How Is Your Mourning Blessed? {Beautiful Beatitudes Series}

April 12, 2018 by Lisa Burgess 25 Comments

We’re looking at the Beatitudes from Matthew 5 this month. Join us today for Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

When We Cry

“I’ll give you something to cry about!”

I hope you’ve never heard those words said to you in an outburst of anger.

But if you have heard them, it was probably when you were already crying, right? And you might have thought, but not replied out loud, “No thank you, I already have enough to cry about.”

When we’re sad and in pain, we don’t want more sadness or more pain.

When Jesus sat down on a mountain two thousand years ago, crowds of people gathered around Him. People who knew sadness, people who knew pain. They’d been living under foreign Roman tyranny for years. Their religion was under ridicule. Their health care options were unspeakably bad.

Yet within the first five minutes of His talk, Jesus tells them this:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4

What did He mean? How would they interpret that?

How do we interpret it?

Comfort of Companionship

We, too, know mourning. Life hurts. Sad things happen to everybody. Friends betray, jobs disappear, bodies fail. Some is brought on by our own doing, some by the hands of others, and some just because this world is a fallen place. Every life has storms.

We want the pain to go away.

Is that what Jesus is promising here?

And do we have a right to be disappointed when we’re not comforted out of our pain?

But look closer at His words. Jesus wasn’t promising pain removal. Instead, He was assuring them of the comfort of companionship in it.

How Do I Get the Blessing?

The Beatitudes aren’t a legalistic series of do’s and don’t’s to guarantee blessedness. The Beatitudes are truth statements about gifts of grace we receive in the Kingdom.

We don’t have to do anything to receive the blessings. They come with our inheritance.

And our inheritance includes that all our mourning is only temporary.

Knowing it will get better later can make it a little better right now.

But what about when we’re too sad or pained to even hold hope? Hope is still there anyway.

Once the Kingdom came and we were accepted in, it never goes away. Our comfort isn’t solely dependent on our faithfulness to God, but on God’s faithfulness to us.

Even when we can’t keep open the door of hope, Jesus can. We may see a slammed door.

But Christ’s light can seep underneath even closed doors.

Christ as Hope

Christ lives in us so Hope lives with us. In our mourning, regardless of its source—whether it’s from a tragedy unfolding in front of us or from a sin we can’t beat down or from someone else’s poor decisions—Hope won’t abandon us.

Jesus will never say to us: “I’ll give you something to cry about!” Instead, Jesus cries with us. His companionship is our blessing.

We always have reason to hope. Because we always have Christ. And Christ is Hope.

That is comfort.

How is your mourning blessed? If Christ lives in you, Hope lives with you. #BeautifulBeatitudes

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When has comfort evaded you? How do you find hope in pain? Please share in the comments.

Beautiful Beatitudes: Blessed are the Peacemakers

April 10, 2018 by Jaime Hilton Leave a Comment

A quiet house. A rainy afternoon with a good book. A moonlit sky full of stars. A sleeping baby. Watching a bird flutter outside my window while I sip a still warm cup of coffee and my children play together quietly. These images make my heart smile and sigh contentedly. Pictures of peace.

Ah, peace. I long for it, and very often strive to bring it to my life.

The Jewish people listening to Jesus teach on the mountainside in Galilee wanted peace too. They were waiting expectantly for a Messiah, a warrior-king like David, who would lead them on a military campaign out from under the oppression of Rome. I imagine the people listening to all these world-rocking statements – blessed are the poor? The hungry? Those who mourn? Material blessings are supposed to be a mark of God’s favor, but Jesus is teaching outright neediness! How is a peacemaker going to save us from Rome?

An Upside-down Understanding

I love Oswald Chamber’s perspective in Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. He says,

“The first time we read the Beatitudes they appear to be simple and beautiful and unstartling statements, … sweet and pious and wonderfully simple, but they are in reality like spiritual torpedoes that burst and explode in the subconscious mind…”

That is certainly what happens in my mind when I think about peace! What I want in my little corner of the world is only a feeling, as fleeting as the moments themselves. The peace the Jews wanted was the security of a self-governed, national identity. Physical, temporal, and easy to lose. The peace Jesus speaks about is Matthew 5:9 is so much more. More than a single moment void of conflict or the autonomy of a kingdom. More than harmony based on tolerance, diplomacy, or compromise. It is a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7), flowing from the character of God (Hebrews 13:20, 1 Corinthians 14:33), that defines both his kingdom and his children (Romans 10:15, 14:17).

