Tag: Truth

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study
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No Other Access

Today’s Reading: John 13:31-14:31

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 14:6 HCSB
Loving Others

I’ve had John 13:34 in my memory bank for many years, so while it isn’t our focus/soap verse I can’t just skip by it. Love is a key ingredient of Christ’s teaching. Actually, loving others was included in the answer He gave to a teacher of the law who asked Him what the most important commandment was. After explaining that the greatest commandment is loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength He went on to say that loving our neighbor was equally important. Suffice it to say Love was a vital part of His teaching and He intends for it to be a vital part of the believer’s life as well. To understand why it’s so important we only have to read the next verse which says, “By this (loving like Jesus) all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

You see it isn’t just nice to love one another like Jesus has loved us, it is our testimony for Him.

 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ 31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

Mark 12:29-31
“How Can We Know the Way?”

Jesus was re-emphasizing the importance of love because it would be the very thing that identified them as His witnesses when He was gone. This naturally led to great concern over where He was going and answers they didn’t quite understand. This discussion led to our focus verse today which was Jesus’ answer to Thomas who asked: “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” The answer comes back to one we have looked at before, Jesus is the way to the Father for everyone who believes. So He makes the statement again that when we know Jesus we know “The Way”. He is not only the way to the Father, but He is the truth of the Father, in the flesh,(Psalm 119:142 and John 1:1). Finally, Jesus declares Himself to be the life from the Father, (John 3:16).

The answer to Thomas’ question is the same for us today. When we know Jesus we know The Way! While we rejoice in this we must take seriously the alternative – for those who do not know Jesus do not know the way and will have no access to the Father’s promise of eternal life. For this reason, like Jesus, we must be committed to our Father’s business – the saving of souls.

Personal Application

There are several noteworthy applications we can make from our focus/soap verse as well as others from today’s reading.

  1. Let’s look at our focus verse in John 14:6.
  • Examine how Jesus has loved you and love others like that. (13:34)
  • Be His witnesses (13:35)
  • Go “the way” of Jesus – the way of the cross. (Luke 9:23)
  • Walk in “the truth” – His Word is truth (Psalm 119:142)
  • Live “the life” of freedom that He came to give (Gal 5:1, John 10:10)
  • Enjoy the access we have to the Father. (Hebrews 4:14-16; Eph 2:18

What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

https://westminstershortercatechism.net/manschiefend/

2. I also want to make an application note on verse 11 of chapter 14, where Jesus tells Philip to believe – if not because of what He has told them – then because of all they had seen Him do. You see, it won’t always be what we say that leads others to believe – sometimes it will be because of what we do in His name – such as loving others as He has loved us.

3. The final application came at the end of the passage, 14:31 where Jesus says to His disciples – 

but I am doing just what the Father commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Get up, let us go from here.

Actually, it’s those last five words that hit me. It is so easy and comfortable to sit in the presence of Jesus, to talk with Him – listening to Him, asking Him questions, gazing into His eyes through His Word. But, at some point we must “get up” and go out from that place of safety and comfort to do what the Father has commanded us – and this so that others may believe. For “how will they believe if they do not hear?”

As we discovered earlier this week, we are His messengers and today we have seen that we are His representatives – so that others will know that we are His disciples. In this He is glorified (made known) – and in this the Father will be pleased.

Posted in Bible study, From the Insideout, LGG Study
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A Packaged Deal

Suggested Reading – John Chapter 7

While Jesus was teaching in the Temple, he called out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I come from. But I’m not here on my own. The one who sent me is true, and you don’t know him. But I know him because I come from him, and he sent me to you.”

John 7:28-29
History, Rituals, and Irony

Jesus challenges the Jewish people with this statement from verses 28-29, a statement that brings into question who they are – basically a rerun of the conversation He had with the Jews He addressed in Jerusalem, noted in chapter 5. Both conversations took place during the 7-day “Feast of Booths”, also known as the “Festival of Tabernacles”. The Festival was a celebration commemorating Israel’s journey through the wilderness. Because it was rich with history and rituals the crowd would have been large and the city crowded which means this conflict would have been all the more intense and public. Don’t miss the irony, a festival where God’s people are celebrating their ancestor’s journey through the wilderness and they’ve just been told by Jesus, the Son of God, that they don’t even know God.

