HEARTLIGHT — A Year with Jesus

For Those Seeking" — A Year with Jesus for 02/12/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Seeker, 

Folks have talked about My methods as a teacher for centuries. Many have been intrigued by My stories that are often called parables — "everyday stories with heavenly meanings" is one description of them. There are several reasons I told these stories:
Using stories with subjects and items that you see in your everyday life allows My stories to be recalled when you see the subject or item in your daily experiences.
Stories are often better remembered than instruction because you use different parts of your brain to process stories.
I occasionally like to sneak a humorous, ironic, or happy element into the stories to make them fun as well as memorable.
Stories often elicit more emotion than simply making a point without the stories.
My stories often make you think to gather the meaning or truth behind the story. I like to make you think! Thinking makes you own the truth because you've discovered it instead of having someone spoon-feed it to you.
However, there is an element of My stories that some miss even though I emphasize this truth in My teaching. My stories not only reveal truth, but they also can conceal truth. 

Over the last few days, I've challenged you to follow Me as your Lord, to seek to bring My kingdom to your world, and to place your loyalty fully with Me. I want you to be a seeker — a seeker of My kingdom and a seeker of My truth. Your commitment to be a seeker opens the door for My stories to reveal God's truth. 

Those who do not seek Me and who do not seek My kingdom first will have the truth of many of My stories concealed from their hearts. There are several reasons for this concealment reality. Sometimes things are concealed from non-seekers in My stories because:
The stories could get believers in trouble. In cultures pressured to express their first loyalty to king and country, some of My teachings are quite dangerous for believers.
Some non-seekers have hard hearts. They can't understand because they don't want to understand. They don't believe because they won't believe.
The promises and hopes of a certain story are only for believers, seekers, and followers.
My stories explain hidden and obscure truths that are beyond the understanding of non-seekers because of their lack of faith — they do not share the worldview of a seeker.
Remember the promise I made to you in My Sermon on the Mount?
Just ask and it will be given to you; seek after it and you will find. Continue to knock and the door will be opened for you. All who ask receive. Those who seek, find what they seek. And he who knocks, will have the door opened. 
(Matthew 7:7-8)
Well it's true and using this ASK principle (asking, seeking, and knocking) when you look at My stories is one of the ways you can discover this truth for yourself! So ASK. The Spirit of Truth within you, the Holy Spirit I sent to be with you and inside you, will help unlock the meaning and mystery of My stories and guide you into all truth!
Verses to Live

I want you to notice the few words below and how they shed the light of truth on one vital reality. This reality is a great reason for you, as a seeker, to rejoice. What is this reality? I will open your minds and explain the truths of my stories if you will ask. As is illustrated in the verses below, I responded to my disciples' request for an explanation of My parable.
Jesus gave all these teachings to the crowd in parables. Indeed, He spoke only in parables in fulfillment of the prophetic words of the psalms:
I will open My mouth in parables; 
I will tell them things that have been hidden and obscure since the very beginning of the world.
Then Jesus left the crowds and returned to His house. His disciples followed Him. 

Disciples:
Explain to us the story You told about...
(Matthew 13:34-36)
Response in Prayer

O Father, thank You for the stories of Jesus. O Lord Jesus, thank You for sharing the mysteries and truths of heaven with me in stories. O Holy Spirit, please open my heart to receive the truth of Jesus, please open my mind to understand the truth of Jesus, and please use my hands to do the work of bringing Jesus' kingdom to this world. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

A Question You Need to Ask!" — A Year with Jesus for 02/13/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Friend, 

How's your boat? No, I'm not talking about a literal boat you may or may not own. I'm talking about the things in your life that furnish you security, a sense of safety, identity, order, or purpose. 

So let Me ask you again. How's your boat? Are your investments up or down? Do you own your stuff or does your stuff own you? Has the job or person you trusted for security let you down? Are you working madly to keep your body and your appearance looking young and vibrant while fearing that aging is stealing away your identity and usefulness? Is your family all that you hoped it would be? Have your achievements brought you joy and a sense of fulfillment or do you feel as if you have to accomplish more to be significant? 

Your boat is whatever you have used as your sense of safety, security, identity, order, or purpose. So how's your boat? 

Here's the truth. Sooner or later, something much bigger than you, something you can't control, is going to rock your boat! So what are you going to do then? How are you going to face the raging storms of life if you are depending on a fragile and temporal boat? 

Today's verses speak directly to one of life's harshest truths: no mortal can protect or even navigate his or her boat in the face of life's raging realities. Many who claim to follow Me have had Me along as a sleeping passenger, a mere mascot, someone to talk to through some of the minor squalls of life when they needed something fixed. They never really have given Me control of their boat. They've never handed Me control of the sails. Then when life's storms hit, they want to know why I've let the troubles of life threaten them. 

So when the next storm hits and rocks your boat and scares you down to the depths of your soul, what are you going to do? I hope it will be this. I hope you will wake Me from being your sleeping mascot. I hope you will ask Me for help. And most of all, I hope when it is all done, you will ask the questions My disciples did when the storm rocked their boat:
Who is this man? How can He command wind and water so they do what He says?
Then, I hope you will make Me your boat and not just your mascot! Better yet, why not make Me your boat, your Master, your Lord, today... before the next storm hits and the waves pound and the wind blows?
Verses to Live

As you read today's verses, ask yourself, "What is my boat?" Answer as honestly as you can. Then invite Me to be more than your passenger or your mascot; ask Me to be your Boat — to provide you security, direction, and your future.
Picture this: 

One day Jesus and His disciples get into a boat. 

Jesus:
Let's cross the lake.
So they push off from shore and begin sailing to the far side. As they progress across the lake, Jesus falls sound asleep. Soon a raging storm blows in. The waves wash over the sides of the boat, and the boat starts filling up with water. Every second the situation becomes more dangerous. 

The disciples shake Jesus and wake Him. 

Disciples (shouting):
Master! Master! We're all going to die!
Jesus wakes up and tells the wind to stop whipping them around, and He tells the furious waves to calm down. They do just that. Then Jesus turns to the disciples. 

Jesus:
What happened to your faith?
The disciples had been terrified during the storm, but now they're afraid in another way. They turn to each other and start whispering, chattering, and wondering. 

Disciples:
Who is this man? How can He command wind and water so they do what He says?
(Luke 8:22-25)
Response in Prayer

Lord Jesus, forgive me for making other things in my life my basis of security. I want You to be Lord of my life and the basis of my security. Please help me as I make You my Boat! Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!

"Let Me Decide!" — A Year with Jesus for 02/11/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Precious Disciple, 

Satan uses a very effective form of temptation on many of you who are My followers. He gets you to avoid looking at your own personal weaknesses and tempts you to focus on other people's faults. Before long, you find others you don't think measure up and aren't as fruitful as you think they should be. You can grow angry because you are discouraged by those who claim to follow Me and yet live showing no loyalty to Me at all in their lifestyles. You are frustrated because unbelievers point to the hypocrites in My churches and use them to bolster their claim that Christianity doesn't really matter. There can be times when you wish someone would just run out all the "fake followers" so there wouldn't be so much spiritual drag on your worship, mission, and influence. 

Please remember that I warned you in several of My parables that many would claim to be My followers while their lives revealed something very different. Some among you are new disciples and don't fully know My way and need time to mature. Others are weak and succumb to temptation easily, but they truly love Me and need help to grow stronger and have someone walk alongside them. Even many of the hypocrites have a good heart; they just haven't surrendered all of that heart to My lordship and need to be challenged to love Me with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. 

Please hear the two-part warning in the parable below. 

First, My church, My people, My spiritual family on earth does not exist in a vacuum. Satan and his demonic forces wage war against Me, My people, and My church. My enemy plants fake believers in the middle of true believers. He does so to drag you down, discourage you, and hopefully diminish your spiritual passion. The evil one longs to give ammunition to your critics and discourage those trying to decide whether or not to follow Me. Don't let this discourage you. Instead, use this knowledge to help those who are not faithfully following Me come to full faith in Me and to follow Me as their Lord and Savior. 

Second, however, you should not try to decide who is a true disciple and who is a fake disciple. That's My job: to expose what is false and what is genuine. Please don't destroy My church by ripping up someone who is precious to Me. Let Me handle discerning between good fruit and bad fruit. Most of this I will do at the end of time. I will do this with My angels — the heavenly messengers. 

In the meantime, let's work together on you. Let's be honest about where you are in your spiritual journey. Are you fully following Me? Do you struggle being a new disciple? Do you have periods when you are weak? Do you catch yourself being hypocritical in what you say you believe and what you actually live? Do you find yourself being cynical about the faithfulness of other believers? Whatever is holding you back, please, let's work on it together as we journey through the New Testament this year! 

Remember, I long to help you "shine like the sun in the Father's Kingdom"!
Verses to Live

In this parable, faithful disciples are described as "good seeds" and the unfaithful are "weeds." You — and everyone else — get to decide which you will be. As you undoubtedly know, the initial decision to be faithful frequently is not enough. Most people need frequent recommitment and the help and encouragement of others. Don't automatically categorize others who are not completely faithful to Me as being among the "weeds." Rather, you may be able to provide just the help and encouragement that they need, while at the same time being careful not to become one of the weeds yourself.
Jesus told them another parable. 

Jesus:
The kingdom of heaven is like this: Once there was a farmer who sowed good seeds in his field. While the farmer's workers were sleeping, his enemy crept into the field and sowed weeds among all the wheat seeds. Then he snuck away again. Eventually the crops grew — wheat, but also weeds. So the farmer's workers said to him, "Sir, why didn't you sow good seeds in your field? Where did these weeds come from?" 

"My enemy must have done this," replied the farmer. 

"Should we go pull up all the weeds?" asked his workers. 

"No," said the farmer. "It's too risky. As you pull up the weeds, you would probably pull up some wheat as well. We'll let them both grow until harvest time. I will tell the harvesters to collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, and only then to harvest the wheat and bring it to my barn.
(Matthew 13:24-30) 

Then Jesus left the crowds and returned to His house. His disciples followed Him. 

Disciples:
Explain to us the story You told about the weeds. 
Jesus:
The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed represents the children of the Kingdom. The weeds— who do you think the weeds are? They are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who threw the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the workers are God’s heavenly messengers. In the parable, I told you the weeds would be pulled up and burned — well, that is how it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send His messengers out into the world, and they will root out from His kingdom everything that is poisonous, ugly, and malicious, and everyone who does evil. They will throw all that wickedness into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. And the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
(Matthew 13:36-43)
Response in Prayer

Father, help me not grow cynical with those who claim to be Christians but who live their lives as if they couldn't care less. Use me to encourage my brothers and sisters to a deeper walk with you. I know that our spiritual family, our church fellowship, doesn't exist in a vacuum and that Satan opposes us. But Father, I believe the power You have given me in the Holy Spirit can help me triumph over the evil one. I want to shine like the sun in Your kingdom and bring You glory. I want to help your kingdom come on earth now, just as it exists in heaven. In Jesus' name and for Jesus' glory I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"Hidden Things I Bring into the Light" — A Year with Jesus for 02/10/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Faithful Follower, 

Hide and seek is a great children's game. However, it is a dangerous and deadly spiritual game. If you are My follower, don't hide your loyalty and commitment to Me from others. When you have guests in your house, you don't hide the lamp so they can't find their way around your house in the dark. So if your friend is lost in spiritual darkness, why would you hide My spiritual light from them? Do you want them to stumble around in spiritual darkness? 

Remember, I see what you do in your life. I'm not there to snoop, spy, or try to catch you doing something wrong. I'm there to strengthen, encourage, and bless. Yet know this: where I go, I bring true light. Hidden things are exposed. So I'm asking you to let My light penetrate deeply into your hidden places and drive out your darkness (John 3:19-21). When you let My light into your life, it will be filled with more and more light. However, if you try to keep things hidden away in the dark corners of your spirit, little by little you will lose the light you have now (Matthew 6:23). And be sure of this: even if you drive My light from most of your heart, sooner or later, everything in your heart will be revealed (Matthew 10:26-33). 

Finally, remember I AM the One who can help you find truth by shining My light in all places. As you try to look through the Bible for truth, don't forget Me. I AM here to help you make sense of it all in a way that is a blessing to all! So just ask Me to use the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, to help you know what Scripture means and how it all points to Me. I AM the One Who brings light to dark places, the one Who exposes truth and error, the One Who gives more light to those seeking light, and the One Who helps you know how to use the Scriptures to unlock the truth and find great treasures!
Verses to Live

I AM the light to dark places, the guarantee that everything hidden will be brought to the full light of truth.
Jesus:
You wouldn't light a lamp and cover it with a clay pot. You're not going to hide it under your bed. No, when you light it, you're going to put it out in the open so your guests can feel welcome and see where they're going. 

Hidden things will always come out into the open. Secret things will come to light and be exposed. I hope you're still listening. And I hope you're listening carefully. If you get what I'm saying, you'll get more. If you miss My meaning, even the understanding you think you have will be taken from you.
(Luke 8:16-18)
Just like hidden things will ultimately be revealed, people will ultimately be seen for who they are and what they have done.
Jesus:
Or think of it this way: the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, a net that caught a world of flickering fish. When the net was full, the fishermen hauled it to shore. They separated the good fish from the bad, placing the good fish in a bucket and throwing out the inedible fish. That is what the end of time will be like. The heavenly messengers will separate the good from the bad, the righteous from the wicked, the repentant from the prideful, the faithful from the hard-hearted. The bad, the wicked, the prideful, and the hard-hearted will be thrown into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. 