That’s the peace I really want. More than a clean, quiet house or life without conflict, I want the peace that comes from belonging to God as only a beloved child can belong to a parent.

A Call to Arms…in a manner of speaking

“Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – Romans 5:1

The peace brought to the world by the sons of God (first the nation of Israel, now those who trust in Jesus Christ, Galatians 3:23-29) is reconciliation. To reconcile is to a) restore to friendship or harmony; b) to settle or resolve differences; c) to make consistent; d) to cause to submit or accept something unpleasant; e) to check against another for accuracy; to account for.

In other words, to bring peace.

2 Corinthians 5:18 tells us, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

As sons and daughters of God we are to be peacemakers, actively bringing healing and restoration to the world. How do we do this? By sharing the Gospel, reuniting people with God through faith in Jesus Christ.

How might you bring peace to the world today?

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P.S. Don’t forget to check out our current memorization challenge, Teach Us Jesus!

Are You Poor? – Matthew 5:2-3 {Scripture Memory Challenge}

April 9, 2018 by Lisa Burgess Leave a Comment

This week we begin memorizing the first beatitude of the eight beatitudes. (Although scholars debate how many beatitudes there are—seven, eight, nine, or ten, depending on how you count them—we’re going with eight.)

“The poor in spirit are blessed as a result of the kingdom of God being available to them in their spiritual poverty.”
– Dallas Willard

Memorize this week

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:2-3 (ESV)

How do you define “poor in spirit”?

We can’t say for certain what Jesus meant, but it certainly includes a measure of humility.

As you say these words to yourself over and over this week, reflect on your own levels of humility versus pride.

How often are you aware of Christ refilling you?
Are you more self-sufficient than you are Christ-dependent?
Do you accept God’s grace as a regular staple in your spiritual diet?

Regardless of how you view your poverty, be grateful for what comes with it: “the kingdom of heaven.”

You don’t earn the kingdom through humility. You become humble through your relationship with Jesus. The kingdom is available to you through Him.

Kingdom life is a gift you receive both now and later.

Beatitudes Poem

If you’d like a visual reminder, here’s a poem to remember the Beatitudes using parts of the body.

Start from your head and work down to your feet.

Read more here on The Beautiful Beatitudes.

Are you poor? Do you feed on God’s grace in your spiritual diet? Memorize Matthew 5:2-3

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What does “poor in spirit” mean to you? Please share your thoughts here.

The Beautiful Beatitudes – A New Series

April 5, 2018 by Ali Shaw 2 Comments

The Beatitudes are among the most quoted words of Jesus. This month, we’ll be starting a new series where we’ll look intently at some of the beautiful eight promises that Christ poured out on expectant, eager ears during His Sermon on the Mount.

What are Beatitudes?

By simple definition, a beatitude is a declaration of blessedness. (For word nerds like me, it comes from the Latin word, beatitudinem, which means “state of blessedness.”) Promises of blessings were given for those who had responded to the call of repentance (Matthew 4:17) and entered a relationship with the Savior.

In other words, those promises are for us!

Each beatitude shows a blessing deeper than mere earthly happiness. Instead they point to spiritual joy that can’t be taken or shaken, no matter what sorrows, griefs, or hardships occur.

Read what Spurgeon says about The Beatitudes:

See how Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount, he begins with benedictions. He is a cloud that is full of rain, and that empties itself upon the earth. The moment you begin to know Christ, you begin to have blessings; and the more you know of him, the more blessed you will be. – Charles Spurgeon

Jesus often teaches deep, complex truths in easy to understand ways. The Beatitudes are no exception. Each beatitude lists a simple promise of blessing and the following result for those who have chosen to answer His call of invitation to enter into His Kingdom.

Yes, like Spurgeon said, the more we know of Him, the more blessed we will be!

