Tag: the father

Love and Obedience

Barbara Weber

John 14:24 KJV

He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

We say we love people, and we prove it by showing care towards them. In this verse, Jesus says those who love him keep his sayings. We show Jesus care by obeying his teaching. But those who do not truly care for Jesus do not keep his sayings, even though he has only said what he heard from the Father. The implication is that to love the Father you must love Christ.

If you do not love Christ, you do not love the Father. Jesus cares for his disciples. He warns them and gives them a way to test their love. They can tell, and prove, they love Jesus by obeying him. It is the same for modern believers. We can measure our love by reviewing our obedience. And if we see room for improvement, we can rejoice because we know how to pray. We can pray for greater love and greater obedience.

Jesus obeyed the Father. He did not have a sinful nature. It was in his nature to love and obey the Father. Therefore, the Father revealed himself to Jesus. Though Jesus’ obedience was divinely inspired, his many choices to obey were done in his flesh. We see how things should be as we study Christ. Like Christ, upon our rebirth into the Kingdom of God, we are free from our sinful nature. We are free to obey and love both Jesus and the Father.

Lord, please help me love and obey you in everything I do. Deliver me from the philosophy of the world and help me learn the teachings of the Bible so I may obey you more fully. Lord, let my life shine for you. Teach me your ways. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Faithful Works

Barbara Weber

John 14:21-23 KJV

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. [22] Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? [23] Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

How do we test ourselves so we can know if we are right with God? These verses make it clear that it is those that keep the sayings of Jesus that will be with him in the presence of the Father. The question arises, “which sayings do I need to keep?” This is an important question to answer because some of what Jesus taught seems to be cultural. If what he taught is cultural then it would not apply to us today.

Satan wants us to think of the Bible as a culture-bound document that is outdated and a relic. But we in Christ know that the Bible is the key to living a godly life. This belief marks us as different from the unbelieving world. However, we must pay attention to what we are believing. If what we believe is contrary to the Word, we are destroying God’s kingdom. However, if we keep the Word, Jesus promises to bring us to the Father.

So what? Now I am saying we are saved by works? No, of course not. There is no true salvation except that which is given to us freely by believing in Jesus. However, the writer of James tells us that, “Faith without works is dead.” (Jas 2:20) Dead things do not bring life. Reading the Word and failing to live the word causes many Christians to be disappointed with God. They assume they are saved by grace so then there is no responsibility on the believers’ side of the equation. Yet Jesus clearly says we obey him if we love him.

Lord, I thank you for your grace that leads to the saving of my soul. Help me show my love for you by leading me to keep your word. Forgive me for marginalizing your commandments. Teach me to fully obey. I hope to be in your presence one day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

A Loving Relationship with Jesus

Barbara Weber

John 14:13-15 KJV

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [14] If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. [15] If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Jesus believed. He believed that he was going to the Father and that he would continue to help the disciples. This statement makes it plain that Jesus believed he was going to heaven, and he believed he would have the authority to answer prayers. These verses testify to the fact that Jesus knew he was divine. He assumes he will have divine authority in heaven and that he will be able to use that authority to assist the disciples.

Jesus loved his disciples. He wanted them to be safe after he ascended to the Father. More, Jesus wanted them to be obedient based on their love for him. He shared with his disciples that he was going to help them. He revealed his love and concern for the disciples in this promise. More, he goes on to ask the disciples to return his love. The way they could do this was to keep his commandments.

These verses reveal intimate details about Jesus’ relationship with his disciples. To begin, he was modeling the right behavior to the disciples. He was teaching them the meaning of the gospels which is to love all people. Here, Jesus asks them to reciprocate the love they receive from him. As he cared for the disciples, he wanted them to care for him. So, while his statements reveal he knew he was divine, they also reveal that he was human. Jesus wanted his love reciprocated.

Lord, please help me reciprocate your love. Teach me to honor and love you in a way that is proper. Reveal yourself to me from your Holy Word so that I might love you better. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Seeing and Believing

Barbara Weber

John 14:8-11 KJV

Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. [9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? [10] Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. [11] Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.

Phillip did not believe all that Jesus taught. After many months of walking with Jesus, Phillip was not sure. He was present during all the miracles and wisdom Jesus shared. He saw food multiplied miraculously and he saw dead children raised back to life. Yet, in the stillness, away from the people, Phillip admits, he isn’t sure Jesus and the Father are one. He may have believed when the miracles were happening, but away from the supernatural wonders, he regressed to doubt.

Doubt is a poison that steals our victory. The Lord said no man who is double-minded will receive anything from Him (James 1:7). In modern times we see few miracles and our precious Jesus is in the presence of the Father. We do not have the Lord with us like Phillip did. However, like Phillip, we may say to the Lord, “show us and we will believe.” But the Lord responds to that by saying you must first believe and then you will see (Heb 11:6). He doesn’t offer proof to boost our confidence. Instead, he gives us the Word of God as our proof.