Do you understand?
Disciples:
Yes, we understand.
(Matthew 13:47-51)
My servant, the apostle Paul, said it very well: the holy Scriptures "enable you to be wise and lead to salvation through faith in Jesus"(2 Timothy 3:15). So not only will hidden things be revealed and not only will people's works be revealed, but the truth of the Scriptures can also be revealed to you so that you can find many treasures if you approach them through faith in Me! Just as I said in this next verse, regardless of where you are in your walk of faith you should be on the lookout for new things as well as old familiar things as you study the Scriptures.
Jesus:
Every scribe and teacher of the law who has become a student of the ways of the Kingdom is like the head of the household who brings some new things and some old things, both out of the storeroom.
(Matthew 13:52)
Response in Prayer

Father, help the light of Jesus to shine through everything I do and say. Please open my eyes to see Jesus and hear the voice of the Spirit in every bit of Scripture that I hear, read, and memorize. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!

© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"Don't Let These Truths Elude You!" — A Year with Jesus for 02/09/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Follower, 

I love to tell stories from everyday life and connect them to heavenly truths. There is a reason for that. You can remember stories better than you can remember abstract words. You see things in your everyday life that yank My stories back into your conscious mind. You can repeat My stories to others. You can pass My stories down to your children and grandchildren. These all help you feel and see the truths in My stories as well as know their spiritual messages when you most need them. 

The story in today's verses is one of My most important stories that I told. This story — or parable — has several different uses. 

I used it to challenge people to look into their hearts and see what kind of followers they really were. You need to know that you can choose how you hear what I say! In the story below, the concept of how people hear what I say is presented in terms of what kind of soil they were and how the soil received seeds that were sown. I want people to know that they actually choose which kind of soil they will be — they choose what kind of heart they have for My good news. 

I also used this story to alert My disciples to the fate of many of those who follow Me. There are many people who at some point in their journey with Me are very excited about following Me. However, more than a few who start down the road of discipleship end up becoming distracted and are unfruitful. Some, regrettably, never even follow Me at all — they look up one day and any interest they had in Me is gone! 

I AM heartbroken when I see people lose interest, not bear up under trial, succumb to temptation, and become distracted by the cares of the world. My disciples needed to know this happens all too frequently! Just because many reject My message or turn away from discipleship does not mean that you quit sharing it with others. You must not give up on someone when his or her heart turns. Remember, just as you can choose which soil your heart is, that other person can choose to be a different soil, too! 

I also told this parable to warn My followers about some of the things that might distract them from a passionate life of productive faith. I want you to recognize those same kinds of things in your life. They can lead your heart to be poor soil and not respond to the good news of grace. 

Notice the three things that can steal your heart away from following Me passionately:
Satan's coming and stealing away the message of God before your heart accepts it.
The heat of living for Me in the trials and temptations of life can wither your faith before it is fully grown.
The delight of things, the pursuit of wealth, and the worries of preserving these things getting in the way of your living productive lives for Me.
Verses to Live

So which message do you need to most hear from My words? Why not ask the Holy Spirit to help you hear what I want your heart to hear today in My words of truth in the story of the soils? As I presented this parable, My explanation of its meaning was longer than the parable itself. Why? Because I want you to determine which type of soil you are. Actual soil "is what it is," but you can enrich the type of "soil" you are! I encourage you to seek the Spirit's guidance in enriching or keeping the soil of your heart a fertile place for My word to grow!
While a huge crowd gathered with people from many surrounding towns streaming to hear Jesus, He told them a parable. 

Jesus:
Once a farmer went out to scatter seed in his fields. Some seeds fell along a trail where they were crushed underfoot by people walking by. Birds flew in and ate those seeds. Other seeds fell on gravel. Those seeds sprouted but soon withered, depleted of moisture under the scorching sun. Still other seeds landed among thorns where they grew for a while, but eventually the thorns stunted them so they couldn't thrive or bear fruit. But some seeds fell into good soil — soft, moist, free from thorns. These seeds not only grew, but they also produced more seeds, a hundred times what the farmer originally planted. If you have ears, hear My meaning!
His disciples heard the words, but the deeper meaning eluded them. 

Disciples:
What were You trying to say?
Jesus:
The kingdom of God contains many secrets. They keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep observing, but do not understand. 

I want you to understand, so here's the interpretation: The voice of God falls on human hearts like seeds scattered across a field. Some people hear that message, but the devil opposes the liberation that would come to them by believing. So he swoops in and steals the message from their hard hearts like birds stealing the seeds from the footpath. Others receive the message enthusiastically, but their vitality is short-lived because the message cannot be deeply rooted in their shallow hearts. In the heat of temptation, their faith withers, like the seeds that sprouted in gravelly soil. A third group hears the message, but as time passes, the daily anxieties, the pursuit of wealth, and life's addicting delights outpace the growth of the message in their hearts. Even if the message blossoms and fruit begins to form, the fruit never fully matures because the thorns choke out the plants' vitality. 

But some people hear the message and let it take root deeply in receptive hearts made fertile by honesty and goodness. With patient dependability, they bear good fruit.
(Luke 8:4-15)
Response in Prayer

Father I ask that the Holy Spirit will help me hear the message I most need to hear today from Jesus' words. I know that I can choose which kind of soil I will be. I also have concern for folks whose hearts are becoming like the nonproductive soils. O Father, please use me to help them turn their hearts back to Jesus. Most of all, dear Father, I don't want to be deceived into living an unproductive life because the soil of my heart is bad. So, sweet Holy Spirit, guide me into all truth. Lord Jesus, please help me know the most important things from Your message today that You want me to know, feel, and put into practice. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"My True Family" — A Year with Jesus for 02/08/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Child of God, 

There is so much talk in your world about community. I understand that you want to find a place where you can be close to other people and be yourself. You want people around you who understand you and support you. I know that many folks today don't like the word church, so community is a nice, safe, nondescript word to use for a gathering of My followers. Yet something precious is lost when My followers are reduced just to being a community. Let Me explain. 

There are two powerful, dynamic, living, images I have given you for My church: My body and My family. I don't ever talk about a member of the church — in fact nowhere does the Bible use that term. You, however, are a member of My body — a vital body part that the rest of My body needs to fully function as My presence in and to the world! Just as there is no perfect human body, the church as My body will not be perfect. However, a community can have folks come and go, wander in or wander off. This is not true with My body. When a member of a body is hurt there is pain and impairment to the whole body! When a member of a body is missing, there's been an amputation. You're a connected part of Me! You matter. You are much more important than a member of a community or organization! 

You are also a member of My family. Yes, I know some of you come from messed up families and sometimes family analogies can be hard for you to hear because of your negative experiences with your family. My spiritual family on earth is far from perfect — a lot like your human family. But I promise you, My family has a future that is so wonderful it is hard for you to even imagine. All those hurtful family connections are caught up in the grace of My presence and perfected. 

A family — especially My family — is something far more precious than a community. Our Father — your Father — loves you so desperately that He sent Me to bring you back into a relationship with Him. I AM your older Brother. I came to rescue, redeem, and restore you to Our family (Hebrews 2:14-18). I paid the ultimate price to buy you out of slavery to sin and death and bring you back to the Father and to Our family. So you are far more precious than a member of a community — you are My blood-bought family. The people around you are flawed just as you are flawed. Yet also remember, they are blood-bought family. 

So when you hear Me teach, I don't invite you to become part of a community: I call you to be My disciple — a follower who obeys and becomes a vital part of My family as we do the will of the Father. Hear clearly what I say:
Anyone who does the will of My Father in heaven is My mother and brother and sister. 
(Matthew 12:50)
When you hear Me teach, pray, or talk with My followers, notice the language I use: it is the language of family. God is your Father. You are brothers and sisters. Yes, community is a nice word, but I call you to something deeper — something you crave and need. I call you family because you are!
Verses to Live

I AM the Lord, the Christ, the Messiah and Savior. I am also your older Brother who loved you so much that I left the security of My heavenly home to come to you. I loved you so much that I gave up My intimate participation with the Father and the Spirit in Our heavenly glory so that I could bring you home to real, forever, family. So come, follow Me, and let's walk together in the way and will of the Father as family.
While Jesus was speaking to the crowd, His mother and brothers came up and wanted to speak to Him. 

Someone in the Crowd:
Your mother and brothers are waiting outside to speak to You.
Jesus:
Who is My mother? And who are My brothers? (pointing to His disciples) These are My mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of My Father in heaven is My mother and brother and sister.
(Matthew 12:46-50)
Response in Prayer

O Father in heaven, You are holy. Without Your grace, I have no chance to be holy. Yet because of Jesus' love and sacrifice, I come to You as Your beloved child. I am thankful for Your grace, Your love, Your mercy, and my adoption into Your family. I ask for the Holy Spirit to be poured out into my life so that I can be conformed to Your will and love my brothers and sisters, Your children, just as much as my older Brother Jesus does. I ask this in His name. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

For Some Folks, Miracles Aren't Enough!" — A Year with Jesus for 02/07/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

My words to you yesterday were long and hard (Luke 11:14-26). The folks I spoke them to originally didn't like them. So, they challenged Me to do another miracle for them to prove that I had a right to say the things I was saying. 

Let's be real: if they wouldn't believe in Me for the exorcisms I performed or the miracles I had already done, they weren't going to believe in Me if I did a few more powerful acts in order to satisfy their curiosity and jump through a few more of their hoops! For many people in the crowd, miracles weren't enough. They simply didn't want to believe, so they didn't believe. 

That's why I pointed them to a couple of stories from the Hebrew Bible — you call it the Old Testament. These stories talk about two great figures that captured the hearts of outsiders and pointed them to the truth and wisdom of God. Their names were Jonah and Solomon. I challenged those hearing Me to believe that I AM greater than either of these two heroes. The only sign I would give these skeptics was the sign of Jonah! If My life of ministry, miracles, teaching, acts of compassion, death on the cross, and resurrection wouldn't convince them, then not much else could. 

Thankfully, if you read the story about the birth of My church on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47), you will see that many people responded to the sign of My triumph over death and sin. 

As one who has come to believe in Me, one who recognizes My triumph, I want to challenge you to trust that I AM the "One far greater than Jonah" and the "One greater and wiser than Solomon." I AM the wisdom and truth you must follow, believe, and obey, and you will find life in Me!
Verses to Live

Even after all the miracles I had already done, the religious leaders in the account below wanted more to prove I had the right to say what I said to them. Don't miss My point. I have the right! The real question is this: Do you have the heart to follow someone greater than all those other religious heroes you've heard about?
Scribes and Pharisees:
Teacher, we want to see some miraculous sign from You.
Jesus:
You wicked and promiscuous generation — you are looking for signs, are you? The only sign you will be given is the sign of the prophet Jonah. Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish, as the Son of Man will spend three days and three nights in the belly of the earth. One day, the people of Nineveh will rise up in judgment and will condemn your present generation — for the Ninevites turned from sin to God when they heard Jonah preach, and now One far greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will also stand in judgment and condemn this generation — for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom. And today One greater and wiser than Solomon is among you.
(Matthew 12:38-42)
Response in Prayer

Lord Jesus, You are greater than Jonah and Solomon. You are superior to Moses and Elijah. The Law and prophets find their meaning, their fulfillment, and their goal in You. You are the One I choose to hear and obey. Jesus, You are Lord. I choose You to be my Lord! To You I offer my life and my all because You not only conquered death and the grave through Your resurrection, but You also won my heart and my allegiance! Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!

© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"Do More than Roll Your Eyes!" — A Year with Jesus for 02/06/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved, 

Some of you roll your eyes or quickly speed-read past any biblical discussion of demons because you think that this kind of thing doesn't apply to your "modern and enlightened" world today. But please do more than roll your eyes at the talk about demons below. Remember what the apostle Paul said:
Finally, brothers and sisters, draw your strength and might from God. Put on the full armor of God to protect yourselves from the devil and his evil schemes. We're not waging war against enemies of flesh and blood alone. No, this fight is against tyrants, against authorities, against supernatural powers and demon princes that slither in the darkness of this world, and against wicked spiritual armies that lurk about in heavenly places. And this is why you need to be head-to-toe in the full armor of God: so you can resist during these evil days and be fully prepared to hold your ground. 
(Ephesians 6:10-13)
I came to defeat the evil one and his "wicked spiritual armies" of dark demonic forces. I want to free you from their influence and lead you past their temptations. So rather than ignoring or fearing these powers, please understand what I said to my disciples when I was on earth. I have power over demons because I am superior to them in every way — holiness, power, and authority (Luke 11:17-22). 

I am in no way subject to these evil powers. I do not get my power from them. I am not helped by them. I am even hated by them. They oppose Me and all who belong to Me, but they do not have the final word or authority over Me or those who follow Me! I AM the true "Man of Power" like I talk about in the story below. I am "stronger and better" than the prince of demons and all his powers arrayed against me. 

So you need to choose which side of this holy war you are going to take: My side or the side of evil. There is really no middle ground or no other choice. 

You need to be very clear about this. Following Me is not just about ridding yourself of what is bad in your life — it is not adhering to a good list of "DOs and DON'Ts"! A good, clean, and ordered life sounds very good to most religionists, even to a lot of do-gooders and humanists. Yet notice what can happen to this kind of person in the scripture below: the demonic influence can slip back in and greatly corrupt the life of such a person who is not filled with My Spirit. 