But what does “Blessed” mean?

According to HELPS Word-Studies the word “blessed” used in the Beatitudes is the word “makários (from mak-, ‘become long, large’) – properly, when God extends His benefits (the advantages He confers); blessed.”

The word “blessed” implies that the receiver of the blessings is in an enviable position because of the grace and extended favor that God has shown toward them. We want blessings, or course!— not to be enviable to others, but to receive more of His goodness.

Oh, yes, we are blessed because of Him. And we are blessed because of the great love and grace He extends to us!

If you’re joining us for “Teach Us, Jesus”, our current memorization challenge (pssst, it’s not too late to join!!), you’ll know that we’ll soon be memorizing these beatitudes. We hope you’ll join us for that and also for this series as we sit with Jesus and study His teaching.

Do you love The Beatitudes? How have Jesus promises encouraged you?

Blessings, friends!
Ali

Jesus Sees Each One – Matthew 5:1 {Scripture Memory Challenge}

April 2, 2018 by Lisa Burgess 6 Comments

The first disciples had no idea what they were about to hear. Do we? What will we learn from Jesus’s words in Matthew 5?

Welcome to Week 1 of our Scripture Memory Challenge!

We’re breaking our challenge into three sections:

Matthew 5:1-10, six weeks (April 2-May 13)
Matthew 5:11-16, six weeks (May 21-Jul 1)
Matthew 5:17-19, three weeks (Jul 9-Jul 29)

Today, April 2, begins the first section. It includes the Beatitudes, the statements of blessedness that Jesus spoke over the crowd, “Blessed are….”

Read the text here. Read it often. We’ll stay here for 6 weeks.

Although this section is the longest of the three—we’ll learn 10 verses—it’s also likely the most familiar. I pray we’ll be amazed at how easily these verses will stick in our memories.

And more so, be amazed at how they’ll work themselves into our hearts, and out through our actions.

Memorize This Week

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
Matthew 5:1 (ESV)

This verse shows that the crowds wanted to hear what Jesus had to say.

Maybe some were looking for His leadership to take over the physical government.
Others may have suspected He could be the Messiah and they wanted a healing.
Others may have just been curious about the hoopla surrounding Him and wanted to see for themselves.

But whatever their reason for coming, Jesus saw each of them. On this hill or mountain near the ancient site of Capernaum, Jesus sat down (as was the custom of the Jews) and He gave them His full attention with a deep message.

What did they learn from His words? What will you learn? Let’s begin this journey!

Have You Signed Up?

If you haven’t signed up yet for our emails, please sign up now. You will receive a short email reminder of the verse each Monday, its first letters, and additional thoughts and actions to consider. Join the Hide His Word Facebook group for more community as we learn the verses.

Here at the blog we’ll also be sharing about the Beatitudes during the month of April. We hope you’ll share your own insights as well.

It begins on a mountain. Jesus sees them. He sees you. Memorize #Matthew5 v1 this week. #HideHisWord

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Please share your thoughts here.

Our Risen Savior: Mark 16 and John 19-21

March 30, 2018 by Patti Brown Leave a Comment

John 19: Prophecies Fulfilled

John gives us a heart wrenching and detailed description of Jesus’ “trial,” crucifixion, and burial in chapter 19. Scattered throughout this chapter are reminders that every detail fulfills prophecy—proof that Jesus Christ is the Messiah.

This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” John 19:24

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” John 19:28

For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.” John 19:36-37

Jesus fulfilled hundreds of Old Testament prophecies. Every detail of his life, death, and resurrection was important, and pointed to the Truth of who He was.

Mark 16: Resurrection Overview

Mark’s consolidated overview of the Resurrection is his final chapter. Verses 9-20 are not found in the earliest manuscripts, and based on style, most scholars believe they were later additions.

Mark writes in verses 1-8 of the women who went to the tomb with spices after the Sabbath had ended. This would have been a costly decision — financially, emotionally, and timewise. But love can drives us to do things that require personal sacrifice. I can only imagine their emotions heading to the tomb: their grief, their worry over the weight of the stone in front of the tomb. And then their horror and fear to find the stone moved, and an angel sitting in the tomb!

