A Great Blessing

Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:16-20

Focus Verse:

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.  " Colossians 4: 2-6

The last few verses in the book of Matthew are called “The Great Commission”.  This is a command that Jesus gave His followers before returning to heaven.  Jesus’ command is that we tell the Gospel (good news) to others and disciple them.  That means after we share the good news with them and they accept Christ, we disciple them by teaching them how to live the Christian life.  This is not complicated.  As we go about our daily lives we share what Christ has done in our lives with others as the opportunity arises.  Not everybody we talk to will accept our message, but that’s okay we are just being obedient to do what Jesus asked us to do.

My adult daughter told me today that she has had opportunities to speak with a person named Tom about Jesus at a coffee shop several times over the past few weeks.  He told her that he doesn’t know where to begin reading the Bible.  She suggested that he start with the book of John since this tells a lot about the life of Jesus.  We can pray for Tom that God would open his eyes to the Salvation that God wants to bring into his life.  You can be obedient to what Jesus has asked us to do by starting a conversation with someone you meet as you are going about your business, whether it's at a coffee shop, the lake, the market or at school.   Luke 15:7 says,  “In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away.”  When someone accepts Christ you will experience a great blessing in your life and there will be joy in heaven for this one lost sinner that repents and turns to God.  Let's pray for Tom to make a decision to accept Christ.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

God is Love

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13 and to go deeper 1 John 4:7-21

Focus Verse: "We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19 and "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:35

We love.  Why are Christians to be known by our love? (John 13:35)  The root of the answer is because God is love. (1John 4:8)  Notice that I said that God IS love and that is better than God loves because love is not just something that God does, but it is the essence of who He is. 

Because God is unfailing love, He would not leave us in our sin, but sent his only son Jesus, to take the sin punishment in our place. (John 3:16)  No greater love is there than this. The failure in humanity (sin) was a reason to love all the more, because it is needed and not because it is deserved.

Because we have been redeemed and have experienced the greatest love known to mankind, we can, in turn love others as God has commanded us to do.  Love, even if love isn't returned. (2 Cor. 12:15)

Because our flesh often gets in the way due to our selfishness, pride, self-righteousness, and unforgiveness, loving others can be a challenge and we often do a poor job of representing our role as a Christian.  Paul so loved the Corinthians that though they didn't love him in return, he continued to love them. (2 Corinthians 12:15)

Because we are not left alone in our struggle to love one another, we can allow the Holy Spirit to show us our sin and convict us of the lack of love in our lives.  We can approach God in confession and ask Him to work in our hearts to love others as the Holy Spirit equips us to do so.

Love should be who we are.  Loving others is not our achievement to be proud of, but the work of God in our lives that we can praise Him for.  Love should be flowing through so that others may understand our Heavenly Father and praise Him.  We love imperfectly, but God loves perfectly.

A few years ago I went to a funeral of a lady named Pearl.  She was not considered accomplished by the world's standards, but her legacy was that of love.  She cared for the very small children in the church as their parents could go to worship without being disturbed.  She loved each child completely and they each thought they were favored.  I know this well, because she also cared for my children and they knew that she loved them well.  She loved the parents and the pastors.  She loved in a way that was not just flat, but deeply, even telling truth in love sometimes. A failure in another person was her reason to love all the more because it was needed, not because it's deserved.  She loved.  God is love, therefore we love.

Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

The Gibeonites Decieve Israel

Bible Reading: Joshua 9:1-15

Focus verse: "So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord." Joshua 9:14

The Israelites were instructed by God to not make treaties with any people group who lived near the promised land.  The people of Gibeon heard about the destruction and defeat in Jericho and in the city of Ai and decided to deceive Joshua and the Israelites in order to save themselves.  They dressed in clothes that made it look like they had traveled from very far and they brought dry and moldy bread.  They lied to Joshua and the Israelites and asked for a treaty.  Joshua asked questions and made his decision.  He made the peace treaty and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with an oath.

Joshua and the Israelites were tricked by the visitors and made a major mistake.  They knew that God was with them in Jericho and Ai and had given them great victory.  They thought this was an easy decision and the evidence looked real.  Joshua made a decision based on his own observations.  He didn't consult the Lord.  The Lord would have given wisdom if they had only asked.  Instead, they made a big mistake and it resulted in a disobedience and trials.

The Bible tells us to seek God's counsel in all things.  Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."  Every decision matters to God.  Maybe we can be so prideful that our Lord has given so much victory that we begin to be lazy in consulting Him.  Maybe we think the decision is so small or easy that we don't need extra wisdom from God. This would be a mistake and a good way for Satan to deceive us, get us distracted and out of God's will.  Let's remember to talk to God about all things and consult him in all our ways.

Page Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Extra reading: Matthew 7:24, Matthew 10:16, Ephesians 5:15-17, 1 John 4:1, 5-6

Moving Forward With Christ

Scripture Reading: John 17:1-21

Focus Verse: John 17:11  "Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you.  Holy Father, you have given me your name, now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are."

