What does it mean to you that Jesus said, "You can know the truth and the truth will set you free:? Do you have freedom? Is it freedom from... or freedom for?
Jesus ties his identity to two very important ceremonies during the Feast of the Booths / Tabernacles with his statements "I am the living water" and "I am the light of the world." Jesus is the fulfillment of the combination of light and living waters that was prophesied by Zechariah (14:4-9).
We are called to speak the truth. However, we are called to speak the truth in love. John 7:53-8:11 tells of attempt to trap Jesus in terms of how he would respond to a woman caught in the act of adultery. But it was a trap -- no man was brought. Jesus's response can be understood in terms of three words: condone, condemn, and confront. We are called to confront in a loving way.
Ps. 122 says, "I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord." Do you rejoice in being in the presence of God? The 23rd Psalm concludes, "I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." It is believed that because of the relationship with the Shepherd "...goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." Is that your desire?
What does it mean to you that God has prepared a table for you and anointed you? Because you have been served, are you motivated to serve?
What is the key to living a life without lack? Three things are important - faith, death to self, and agape love. Dallas Willard says that these three form a "triangle of sufficiency" in our lives. The key, however, is faith -- but not as an intellectual concept. Biblical faith involves trust and loyalty. Are you trusting God so that, like the Psalmist, you can say "I will fear no evil"?
Is it possible to not fear evil? Can we truly walk 'through the valley of the shadow of death' without being afraid? We can if we know the Shepherd and are protected by remaining in his presence with the rod and staff present.
Dallas Willard describes Psalm 23 as follows - “The Shepherd Psalm is a reminder of God’s care, protection, and provision for his children; the preciousness of his creatures” (Life Without Lack). He goes on to point out that it is one thing to understand how our Shepherd is capable of providing for all our needs; of course such an all-powerful, self-sufficient being can take care of us. So, why are we here.
What do you mean when you say, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." In what way do you know God? Is this just a mental concept, or is it a belief that changes your lifestyle? Our mind does matter - not just our brain, but our mind! Proverbs says that "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."
How do you determine what to believe and what not to believe? Jesus knew the importance of time, the priority of his calling, and the value of proper judgment. Can we begin to look at the big picture?
Some of the sayings of Jesus have to be recognized as 'hard' sayings. What did he mean when he said that we must eat his flesh to live? How does this fit in with the theme of John 6 where we find Jesus as the giver of bread becoming 'the bread of life'?
As I child my mother used a lot of bread to make sure I was satisfied. True satisfaction is found only in Jesus Christ... "I AM the bread that came down from heaven." The first of seven "I am..." sayings. But what does it mean to you?
They were frightened and why not! The storm was fierce and Jesus wasn't with them. But soon He appeared walking on the water. Ego eimi - "I am" - the Great I Am was now on the scene taking their fears and giving peace.
Who is Jesus to you? Is He the desired source of you earthly, physical needs? Or, do you take Him to be the source for your spiritual life - the Manna come down from heaven, the Bread of Life?
Did Jesus claim to be divine? Did he claim to be equal in action, able to give life, and the judge?
Would it dampen you spirits to know that over 400 years has passed and the promises / prophesies of Isaiah 35 had not been fulfilled? Maybe you, too, would have been dealing with unfulfilled expectations. So, Jesus question is pertinent - "Do you want to be healed?" - not only for the paralytic, but for us also.
Whether demonstrated in the healing of the Official's son from 20 miles away or the Resurrection and empty tomb, there is power in the Word of God!
Change! It is inevitable. But what can we do to ease the tension? John the Baptist shows us a way of humility.
Has being 'born again' become a flattened term for you? What if I told you that there were three other metaphors used by Jesus with Nicodemus: being born again, wind, a serpent, and light/darkness. And the emphasis? Conversion! There is more to it than just 'believing,' the demons knew and believed that Jesus was the Son of God -- but that didn't bring them salvation.
What if...? According to John, it was the first Passover of Jesus' ministry years and he was in Jerusalem. The Temple, however, was more of a problem than a place of worship. So Jesus took corrective action. The focus should not be on the violence of his action, but the victory of his acts. He had 'zeal' for his Father's house. Are you cleansed for worship as you come together with other Christians?