The additional verses in Mark describe the people Jesus appeared to after He was raised from the dead, as well as His ascension into heaven.

John 20 – Peace Be With You

I have always loved this chapter of John. I almost feel as if I am there… I can feel the anxiety of Mary Magdalene as she ran to tell Peter and John that the stone was moved… the thumping heart of young John as he ran faster than Peter to see what had happened… the grief and fear of Peter as he was freshly dealing with not only the loss of Jesus, but his recent betrayal of Him.

Apostles Peter and John hurry to the tomb. Eugène Burnand, 1898.

But I think what touches my heart most is this verse:

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). (John 20:16)

Mary recognized the voice of her dear Lord, and we know that she flung herself on him, because in the next verse He tells her “Do not cling to me.” The deep love relationship between Jesus and Mary, and the fact that He honored this once despised woman with the very first glimpse of His resurrected self, is so moving to me.

Jesus then miraculously appeared to all the disciples in the locked room in which most of them were tucked away. Thomas was not there; John chronicles Thomas’ doubt that Jesus had really appeared, and his subsequent reaction when he finally did see Jesus.

I am struck by the fact that Jesus’ first greeting to the group of disciples, as well as Thomas, was “Peace be with you.” (verses 19, 21, and 26). How well the Lord knew that His disciples needed His peace which passes all understanding!

John 21 – Going Forward in Love

We now come to the final chapter of John, and the final chapter in our #40DaysWithJesus journey.

This chapter revolves heavily around Peter, and these are the first personal interactions we read about between Peter and Jesus after Peter’s betrayal.

Jesus tells Peter and crew where to find fish after a rough night, and the amazing abundance they pull in helps John recognize Jesus (v.7). Peter in his endearingly over-the-top way flings himself out of the boat and swims to shore to Jesus. Jesus cooks some fish for them, always aware of their every need.

Jesus and Peter then have a difficult conversation, which in English might appear confusing, but when you dig into the Greek you realize that the words translated “love” are not the same throughout the passage.

“Simon, son of John, do you love [agapas] me more than these? “Yes, Lord; you know that I love [philō] you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love [agapas] me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love [philō] you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love [phileis] me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love [philō] you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17)

Peter knew he was not yet capable of agape love, but Jesus knew that some day he would be.

John concludes his Gospel with these stirring words: “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)

What a fitting way for us to end our study together!

40 Days With Jesus

As we come to the end of our Lenten Reading Plan, let’s look back over what we have studied:

40 Days With Jesus: A Reading Plan for Lent — Thoughts on Lent and a printable reading plan.
Why Read from Mark and John for Lent? — Some background on the books of Mark and John.
Lent is About Love (John 1:1-18) — In the first half of John 1, John tells us that Jesus is the Word… “lofty, intangible, the very essence of all thought and wisdom.”
What Have You Seen (John 1:19-51, Mark 1) — John the Baptist is introduced, Jesus is tempted in the desert, and His healing ministry begins.
Healing and Controversy (Mark 2-3, John 2) — Jesus begins to heal people, and turns water into wine.
The Son Gives Living Water Welling up to Eternal Life (John 3-5) — Jesus teaches Nicodemus about spiritual rebirth, offers the Samaritan woman living water, and continues to perform miraculous healings.
Parables and Prerogatives (Mark 4-6) — Jesus teaches His followers using parables, and demonstrates that He has authority over the weather, demons, illness, and even death!
Jesus, Astonishing Bread of Life (Mark 7, John 6) — Jesus continues to amaze people with His teachings and miracles.
When in Doubt Focus on Jesus (Mark 8-9, John 7) — Jesus wants us to see, hear and remember Him, take our doubts to Him, and align our thinking with Him.
The Truth Will Set You Free (John 8-10) — We can choose to follow Jesus and enter through the door that lads to life. Or we can be blind to the truth, which ultimately leads to death.
The Path to the Cross (John 11, Mark 10-11) — In these chapters, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, teaches the disciples and tells them what is to come, and returns to Jerusalem triumphantly.
Jesus: The Great Teacher (John 12, Mark 12-13) — These chapters are filled with Jesus’ teachings.
Jesus: Preparing Us for Change (Mark 14:1-42, John 13-14) — As Jesus’ death grows closer, He begins to prepare His disciples for what is coming.
12 Ways to Let Jesus Love You (John 15-17) — These chapters are collections of Jesus’s words as He talked to His disciples, and later to God, on the night He would be arrested.
Jesus, King of Kings (Mark 14:42-72, John 18, Mark 15) — Jesus was not the King the Jewish people had envisioned would come to save them, but He was the King they needed!
Our Risen Savior (Mark 16, John 19-21) — Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension into heaven are the topics of these final four chapters.

