They do not Believe

Jesus said to the Jews: "The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who has sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life.I do not accept human praise; moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from only God? Do you think that I will accurse you before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"

Consideration: Jesus tells the Jews that the works he performs testifies on his behalf that the Father has sent him. Yet, the Jews do not accept that he was sent by the Father. They search the Scriptures, believing eternal life is found through them. But they refuse to accept Jesus as the Son of the Father and refuse his words of eternal life. Even Moses wrote about him in his writings; yet they do not believe.

A New Beginning

Air raid warnings sound across the land, people scatter for shelter

Precision munitions, loss of life in the ancient land, people in fear

Many say this is the beginning of the end, Bible quotes tell us so

It may or may not be, this hell and misery, but God only knows

A mastermind conceived an evil plan, destruction through division

God's creation of man must be destroyed, and the earth we live in

Angel of Light to demon of darkness, cast from the heavenly realm

To the fiery pit for he and his minions, the pain and agony of hell 

The signs of the times seem to be as predicted are all around us

As heaven and earth are crying out with misery, groans and pains

People of God's light are persevering through all of this madness

Faith, hope, and trust will lead us through just as those before us

Be not afraid, the words that have stood the persecutions of time

God did not create us to destroy us, but to grant us eternal life

Though the bombs may fall and destruction at a glance winning

God will lead us to a springtime of eternity and a new beginning

Love of the Father for the Son

Jesus answered the Jews: "My Father is at work until now, so I am at work." For this reason, they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath, but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God. Jesus answered and said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing, for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that he may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.

"I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgement is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me."

Rise

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been sick for a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be well?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your mat, and walk." Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Lord Jesus, compassionate and merciful, once again you heal a sick man. May this serve us as a lesson, never to give up on things that seem impossible. For nothing is impossible for you. Amen.

The Faith of a Mustard Seed

At that time Jesus left Samaria for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast. Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe." The royal official said to him, "Sir, come down before my son dies." Jesus said to him, "You may go; your son will live." The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he started to recover. They told him, "The fever left him yesterday about one in the afternoon." The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live," and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea. 

Lord Jesus, the royal official believed with all of his heart that you would heal his son. You knew that this man was truly sincere, so you granted his request. May we be blessed with the faith of a mustard seed, so that we too, will be able with your grace to move mountains. Amen.

"I Do Believe"

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, "Go wash in the Pool of Siloam" - which means Sent. So he went and washed, and came back able to see. 

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, "Isn't this the one who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is," but others said, "No, he just looks like him." He said, "I am." 

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on the sabbath. So the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath." But others said, "How can a sinful man do such signs?" And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, "What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." 

They answered and said to him, "You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?" Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered and said, "Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he." He said, "I do believe, Lord," and he worshipped him.

Consideration: "I do believe." Said the blind man, healed by Jesus, as he worshiped him.

Do we possess the faith of this man? We who are blind to the many faults and transgressions we have committed. Have the words of our Lord been enough to open our eyes to the truth? That we may also say with humility and confidence, "Yes, Lord, I do believe."

Humility

Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. "Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not the rest of humanity-greedy, dishonest, adulterous-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for the one who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

​Lord Jesus, it is only through humility that we will find our way to your heart; and finding our way there, your grace will guide us to seek out forgiveness for our sinfulness, with humility. Amen.