The rituals of this festival reminded the people of how God had provided for Israel during their journey out of Egypt. 

Bibleref.com @ John7:2
Where in the world

The people contended that they knew where Jesus was from and that this meant He couldn’t be the Christ because no one would know where the Messiah was from, vs 27. So, He shouts out, acknowledging they knew where He was from – well, at least they knew where in this world He was from – but what they didn’t know, or who they didn’t know – was God, the One who sent Him. Basically He repeats the message He delivered to the Jews in Jerusalem just days earlier. Jesus wants them to understand that it’s the One who sent Him that they do not know. 

This is a direct criticism of Israel's spiritual state, and an extremely personal reproach. Israel's ultimate point of pride was its identity as God's chosen people. No other nation could make that claim—and here, Jesus tells God's chosen people that they do not know God! Their rejection of God (John 5:39–40) has resulted in a rejection of the One sent by God (John 6:29). Stubbornness and pride have made them resistant to the truth (John 7:17).     Bibleref.com @ John 7:28
You Can’t Have One Without the Other

I noticed three specific things in these two verses:

  1. God sent Jesus to the people
  2. Jesus always points to the Father for those who come to Him must believe in the One who sent Him, (John 5:24).
  3. Jesus speaks with humble but certain authority.
My Response
  • To live like Jesus means I cannot shrink back when others challenge or threaten what I know is truth from God
  • I should speak with humble authority-
  • I should always promote God and Christ above myself and all others
My Prayer

Father, You are the One who sent Jesus, the One who comes in Your Name and authority to save those who believe in Him and in You who sent Him! Father, I have believed – Help me and use me to share the message of the Gospel which is Your power to save. In Jesus’ Name – Amen and Amen!

Be sure and check out today’s LGG Blog Post

Love God Greatly Blog

Posted in God is good

Simply and Profoundly Good

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Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Psalm 34:8

Father, You are good! My mind never doubts this sustaining TRUTH. You are simply and yet profoundly good. My heart rejoices in Your goodness to sustain, to love and teach, and to build up those who now belong to You. In Your goodness You brought us in and have transformed us from strangers and from enemies to members of Your family, not simply or haphazardly brought in but carefully joined together in Christ.

 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2: 19-22

In your goodness You protect and strengthen, You comfort and encourage, and You fill us and guard us with a peace that passes all understanding. Surely, as the Psalmist wrote, You guide us on paths of righteousness for Your namesake. However, I have learned that even when we walk through the valleys that seem dark and lonely and covered with the daunting shadows of sorrow, discouragement, and fear – in Your goodness You are also there. I find You quietly dispelling the shadows with the gentle reminder from your Spirit that we have no cause for fear or discouragement, for in Your goodness You will strengthen us and You will help us. You will hold us up with Your victorious right hand.

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

    Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

    I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

My mind is riddled with a series of questions that beg to be asked. Why do You love us who were Your enemies? Why have you made us part of Your family and continue to build us up into Your Holy Temple? Why do You lead us and show us the right way to go or dispel the shadows in the valleys? The only answer that comes is this: You are simply and profoundly good! Even if I had not tasted and seen Your goodness for myself – You, proclaimed Yourself to Moses as – “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth”, Exodus 34:6.

Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”

Psalm 34:5-7 NKJV

One final question lingers – what is my response? To which I gladly and humbly answer – relying once again on Your goodness … Answer graciously this prayer my God – that I might convey the truth , reality, and depth of Your goodness in my thoughts, both written and spoken, and in my life lived out, so that others might truly know and forever share in Your goodness through Christ Jesus my Lord – Your good and perfect gift of salvation to all who believe.

“For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

How great is the goodness
    you have stored up for those who fear you.
You lavish it on those who come to you for protection,
    blessing them before the watching world.