We hope you have been blessed by your time in God’s Word during our #40DaysWithJesus. I know I speak for the entire DoNotDepart team when I say we are grateful for you, and have especially enjoyed the discussions and sharing in our Facebook community group during this Lenten season. We hope you plan to spend every day with Jesus!

Our Risen Savior: Mark 16 and John 19-21. The final days of #40DaysWithJesus. #biblestudy

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Recap of all the posts in our #40DaysWithJesus Lenten #biblestudy.

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Jesus, King of Kings – Mark 14:42-72, John 18, Mark 15

March 27, 2018 by Alyssa Howard 1 Comment

As you read Days 34-36 from our Lent Reading plan (40 Days with Jesus), what stands out the most to you and why?

As a little girl, I envisioned the day that I would one day get married and have children. And let me the first to say, nothing turned out the way I pictured it… (I am so glad it didn’t!) While my childhood dreams were based on fairy tales and happily ever afters, reality is often a bit messier. I have now been married for nearly 8 years and have two beautiful daughters, and living through the ups and downs has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my life. It all happened as it should… the way God intended it to be.

The Jewish people had long awaited their Messiah. They had a picture in their minds of what He would look like and accomplish for their people. They sought after a physical king who would free them from the Roman oppression they were currently enduring. And in the end, the Jewish people would be a great and mighty kingdom, greater than any kingdom that had ever ruled the known earth.

But Jesus was nothing like they pictured.

I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. – Daniel 7:13-14 (ESV)

As we read through the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, it can be difficult to see the King described in Daniel 7:13-14. Through physical eyes, Jesus was simply an ordinary man. He was no king. But the truth of Jesus victory on the cross and His kingship cannot be seen through physical eyes. And this is made clear through Jesus’ final words leading up to His death.

Mark 14:42-72

“Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” – Mark 14:49 (ESV)

Many aspects of Jesus’ ministry, betrayal, arrest, and ultimately His crucifixion don’t make sense. Judas, one of His disciples would betray Him. Though without sin, Jesus was condemned to die a criminal’s death. And the Jewish people who loved Him and welcomed Him into Jerusalem just days earlier (Mark 11:8-11) now despised Him and wanted Him to die. Why? Why did the events of His life unfold in such a manner?

Jesus answers this very question in today’s reading. The Old Testament told of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It gave details concerning His life and ministry, His death and resurrection, and the victorious impact this would have on mankind as Jesus established His Kingdom as our eternal King. “But let the Scriptures be fulfilled...”

John 18

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” – John 18:36 (ESV)

Jesus’ mission couldn’t be seen with physical eyes because only those with ears to hear and eyes to see could know the truth. You see, Jesus was fulfilling prophecy before their very eyes… prophecy that the Jewish leaders knew VERY well. Yet, they missed it. They couldn’t see the truth because they were spiritually blind. Jesus tells us twice in verse 36 that His kingdom is not of this world. He was about ready to do the most impacting, life-altering thing in history… atone for the sins of mankind, defeat sin and death once and for all, and establish Himself as King of kings and Lord of lords for all eternity. While the world saw an ordinary man claiming to be a king, those who could spiritually see the truth knew Him as the Son of God who would save the world and reign as King of kings for all eternity.

Mark 15

And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” – Mark 15:38-39 (ESV)

Truly Jesus is the Son of God! The events leading up to and surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection were nothing short of miraculous, to say the least. When Jesus died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Spiritually, life would never be the same. His defeat of sin and death would mean that we could now dwell in the presence of our Father for all eternity.