I AM challenging you to do more than just trying to be a good person. I want you to be My person. I call you to follow Me and let Me be your Lord. Yes, you will do good things. Yet more than that, you will bring God's kingdom to earth. You will bring God's goodness, justice, and mercy to a world corrupted by human ego, self-will, arrogance, and other evil influences of the devil (Ephesians 2:1-7). 

Your world is in a spiritual war. You have to choose a side. Despite all the talk in your world about being nice, the real question is whether or not you are My disciple. With the cross I endured, after the tomb I left in triumph, and despite all the forces of hell wanting to keep Me captive, I remind you of two truths:
I conquered death to give you life — unlike Satan who wants to deceive, manipulate, and destroy you.
If you follow Me, you will share in My victory over sin, death, evil, and hell!
So do more than roll your eyes at the talk about the devil and demons: choose to follow Me and find life and victory!
Verses to Live

Talking about demons is always challenging. Having authority over them makes people afraid. But make no mistake about the truth: I have defeated the power of demons. I have authority to defeat evil, demonic forces, and Satan, and I did! I demonstrated this victory when I walked on earth as God in human flesh and then overcame the worst that Satan could do to Me.
Picture this: 

Jesus is exorcising a demon that has long kept a man from speaking. When the demon is expelled, the man starts talking and the people are amazed. But then controversy erupts. 

Some People:
Do you know why He can cast out demons? It's because He's in league with the demon prince, Beelzebul.
Other people want to see more, so they challenge Jesus to give them another miraculous sign. Jesus knows what they're thinking. 

Jesus:
People, be logical. If a kingdom is divided against itself, it will collapse. If a ruling family is divided against itself, it will fall apart. 

So if Satan's kingdom is divided against itself, won't his whole enterprise collapse? Does it make any sense to say I'm casting out demons by Beelzebul? Besides, if you're saying it takes satanic power to cast out Satan, by whose power do your own exorcists work? If you condemn Me for an exorcism, you'll have to condemn them. But if I by the power of God cast out demonic spirits, then face this fact: the kingdom of God is here, just as I've been saying. 

When a man of power with his full array of weapons guards his own palace, everything inside is secure. But when a new man who is stronger and better armed attacks the palace, the old ruler will be overcome, his weapons and trusted defenses will be removed, and his treasures will be plundered. Can you see that I'm asking you to choose whose side you're on — working with Me or fighting against Me. 

When a demonic spirit is expelled from someone, he wanders through waterless wastelands seeking rest. But there is no rest for him anywhere, so he says, "I'm going back to my old house." He returns and finds the old house has been swept clean and fixed up again. So he goes and finds seven other spirits even worse than he is, and they make themselves at home in the man's life so that he's worse off now than he was before.
(Luke 11:14-26)
Response in Prayer

Father God, I say this by the power of the Holy Spirit and with the conviction of my heart: Jesus is not only Lord of all, but I choose Jesus to be Lord of my life. I offer this confession in Jesus' name and for Jesus' glory. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!

© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"Love is Always Demonstrated" — A Year with Jesus for 02/05/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

I made people nervous during My ministry by including women. I served them, ministered to them, and included them in My ministry while others treated them as less than worthy — as you will see in the verses below. I was willing to talk to them in public (John 4:27) when tradition considered such a thing wrong for a rabbi to do. I also let Mary sit at My feet in the position of a rabbi in training with Me as her teacher (Luke 10:38-42). I readily accepted into My fellowship women who had bad reputations, but who turned their lives around because of My grace, My teaching, and My love — which is one of the major truths in today's verses. 

In the two episodes below that Luke records from My life, you will see several women who were important in My ministry. We could talk about why they were important and the roles they played and the way I turned around their lives, but I want to point you to a key truth. 

Love always finds a way to demonstrate itself. Genuine love is more than feelings, thoughts, or a passing fancy. Love shows itself! Love demonstrates its authenticity. If love is real, love shows itself by its actions! 
Verses to Live

Notice how the formerly sinful woman from the city demonstrated her faith and her very tender love for Me. Then you will also notice a group of women helped support Me as part of their love for what I had done for them. Remember, love demonstrates its authenticity, just as these women did!
Once a Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to be a guest for a meal. 

Picture this: 

Just as Jesus enters the man's home and takes His place at the table, a woman from the city — notorious as a woman of ill repute — follows Him in. She has heard that Jesus will be at the Pharisee's home, so she comes in and approaches Him, carrying an alabaster flask of perfumed oil. Then she begins to cry, she kneels down so her tears fall on Jesus' feet, and she starts wiping His feet with her own hair. Then she actually kisses His feet, and she pours the perfumed oil on them. 

Simon (thinking):
Now I know this guy is a fraud. If He were a real prophet, He would have known this woman is a sinner and He would never let her get near Him, much less touch Him... or kiss Him!
Jesus (knowing what the Pharisee is thinking):
Simon, I want to tell you a story.
Simon:
Tell me, Teacher.
Jesus:
Two men owed a certain lender a lot of money. One owed 100 weeks' wages, and the other owed 10 weeks' wages. Both men defaulted on their loans, but the lender forgave them both. Here's a question for you: which man will love the lender more?
Simon:
Well, I guess it would be the one who was forgiven more.
Jesus:
Good answer.
Now Jesus turns around so He's facing the woman, although He's still speaking to Simon. 

Jesus:
Do you see this woman here? It's kind of funny. I entered your home, and you didn't provide a basin of water so I could wash the road dust from My feet. You didn't give Me a customary kiss of greeting and welcome. You didn't offer Me the common courtesy of providing oil to brighten My face. But this woman has wet My feet with her own tears and washed them with her own hair. She hasn't stopped kissing My feet since I came in. And she has applied perfumed oil to My feet. This woman has been forgiven much, and she is showing much love. But the person who has shown little love shows how little forgiveness he has received.
Jesus (to the woman):
Your sins are forgiven.
Simon and Friends (muttering among themselves):
Who does this guy think He is? He has the audacity to claim the authority to forgive sins?
Jesus (to the woman):
Your faith has liberated you. Go in peace.
Soon after this incident, Jesus preached from city to city, village to village, carrying the good news of the kingdom of God. He was accompanied by a group called "the twelve," and also by a larger group including some women who had been rescued from evil spirits and healed of diseases. There was Mary, called Magdalene, who had been released from seven demons. There were others like Susanna and Joanna, who was married to Chuza, a steward of King Herod. And there were many others too. These women played an important role in Jesus' ministry, using their wealth to provide for Him and His other companions. 
(Luke 7:36-50; Luke 8:1-3)
Response in Prayer

Loving Father, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart and the actions in my life demonstrate my love for Jesus and what He has done, is doing, and will do to bless my life and bring me home to You. It is in Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

The One?" — A Year with Jesus for 02/04/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

Doubt! Even the best people have periods of doubt. My cousin John the Baptist was in prison awaiting certain death at the hands of Herod. His prophecies about Me were bold. His proclamation of repentance and practice of baptism were powerful. His willingness to give up his popularity and point people to Me was incredibly courageous and humble. Yet John had his lingering doubts. 

Why? Why would someone so bold, powerful, courageous, and humble have doubts? 

Think about it. Courage is boldness in the face of danger and doubt. Faith is trust that risks everything in the face of uncertainty and danger. You will have doubts — sometimes deep doubts just like John faced. John was wanting to know with certainty that he had not wasted his life as he approached his death. So he asked, "Are You the Promised One, or shall we keep looking for someone else?" 

As I said while on earth, "Listen, there is no human being greater than this man, John the Baptist." Yet John had doubts as he faced his own martyrdom because My work didn't seem to match his understanding of My role. 

You have been born of God into My kingdom. In this way you are greater than John. Yet you will have doubts and they will find their gravity in the same two places John's doubts found theirs. 

First, life is hard and can rattle you to your soul. The world may not appreciate the truth of the life you live to honor the Father. John's passionate and faithful proclamation of truth landed him in Herod's jail and ultimately led to his martyrdom. The world's brutal treatment of God's people can lead to times of doubt in their hearts. 

Second, you have certain expectations of Me that sometimes don't seem to line up with your reality. Even in those times when I appear to be distant and unconcerned, please remember that I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5-6; Romans 8:32-39). 

In your doubt, remember what I helped John the Baptist do: get a fuller picture of Who I AM. In your life I will help you in a similar way through a deeper look at Scripture, My promises, the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, and the people of faith who have come before you and those who support you now. 

My hope is for you to have a deep understanding of My grace and a faith — a faith that can hang onto hope through life's storms when things don't seem to line up with your expectations of the Father's promises. Remember, doubt is part of living life in a tough world. The greatest heroes in Scripture had their moments of doubt. Yet hanging onto faith, looking at great examples of faith in Scripture, and using Scripture to get a fuller view of Me will help you be faithful... even to the point of death. Courageous faith is choosing to believe in the face of uncertainty and difficulties.
Verses to Live

The following passage from Luke's Gospel recounts the events when John's disciples came with his question about Me. Notice that My answer wasn't just a bunch of words; my answer to John's disciples included actions. These actions were specific types of miracles: miracles that Isaiah had prophesied the Messiah would perform — prophecies John knew. So My explanation about fulfilling Isaiah's prophecies about the Messiah made clear to John that I was indeed the Messiah!
News of Jesus spread across the whole province of Judea and beyond to the surrounding regions. When these reports reached John's disciples, they brought news to John himself, who was known for his preaching and ritual cleansing. John sent two of his disciples to ask the Lord, "Are You the Promised One, or shall we keep looking for someone else?" 

They came to Jesus and asked their question exactly as directed by John the Baptist. 

Before He answered John's messengers, Jesus cured many from various diseases, health conditions, and evil spirits. He even caused many blind people to regain their sight. 

Jesus (to John's disciples):
Go and tell John what you've witnessed with your own eyes and ears: the blind are seeing again, the lame are walking again, the lepers are clean again, the deaf hear again, the dead live again, and good news is preached to the poor. Whoever is not offended by Me is blessed indeed.
When John's messengers left, Jesus talked to the crowds about John. 

Jesus:
When you went out into the wilderness to see John, what were you expecting? A reed shaking in the wind? What were you looking for? A man in expensive clothing? Look, if you were looking for fancy clothes and luxurious living, you went to the wrong place — you should have gone to the kings' courts, not to the wilderness! What were you seeking? A prophet? Ah yes, that's what John is, and even more than a prophet. The prophet Malachi was talking about John when he wrote,
I will send My messenger before You, to clear Your path in front of You.
Listen, there is no human being greater than this man, John the Baptist. Yet even the least significant person in the coming kingdom of God is greater than John.
The common people and tax collectors heard God's own wisdom in Jesus' assessment of John because they had been ritually cleansed through baptism by John. But the Pharisees and religious scholars hardened their hearts and turned their backs on God's purposes for them because they had refused John's baptism. 

Jesus:
The people of this generation — what are they like? To what can they be compared? I'll tell you: they're like spoiled kids sitting in the marketplace playing games, calling out:
We played the pipes for you, 
but you didn't dance to our tune! 
We cried like mourners, 
but you didn't cry with us!
You can't win with this generation. John the Baptist comes along, fasting and abstaining from wine, and you say, "This guy is demon-possessed!" The Son of Man comes along, feasting and drinking wine, and you say, "This guy is a glutton and a drunk, a friend of scoundrels and tax collectors." Well, wisdom's true children know wisdom when they hear it.
(Luke 7:17-35)
Response in Prayer

Almighty God, thank You! Thank You for giving me a Bible that is full of people like me — people who love You but struggle with real-life faith and doubt. I trust You , Holy Spirit, to lead me through these times and conform me to be like Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!

© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"ASK!" — A Year with Jesus for 02/01/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved, 

We are still journeying together through what is often called My Sermon on the Mount. What I want you to see today is a clear, simple, time-proven truth: you cannot out give God! 

Today I want to remind you of the truth of grace: your Father in heaven knows you, loves you, listens to you, cares for you, and delights in giving "great gifts to His children." 

As for you, just keep asking, seeking, and knocking. The Father longs to hear from you and bless you. Yes, there will be some trying times. Yes, the evil one will throw roadblocks in your way. Yes, you sometimes will grow tired of the narrow path and the challenge of seeking to become like Me. 

Yet in the middle of your most difficult times, don't quit asking, seeking and knocking. Why? Because the Father longs to bless you with the greatest of all gifts... Me! Remember this promise I made after I ascended back to the Father:
Now pay attention; I am standing at the door and knocking. If any of you hear My voice and open the door, then I will come in to visit with you and to share a meal at your table, and you will be with Me. 
(Revelation 3:20)
Some folks think I said it to outsiders who were not followers, but I actually said it for folks like you — people who are followers, but who are growing tired and weary of waiting and following and seeking and knocking. In those times, listen to My words, invite Me to be your strength and guide, and follow Me. I've heard your cries, I've seen your struggles, and I've come down to walk beside you, bless you, and guide you home. Your asking, seeking, and knocking will be answered with the greatest gift of all — Me!
Verses to Live

Let this set of My related promises wash over you like a shower of refreshing grace!
Jesus:
Just ask and it will be given to you; seek after it and you will find. Continue to knock and the door will be opened for you. All who ask receive. Those who seek, find what they seek. And he who knocks, will have the door opened. 