Psalm 31:19 NLT

Want to know more about the goodness of God, salvation through Christ, eternal life, or how to get through the valleys? Reply below or message me at mryelnb@aol.com –

Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

WEEK 6 – TRUTH OVER LIES: OVERCOMING LIES

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OVERCOME BY: PRAY FOR DISCERNMENT

Read: Psalm 119:6 and SOAP: Psalm 25:5

Truth: Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Psalm 25:5

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
  • What is discernment

When we seek the Lord, we will find Him. He will not allow us to walk in darkness. We simply must be patient and wait for His guidance.

Read the full devotional

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Week 6 – Truth Over Lies: Overcoming Lies

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OVERCOME BY: WALKING IN TRUTH

Read: John 17:17 and SOAP: John 8:31-32

Truth: Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:31-32
What do you think?
  • Where do we find truth?
  • What does it mean to ‘walk in truth’?

If we want to stand firm against deceit, we must learn to walk in truth.

Read the LGG Devotional here

John tells us how to discern between the Truth and a lie: We must abide closely to the One who is the way, the Truth, and the life. (John 14:6)

Read the Love God Greatly blog here
Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

TRUTH OVER LIES: OVERCOMING LIES

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Overcome by: Learning Wisdom

Read: Proverbs 13:20 and SOAP: James 1:5

Truth: If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 NLT

WHAT DO YOU THINK?
  • Why is it important to surround ourselves with people who are wise?

Some of us may not think of ourselves as wise. Fortunately, wisdom is a trait we can develop. Scripture mentions a couple of ways we can grow in wisdom.  

Read the full devotional
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TRUTH OVER LIES: LIES ABOUT HAPPINESS

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LIE: Happiness can be found apart from God

Read: Psalm 68:3, 144:15, 146:5; Hebrews 1:9 and SOAP: Psalm 4:6-7

Truth: Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, LORD. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.

Psalm 4:6-7 NLT
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
  • Can you truly be happy apart from God?
  • Why or why not?

Psalm 68:3 declares that the righteous will be glad and celebrate because of God. He is the reason for our joy and our salvation. He gives us purpose and life. Those who do not believe often try to fill their lives with other things, but they ultimately are unsatisfied. – 

Read the full devotional

Think about your life, or more specifically your day, and make a list of things that make you happy. Now, what if all those things were stripped away from you, could you still be happy? Would the day be a good day, or a bad day? Would life still be worth living? I fear that many of us would answer those questions with an unapologetic, “no.” –  

Don’t miss today’s LGG Blog
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TRUTH OVER LIES: LIES ABOUT HAPPINESS

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Lie: Happiness cannot be found in trials

Read: James 1:2-4 and 12, Romans 5:3-5, 1 Peter 4:12-13 and SOAP: James 1:2-4

Truth: Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

James 1:2-4
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
  • How is it possible to be joyful during hard times?

Most of us do not sing praises when a nail punctures the tire of our car on the drive to work or when we lose a job. Instead, we get frustrated at our situation. Yet, we can experience joy in trials. – 

Read the full devotional to find out how
Posted in Bible study, LGG Study

TRUTH OVER LIES: LIES ABOUT HAPPINESS

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Lie: Beauty and Health Bring Happiness

Read: Proverbs 31:30, Psalm 39:4 and SOAP: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Truth: So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.-

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NET
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
  • What lies do you believe about your body and your health?
  • What is the truth according to Scripture?

On average, an American woman spends $313 per month on her appearance. However, this high price of vanity does not guarantee happiness. Proverbs 31:30 tells us that our beauty fades. We cannot trust in it to bring us everlasting joy. –

For the full devotional

I would never tell Him that He made a flower the wrong color or made a mountain too tall or too wide but yet I looked at myself and could only see the flaws. –

you won’t want to miss the rest of this blog –
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TRUTH OVER LIES: LIES ABOUT HAPPINESS

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Lie: Possessions Bring Happiness

Read: Ecclesiastes 3:11, Luke 12:15 and SOAP: Matthew 6:19-21

Truth: Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Matthew 6:19-21 NLT
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
  • Why can’t possessions provide us with the happiness we long for?

– the items we accumulate do not fill our spiritual void. Jesus taught on maintaining a proper perspective of possessions. Ultimately, our wealth and our lives belong to God. 

Read the full devotional