While the world sees an ordinary man, those who can spiritually see the truth know Him as King Jesus.

For more discussion, join in with our DoNotDepart Facebook community.

Catch up on all our articles here on our reading passages for Lent.

Jesus Still Speaks – Memorize Matthew 5 and Listen

March 26, 2018 by Lisa Burgess 2 Comments

Will you be memorizing Matthew 5:1-19 with us? We’ll begin Monday, April 2, 2018.

You still have time to sign up.

We’ll be here to help as you memorize Matthew 5:1-19.

We have cards and journals ready for you to print after you register.
We’ll send you a short email each Monday morning reminding you of the verse of the week.
We have our Hide His Word Facebook group eager to keep you encouraged.

This text begins with Jesus going up a mountain to talk to His followers. He had so much to tell them, many things which would turn their world upside down.

And even though we may have heard many of these sayings over and over, Jesus’s words still have the potential to turn our worlds upside down, too.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3

~ ~ ~

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Matthew 5:9

~ ~ ~

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matthew 5:14

We’ll sit with these words April through July. Learning only one to two verses a week, we’ll have time to let them really sink into our hearts.

Slowly.
Intentionally.
Deeply.

Jesus still speaks to us today. May we be listening for His voice.

Sign up here.

Still time to sign up! Memorize the Beatitudes and more. #Matthew5 #HideHisWord

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12 Ways to Let Jesus Love You – John 15-17

March 23, 2018 by Lisa Burgess 9 Comments

How does Jesus love you? Find lots of answers in John 15-17.

It’s one thing to believe a fact. It’s another thing to experience it.

We think we know someone…until we live with them.
We think we know how to parent…until we have a child.
We think we know the love of Jesus…until we experience it for ourselves.

But what if we haven’t yet experienced His love?

“Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so”

Maybe we know in theory that Jesus loves us. But do we understand HOW to receive His love?

We can’t fully take it in. His love is so big.

But here’s what we can do. We can adjust our attitudes and reframe our thoughts about the ways Jesus is loving us. By being more open to it, we can better experience it.

Don’t overlook these important three readings in our Lenten plan, John 15-17.

These chapters are collections of Jesus’s words as He talked to His disciples, and later to God, on the night He would be arrested. They’re important. They’re full of answers about how Jesus loves.

12 Ways to Let Jesus Love You

JOHN 15

Jesus continues to comfort His disciples with these words after Judas left the table. We can take heart in them as well.

Take a bath

Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
John 15:3

You don’t have to live covered in guilt, in shame, in regrets. If you live in the vine, Jesus wants you to realize you’ve been cleaned up. Take a bath in the grace that Jesus offers you. Drench yourself in His mercy and forgiveness. It’s yours. Receive it.

Use your gifts

By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
John 15:8

You have interests. You have skills. You have gifts that God gave you to give to the world. Drop the hesitation and exercise your talents. Just as Eric Liddel said, “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure,” so you, too, can feel the love of Jesus pouring out of you when you use YOUR gifts.

Love others

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 15:12

Another way to feel Jesus’s love is by letting it flow straight you to others. God is love. He is the source and the root of all love. When you love another person, you are doing so by the power of the root source of all love, God. Use that.

Be loved by others

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13

A fourth way Jesus loves you is through other people loving you. It’s a crucial way to know the love of Jesus. If He told another person to lay down his life for you, don’t block the blessing. Accept their love, and thus His love.

JOHN 16

But Jesus’s words didn’t stop there. He continued speaking to the apostles, saying these things.

Don’t surrender to confusion

I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.
John 16:1

You will be confused at times in life. You will have doubts. That’s not sinful. But don’t give up your faith in Jesus because of it. Jesus says you don’t have to. Let His gift of words strengthen you.

Let the Spirit guide you

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
John 16:13

Not only did Jesus give you His words, He also gives you His Spirit to stick with you. When you are touched—whether through the wisdom of a friend or the teachings of a pastor or the words of a child—know the Spirit of Jesus is behind it.

Ask God directly

Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
John 16:23-24

Another way Jesus loves you is by giving you direct access to the Father. Don’t miss out on a fuller experience of the love of Jesus because you fail to ask directly for what you need.