Think of it this way: if your son asked you for bread, would you give him a stone? Of course not — you would give him a loaf of bread. If your son asked for a fish, would you give him a snake? No, to be sure, you would give him a fish — the best fish you could find. So if you, who are sinful, know how to give your children good gifts, how much more so does your Father in heaven, who is perfect, know how to give great gifts to His children.
(Matthew 7:7-11)
Response in Prayer

Father, please show Yourself to me in my daily life. I'm not looking for something amazing or awe-inspiring, just the reminder of Your presence and the assurance that my asking, seeking, and knocking have placed me in Your presence, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer! In Jesus' name. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"Grace for the Opposites..." — A Year with Jesus for 02/02/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Child of the King of Glory, 

I don't care what your situation in life is or may have been, I want you to know that when you hurt, I care! You see, I don't notice just the faith of the religious insiders, but also the faith of the religious outsiders. I don't recognize the pain just of the powerful and influential, but also of the forgotten who feel abandoned and alone in life. 

When you see the Centurion's faith (in the events you will read about below), you have to join Me in admiration for his faith. Few have expressed it so well! He was humble. He didn't need Me to come to his house to know that the miracle he desperately wanted would happen. He understood authority and knew that I had ultimate authority. As you read My story in the gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — you will notice how rare this kind of faith truly is! 

Then you see the next story that the good doctor Luke shares from My ministry: a woman who is left all alone when her son dies. Widows without family were in a very desperate situation in this time. As God in human flesh, I wanted to show the promise of the Old Testament is true. I also want you to know that I AM touched with compassion at the heartbreak of widows and of parents who lose a child to death:
The True God who inhabits sacred space 
is a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows. 
He makes a home for those who are alone. 
(Psalm 68:5-6)
What a joy it was when I "presented" this woman's formerly dead son back to her alive again! Jubilation and praise came from the crowd, but I assure you, the same thing was going on among the angels of heaven. There will be even more joy when I bring full reunion with My return in glory! 

The point of all this, My dear follower, is simple: I bring grace for everyone seeking the help of God — for people who are opposite in every way, and for all those who are in between. When I AM present, God is present caring for His people... all people, of all races, of all genders, of all social classes, and of all financial positions. I care about your worry, grief, and loss. That's why I came to defeat death and bring immortality and life to light!
Verses to Live

In the following stories, you will notice two people who are opposite in every way, yet joined by these key truths: life is fragile and when those we love are sick, dying, or dead, our hearts are broken. Please know, however, that broken hearts matter to your God!
When He [Jesus] was finished, He went into the town of Capernaum. There, a Centurion had a slave he loved dearly. The slave was sick — about to die — so when the Centurion heard about Jesus, he contacted some Jewish elders. He sent them to ask Jesus to come and heal his dear slave. With great emotion and respect, the elders presented their request to Jesus. 

Jewish Elders:
This man is worthy of Your help. It's true that he's a Centurion, but he loves our nation. In fact, he paid for our synagogue to be built.
So Jesus accompanied them. When they approached the Centurion's home, the Centurion sent out some friends to bring a message to Jesus. 

Message of the Centurion:
Lord, don't go to the trouble of coming inside. I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. That's why I sent others with my request. Just say the word, and that will be enough to heal my servant. I understand how authority works, being under authority myself and having soldiers under my authority. I command to one, "Go," and he goes. I say to another, "Come," and he comes. I say to my slave, "Do this," and he obeys me.
Jesus was deeply impressed when He heard this. He turned to the crowd that followed Him. 

Jesus:
Listen, everyone. This outsider, this Roman, has more faith than I have found even among our own Jewish people.
The friends of the Centurion returned home, and they found the slave was completely healed. 

It wasn't long after this when Jesus entered a city called Nain. Again all of His disciples accompanied Him, along with a huge crowd. He was coming near the gate of the city as a corpse was being carried out. This man was the only child and support of his widowed mother, and she was accompanied by a large funeral crowd. 

As soon as the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her. 

Jesus:
Don't weep!
Then He came to the stretcher, and those carrying it stood still. 

Jesus:
Young man, listen! Get up!
The dead man immediately sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother, and everyone was both shocked and jubilant. They praised God. 

Funeral Crowd:
A tremendous prophet has arisen in our midst! God has visited His people.
(Luke 7:1-16)
Response in Prayer

O Father in heaven, the King of Glory, I believe, but help my unbelief! When I face worry and grief, I sometimes struggle to trust that my hurt matters to you. I sometimes wonder why the miracle I pray for never comes. Send your Holy Spirit to comfort, strengthen, and revive my flagging hope. I know You love me, but I need help in the storms of my life to hang on to that confidence. I ask this in the name of Jesus, Your demonstration of authority, compassion, and grace. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

*Choosing the Right Path" — A Year with Jesus for 02/03/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Child of God, 

The Father is holy and wholly given to doing what is right, just, holy, gracious, and merciful. What about you? What is your consuming passion? Is it to honor the Father? Is it to obey My words and follow My example? Is it to be conformed to the righteous character and gracious compassion of God? 

Let Me warn you. Long before the instant age you find yourself inhabiting, many folks wanted an instant and easy holiness. The evil one has long twisted the truth and deceived the gullible into taking short cuts. My words today warn you about four deceptions and temptations that the devil will offer you in the name of religion:
The wide door and the easy path — the ones that suggest all religion is OK and equal — but that really lead to destruction.
The sweet deceiving words of false prophets whose lives (their bad fruit) show they cannot be trusted.
Nice sounding religious words of praise and adoration that are disconnected from a life of obedience and end in shocking condemnation.
Religion that is quickly embraced, shallowly believed, and focused on appearances, but cannot stand toe stress and strain of real life.
There is one path... one way... and one truth (John 14:6). Folks in your day don't like such talk. In fact, you may bristle at it yourself because you've had the easy way peddled to you by false prophets who talk a good religious game while living any way they want. Such talk is foolish. It's not new or innovative or post-modern; it's just the lie of the old deceiver who wants to steer you the wrong way so that when the floods of life come... well, he can be there for your destruction. 

Don't be deceived. Follow Me. Obey Me. Trust Me. Doing so may look narrow and hard, but I promise you this:
Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Put My yoke upon your shoulders — it might appear heavy at first, but it is perfectly fitted to your curves. Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. When you are yoked to Me, your weary souls will find rest. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. 
(Matthew 11:28-30)
Verses to Live

These are My words from the Sermon on the Mount about choosing the right path that leads to the Father. If your heart is set on Me — if your heart's desire is to follow Me and obey Me — then you will be able to resist the deceptions and temptations of the easy way, the false prophets, religion that is all talk with little obedience, and quickly constructed facade-based religion!
Jesus:
There are two paths before you; you may take only one path. One doorway is narrow. And one door is wide. Go through the narrow door. For the wide door leads to a wide path, and the wide path is broad; the wide, broad path is easy, and the wide, broad, easy path has many, many people on it; but the wide, broad, easy, crowded path leads to death. Now then that narrow door leads to a narrow road that in turn leads to life. It is hard to find that road. Not many people manage it. 

Along the way, watch out for false prophets. They will come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath that quaint and innocent wool, they are hungry wolves. But you will recognize them by their fruits. You don't find sweet, delicious grapes growing on thorny bushes, do you? You don't find delectable figs growing in the midst of prickly thistles. People and their lives are like trees. Good trees bear beautiful, tasty fruit, but bad trees bear ugly, bitter fruit. A good tree cannot bear ugly, bitter fruit; nor can a bad tree bear fruit that is beautiful and tasty. And what happens to the rotten trees? They are cut down. They are used for firewood. When a prophet comes to you and preaches this or that, look for his fruits: sweet or sour? rotten or ripe? 

Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven. Simply calling Me "Lord" will not be enough. Only those who do the will of My Father who is in heaven will join Me in heaven. At the end of time, on that day of judgment, many will say to Me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name? Did we not drive demons out of the possessed in Your name? Did we not perform miracles in Your name?" But I will say to them, "I never knew you. And now, you must get away from Me, you evildoers!" 

Those people who are listening to Me, those people who hear what I say and live according to My teachings — you are like a wise man who built his house on a rock, on a firm foundation. When storms hit, rain pounded down and waters rose, levies broke and winds beat all the walls of that house. But the house did not fall because it was built upon rock. Those of you who are listening and do not hear — you are like a fool who builds a house on sand. When a storm comes to his house, what will happen? The rain will fall, the waters will rise, the wind will blow, and his house will collapse with a great crash.
With that Jesus finished His teaching, and the crowds were amazed by all He had said. But Jesus taught in His own name, on His own authority, not like the scribes. 
(Matthew 7:13-29)
Response in Prayer

Dear Father, I confess that at times I want my faith walk to be easier. I don't always understand why I need to obey. Sometimes, I'm not convinced that what I hear is fully true. Yet Father, I do know this: Jesus came and died for me. He came as the expression of Your love for me and to pay the penalty for my failures and my shortcomings — my sin. So I commit to obey and follow even when I don't understand or agree. I trust that as I follow Jesus on Your path, my eyes will be opened, my burdens will be lifted, and I will find life and joy for my soul. In the name of Jesus I choose to follow. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"The Golden Life" — A Year with Jesus for 01/31/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved, 

We often make understanding what God wants much harder than it really is. One of the important aspects of My teaching is that I tried to make things easy to understand so that you can focus on putting those things into practice. In My teaching, I taught you to love God with all you are and to love your neighbor just as you love yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). This is the heart of the Torah — the Law of Moses — and the message of the prophets also boiled down to those two simple principles: love God and love your neighbor. 

Today, I want to do the same and focus on easy-to-understand ways to love your neighbor. Let me give you a few kernels of advice on how best to proceed. 

Don't judge your neighbor's motives. His or her fruit — the kind of things a person's life produces — will tell you what kind of person he or she is. I will have much to say about that later in My teaching. Right now I don't want you to worry about other people; I want you to focus on yourself and your "stuff" — your issues, your struggles, your sins. You wouldn't want to have someone sitting around judging your motives for everything you do, would you? Of course not! So don't waste time looking behind people's actions for their motives. Spend that time on dealing with your "stuff" and you will be a more delightful person to others and a godlier person before the Father! 

Don't harp on religious topics with people who couldn't care less about Me or the ways of God. These people have chosen not to be interested in the ways of God for now. Harping on things about the kingdom often makes some people more determined than ever to never respond. You are wasting your precious time that could be spent doing something productive. Instead, remember the principle of your light shining before others so they can see your good deeds and know that they come from your relationship with the Father (Matthew 5:16). Peter, the leader of my apostles, talked about reaching a point where you can win people without words by your behavior (1 Peter 3:1). 

Boiling this all down to one simple principle is pretty easy if you will use it everywhere you go and with everyone you touch with your life. Do for others what you would want done for you if you were in their situation!
Verses to Live

Remember, My teaching in what you call the Sermon on the Mount is not just for your learning, but for your living! So don't get lost in the words; put these principles into practice:
Jesus:
If you judge other people, then you will find that you, too, are being judged. Indeed, you will be judged by the very standards to which you hold other people. 

Why is it that you see the dust in your brother's or sister's eye, but you can't see what is in your own eye? Don't ignore the wooden plank in your eye, while you criticize the speck of sawdust in your brother's eyelashes. That type of criticism and judgment is a sham! Remove the plank from your own eye, and then perhaps you will be able to see clearly how to help your brother flush out his sawdust. 

Don't give precious things to dogs. Don't cast your pearls before swine. If you do, the pigs will trample the pearls with their little pigs' feet, and then they will turn back and attack you.
(Matthew 7:1-6) 

Jesus:
This is what our Scriptures come to teach: in everything, in every circumstance, do to others as you would have them do to you.
(Matthew 7:12)
Response in Prayer

Holy Spirit, stir my heart with empathy to see the needs of others. Father God, please empower my efforts to do for others what I believe I would want done for me if I were in their situation. Lord Jesus, I pray this because I want to put into practice the things that You have taught me! Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

Wisely Invested Treasures" — A Year with Jesus for 01/30/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Precious One, 

Are you worried about finances... retirement... funding college... too little money at the end of too long a month... or paying off your previous debts? 

Are you working for money for money's sake... for greater success... for more security... for a new play toy... for a vacation play place... for a bigger and better box to sleep in... or simply for the prestige of having a lot of stuff? 

Remember this: stuff doesn't last — "your precious trinkets" won't amount to anything in the end! If what you invest in can't change the ultimate reality of your life — death — then what good is it going to do you in the long run? Can what you worry about or what you work for decay, be stolen, or be lost? Then can it ever really be yours... can it ever be truly satisfying... will it ever be enough? 

Those who live with selfish extravagance or who run after material things often end up losing life. Pick up the latest tabloid and see which young spoiled superstars have ended up in jail most recently as they live out of control trying for a bit more limelight, searching for a bit more gusto in their joy, wanting a bit more of something that their stuff can't seem to satisfy. What their eyes see as success is really darkness. What their hearts call significance ends up as emptiness. What their wealth buys now becomes their ongoing burden later. 