Phillip had physical proof, he saw the miracles, and still, he doubted Jesus. We do not see any miracles and we also doubt Jesus. So, it seems like doubt is a long-standing destroyer of the works of God. Whether there are signs and wonders or not, doubt remains (John 4:48). As modern believers we must stop using the excuse that we do not see miracles and therefore it is impossible not to doubt. This is a lie. Phillip saw the miracles and he doubted. We don’t see the miracles and we doubt. Clearly, demanding proof will never accomplish the will of God. Rather, an innocent and childlike trust in God combined with a decision to believe will result in confidence in the Lord.

Lord, please help me always have confidence in You. When you are moving and when you are silent, let me be confident. Help me keep my confidence when things are not going as I expect. Help me never blame you or demand an explanation from you. Instead, please give me the gift of faith that stands. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Jesus is the Way

Barbara Weber

John 14:1-4 WEB

“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. [2] In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. [3] If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also. [4] Where I go, you know, and you know the way.”

Jesus was about to return to the Father. Jesus understood and believed that if anyone trusted him, that person would also trust God. In this passage, Jesus makes himself equal to God. He challenges his disciples to believe in God and believe in him. In this way, he makes himself equal to the Father. His disciples have been with him for 3 years learning all he taught. Now the disciples’ job is to believe Jesus.

Jesus was going to the Father, and he was going to prepare a place for the disciples and all believers. He said that the disciples knew the way to where he was going. At this point in the journey, the disciples do not know where Jesus is going. Still, he tells them they know the way. He is referring to himself. Jesus is the way. All he taught, all the love he showed, and all the wisdom he demonstrated were to be duplicated in the life of the disciples. By keeping Jesus’ teachings, the disciples would be on the way to Jesus.

But knowing the way to Jesus is not our guarantee of a home in heaven. Believing Jesus is the way to heaven. And still, Jesus is leaving nothing to chance. He says he will come back and get us. All we must do to be ready is to believe in Jesus. Believing in Jesus guarantees he will come and take us to where he is. Once in heaven, we will be judged. Some will come through the judgment and have entry into heaven as their reward. Others, who obeyed with love will receive greater rewards. They will enter heaven and have an eternity to enjoy the rewards of their loving obedience.

Lord Jesus, please help me learn all that you taught. Help me remember your teachings and to walk in them. Help me to trust you more so that I will not fall to sin. Regardless of what is going on in my life, I want to be faithful to you, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Anointed to the Task

Barbara Weber

John 12:48-50 WEB

He who rejects me, and doesn’t receive my sayings, has one who judges him. The word that I spoke, the same will judge him in the last day. [49] For I spoke not from myself, but the Father who sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. [50] I know that his commandment is eternal life. The things therefore which I speak, even as the Father has said to me, so I speak.”

Jesus is the exact expression of the Father. He is divine. He is also human. As a human, he did things from the weakened condition of having laid down his divinity. He laid down his life and took up a life as a human. It is not a small thing when the Lord tells us to lay down our lives. Jesus is calling us into the same behaviors that he demonstrated as he walked the earth.

If Jesus did it, so can we. If Jesus could hear and follow the Father’s commands, so can we. He was human as well as divine. Jesus was so assured that he was hearing from the Father that he claimed to speak the Father’s words. Jesus was anointed. He was righteous and holy. His behavior modeled the scriptures, and his attitudes modeled the scripture. These two things made him both righteous and holy.

Righteousness and holiness opened Jesus up for an enormous anointing. His anointing was so strong that it carried him to the cross. His anointing carried him to and through his divine purpose. This is something we can imitate. We can walk in outward righteousness of choice and behavior. We can also walk in the inner attitude of Godly motive; we can be holy. We can hear from the Father, and we can understand what he says.

Lord, thank you for becoming a human and showing me how to live. Help me, Lord, to equip an anointing through the righteousness of behavior and the holiness of motive. I want to fulfill my divine purpose as you fulfilled yours. Help me to serve you, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Lifted Up

Barbara Weber

John 12:31-34 WEB

[31] Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out. [32] And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” [33] But he said this, signifying by what kind of death he should die. [34] The multitude answered him, “We have heard out of the law that the Christ remains forever. How do you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up?’ Who is this Son of Man?”

Jesus’ impending death was heavy on his mind. Jesus was addressing the crowd that was drawn through the mighty miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection. Ironically, the Father revealed that Jesus would die through the resurrection of Lazarus. God even went so far as to reveal how Jesus would die. He would be lifted up on a cross so that all people could receive eternal life.

With all they had seen, the crowd still could not understand a Messiah that died on a cross. That was because in Isaiah 9:7 the Bible says that there is no ending to the Lord’s rule. Also, the crowd believed Daniel 2:44 which says God’s kingdom shall never end. They had Jesus before them and yet could not see him. So, although Jesus was dealing with his own heartache, he continues to explain the kingdom and the Son of Man. With all the heightened experiences Jesus and the disciples had experienced they were almost surely ready for rest. Instead, Jesus keeps trying to make use of the current opportunity. His feet were prepared with the gospel of peace.

