Monday: John 10—The Good Shepherd
Jesus is the good shepherd. The church is His sheep. In John 10,
Jesus warns His sheep to watch out for 4 types of villains that kill and
terrorize the sheep. Robbers and thieves sneak into the sheep fold by
climbing over the wall. Robbers, such as those that left a man in the
ditch half-dead in Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan, come to prey
on the sheep, through physical, financial, or spiritual abuse for their
own pleasure and gain, leaving the sheep with permanent scars.
Thieves (literally, petty thieves in Greek), steal the resources of the
sheep, such as their time, money, kindness, and love and hoard their
newfound riches as their personal treasury. These deceivers slip in
among the saints like wolves in sheep clothing. Then there are the
strangers. Jesus said that the sheep flee from the strangers because
they do not know their voice. It reminds us of those that are full of
hot air, quick to give their opinion or advice, even though they invest
little time to care in the saints. Finally, there is the hired help. Jesus
told us that you can tell when one is hired by their reaction to an
impending wolf attack—they run. When turmoil and division strike a
church, some run, while others stay and guard the sheep with their
own life. The good shepherd would put his life on the line and even
lays down his own life for the sheep. He is not a stranger or hired
help. Jesus is the good shepherd and wants us to be the same.
Tuesday: Joshua 3—Faith and the Jordan River
“When the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord
shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall
be cut off from flowing” (Joshua 3:13). God told the people to cross
the Jordan River. Faith was to ignore the sight of the raging river
before them that crested above the banks. God promised them the
good land beyond the river, and they determined to march straight
ahead. They didn’t need to know how; they just needed to believe
what God was going to do. Faith was to send the ark before them to
lead them across. The crossing of the river was not going to be by
human ingenuity or by a clever strategy. They allowed God to lead in
His way and according to His plan. A prayer of faith was not an
instruction manual given to God to help God understand how to
navigate the river, but an expression of a simple trust that God was
in control. Faith was to courageously step into the river, clueless
about how God was going to get them across. There was no waiting
around for explanations or outward proof. They just needed to get
both feet in and watch God work miracles beyond imagination.
Preparing dry ground in the middle of the river? Awesome! Is there
anything that God cannot do? All we need is faith.
Wednesday: John 12—A Fragrant Home
John 12:3 says, “The house was filled with the fragrance of the
perfume.” A fragrant home is a gospel message to the world. While
some seek a good teaching and others (like Judas) promote a good
work, the two women in John 12 testified their Christianity through
their home. Martha was well known for her faithful serving in the
home. The warm atmosphere she created through her sweet serving
made everyone feel at peace. Jesus was “reclining at the table,”
enjoying what Martha had provided for Him and His disciples, even
though His impending death was weighing heavy on His mind. Martha
always welcomed Jesus as if He was her own son. Mary, Martha’s
sister, added to the atmosphere with a display of her love for Jesus.
She owned a beautiful alabaster box that contained an expensive
ointment. She broke the box and poured the perfume on Jesus’ feet.
Water was not good enough to clean Jesus’ feet. She anointed it with
Nard. No price was too much. Her action displayed the consecration
of her whole life to Jesus. The proof was in the smell. In a parallel
passage in Matthew 26, Jesus said that wherever the gospel is
preached, Mary’s story will also be told. Indeed, the fragrance of this
house was, in itself, a gospel message. The smell of their serving and
affection for Jesus spoke more than words can express. Don’t judge a
home by its luxury or beauty, but by its smell.
Thursday: Joshua 5—Stop, God is Here
Joshua was busy preparing the people of Israel for their conquest of
Canaan. Moses had passed on instructions of what land they were to
possess, and Joshua was appointed to figure out how they were to
do it. What they had talked about for 42 years was really happening.
The Jordan river was behind them. They were standing in the “good
land,” a new terrain, another world that was green and beautiful. No
manna came that morning. Their diet had to dramatically change.
Food preparation, farming, housing, was all new. No doubt they
were excited, but also anxious. At the same time, Joshua had to
reshape this nomadic desert tribe, psychologically and physically,
into a nation with a respectable military. The conquest was difficult
and the responsibility on Joshua’s shoulders was great. As he was
intently looking at the first city to conquer, a man appeared with his
sword drawn. He was the commander of the Lord’s army. Joshua hit
the ground and asked what he should do. The angel told him to take
off his shoes because this was holy ground. Why? God was
reminding Joshua who was going to do the real fighting (and it was
not Joshua). We, like Joshua, often take upon our shoulders what we
feel God wants us to do. We get busy and feel stressed. But, we
need to remember that God is doing the work, not us. For this
reason, it is important that we know when to stop spending time with
God. Martin Luther, when once asked what his plans for the following
day were, answered: “Work, work, from early until late. In fact, I
have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”
A church father once said, “Every one of us needs a half hour of
prayer every day, except when we are busy—then we need an hour.”
Friday: John 14:6—The Way, Truth, Life
Jesus does it all. He is the way; He is the truth; He is the life. He is
the way because He is the mediator between us and God (1 Timothy
2:5). Through His shedding of blood, He is a “new and living way”
(Hebrews 10:19-20) so that “through Him we both have access in
one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). We should never lose
hope in life nor should we feel despair by present failure. We have
Jesus. He will bring us through. Jesus is also the truth. The Greek
word for truth can also be translated, “reality.” Jesus did not only
bring us reality (1:18), but He Himself is reality. He told us that He is
living water to satisfy our thirst (4:14), the bread of life to satisfy our
hunger (6:35), light to guide us in our daily walk (8:12), the good
shepherd that watches over us day and night (10:11), and the
resurrection (11:25) that overcomes trials and discouragement. He is
everything we need. Furthermore, He is our life. While He is moving
us forward and supplying us with all our needs, His life is changing us
on the inside. We are growing into full sonship. The selfish and sinful
past is left behind and we become a new creation (1 Corinthians
5:17). Could there be a more encouraging word that Jesus could tell
His disciples as He was about to leave His physical form? “I am the
way, the truth, and the life” would characterize every day of their
experience of the resurrected Jesus Christ.
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