Wednesday, May 19, 2021

John 8 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

John 8:12

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 

 


This morning, as I was reading in Genesis, it struck me that light will always govern or rule over darkness. No matter what happens, light will overtake darkness because of who is in the light!!! Jesus calls Himself the light of the world, and darkness flees at the sound of His name!! Thank You, Jesus!!

 

As I was praying and thinking this morning, it came to mind that you can light a match in a pitch-black room and it’s going to give off light. A tiny flame can illuminate an entire room!! There isn’t enough darkness in this world to stop that match from giving off light, and we can be like that match! If we have Jesus in our hearts and let His light shine through us, all the darkness in the universe couldn’t put that flame out or stop us from shining in Him!!!

 

Too often, I have compared my flame to those around me, but not anymore!! Today, I have decided that it doesn’t matter whether I’m a little match or a great big bonfire as long as I’m burning for the Lord and letting His love and light shine through me!!!!! I encourage you to let your light shine today. No matter how big, how bright, or how long you have been burning, let it shine, and l promise it will give God glory and He will use it!!

 

Be encouraged!!!! I love you all, God bless, and Glory to God!!!!!

 

 

John 8:33-35

They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.”

There is such a sharp contrast in these verses between what sin takes from us and what Christ gives us. To be a slave to something is to be owned, dominated, and controlled by it, and that’s exactly what we are to our sins before Christ sets us free. Enslaved people can’t set themselves free but need someone greater than themselves to bring this freedom, and that exactly what Christ brought!

Before Christ, we walk around in this state of ignorance, thinking we are free to do what we want, but all the while, sin is dominating everything we do. I believe that this false freedom is one of the greatest tricks the enemy has. Think about it; free people don’t need to be saved, and saved people won’t look for the Savior. If we already view ourselves as “free” and self-reliant, then in our eyes, our need for God starts to dwindle. But if we view ourselves correctly as being enslaved to sin, then our need for a savior will arise and not just any savior but the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ!

Our perspective doesn’t change God, but it does change how we view Him and how we respond, approach, and serve Him. Oftentimes, it’s the crises in our life that bring us to the cross of Christ. When we get to the end of ourselves, our strength, our wisdom, and our power, we find the only One who can give us what we truly need, freedom from the sin that is enslaving and destroying us and also acceptance into His family and eternal life!

John 8:36- So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

God bless! I love you all, but His love broke all the chains! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!


 

John 8:36

“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!”

Thank You, Jesus! I lived in bondage to my addiction and selfish desires, and it wasn’t till I was incarcerated and truly surrendered to Christ that I was set free! Let me tell you, I didn’t know how much weight I was carrying around until that day! I am free from fear, shame, and death! I’m not perfect by any means, but I am a sinner saved by Grace! 


Jesus says, “I stand at the door knocking,” and it’s up to us to let Him in! Doing so was the best decision of my life, and I hope you have or will make the same choice! Today, I maybe a recovering addict on house arrest, but I am freer than I have ever been!!! I pray you will join me in praising our God for this freedom, which is freely given to any who want it but also was bought with the precious blood of His Son! I encourage anyone who hasn’t made this choice to try it out; it’s amazing!!!!!!

For those of us who have, let’s continue to shine Christ’s love in this dark world!!!!!!

Revelation 12:11: they triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Amen!!

I love you all, and praise the LORD!!  

 

John 8:37

“I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word.”

The Pharisees had no room in their heart or their theology for the truth Christ brought, so in essence, they had no room for Him, and it cost them. It will cost us also if we refuse to make room for the Living and written Word of God. Are we reading our Bibles? Are we receiving and applying it’s truths to our lives? The Pharisees thought they had it all figured out, when in all reality, they were so far from it. They hardened their hearts and held fast to their sins, refusing to surrender to the only One who could save them.

I don’t want us to be a people like that, a people rushing headlong into destruction while thinking we are walking into salvation. We must open our hearts, minds, and lives to Christ and the message He brought. We cannot afford to be close-minded or self-reliant in this regard. We have been tainted by sin, defiled by its effects, and yet we are not abandoned by our God. In fact, it’s the exact opposite; He saw our dire and desperate situation and said, “Do not fear, for I am the answer you need!”

So today, is there room in your hearts and lives for Christ and His Word, or are we going to argue with the Truth and die in our sins?

John 8:23,24- Jesus continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not. That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”

God bless! I love you all, but His love is the hope of the world! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

John 8:39

“Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the works of your own father.” “We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God Himself.”

Jesus is teaching them and us that our actions reflect who our father is. If our actions reflect the enemy, then we belong to Him, but if God Almighty is our Father, then our actions will reflect Him more and more.

The Jews Jesus were talking to here were physically related to Abraham but spiritually couldn’t have been farther away. They rested in the fact that they were descendants of Abraham physically, but spiritually, they resembled the devil.

Jesus’ words may seem harsh, but in reality, He is warning them of the perilous situation they are in. Our God does not delight in the death of the wicked. In fact, He is patient, wishing none shall perish but that all would come to repentance.

We, like these Jewish people, focus too much on the physical and forsake the spiritual. Jesus was showing them and us that our actions reflect our heritage. Christ says that if they were children of Abraham (children of the promise), then they would do what Abraham did, and what was that? Abraham honored, obeyed, revered, worshiped, and followed God each and every day. Did Abraham sin? Yes, but did he turn his back on God and forsake Him? No!

There is a fine line between legalism and liberalism, and Christ walked it beautifully and perfectly. We, too, must follow in His footsteps to avoid extremes. The enemy will try to get us to fall to one side or the other, but instead, let’s fall into the merciful arms of Christ and all Him to lead the way home! Fearing God will keep us from all extremes and draw us nearer to Him!

Ecclesiastes 7:18- It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.

God bless! I love you all, but His love is perfect in every way! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

 

 

 

 

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