Let Me have your heart! Let Me show you the right places to invest! Let Me deposit your truest riches in the bank of eternal grace! Then notice in the process that you have found the spiritually meaningful life that many others chase without success.
Verses to Live

Here's My teaching on worry, riches, and true wealth. It comes from My Sermon on the Mount. Please remember, what I say here is not opinion or suggestion: this is truth. Disregard it at your own peril. Obey it to find true life!
Jesus:
Some people store up treasures in their homes here on earth. This is a shortsighted practice — don't undertake it. Moths and rust will eat up any treasure you may store here. Thieves may break into your homes and steal your precious trinkets. Instead, put up your treasures in heaven where moths do not attack, where rust does not corrode, and where thieves are barred at the door. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

The eye is the lamp of the body. You draw light into your body through your eyes, and light shines out to the world through your eyes. So if your eye is well and shows you what is true, then your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eye is clouded or evil, then your body will be filled with evil and dark clouds. And the darkness that takes over the body of a child of God who has gone astray — that is the deepest, darkest darkness there is. 

No one can serve two masters. If you try, you will wind up loving the first master and hating the second, or vice versa. People try to serve both God and money — but you can't. You must choose one or the other. 

Here is the bottom line: do not worry about your life. Don't worry about what you will eat or what you will drink. Don't worry about how you clothe your body. Living is about more than merely eating, and the body is about more than dressing up. Look at the birds in the sky. They do not store food for winter. They don't plant gardens. They do not sow or reap — and yet, they are always fed because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are even more precious to Him than a beautiful bird. If He looks after them, of course He will look after you. Worrying does not do any good; who here can claim to add even an hour to his life by worrying? 

Nor should you worry about clothes. Consider the lilies of the field and how they grow. They do not work or weave or sew, and yet their garments are stunning. Even King Solomon, dressed in his most regal garb, was not as lovely as these lilies. And think about grassy fields — the grasses are here now, but they will be dead by winter. And yet God adorns them so radiantly. How much more will He clothe you, you of little faith, you who have no trust? 

So do not consume yourselves with questions: What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? Outsiders make themselves frantic over such questions; they don't realize that your heavenly Father knows exactly what you need. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be given to you too. So do not worry about tomorrow. Let tomorrow worry about itself. Living faithfully is a large enough task for today.
(Matthew 6:19-34)
Response in Prayer

Father, forgive me for believing the lies of the advertisers, the deceptions of my fleshly greed, and the pressure of my peers to want to have more stuff that does not fully satisfy or have ultimate eternal value. Please give me eyes to see and a heart to seek after what is truly lasting and what is of eternal significance. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"Don't Be a Show-Off!" — A Year with Jesus for 01/29/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

I have a question: Who are you doing all this spiritual stuff for anyway? 

Yes, I know it's a bit abrupt to put it that way, but I want you to think through the question carefully. The Sermon on the Mount — My teaching that you find in Matthew chapters 5-7 of your Bible — is challenging teaching to understand. It is even more challenging to put it into practice. I know, because this is the life I led! So my teaching today will ask you to examine why you do what you do for God and for others. What's your motivation for doing good things? 

Here's the important point to notice. When you do good things so others notice them, then you've already received your reward. When you do it to honor the Father, He sees even the secret things done to honor Him and will never forget those things. On top of that, your heart will begin to resonate with the Father's will and the Spirit will help conform your life to be like Mine. 

We've all had enough of religious show-offs who talk about all the great things they have done for God. Just remember, the Father keeps track of the things that you do to honor Him but that most folks never know about. 

I guess the question is really pretty simple: Do you want the applause of heaven or are you satisfied with a fleeting pat on the back at church? 
Verses to Live

Faith without good deeds, spiritual service, and worship is simply talk. In addition, doing religious things to be noticed by others so they will think you are special and holy is actually unholy. Please hear what I say in these words from My Sermon on the Mount!
Jesus:
But when you do these righteous acts, do not do them in front of spectators. Don't do them where you can be seen, let alone lauded, by others. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to the poor, do not boast about it, announcing your donations with blaring trumpets as the play actors do. Do not brazenly give your charity in the synagogues and on the streets; indeed, do not give at all if you are giving because you want to be praised by your neighbors. Those people who give in order to reap praise have already received their reward. When you give to the needy, do it in secret — even your left hand should not know what your right hand is doing. Then your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 

Likewise, when you pray, do not be as hypocrites who love to pray loudly at synagogue or on street corners — their concern is to be seen by men. They have already earned their reward. When you pray, go into a private room, close the door, and pray unseen to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not go on and on, excessively and strangely like the outsiders; they think their verbosity will let them be heard by their deities. Do not be like them. Your prayers need not be labored or lengthy or grandiose — for your Father knows what you need before you ever ask Him. 

Your prayers, rather, should be simple, like this:
Our Father in heaven, let Your name remain holy. 

Bring about Your kingdom. Manifest Your will here on earth, 
as it is manifest in heaven. 

Give us each day that day's bread — no more, no less — And forgive us our debts 
as we forgive those who owe us something. 
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

But let Your kingdom be, and let it be powerful and glorious forever. Amen.
If you forgive people when they sin against you, then your Father will forgive you when you sin against Him and when you sin against your neighbor. But if you do not forgive your neighbors' sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 

And when you fast, do not look miserable as the actors and hypocrites do when they are fasting — they walk around town putting on airs about their suffering and weakness, complaining about how hungry they are. So everyone will know they are fasting, they don't wash or anoint themselves with oil, pink their cheeks, or wear comfortable shoes. Those who show off their piety, they have already received their reward. When you fast, wash your face and beautify yourself with oil, so no one who looks at you will know about your discipline. Only your Father, who is unseen, will see your fast. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
(Matthew 6:1-18)
Response in Prayer

Abba Father, the LORD God Almighty, please accept the things I do to Your glory. Help me guard my heart from doing them for the applause of others on earth. If You are pleased with what I do for others in Your name, give me satisfaction in knowing that You have seen those things. I want Your Name to be glorified and Your Kingdom to come in my life and through my efforts to Your glory! Through Jesus and with the intercession of the Holy Spirit I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"Let the Light Shine!" — A Year with Jesus for 01/27/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

While I was in the world, I was the "Light of the world" (John 9:5). I AM still the Light of the world (John 1:4-5; John 8:12) but now I am sending you to be My representative. You are to share the light you have received from Me and shine that light to all the world so everyone can see your good deeds and know that they come from your loyalty to the Father. 

You have probably known the message of the verses below for many years. So I want to challenge you to do more than just remember the words: I want you to demonstrate you believe them by putting them into practice in the places and with the people your life touches. The world is a dark place. Despite the shallow smiles you see around you, most people you meet each day will need a touch of light — a little kindness and grace that you can give them in the Father's name.
Verses to Live

When you turn on the light each morning, let it be a reminder that others need the grace of God's light in their lives. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart to see the opportunities to bless others. Show the grace of the Father, live the values of our kingdom, and help others find their way home to the Father through the light you shine on their paths. Let the light shine!
Jesus:
You, beloved, are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes bland and loses its saltiness, can anything make it salty again? No. It is useless. It is tossed out, thrown away, or trampled. 

And you, beloved, are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. 

Similarly it would be silly to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl. When someone lights a lamp, she puts it on a table or a desk or a chair, and the light illumines the entire house. You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illumine creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it.
(Matthew 5:13-16)
Response in Prayer

O Father, I promise to be open to the leading and nudging of the Holy Spirit as I shine your light to bless others. Give me graceful wisdom to know those who most need Your light. Father, I do this, not for my glory or reputation or acceptance, but so that others can find their way to You. So please, use my little light to Your glory! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"Going Deeper than the Old Commands" — A Year with Jesus for 01/28/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Precious One, 

Today's message is very important. Many in your religious world turn grace into an excuse to do whatever they want rather than seeing it as a joyous reason to live for the Father. In My days on earth, some accused Me of being easy on sin and negligent on ritualistic obedience to the traditions. So it is important that you not only hear the teaching that you will read below, but that you also see the emphasis. 

The words I say are hard words to obey. Yet I want you to obey them — to put them into practice, to make them real in your daily life. I'm not giving you a few more rules to obey so that you can feel superior to others who are not as good at being religious. What I want is for your heart to yearn for God's righteous character as well as His gracious compassion. 

There are two things I want you to realize as you read and take to heart My words below. 

First, I speak with authority — not human authority, but divine authority. As important as Moses and the prophets were, I came and spoke the very words of God! So My words matter and they must matter to you. 

Second, I want your heart. I want you to move beyond surface obedience to My teaching. Keep asking this simple question: "Lord Jesus, what is the Father's intent for my heart and my behavior in this truth?" The Father and I have given you the Holy Spirit to help you hear My answer each day (John 14:23-27; Titus 3:3-7). 

If you do this, you will be a true child of your Father — the Father of all grace and mercy for all those who seek to honor Him!
Verses to Live

I came to help you see through the vain rule-keeping approach to religion. I want you to look deep into the heart and the will of the Father. So you will notice that I will emphasize what the existing teachings were in My day (the underlined portion below) and then you will notice that I intensify the meanings of those truths to point you to the heart of the Father (the portions that follow in bold text).
Jesus:
Do not think that I have come to overturn or do away with the law or the words of our prophets. To the contrary: I have not come to overturn them but to fulfill them. 

This, beloved, is the truth: until heaven and earth disappear, not one letter, not one pen stroke, will disappear from the sacred law — for everything, everything in the sacred law will be fulfilled and accomplished. Anyone who breaks even the smallest, most obscure commandment — not to mention teaches others to do the same — will be called small and obscure in the kingdom of heaven. Those who practice the law and teach others how to live the law will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you this: you will not enter the kingdom of heaven unless your righteousness goes deeper than the Pharisees', even more righteous than the most learned learner of the law. 

As you know, long ago God instructed Moses to tell His people, "Do not murder; those who murder will be judged and punished." But here is the even harder truth: anyone who is angry with his brother will be judged for his anger. Anyone who taunts his friend, speaks contemptuously toward him, or calls him "Loser" or "Fool" or "Scum," will have to answer to the high court. And anyone who calls his brother a fool may find himself in the fires of hell. 

Therefore, if you are bringing an offering to God and you remember that your brother is angry at you or holds a grudge against you, then leave your gift before the altar, go to your brother, repent and forgive one another, be reconciled, and then return to the altar to offer your gift to God. 

If someone sues you, settle things with him quickly. Talk to him as you are walking to court; otherwise, he may turn matters over to the judge, and the judge may turn you over to an officer, and you may land in jail. I tell you this: you will not emerge from prison until you have paid your last penny. 

As you know, long ago God forbade His people to commit adultery. You may think you have abided by this Commandment, walked the straight and narrow, but I tell you this: any man who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery in his heart. If your right eye leads you into sin, gouge it out and throw it in the garbage — for better you lose one part of your body than march your entire body through the gates of sin and into hell. And if your right hand leads you into sin, cut it off and throw it away — for better you lose one part of your body than march your entire body through the gates of sin and into hell. 

And here is something else: you have read in Deuteronomy that anyone who divorces his wife must do so fairly — he must give her the requisite certificate of divorce and send her on her way, free and unfettered. But I tell you this: unless your wife cheats on you, you must not divorce her, period. Nor are you to marry someone who has been married and divorces, for a divorced person who remarries commits adultery. 

You know that God expects us to abide by the oaths we swear and the promises we make. But I tell you this: do not ever swear an oath. What is an oath? You cannot say, "I swear by heaven" — for heaven is not yours to swear by; it is God's throne. And you cannot say, "I swear by this good earth," for the earth is not yours to swear by; it is God's footstool. And you cannot say, "I swear by the holy city Jerusalem," for it is not yours to swear by; it is the city of God, the capital of the King of kings. You cannot even say that you swear by your own head, for God has dominion over your hands, your lips, your head. It is He who determines if your hair be straight or curly, white or black; it is He who rules over even this small scrap of creation. You need not swear an oath — any impulse to do so is of evil. Simply let your "yes" be "yes," and let your "no" be "no." 

You know that Hebrew Scripture sets this standard of justice and punishment: take an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say this, don't fight against the one who is working evil against you. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, you are to turn and offer him your left cheek. If someone connives to get your shirt, give him your jacket as well. If someone forces you to walk with him for a mile, walk with him for two instead. If someone asks you for something, give it to him. If someone wants to borrow something from you, do not turn away. 

You have been taught to love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you this: love your enemies. Pray for those who torment you and persecute you — in so doing, you become children of your Father in heaven. He, after all, loves each of us — good and evil, kind and cruel. He causes the sun to rise and shine on evil and good alike. He causes the rain to water the fields of the righteous and the fields of the sinner. It is easy to love those who love you — even a tax collector can love those who love him. And it is easy to greet your friends — even outsiders do that! But you are called to something higher: "Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect."
(Matthew 5:17-48)
Response in Prayer

O Father, give me the wisdom to always see Your grace and the courage to live Your will in the challenging truths I have heard from Jesus today. I long, dear Father, to have my heart shaped by Jesus' teaching and to have my heart conformed by the Holy Spirit to be like Your heart. Transform me, O Father, to You and to Your will. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. © 1998-2015, Heartlight, Inc 'A Year with Jesus' is part of the Heartlight Network.
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

My Counterintuitive Kingdom" — A Year with Jesus for 01/26/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved, 

You and your fellow mortals chase after so many things thinking that a fulfilling life will be found in those things... those pursuits... those possessions... that power... that position... that reputation. 

However, a fulfilling, meaningful life for you as My disciple is found in living for the kingdom of God. To live for this kingdom means that you take the righteous character and gracious compassion of My Father — the values that will be present when the kingdom is fully realized at My return — and put them into practice right now! 

