Today’s Verse: He must increase, but I must decrease. ~John 3:30 One of the biggest challenges all of us face in life is the problem of pride. We are challenged when we increase in our acumen (knowledge), accumulations (wealth), accomplishments (deeds), and accolades (popularity). 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 perio

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. Jesus entered into the temple at Jerusalem and was appalled at what He saw in the courtyard.

Today’s Verse: Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. ~John 1:49 Nathanael is one of the lesser-known disciples. He is only mentioned in the Gospel of John. It is believed that he is the Bartholomew who is referred to in the other gospels. In our devotion this morning, we see Nathanael undergoing a forever life-change. Philip, his friend, brings Nathanael to Jesus. We see the importance of bringing our friends and f

Today’s Verse: I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. ~John 17:9 John 17 records for us the Great High Priestly prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ. It appears that Jesus prayed this prayer before He went to the Garden of Gethsemane. It is an important prayer. It is a passionate prayer for the men whom He trained and loved. It sets forth a pattern for prayer. This prayer gives us a firm understanding that prayer for o

Today’s Verse: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ~John 14:1 Several years ago, I received a phone call from someone I know that a loved one of theirs passed away unexpectedly. I was in shock and speechless as this dear person wept and grieved on the phone. There is a sadness, grief, hollowness, and inadequacy that I feel at this moment. Words are insufficient to replace the loss this person just experienced. My acquaintance is grasping for

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 very clear that we were made to glorify the Lord. We are not to glory in our wisdom, our wealth, or our power. 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 Jesus look good!” Within a few days, Jesus would give His life a ransom

Today’s Verse: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. ~John 12:24 Jesus drew from common every day activities and matters of life as symbols for spiritual application. He used parables, people, and practical things that everyone understood to profoundly drive home a spiritual point. He spoke of a law of the harvest. In one verse He described a concept that everyone too

Today’s Verse: Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. ~John 16:32 In the context of the Christian life, we are faced with the reality that trials and hardships are part of our pathway. It is never a question of whether a trial will come, but rather when trials will come. In the days leading to His death on the cross, Jesus frequently used the

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 From the moment we are born into this world, we are taught and ingrained with the idea of self-sufficiency. Our parents teach us how to become independent in all of our activities of daily living. However, the development of self-sufficiency and self-dependency also results in the philosophy that we are capabl

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