God loves you, too

For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
John 16:27

Can it get any plainer? Jesus said that loving Him makes God happy, too. God loves you as much as Jesus does.

JOHN 17

The words transition here. Jesus switches away from talking to His followers and now talks directly to His Father. We can glean much here, not only about how Jesus loves God, but also how Jesus loves us.

Update your spiritual birth certificate

All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.
John 17:10

When a child is adopted, they get a new birth certificate. They get a new name. Being loved by Jesus gives you a new name. You no longer live under a curse of condemnation from your humanity. Royal blood now runs through your spirit.

Experience joy

But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
John 17:13

Because you live in this world, you will naturally feel grief and experience heartaches. But underneath it all—even when you’ve lost touch with it for a season—joy remains your foundation. It’s part of your birthright.

Take the heart protection

I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
John 17:15

Another evidence of Jesus’s love is your safety. You are protected. Not from physical or emotional hurts, but you are safe from ultimate destruction. Despite the hard things that come, God holds your heart in His hands.

Live as one

I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
John 17:23

Love isn’t blind. You know love when you see it. So does the world. When believers love as God loves, people notice. An evidence of being loved is your capacity to love. When you live in harmony with others, you are living proof of God’s love

The Fruit of Being Loved

These three rich chapters of John 15-17 show us the fruit of being loved by Jesus. We experience this fruit as:

Joy
Unity
Fulfillment
Adoption
Protection
and more

We may still have times when we don’t feel loved by Jesus. But by reminding ourselves of the variety of ways that He does indeed love us, feeling it or not, we can rest assured that we ARE loved.

May Jesus’s love nourish your heart.

I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let my love nourish your hearts.
John 15:9

How do you experience the love of Jesus? 12 Ways to Let Jesus Love You #40DaysWithJesus

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Which of these twelve ways do you experience most fully? What would you add about how you know the love of Jesus? Please share in the comments.

Jesus: Preparing Us for Change – Mark 14:1-42, John 13 & 14

March 20, 2018 by Jaime Hilton Leave a Comment

Today we’re considering days 28-30 of our Lenten reading plan. Mark 14 opens with the plot to kill Jesus and the anointing of Jesus at Bethany, then goes on to describe the preparations for Passover, a brief glimpse of that final supper with the twelve including the prediction of Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial, and the prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. John 13 and 14 delve deeper into that last supper with Jesus washing the disciple’s feet and sharing with them those final things they need to know before it all goes down.

Mark 14:1-42

Sometimes change comes suddenly without any warning. Other times you can feel it on the horizon. Anticipation of something not quite known hovering just beyond your reach. I imagine it was this general sort of unease blanketing the atmosphere at an otherwise normal dinner, two days before Passover, when an unnamed woman casually anoints Jesus with an expensive perfume. The indignation of the dinner guests prompts him to declare,

“You always have the poor with you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body in advance for burial.” (Mark 14:7-8)

Talk about setting the mood! But then again, this time is all about preparation. Change is coming. Soon Jesus will not be with them.

Mark gives lets us in on the climate at the beginning of the week by sharing the murderous desires of the chief priests and scribes (v.1-2). After the anointing, Judas sets up the plan to betray Jesus (v.10). Two of the disciples are sent to prepare the Passover meal in a home of someone in the city (v. 12-16). During dinner, Jesus prepares his disciples for the new covenant and warns them of their upcoming betrayals.

“All of you will fall away, because it is written: I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.” (v. 27)”

Finally, in the garden, Jesus prepares himself for the great agony he will face on our behalf.

John 13

John was there. He reclined at the table with Jesus and the other disciples. He watched his Lord wash his feet, the ultimate example of all that Jesus has taught them.

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (v. 3-5)

He wondered along with the others, who could possibly betray them? He soaked in the words of his teacher and friend, not understanding, but like so many times before, trusting that understanding would come.

John 14

With Judas, the betrayer, gone from the table, Jesus pours out promises to comfort and instruct them about the dark days ahead.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (vv. 6-7)

Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (v.14)

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (vv.16-17)

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (v. 26)

And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. (v. 29)

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