What you will hear Me teach below is counterintuitive both to you and to those who want to tell you how to be successful. Very few of your "how to be successful" promoters tell you to be "spiritually poor" or to "mourn" or to be "meek and gentle" or to "hunger and thirst for righteousness" or to be "merciful" or to be "pure in heart" or to be "a peacemaker." But I tell you that you are "blessed" if these are true of you! In fact, there will be those who take advantage of you and persecute you for these things; yet I remind you, you are "blessed" if you have these characteristics and do these things! 

Notice that while the crowd is gathered around Me, these words — and the words of the whole Sermon on the Mount that follows — are for My disciples. The crowd does not understand them. When you are persecuted, ridiculed, called weak, and considered out of touch for living these things, remember that this is what My opponents did to Me for living this way. But also remember how My life was victorious (Philippians 2:5-11). My Father will see that your life will matter, that you will be "blessed," and that you share in My victory! 

There is a time in every person's life when he or she will need to have the blessings of heaven, to be comforted, to have security while on earth, to have a soul full of life, to be shown mercy, to know the Father's intimate presence, and to know that her or his eternal destiny is secure. Yet all of these things will be lost to some people. They will have forfeited them by chasing after other things. However you, dearly beloved who live for the Father's will, will have them all. They will be yours because you live the values of the King.
Verses to Live

Remember when I told Peter to fish in a different place, a place he just knew he would probably not catch fish? Yet he did it anyway because I asked him to do so. Do you remember what happened? He caught so many fish he couldn't haul them in by himself(Luke 5:1-7). So when I call you to live the kingdom lifestyle that is counterintuitive to the world — to live the character and compassion of the Father — then please know I want to bring you more grace than you can ever imagine. I want to bless you with what lasts!
Now when He [Jesus] saw the crowds, He went up on a mountain (as Moses had done before Him) and He sat down (as Jewish teachers of His day usually did). His disciples gathered around Him. 

And He began to teach them. 

Jesus:
Blessed are the spiritually poor — the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 

Blessed are those who mourn — they will be comforted. 

Blessed are the meek and gentle — they will inherit the earth. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness — they will be filled. 

Blessed are the merciful — they will be shown mercy. 

Blessed are those who are pure in heart — they will see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers — they will be called children of God. 

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness — the kingdom of heaven is theirs. 

And blessed are you, blessed are all of you, when people persecute you or denigrate you or despise you or tell lies about you on My account. But when this happens, rejoice. Be glad. Remember that God's prophets have been persecuted in the past. And know that in heaven, you have a great reward.
(Matthew 5:1-12)
Response in Prayer

Father in heaven, as Your child, I confess that I see the world telling me to live in a very different way from what I find Jesus teaching in these beatitudes and the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. I need the help of the Holy Spirit to apply these truths to my life and live them out in ways that reflect Your character and compassion. I ask for this grace, in Jesus' name. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!.
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"My Plan to Train and Teach!" — A Year with Jesus for 01/25/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

Leadership and choosing leaders are very important in any group, but especially among My followers. Please notice two things of great importance in the verses below. They will help you have a lasting impact for Me in your world. 

First, I prayed all night before I chose those whom I would call to be My apostles — those who would be My special emissaries to minister and lead My movement when I was gone. 

I regularly withdrew to have special times of prayer with the Father to tune My heart to His mission. I also dedicated long stretches of prayer to important events in My life. Selecting My apostles was one of those watershed events. Their selection was so important that I prayed all night! 

My early church family dedicated themselves to worship, prayer, and fasting to choose their leaders (Acts 13:1-3; Acts 14:23). So please, don't let choosing leaders for your group, house church, missional community, organization, or congregation become a political event. Leadership is crucial to My mission in the world. Never choose leaders without prayer! 

Second, no leader — no matter how great or powerful — can lead alone. I chose twelve in whom I invested My life (Mark 3:13-19). I trained them to follow in My steps (Luke 6:40). If any leader among My people is following in My footsteps, that leader will choose and train other leaders to assist in his or her work and to continue that work into future generations (2 Timothy 2:1-2). 

You can find this principle all throughout the New Testament. A prime example is that I — the Messiah, your Lord, the Son of God — chose apostles to assist in My ministry and to continue My work. Other examples of not leading alone are Barnabas working with Paul (Acts 11:22-26), Timothy with Paul (Acts 16:1-3), and John Mark with Barnabas (Acts 15:39-40). Leaders in your day most surely need to follow the examples of My early leaders!
Verses to Live

Leadership is vital for the future of My work in your day. I challenge you to invest in others. Share My truth and My way of life. Then, help them invest in others just as you have invested in them. This was the vision I left right before I returned to the Father(Matthew 28:18-20), this was the method I used to train and teach in My ministry, and this was the method My earliest followers used to train and teach. I call on you and the leaders of your day to do the same.
Around this time, Jesus went outside the city to a nearby mountain, along with a large crowd of His disciples. He prayed through the night to God. The next morning, He chose 12 of them and gave each a new title of "emissary" [or "apostle"]. 

They included Simon (Jesus called him Peter) and Andrew (Simon's brother), James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James (son of Alphaeus) and Simon (known as the Zealot), Judas (son of James) and the other Judas (Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Jesus). 

The whole crowd of disciples (including the 12 now designated as His emissaries) came down together, and they stood on a level area nearby. They were joined by an even greater crowd of people who had come from across the whole region — from all of Judea, from Jerusalem, from the coastal areas of Tyre and Sidon. These people came to hear Jesus teach and to be healed by Jesus of their diseases. Those who were troubled by demonic spirits were liberated. 

Everyone wanted to touch Jesus because when they did, power emanated from Him and they were healed. 
(Luke 6:12-19)
Response in Prayer

Father in heaven, I confess that I often don't feel like much of a leader. I am also frustrated with the lack of leadership I sometimes see among Your people and in Your church. Yet I also know that You have given me an area of influence in the lives of others. So as I influence those I love and who are my friends, please help me see ways of involving others to do Your work in my world. In addition, I pray now for my spiritual leaders by name... 

Please bless them and bless us through their spiritual leadership. I pray that the Holy Spirit will stir the hearts of Your people and that we will be intentional about raising up new leaders for the future. I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus, my Lord. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"Don't Make Holy Days Harmful!" — A Year with Jesus for 01/24/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

Having lived among you, I know the challenges and temptations of human flesh. What so troubles Me, however, is how the devil can get good, decent, God-loving people so worked up over religious rules that they actually turn the Father's gift of rest into an excuse to beat people up with religious traditions. Your desire to honor Us — Father, Son, and Spirit — is praiseworthy. However, if you distort that desire to honor Us so that you can make yourself look more holy, your desire can become despicably hurtful. 

Too much of My earthly ministry was spent dealing with critics who did not think I honored the Sabbath. They wasted precious time debating Me and trying to trap Me — time that could have been used blessing people whose needs were largely forgotten and neglected by them and their religious leaders. Sadly, this kind of thing is sometimes true in your own day. Please don't turn holy days and special buildings into an excuse for neglecting people and bringing harm to those I have made in My image.
Verses to Live

The Father gave you the concept of Sabbath to bless you, to bless those who work for you, to bless those who work with you, and to bless your neighbors. He wanted to bless you with a respite from your normal activities and commitments. He wanted you to be nourished by time with family and friends who share your faith. He wanted this to be a time for you to be restored by sacred grace — true shalom. To distort this Sabbath principle into a legalistic set of rules that prevent helping your brother and sister in need actually brings harm and does evil. So take warning from the two events from My life that follow in the verses below. Notice especially My questions in bold below. The answer to those questions is obvious from what I did for the man with the deformed hand!
One Sabbath Day, some Pharisees confronted Jesus again. This time, they saw the disciples picking some grain as they walked through the fields. The disciples would de-husk the grain by rubbing the kernels in their hands, and then they would eat it raw. 

Pharisees:
Don't You know the sacred law says You can't harvest and mill grain on the Sabbath Day — the day on which all work is forbidden? Why do You think You can ignore the sacred law?
Jesus:
Speaking of the sacred law, haven't you ever read about the time when David and his companions were hungry? Don't you remember how he went into the house of God and took the sacred bread of the presence — which, you may recall, only the priests were lawfully permitted to eat? Remember that he not only ate it, but he also gave it to his companions? Likewise, the Son of Man has authority over the Sabbath.
On another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught there. In the congregation was a man who had a deformed right hand. The religious scholars and Pharisees watched Jesus; they suspected that He might try to perform a healing on that day, which they would use as evidence to convict Him of Sabbath-breaking. 

Jesus knew about their plan, and He told the man with the deformed hand to come and stand in front of everyone. The man did so. Then Jesus spoke directly to the religious scholars and Pharisees. 

Jesus:
Here's a question for you: On the Sabbath Day, is it lawful to do good or to do harm? Is it lawful to save life or to destroy it?
He turned His gaze to each of them, one at a time. Then He spoke to the man. 

Jesus:
Stretch your hand out.
As the man did, his deformed hand was made normal again. This made the Pharisees and religious scholars furious. They began discussing together what they would do to Jesus. 
(Luke 6:1-11)
Response in Prayer

O Father, help me honor You and the gift of sabbath rest that You have given to me. Help me to do good, not harm, on all days — especially on days that I set aside as holy days given especially to family, faith, and fellowship with those who love You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

Beyond the Sacred Page" — A Year with Jesus for 01/23/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved, 

The Bible is a precious treasure. Don't neglect it. Use it and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through it. Remember it is a tool that the Spirit uses to shape your life and to point you to Me. Even the best of religious people can get so caught up in proving themselves right by the Bible that they lose sight of the goal and the gift. 

The goal of the Scriptures is to find Me! That's why My beloved disciple John identified Me as God's Message, the Word, that became flesh (John 1:1-18). That's also why the apostle Paul could say that faith in Me was necessary to unlock the salvation promised in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:15), that I am the "Yes!" to God's promises and the one through Whom every "Amen!" can be spoken (2 Corinthians 1:18-20). I am the goal of the Holy Spirit's transforming work in you (2 Corinthians 3:18) and the goal that the apostles were trying to reach in their work with you (Galatians 4:19; Colossians 1:28-29). I am the Father's ultimate, greatest, and clearest Word (Hebrews 1:1-3). 

The gift you receive when you understand that the Bible points to Me and when you follow Me is life! I came to give you full, abundant, and purposeful life (John 10:10). I want you to have life — life with Me (John 14:1-6). I want you have life through faith in Me (John 20:30-31; 1 John 5:13). So let the Bible bring you to Me and find the life I long to share with you! 

Appreciate the Bible, use the Scriptures, and learn the message of the word of God. But, don't worship the Bible. Worship God — Father, Son, and Spirit. Seek Me! Love God with all you are. Don't substitute the Bible for the Holy Spirit. Seek the Father to Whom the Scriptures point and from Whom the Scriptures come. 

Sadly, many of the religious people in My days on earth were so caught up in looking at tiny little arguments over the Scriptures, so caught up in trying to prove themselves and their traditions to be right, that they missed Me — the very One to whom the Scriptures point. 

I am so glad you are taking this year to journey with Me through the New Testament. So I want to encourage you to do this spiritual exercise to help you in your journey this year, and every time you open the Bible going forward. As you study the Bible, pray this simple prayer.
Father, thank You for Your Scriptures. Open my heart to hear Your truth. Holy Spirit, please open my eyes to the message Jesus wants me to put to work in my life. Jesus, conform me to Your will and help me find true life in You. Amen.
Verses to Live

There are a couple of big points being made in this passage, but notice especially the message with bold emphasis. This is the point I want you to see... to be your focus... and to help you find life in Me!
Jesus:
The Father does not exert His power to judge anyone. Instead, He has given the authority as Judge to the Son. So all of creation will honor and worship the Son as they do the Father. If you do not honor the Son, then you dishonor the Father who sent Him. 

I tell you the truth: eternal life belongs to those who hear My voice and believe in the One who sent Me. These people have no reason to fear judgment because they have already left death and entered life. 

I tell you the truth: a new day is imminent — in fact, it has arrived — when the voice of the Son of God will penetrate death's domain, and everyone who hears will live. You see, the Father radiates with life, and He also animates the Son of God with the same life-giving beauty and power to exercise judgment over all of creation. Indeed, the Son of God is also the Son of Man. If this sounds amazing to you, what is even more amazing is that when the time comes, those buried long ago will hear His voice through all the rocks, sod, and soil and step out of decay into resurrection. When this hour arrives, those who did good will be resurrected to life, and those who did evil will be resurrected to judgment. 

I have not ever acted, and will not in the future act, on My own. I listen to the directions of the One who sent Me and act on these divine instructions. For this reason, My judgment is always fair and never self-serving. I'm committed to pursuing God's agenda and not My own. 

If I stand as the lone witness to My true identity, then I can be dismissed as a liar. But if you listen, you will hear another testify about Me, and I know what He says about Me is genuine and true. You sent messengers to John, and he told the truth to everyone who would listen. Still his message about Me originated in heaven, not in mortal man. I am telling you these things for one reason — so that you might be rescued. The voice of John the Baptist, the wandering prophet, is like a light in the darkness, and for a time, you took great joy and pleasure in the light he offered. 

There's another witness standing in My corner who is greater than John or any other man. The mission that brings Me here, and the things I am called to do, demonstrate the authenticity of My calling which comes directly from the Father. In the act of sending Me, the Father has endorsed Me. None of you really knows the Father. You have never heard His voice or seen His profile. His word does not abide in you because you do not believe in the One sent by the Father. 

