Today’s Verse: Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. ~John 20:27-28 Doubting is when we lack a complete assurance about something. It's a manifestation of unbelief. Doubting impedes our faith and disables us from putting our entire weight into a cause, movement, or matter. Thomas is sometimes ni

Today’s Verse: Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. ~John 13:8 In Jesus' time, foot washing was a common and acceptable act of courtesy and kindness towards any guest that entered a home. A servant in the home was assigned the task of washing the feet. This was also a good hygiene practice since the people wore sandals and the roads were typically dusty, dirty, and strewn with garbage and anima

Today’s Verse: So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. ~John 21:15 A lady in Spain made the news when she chose a unique way to test her husband’s love. With the help of a friend, she manipulated her own kidnapping and sent a ransom notice to her husband. When the police discovered that the kidnapping was a hoax, they

Today’s Verse: By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. ~John 13:35 The goal of every Christian life is that we testify of our commitment as disciples to our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the task of the Great Commission. We are to go and teach all nations. The Greek word for "teach" is where we get our word "disciple" from. Jesus repeatedly taught His disciples about the importance of being vital disciples. We are to be committed as d

Today’s Verse: And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. ~John 11:44 John 11 is a powerful chapter in Scripture. Within this chapter, the doctrine of the resurrection is declared and demonstrated by Jesus in the life of Lazarus. It is also a chapter that teaches us about the power of a transformed life. This power is the only means by which a victorious

Today’s Verse: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. ~John 17:17 Our Scripture this morning is taken from the prayer of the Lord Jesus the night before He was crucified. He prayed that His disciples, those who followed Him at that time and all who henceforth would call Him Lord, would live in truth. Truth is such an important theme; it is mentioned twenty two times in the Gospel of John. We live in a time when people are more willing to believe lies than the tru

Today’s Verse: Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. ~John 15:8 This past year, some of my church members who have fruit trees had a very abundant harvest of lemons. In fact, they had so many lemons that they were giving much of it away to friends. For the owners of the trees, it can be said that this was a year of much fruit. Much fruit is the evidence of a healthy tree. Much fruit is a great delight to the own who owns it. This

Today’s Verse: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. ~John 14:12 Do you have a desire to do something great for God? Is it in your heart of hearts that God will use you greatly? The disciples were discouraged because Jesus told them that He would go away. The human side of them did not want the Lord to leave them. They felt a sense of weakness and in

Today’s Verse: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; ~John 2:15 Does the sight of an unkempt house bother you? I think most people desire and strive for a clean house. However, we can become occupied with many other things and neglect our household needs. Jesus entered into the temple at Jerusalem and was appalled at what He saw in the court

Today’s Verse: I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. ~John 15:5 The word nothing implies emptiness, void, or zero. Someone who lacks the wisdom to save for retirement will sadly say when he is older and has no more time to save, “I have nothing to show for all the years I worked.” Someone who invests his money unwisely and loses it because of excessive risks that he took w

Today’s Verse: He must increase, but I must decrease. ~John 3:30 One of the biggest challenges that all of us face in life is the problem of pride. We are challenged when we increase in our acumen, accumulations, accomplishments, and accolades. Our fleshly nature derives satisfaction and enjoyment when we hear good things said about us or are given praise for accomplishments. John the Baptist had attained a great following in a short period of time. The religious leaders of t

Today’s Verse: He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. ~John 21:17 Love is the highest and most powerful of human emotions. Love is what draws and keeps us together. Love is a bond that keeps people together. Love is the motivating reason why a man and

Today’s Verse: And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself. ~John 18:18 Wintertime is when the cold season hits us hard. As I write this devotion, 25% of our church is down with illness, hospitalizations, or crisis. The majority of them have been hit with the flu and colds. Colds make us very miserable. We experience fever, chills, coughing, runny noses, int

Today’s Verse: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; ~John 2:15 Does the sight of an unkempt house bother you? I think most people desire and strive for a clean house. However, we can become occupied with many other things and neglect our household needs. Jesus entered into the temple at Jerusalem and was appalled by what He saw in the court

Today’s Verse: There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. ~John 3:1-2 One of the most significant men of the New Testament is Nicodemus. He was a man who did not allow his education, monetary wealth, prestige, and influence to inhibit him from coming to Jesus for the tru

Today’s Verse: And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. ~John 12:23 The Bible makes it very clear that we were made to glorify the Lord. We are not to glory in our wisdom, our wealth, or our power. If we have anything to glory in, it is the fact that the Lord is God. Giving glory to God is giving Him the honor, the acknowledgement, and complete magnification for everything. Someone said, “Giving glory to Jesus is when we make

Today’s Verse: There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? ~John 6:9 If you like to eat seafood, you’ve probably had fish and chips at least one time. This term originated in England and refers to battered fish that has been deep fried and is served with potato strips or French-fried potatoes. It is a delicious entrée that even someone who does not like to eat fish will enjoy. Our devotion this morning is not exac

Today’s Verse: When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. ~John 11:6 How well do you respond to an unexpected delay in your schedule? Life is filled with many unexpected delays. I am thinking about the delays that we experience standing at the checkout counter of a store due to customers ahead of us who seem to take a long time to process their items. I think of delays on our already-congested freeways due to accident

Today’s Verse: When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. ~John 6:12 I read the story of a woman who went shopping at a thrift store on a snowy, wintry day. As she entered the store, she took off her $100 rain boots, which were muddy, and left them at the front door. When she had finished shopping and was exiting the store, she noticed that her boots were missing. The clerk did not realize that they were this

Today’s Verse: And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him. ~Mark 1:20 Those who oversee successful, growing businesses know that making good business decisions is key to ongoing success. A good business decision results in good employees, profitability, greater market share, greater loyalty, and increased brand acceptance. This morning, we see two businessmen who were given a business choice that