Jesus was the gospel of peace. His life story teaches us what peace looks like, strangely enough, Jesus’ story is full of chaotic moments. The water to wine in Cana, the scourging of the vendors in the temple complex, the feeding of the multitude, and the resurrection of Lazarus. Those situations were chaotic, and that chaos affected the disciples. However, Jesus remained unchanged. The chaos of the circumstances did not take Jesus’ peace. Jesus was fully confident in God’s goodness. So much that he obediently went to the cross to be lifted up.

Lord, please release a quality of peace that will allow me to stand steady amid chaos. Help me make use of opportunities to share the gospel. Please, Lord, take away the fear of rejection so I boldly and respectfully share the message of Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Planted by God

Barbara Weber

John 12:23-26 WEB

Jesus answered them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. [24] Most certainly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. [25] He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life. [26] If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Jesus taught a mentality that modern science may have called suicidal. He calls for us to abhor our own lives in preference for a life in God. The Lord goes so far as to say, “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit (John 12:25). Everything we know about having a successful life is nothing in the light of the gospel. According to this passage we are to die. But if we are faithful to serve Jesus, the Father will honor us.

How does the Father honor a person he has told to lay down their life? Once we lay our lives down, he often gives us our lives back. Jesus is the only one who needed to die for the salvation of the world. However, working out our salvation some will be called to martyrdom. Most will not. Most people who commit their whole life to Jesus will prosper. It is impossible to stop wanting goodness and the fullness of life. But with God it is possible.

There are so many ways to lay down our lives. A stable, committed prayer life is a small death to self. Reading the Bible daily is another way to lay our lives down. The same can be said for tithing. It can also be said for going to church every week. Laying down our life could be following the Spirit to a new job. It may be when we humble ourselves to the ungodly for the sake of their salvation. We show others the way to salvation through our righteous behavior and our holy mindset. If we lay our lives down for the sake of obedience, it proves we serve and love Jesus.

Lord, teach me how to lay my life down for you. Teach me how to humble myself to you in obedience and righteousness. And teach me to lead others to you through love and holiness. I want to love you and others more than I love myself. All things are possible in you, Jesus. I trust you to teach me how to lay my life down. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Obedient Jesus and Frustrated Believers

Barbara Weber

John 11:5-7 WEB

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. [6] When therefore he heard that he was sick, he stayed two days in the place where he was. [7] Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let’s go into Judea again.”

Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus so much that he decided to let Lazarus die. It was tough love. He knew the outcome was good, for the Father had shown him. So, for the sake of the blessing that was coming, he waited two days before going to Bethany. For two sisters saved from prostitution and dependent on their male relative to care for them, this was a scary situation. They were on the verge of losing their beloved brother and the life they knew. They lived in a time when women were treated as less valuable than men. There were approximately 100 rules in Judaism that constrained woman’s behavior. Losing Lazarus was going to destroy their lives.

But Jesus knew what he was going to do. Jesus always listened to his Father and did what he saw the Father doing. Thus, when he either heard or had a vision of Lazarus rising from the dead, he knew he needed to wait. The waiting was probably uncomfortable for Jesus. His love for this family is highlighted in Scripture. However, Jesus was so convinced of the Father’s good intentions that despite his great love for Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, Jesus waited. And in the waiting, the problem became more difficult to remedy.

Mary was upset with the Lord’s choice. When he finally arrives in Bethany, she does not go to meet him. Martha must coax Mary to come to see the Lord. It is then that Mary goes to Jesus. She wails her frustration in her small voice, “Lord, if you would have been here, my brother wouldn’t have died (John 11:32).” That was Jesus’ limit. He asked where Lazarus had been laid to rest because Jesus was about to call Lazarus out of the grave.

Lord, increase my trust in you. I do not want to become afraid when trouble arises. Help me, Lord, to have real faith that inspires Godly patience and complete trust. Lead me into a full conviction of your goodness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Conservative Jesus

Barbara Weber

John 10:34-36 WEB

Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’ [35] If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken), [36] do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’

That phrase, “and scripture can’t be broken,” is intriguing. Why did Jesus include this? He is talking to Pharisees, men who are experts in Scripture. But Pharisees were also experts in the Talmud. The Talmud was a book of approximately 400 rules which, at times, contradicted the Scripture. This is the error Jesus is addressing in these verses.

Including “and scripture can’t be broken” Is also interesting because Jesus does not appear concerned about modernizing the Scripture. He is Conservative. He takes the Scripture as fully divine and to be obeyed in heart first. This was a radical idea but with a very conservative approach on Jesus’ part. Jesus is speaking to the conservatives of the times, and yet, he had many rebukes for their wrong heart issues.

And there is a heart issue here. The Pharisees have grown cold towards God. They have become orthodox instead of conservative. They have come up with a book to explain the scripture. That book, the Talmud, was given greater authority by the Pharisees than they gave the Scripture. The Talmud was a cruel taskmaster. Worse, any Jewish person caught breaking the Talmud would be kicked out of the sanctuary. So, a scripture obeying Jew could be barred from the temple because of a contradiction in the Talmud.

Lord, help me discern false teachings. Help me always place the authority of the Bible above and help me live its message of love and obedience. In Jesus’ name, amen.