Here you are scouring through the Scriptures, hoping that you will find eternal life among a pile of scrolls. What you don't seem to understand is that the Scriptures point to Me. Here I am with you, and still you reject the truth contained in the law and prophets by refusing to come to Me so that you can have life. 

This kind of glory does not come from mortal men. And I see that you do not possess the love of God. I have pursued you, coming here in My Father's name, and you have turned Me away. If someone else were to approach you with a different set of credentials, you would welcome him. That's why it is hard to see how true faith is even possible for you: you are consumed by the approval of other men, longing to look good in their eyes, and yet you disregard the approval of the one true God. Don't worry that I might bring you up on charges before My Father. Moses is your accuser even though you've put your hope in him...
(John 5:22-45)
Response in Prayer

O Father, I pray the words to the old hymn* today:
Break Thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me, 
As Thou didst break the loaves beside the sea; 
Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord; 
My spirit pants for Thee, O living Word! 

O send Thy Spirit, Lord, now unto me, 
That He may touch my eyes, and make me see: 
Show me the truth concealed within Thy Word, 
And in Thy Book revealed I see the Lord.
I pray this in Jesus' name and to be conformed to Jesus' will. Amen. 

* Mary Lathbury from the hymn, "Break Thou the Bread of Life," 1887.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"What Will You Do with My Grace?" — A Year with Jesus for 01/22/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Follower, 

In today's events from My life story, you will meet a man who had great difficulties. Yet like so many who find themselves in very difficult situations, this man makes the situation worse by refusing to take responsibility for anything in his life. As you read, notice that I ask this man if he really wants to get well:
Are you here in this place hoping to be healed? 
(John 5:6)
He states the truth about his situation, and yes, it is sad truth, but also notice that he never really answers My question. Instead, this man blames his circumstances. He never really says, "Oh yes, more than anything, I want to be healed!" 

When I heal the man, he gets in trouble with "the overly somber religious enforcement society" of his day for breaking one of their rules. Notice what the man does: he passes the buck and blames it on Me! (I think you will find it very helpful to compare his reaction to "the overly somber religious enforcement society" with the fellow you meet in John 9:1-41, whose actions are quite different!) 

Don't miss two points! 

Point 1: 

You should have compassion on all people, but don't be discouraged when some of those you help still hang on to their victim mindset. You can recognize this by their words and actions:
"It's not my fault!"
"Don't blame me; I can't help it!"
"My problems are all because nobody will help me!"
"That person told me to do this, so don't blame me; I was just doing what I was told!"
As much as you want to help everyone, some folks will never assume responsibility for their circumstances or for getting better. Even in their greatest moments of joy, they refuse to celebrate and praise God — or thank you — for their blessings. Nevertheless, as My disciple, your love should still lead you to help people as I did. 

Point 2: 

Many folks don't get what being My follower is about. They are caught up in the religious rules of everything. You, however, need to be guided by three calls in your life. They will keep you focused on the heart of My mission! They will also keep you from being part of "the overly somber religious enforcement society" of your day! What are those three calls?
Love the LORD your God with all you are and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40).
Light the way to God with your good deeds done to others (Matthew 5:14-16).
Lead people to follow Me (Matthew 28:18-20).
Verses to Live

Ask yourself two questions as you read the scriptures below. First, if you had been healed after 38 years of bondage, would you have blamed your healer or praised God no matter what anyone else said? Second, as My follower, would you be one who helped get this guy into the pool when he had no one else to help him?
... Jesus led His followers to Jerusalem where they would celebrate a Jewish feast together. 

In Jerusalem they came upon a pool by the sheep gate surrounded by five covered porches. In Hebrew this place is called Bethesda. 

Crowds of people lined the area, lying around the porches. All of these people were disabled in some way; some were blind, lame, paralyzed, or plagued by diseases, and they were waiting for the waters to move. From time to time, a heavenly messenger would come to stir the water in the pool. Whoever reached the water first and got in after it was agitated would be healed of his or her disease. In the crowd, Jesus noticed one particular man who had been living with his disability for 38 years. He knew this man had been waiting here a long time. 

Jesus (to the disabled man):
Are you here in this place hoping to be healed?
Disabled Man:
Kind Sir, I wait, like all of these people, for the waters to stir; but I cannot walk. If I am to be healed in the waters, someone must carry me into the pool. Without a helping hand, someone else beats me to the water's edge each time it is stirred.
Jesus:
Stand up, carry your mat, and walk.
At the moment Jesus uttered these words, a healing energy coursed through the man and returned life to his limbs — he stood and walked for the first time in 38 years. But this was the Sabbath Day; and any work, including carrying a mat, was prohibited on this day. 

Jewish Leaders (to the man who had been healed):
Must you be reminded that it is the Sabbath? You are not allowed to carry your mat today!
Formerly Disabled Man:
The man who healed me gave me specific instructions to carry my mat and go.
Jewish Leaders:
Who is the man who gave you these instructions? How can we identify Him?
The man genuinely did not know who it was that healed him. In the midst of the crowd and the excitement of his renewed health, Jesus had slipped away. Some time later, Jesus found him in the temple and again spoke to him. 

Jesus:
Take a look at your body; it has been made whole and strong. So avoid a life of sin, or else a calamity greater than any disability may befall you.
The man went immediately to tell the Jewish leaders that Jesus was the mysterious healer. So they began pursuing and attacking Jesus because He performed these miracles on the Sabbath. 

Jesus (to His attackers):
My Father is at work. So I, too, am working.
He was justifying the importance of His work on the Sabbath, claiming God as His Father in ways that suggested He was equal to God. These pious religious leaders sought an opportunity to kill Jesus, and these words fueled their hatred. 

Jesus:
The truth is that the Son does nothing on His own; all these actions are led by the Father. The Son watches the Father closely and then mimics the work of the Father. The Father loves the Son, so He does not hide His actions. Instead, He shows Him everything, and the things not yet revealed by the Father will dumbfound you. The Father can give life to those who are dead; in the same way, the Son can give the gift of life to those He chooses. 

The Father does not exert His power to judge anyone. Instead, He has given the authority as Judge to the Son. So all of creation will honor and worship the Son as they do the Father. If you do not honor the Son, then you dishonor the Father who sent Him.
(John 5:1-23)
Response in Prayer

Father, I want to answer Your three calls to love You with all I am and love my neighbor as myself, to light the way so others can find Your grace, and to lead people from other cultures as well as my friends, neighbors, and associates to know Jesus. Holy Spirit, I ask that you open my eyes to see practical ways of living out these three calls in My life today, and everyday, as I live as a follower of Jesus Christ, my Lord, in Whose name I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!

© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

Reason to Celebrate" — A Year with Jesus for 01/21/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Beloved, 

What's with all those somber faces among those who claim to follow Me? Yes, seriousness is demanded at certain times. Yes, My call for you to follow Me is a life-changing call that demands commitment. Yes, there are times of pain, grief, and persecution that touch My people during their time on earth. On the other hand, what happened to the passion, excitement, and joyous fellowship that you see Me have in My earthly ministry and that should be a central part of your lifestyle? How do you expect to invite others to follow Me if you do not share My joy with them? 

Please don't buy into the old religious affliction of false, self-imposed seriousness — that feeling that a Christian life must always be sad, serious, and somber. In My earthly ministry, I was quite often criticized for running around with the "wrong" people, going to the "wrong" parties, and being someone who enjoyed food and wine. 

While I know you will face some very difficult times in your life, I don't want you to miss the exhilaration of My coming — My coming to earth as the Son of God, My coming into your presence when you are gathered together to worship Me, My coming into your life in moments of laughter and food and friendship, My coming to you in every moment of life, and My coming at the end of time to bring you to the greatest celebration that will ever occur! These are things that can give you peace and contentment no matter what the external circumstances are in your life. 

So read this story today and be reminded that there are religious folks who don't get it — they feel that everything religious needs to be serious, sad, and somber. Also remember that is NOT the way I want things. I came to bring true shalom — peace, joy, fellowship, wholeness, and life. You frequently find Me at the center of a celebration — the One who brings you peace, joy, fellowship, wholeness, and life.
Verses to Live

Invite Me into your life and let's share the celebration with others!
Pharisees:
Explain to us why You and Your disciples are so commonly found partying [literally, eating and drinking] like this, when our disciples — and even the disciples of John — are known for fasting rather than feasting, and for saying prayers rather than drinking wine.
Jesus:
Imagine there's a wedding going on. Is that the time to tell the guests to ignore the bridegroom and fast? Sure, there's a time for fasting — when the bridegroom has been taken away. Look, nobody tears up a new garment to make a patch for an old garment. If he did, the new patch would shrink and rip the old, and the old garment would be worse off than before. And nobody takes freshly squeezed juice and puts it into old, stiff wineskins. If he did, the fresh wine would make the old skins burst open, and both the wine and the wineskins would be ruined. New demands new — new wine for new wineskins. Anyway, those who've never tasted the new wine won't know what they're missing; they'll always say, "The old wine is good enough for me!"
(Luke 5:33-39)
Response in Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for reminding me that You came to bring Me life and that when You are present, You are not only the reason for the celebration, but You are the center of the celebration! Father, thank You for sending Your Son to give me life. Holy Spirit, thank You for filling me with Your presence and bringing me a deep wellspring of love, joy, and peace! Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"True Healing" — A Year with Jesus for 01/20/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Friend, 

To be My disciple means that you are committed to follow in My footsteps. You come to Me, recognizing your need for healing grace — not just to cure some physical malady, but to heal what is broken inside your life and your heart. When you recognize that I have called you to follow Me, that I have accepted you, and that I have brought you into My family, then you will offer My healing grace to others. 

Today in My life story from Luke's gospel, Levi, also known as Matthew, leaves his life as a tax collector. In the times when I physically walked the earth, tax collectors where generally a notorious lot who used their position and power to extort money from others in the name of Rome and to line their pockets. They were hated and despised. Most lived up to their reputation — living it up with those who were openly sinners. When Levi followed Me, he didn't abandon his friends even though he left his sinful lifestyle. Instead, Levi did what he knew best: he threw a party for his friends at his house. There, he introduced his friends to Me. 

As you might expect, my religious critics launched their criticisms at Me and My disciples for being at Levi's party. Yet before their whispers turned to full public criticism, I reminded them what Levi knew: I came to heal sinners. I came to mend broken lives. I came to restore people to fellowship with God and with each other. So when people find My healing grace, it becomes their lifestyle to share that healing grace with others — not to think of themselves as spiritually superior and certainly not to isolate My healing grace away from those who desperately need it.
Verses to Live

As you read this story about Levi, rejoice in the grace I have given you (Ephesians 2:1-9). Realize that grace not only saved you from sin and destruction, but that it also saved you to be a blessing to others: you were carefully made by the Father for this purpose (Ephesians 2:10). I hope this will stir your heart to follow Levi's example and think of others who need to be invited to come and know Me!
Some time later, Jesus walked along the street and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in his tax office. 

Jesus:
Follow Me.
And Levi did. He got up from his desk, left everything (just as the fishermen had), and followed Jesus. 

Shortly after this, Levi invited his many friends and associates, including many tax collectors, to his home for a large feast in Jesus' honor. Everyone sat at a table together. 

The Pharisees and their associates, the religious scholars, got the attention of some of Jesus' disciples. 

Pharisees (in low voices):
What's wrong with you? Why are you eating and drinking with tax collectors and other immoral people?
Jesus (answering for the disciples):
Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do. I haven't come for the pure and upstanding; I've come to call notorious sinners to rethink their lives and turn to God.
(Luke 5:27-32)
Response in Prayer

Abba Father, thank you for the grace that forgave my sins and adopted me into Your family. Today, dear Father, I want to pray for several people who need Your healing grace in their lives. So, Father, please bless the following people as I pray for them by name... In addition, use me to be a magnet to attract people who need Your grace and please use me to be a bridge to You and Your family of grace for them. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

"Extraordinary God!" — A Year with Jesus for 01/19/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Child of God, 

What is your greatest need? 

Seems like a simple question, doesn't it? But when you look deeper, this event in My life story clarifies some things for you... including what three of your deepest needs are! 

First, many times people going through hard times, especially if they involve illness, think that a cure for their disease is the most important thing. Yet in this story, the man who was paralyzed received blessings that far outweighed having his physical problem removed. This man had friends. These were determined friends willing to take risks that could cost them something. These were friends of faith. I saw their faith and it led Me to help this man with his greatest need. He needed forgiveness. He needed a right relationship with the Father restored. I gave him that at great risk and cost to Me because of the reaction of the Jewish leaders to My ministry. And if you have been paying attention to what I have been saying these last few days, you know why I did it. As God with you, I want you to know by My actions that God wants you both holy and whole — to enjoy full Shalom! 

Second, the religious leaders in this story can point you to another great need. Notice what the religious leaders said:
Who can pronounce that a person's sins are forgiven? Who but God alone?
Now don't miss the point, because a number of religious groups who claim to be My disciples miss it. My actions show that I AM God among you. I healed the man to show I have the power, the authority, the right to do what only God can do: forgive people of their sins, both the ones that involve only them and God and the ones that involve other people as well! 

No matter your problem, please recognize the most important issue in your life involves your relationship with the Father. I can bring you forgiveness no matter what you've done if you will only come to Me and be honest about the sin issues in your life. Don't believe Me? Go read what My beloved disciple wrote about forgiveness (1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:1-2). 