I remember going into a village in western Kenya to hold an evangelistic event.  At the invitation a man known as a drunkard in the village came forward to accept Christ.  Everyone there was amazed that this man would make a commitment to Christ.  I came back to that village a year later and that man was still a drunkard in the village.  The people in the village said that he came to church for a while but then he went back to his old way of life.  What happened to that man?  Perhaps after his decision to follow Christ no one came alongside him to encourage him in the ways of the Lord.  Or maybe he just missed his old way of life and wanted to go back to it. Maybe he didn't understand the power he had to resist temptation because he wasn't discipled.  Maybe you have wondered if you could fall away from Jesus like that?  

 

God has given you a free will.  So it’s completely up to you if you are going to fall away or not.  If you want to stay close to Jesus then that’s where you will be.  Jesus actually prayed for you in John 17:11and verses 20-21, before He went back to heaven.  Jesus prayed, “now protect them by the power of your name.”  We must do our part in moving forward with Christ.  The moment we stop moving forward we start moving backwards.  So don’t relax because that’s when Satan will come in.  We want to always continue moving forward with Christ.  This means reading the Bible, prayer, fellowship with other believers and walking in obedience out of love for God.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Hope So or Know So?

Scripture Reading: 1 John 5

Focus Verse: 1 John 5:13 “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.”

An essential part of the Christian life is sharing the good news of Jesus.  I talk with so many people who don’t know for sure that they are going to heaven.  When I ask them, “are you going to heaven when you die”?  They answer,  “I hope so”.  An answer like that usually means that they are not going to heaven, but I can help them to know by sharing scripture.  John tells us in our focus verse that we don’t have to hope so, we can know so.  John says “believe on the name of the Son of God and you will be saved.  In other words you can be sure you will have eternal life.

But there can be many different things that can stand in the way of us having eternal life.  In Matthew 19:16-22 Jesus has a conversation with a man who had great wealth.  The man asked Jesus what must I do to have eternal life?  Jesus knew that this man’s love of money was standing in the way of him having eternal life.  This man did not know for sure that he was going to heaven.  His belief was in his wealth. Other people believe in themselves and are thinking if they do more good things than bad things then they will go to heaven.  When you think that way, you can be sure you have never done enough to get there since perfection would be required. 

 

Salvation is not about what we can do to get to heaven.  It’s about what Jesus has already done for us on the cross that gets us to heaven.  Put your trust in Him today.  Ask Him to forgive you of all your sins, and He will in that very moment. Then you can “know so”.   If you already know, then please share this gift with those around you so that they can know.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Better than the World's Best

Better than the World's Best, written by Greg Laurie

Bible Reading: Joshua 24

Focus verse: Joshua 24:15  "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

 

Can sin be fun? You might be surprised by my answer. Yes, of course, there is pleasure in sin. Otherwise, why would we do it? But it’s a short-lived pleasure. Then the problems will follow. That’s why we want to make the right choices.

Joshua stood before the people of Israel and said, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” Then he added, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15 NKJV).

Elijah stood on Mount Carmel and spoke to the vacillating, fickle people of Israel and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him” (1 Kings 18:21 NKJV).

And Moses decided to choose difficulty over ease. Hebrews 11:25 says of him, “He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin” (NLT). Yet because of his right choices, he was a man of personal integrity.

God’s worst is better than the world’s best. What is the world’s best? It’s a few short-lived pleasures. And what is God’s worst? It’s persecution, rejection, being mocked, and things of that nature.

On the other hand, God’s best is peace, purpose, meaning in this life, a relationship and friendship with God Himself, and the guaranteed assurance of Heaven beyond the grave. What is the world’s worst? It’s misery, guilt, emptiness, and a future of judgment in Hell.

No matter what choices you make, you will stand before God one day. But only one road leads to Heaven, and it’s through Jesus because He died on the cross for our sins and rose from the dead.

If you want to know that you will go to Heaven when you die, you need to ask Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins and begin to follow Him as your Savior and Lord.

 written by Greg Laurie of Harvest Ministries

 

Walking in the New Year

Bible Reading: 2 Peter 1

Focus Verse:  “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.” 2 Peter 1:2

We are just a week into the new year and we feel like it's a fresh start!  We can look back on the last year and look forward to the next year.  What do you see as you look back?  We can see our world changing culturally, politically and medically.  Maybe we see some hardships, sin, pain, loss, struggles and discouragement.  Maybe we see  joy, blessings, new relationships, God's handiwork and spiritual growth.  Most likely, there's a combination of the two and we see some good and some bad.  In life, we will always have trials and blessings.  In all these things, as a follower in Christ, we are not alone!

In light of this, how do we move forward this year?  The scripture in 2 Peter chapter 1 tells us that we can have a supernatural peace that can multiply into more and more, even in the midst of our storms and a God who rejoices when we look to Him.  We also read in v. 4 that we can share his divine nature and have the power to escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. We can have His strength to live for Him and walk in His ways.  Verse 5-6 teaches us how to take steps for our faith to grow.  Read over that again as you make your plans for this year.  And lastly, we should pay close attention to what the scripture says!  The scripture was not written out of any of man's ideas or thoughts, but the very heart of God.  We must study God's Word so that we can not be swayed by the clever words and sweet drip of a false preacher.  Verse 19 says of God's Word, the Bible, that we "must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place". 

We also pray "May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord."

Page Johnson

Interlocking Ministries