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)