Finally, and most importantly of all, recognize that I AM God. The Father and I are One. I came as God in human flesh, Immanuel — God with you! This is the most basic and important belief of all. To understand God's love, the meaning of My sacrifice, and the importance of your obedience, you must believe that I AM God, come in human flesh to save you — and not just you, but everyone else in the world who is willing to recognize Me for Who I AM and follow Me! As My apostle Thomas said when he saw Me raised from the dead, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28).
Verses to Live

In the following story, there is a paralyzed man whose life was forever changed because of the faith and determination of his friends. If you have friends who are determined in their faith, give thanks to God. Affirm them. Lean on them. Just as was the case for this sick man, there will be days when your friends may have to have the faith to get you to Me when you don't seem to have the power, courage, or willingness to come to Me. So value those friends.
One day Jesus was teaching in a house, and the healing power of the Lord was with Him. Pharisees and religious scholars were sitting and listening, having come from villages all across the regions of Galilee and Judea and from the holy city of Jerusalem. 

Some men came to the house, carrying a paralyzed man on his bed pallet. They wanted to bring him in and present him to Jesus, but the house was so packed with people that they couldn't get in. So they climbed up on the roof and pulled off some roof tiles. Then they lowered the man by ropes so he came to rest right in front of Jesus. 

In this way, their faith was visible to Jesus. 

Jesus (to the man on the pallet):
My friend, all your sins are forgiven.
The Pharisees and religious scholars were offended at this. They turned to one another and asked questions. 

Pharisees and Religious Scholars:
Who does He think He is? Wasn't that blasphemous? Who can pronounce that a person's sins are forgiven? Who but God alone?
Jesus (responding with His own question):
Why are your hearts full of questions? Which is easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven" or "Get up and walk"? Just so you'll know that the Son of Man is fully authorized to forgive sins on earth (He turned to the paralyzed fellow lying on the pallet), I say, get up, take your mat, and go home.
Then, right in front of their eyes, the man stood up, picked up his bed, and left to go home — full of praises for God! Everyone was stunned. They couldn't help but feel awestruck, and they praised God too. 

People:
We've seen extraordinary things today.
(Luke 5:17-26)
Response in Prayer

O Jesus, You are Lord and Christ, God's Son, Immanuel, God who has come to us in human flesh. You are my Lord and my God! Thank You God, in the name of the Son and through the intercession of the Spirit. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

When You Think You Know Better" — A Year with Jesus for 01/18/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Friend, 

Frustrated! Yes, I was frustrated at this precious man in today's verses who disobeyed My direct command to not tell anyone but the priests that he had been healed. 

I understand why he did it. Most mortals would have difficulty not telling everyone they had been healed of leprosy. Most people would find doing what the Law required first very hard. But showing the priests that you were healed was what the Torah required. The priests were already starting to think I was trying to upstage them. So I had very good reasons to instruct the man to not tell anyone else after showing himself to the priest. Besides, you have seen in previous days' readings how the people wanted a miracle-worker more than they wanted a Lord who called them to change their lives so they could live for the kingdom of God. 

Frustrated! Not only was I frustrated, but the Father's plans for Me were temporarily frustrated. So I want to remind you of something I emphasized yesterday: I want you to obey Me even when you think you know better what to do! 

However, that is not the most important truth I want you to learn from My interaction with this man who had leprosy. My miracles were not for My benefit. I refused to use my miraculous power for My benefit and My reputation when the devil tempted Me in the wilderness. Notice carefully how I healed this man with leprosy: I touched him — sharing his uncleanness and ostracism — then I healed him with a direct command. I shared a touch of grace before I spoke his healing. 

Why is this so important to Me for you to see? Simple. This event tells you a major reason why I came. 

I am One with the Father. My words have power — creative and healing power. Just as the Father spoke the universe into existence, when I speak, My words have power. Demons are cast out, disease is healed, and you should obey. I speak the very words of God! 

I have the authority to ask you to obey Me because of Who I AM. Yet if you listen to My words and watch My actions, I demonstrate how much God loves you. So I ask you to obey — not just because of My authority, but also because you recognize My great love for you and My desire to make you whole!
Verses to Live

I am One with the Father. My actions show the Father's heart. God is not a god far off, but a Savior Who has come near to you in Me, Jesus of Nazareth. What I do shows the Father's love for you. In this story, you see God touch a man who would not be touched by another mortal because of his illness. Fear of contracting the disease, societal pressures, and the laws of the Torah to protect the people of Israel prevented human touch with someone who had leprosy. So with the stretch of My arm and the touch of My hand I demonstrated My love. I AM willing to bear your uncleanness and ostracism so you can be made whole.
Another time in a city nearby, a man covered with skin lesions [leprosy] comes along. As soon as he sees Jesus, he prostrates himself. 

Leper:
Lord, if You wish to, You can heal me of my disease.
Jesus reaches out His hand and touches the man, something no one would normally do for fear of being infected or of becoming ritually unclean. 

Jesus:
I want to heal you. Be cleansed!
Immediately the man is cured. Jesus tells him firmly not to tell anyone about this. 

Jesus:
Go, show yourself to the priest, and do what Moses commanded by making an appropriate offering to celebrate your cleansing. This will prove to everyone what has happened.
Even though Jesus said not to talk about what happened, soon every conversation was consumed by these events. The crowds swelled even larger as people went to hear Jesus preach and to be healed of their many afflictions. Jesus repeatedly left the crowds, though, stealing away into the wilderness to pray. 
(Luke 5:12-16)
Response in Prayer

Father God, forgive me. I confess that there are times when I see Your commands, Your call to certain behavior — Your demand for holy character and gracious compassion — to be hard, burdensome, and limiting. I know, O God, that You have the authority to demand this of me. I realize that Your desire is for my wholeness as well as my holiness. I realize that You have demonstrated Your great love for me in Jesus — entering my world, bearing my sin, sharing my burdens so that I can be Your child. Thank You! In the name of Jesus, I thank You. Amen.
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This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

Move Out to Deeper Water" — A Year with Jesus for 01/17/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Friend, 

Wow, there is so much I would like to say to you about this important moment that forever changed the lives of Peter, Andrew, James, and John when I told them where to cast their fishing nets. The last few days, I've been trying to help you look beyond the miraculous to My message and My mission. The same is true with today's message. 

You see, I'm trying to gain committed followers, real disciples, not just an audience. This is an important message for you to hear in your day because many churches are working hard to gain an audience, but not all are equipping people to be real disciples. So notice a couple of things about the events in today's story from My life on earth. 

First, Peter and his co-workers had to trust that I had authority over the areas of their lives that they didn't see as religious. On their road to being fully committed to Me, they had to learn that My lordship extended over every area of their lives. So when I pushed them to go to deeper water and to fish in places and at times fishermen knew were not best, they had to decide whether to obey Me or do what their human experience thought best. Notice this key phrase from the way Luke tells the story: Peter says, "I'll do it if You say so." Boom! That's the point. It's the key point for a disciple in your day, too. There are some religious sounding people in your day who have found ways to make themselves sound smarter about truth than what I said when I was among you. They haven't learned the lesson of Peter. 

Second, Peter admitted in front of his rough, tough, fishing partners that he needed My grace and forgiveness. This is not easy for anyone, but it was especially tough for a guy like Peter. He recognized that he had to surrender control of his life to Me or he was going to make a mess of things. In fact, he was pretty sure he was not worthy to be around Me because he had made a mess of things in the past. Of course, My grace has something much more profound to say about this presumed lack of worth. I basically told him, "Peter, I've got bigger fish for you to catch than you are fishing for now!"
Verses to Live

Once again, while a miracle is involved in the following account from Luke's Gospel, this whole series of events grows out of My teaching. We're about to spend some time with My teaching. So I want you to open your heart to receive My truth and to make a commitment — like Peter — to say, "I'll do it if You say so!"
Picture these events: 

On the banks of Gennesaret Lake, a huge crowd, Jesus in the center of it, presses in to hear His message from God. Off to the side, fishermen are washing their nets, leaving their boats unattended on the shore. 

Jesus gets into one of the boats and asks its owner, Simon, to push off and anchor a short distance from the beach. Jesus sits down and teaches the people standing on the beach. 

After speaking for a while, Jesus speaks to Simon. 

Jesus:
Move out into deeper water, and drop your nets to see what you'll catch.
Simon (perplexed):
Master, we've been fishing all night, and we haven't caught even a minnow. But... all right, I'll do it if You say so.
Simon then gets his fellow fishermen to help him let down their nets, and to their surprise, the water is bubbling with thrashing fish — a huge school. The strands of their nets start snapping under the weight of the catch, so the crew shouts to the other boat to come out and give them a hand. They start scooping fish out of the nets and into their boats, and before long, their boats are so full of fish they almost sink! 

Simon's fishing partners, James and John (two of Zebedee's sons), along with the rest of the fishermen, see this incredible haul of fish. They're all stunned, especially Simon. He comes close to Jesus and kneels in front of His knees. 

Simon:
I can't take this, Lord. I'm a sinful man. You shouldn't be around the likes of me.
Jesus:
Don't be afraid, Simon. From now on, I'll ask you to bring Me people instead of fish.
The fishermen haul their fish-heavy boats to land, and they leave everything to follow Jesus. 
(Luke 5:1-11)
Response in Prayer

Father in heaven, thank You for coming to our world in Jesus and telling us heaven's truth. I confess that I want to call the shots in my life when I think I know best how to do things. Yet I realize that I need Your grace and guidance, Your words and wisdom, or my life will never be all that You have made me to be. I offer myself to follow Jesus because I know that You are God and I am Your creation. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Share on Facebook | Discuss this Verse
This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.

Don't Forget Why I Came!" — A Year with Jesus for 01/16/2015

Note from Jesus

Dear Disciple, 

Human nature leads you to be fascinated with miracles. Many folks through the ages have portrayed Me as a miracle-worker. While it is true that I did a number of astounding miracles — although I love the way John calls them signs that point to a greater truth — you notice that I was not called "Healer." Instead, people called Me "Rabbi" or "Teacher"! 

In addition, the demons knew Who I AM — the "Son of God." Yes, I AM the Son of God — yet I silenced the demons that identified Me. I didn't want My reputation and identity to be under the control of demons or to be in the hands of the crowds who wanted a miracle-worker. I wanted to demonstrate what it means to be God come in human flesh — the meaning of the title "Son of God" — and what it means to be Christ, the Anointed One. 

So if you will watch Me in the coming days as we continue the journey through My time on earth, you will see Me define what it means to be Son of God and Messiah, the Anointed One. I AM the Teacher and the Preacher Who calls people to be a part of the kingdom of God. This is My role, My mission, and central to why I came to earth! 

In addition, you will see Me demonstrate God's compassion in miracles as I restore people back to wholeness — true Shalom. I will be a servant to others, because it is My nature to serve others and sacrifice for them. In My kingdom, greatness is found in those who serve others, even if it means sacrifice. So as Son of God, I will serve and give My life as a ransom for you. I will demonstrate that I AM the Good Shepherd — the Shepherd willing to lay down His life for His sheep. 

So come follow Me. But please don't define Me only by the amazing and the miraculous. Those are just a part of My work. Look more closely, dig deeper, and you will see that I AM God's presence among you — demonstrating the Father's love, service, character, and compassion. Come follow Me and find Me as more than what the crowds and the demons want to call me.
Verses to Live

As you think about the scope of My mission and My example as a servant, consider the following section from Luke's account of My life. This part of My story is in Galilee and relates to My teaching, My healing, and My casting out and silencing demons.
The excitement about Jesus spread into every corner of the surrounding region. 

Picture this: 

Jesus then leaves that synagogue and goes over to Simon's place. Simon's mother-in-law is there. She is sick with a high fever. Simon's family asks Jesus to help her. 

Jesus stands over her, and just as He had rebuked the demon, He rebukes the fever, and the woman's temperature returns to normal. She feels so much better that she gets right up and cooks them all a big meal. 

By this time, it's just before nightfall, and as the sun sets, groups of families, friends, and bystanders come until a huge crowd has gathered. Each group has brought along family members or friends who are sick with any number of diseases. One by one, Jesus lays His hands on them and heals them. On several occasions, demonic spirits are expelled from these people, after shouting at Jesus, "You are the Son of God!" 

Jesus always rebukes them and tells them to be quiet. They know He is the Anointed One, but He doesn't want to be acclaimed in this way. 

The next morning, Jesus sneaks away. He finds a place away from the crowds, but soon they find Him. The crowd tries their best to keep Him from leaving. 

Jesus:
No, I cannot stay. I need to preach the kingdom of God to other cities too. This is the purpose I was sent to fulfill.
So He proceeds from synagogue to synagogue across Judea, preaching His message of the kingdom of God. 
(Luke 4:37-44)
Response in Prayer

O Father, open my eyes to see all that Jesus is as I offer myself to You, in service to Your will and for the good of Your kingdom. I ask this in the name of Jesus my Lord. Amen.
Share on Facebook | Discuss this Verse
This daily devotional is written to help us all reclaim Jesus as the daily Lord of our lives and to help us realize we are not alone as we seek to live for Him. — Learn More
The Thoughts and Prayers for 'A Year with Jesus' are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@heartlight.org.
Thanks to our invaluable editors:
Dr. Edward Holley - Executive Editor
Ray Butts - General Editor
Heartlight is proud to promote Compassion International. See children who were sponsored today!
© 1998-2015, Heartlight Inc.