough there was a police officer doing just that. Right then, I had a thought. What if I just went and did what I want and ignored the policeman? He can’t physically compete with the power of my Nissan Sentra! If he got in my way, he couldn’t physically stop it. As you can guess,

I didn’t run down the nice policeman, but I had another thought, the reason why I stop, isn’t because the policeman has the physical power to stop my car…but because he has authority. Authority is delegated power. The state and local government gave this policeman authority, so when he tells me to stop, he is backed by the authority that comes from those institutions. In the same way, Jesus did nothing on his own authority, but by the delegated power of God. Whatever God did, He did, whatever God said, He said, whoever God revealed Himself too responded to Jesus.

You and I function under similar authority. We have been given the delegated power of God. Power to pray, desire Jesus and to become more like Him. And we have the ability to do nothing that we don’t see God doing. Right now, at this moment, as you read this God is doing something, and He wants to invite you to participate in that. Will you join Him?

4) Questions to Consider:
What is God doing right now?  In your family, in your home, in your heart?  What response is He asking for?

5) Prayer:
Jesus, show me what you are doing, that I might join you and adjust my life to your will.

Conclude with Silence (2 minutes)