Jesus Knows About Your Suffering

Scripture Reading: John 11: 1-16

Focus Verses John 11: 3-4 “Lord, the one you love is sick.  When He heard this, Jesus said, this sickness will not end in death.  No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

For most of us we don’t need to look very far to see someone that is ill.  Maybe it’s your parent, child, or even a close friend, or maybe yourself.  Sickness is something that happens in our lives because we are human.  Often it is the source of our fears and anxiety. 

As a believer in Christ we are invited to take our pain, sickness, and suffering to Jesus.  Many people have taken this path before you did.  And many have endured more sever suffering than you.  In fact no one knows about your suffering more than Jesus.  He suffered too, but we must remember that His suffering led to an empty tomb.  The suffering you are going through today is not the end.  As believers in Jesus we have so much more to look forward to.  Do you believe this?  John 11:35 says “Jesus wept.”  He was with his friends, Mary and Martha, who were weeping and it's possible that His weeping was compassion for their suffering.  (A demonstration of Romans 12:15) He knows our suffering.

As we look at the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God is saying “do you trust Me?”  We are never forgotten or left alone in our suffering.  We can trust that in our suffering God is able to bring about our healing if He chooses.  You may feel abandoned or forgotten.  Maybe you think there is no end in sight.  God knows what you are going through.  He suffered too, even to the point of death.  It is a mystery of our faith how Jesus died, and then was raised to life, but we also know He is coming again, and we will be raised with Him.  Let us rejoice in Him, no matter what suffering we are going through right now.

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

The Intimacy of Waiting

Bible Reading Genesis 40
Focus Verse: "Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
Blessed are all those who wait for Him." Isaiah 30:18

"Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgot him." Genesis 40:23  This feels like a very disappointing verse in the Bible.  Does it seem like God is failing to save Joseph?  I'm glad this isn't the end of Joseph's story.  Did you ever wait for God?  Are you waiting now?  If we are seeking God, why does He make us wait when we pray to him?  Waiting is biblical and a few examples are these:
Noah waited for the waters to go down before coming out of the ark.  He was on the ark 370 days.
David waited 15 years to be king.
Job waited for God to heal him.
Abraham waited 25 years for his son.
Moses waited 40 years in the wilderness.
and there are more.

Biblical waiting is seeking intimacy with God.  Humble yourself to Him and acknowledge your need of Him.  Persistently seek His will in all that you do, being careful not to rely on yourself and lead God like Abraham did when he made for himself a son with a handmaiden, but to wait on God. (Gen. 16:1)  Acknowledge God's sovereignty and power and that He has the power and the right to give and take away for reasons that we may not understand.  Paul waited and prayed about his thorn in the flesh and was given grace.  This was not what he expected, but God knows what is best for our lives.

Why must we sometimes wait?  Every delay and trial on this side of the waiting is being used to shape you.  God does not waste this time, so make sure you get up early and spend some time with Him.  There can be many ways God wants to shape us.  First, waiting reveals our true motives. (James 4:3)  It gives us time to examine if what we have been praying for fits into God's will for our lives.  We need to give God time to teach us His priorities.  Secondly, the delay can build patience, perseverance and hope.  (Romans 5:4-5 "And patience produces character, and character produces hope.  And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts. He gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us.")   Third, waiting builds intimacy with God.  Our needs and desires will drive us toward God as we seek Him.  We will focus on what God has asked of us today and respond with obedience as Joseph did.  If we don't see results, we accept the hope and grace that God gives and press on.  God is always faithful even in the waiting. We hold on to him as our anchor.  Our relationship with God is more important than anything that we are waiting for.

Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

God of Impossible Things

Bible Reading: Psalm 147:3-11
Focus Verse: "But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ~ Matthew 19:26 ESV

This is a good day to reflect on God and the things he has done for you.  So often, we rush into our day with our things to do.  We need to stop and realize what we have in our God.  See what the scriptures say: God is GREAT and MIGHTY in power.  His understanding has no limit.  He covered the sky with clouds, made and named all the stars, supplies the earth with rain and causes the grass to grow.  He feeds the cattle and young ravens.  He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounded heart.  The Lord delights in those who fear him and who put their hope in His unfailing love.

There are so many man-made distractions to the greatness of God.  I know that I take the blessings of God for granted many times.  I have even looked with desire at material things when I should be satisfied with what God has already given me.  We need to recognize the greatness of God in our lives.

How do we respond to this greatness of God? Verse seven says that we should sing to the Lord with thanksgiving and make music on the harp.  Well, I don’t have a harp, but I can play songs of thanks and praise God along with the music.  Spend some time reading the verses again and thanking God for his greatness in your life.  Maybe you’d like to read some scripture to your family as you gather around the table.  When you realize that God does the impossible things, you can be more encouraged in your life because God is for us.

~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
More verses:
Jeremiah 32:17
Jeremiah 32:27
Job 42:2
Mark 10:27
Luke 1:37

Don't Stop

Scripture: Matthew 26:6-13also found in Mark 14:3-9 and John 12:1-8

Focus verse: "But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me." Matthew 26:10

Not everyone will support your ministry to the Lord but don't stop what God has led you to do.  Every time we want to do something we tend to wait for the approval of men before we do it. We tend to listen so much to what to what other people will think about us or say about our actions at the expense of our service to God. The result of this is either we quit doing it or do it within the approval/standard of the people we value in our lives. But really, are our actions guided by our love for God? Are we doing because we want to please God or man?

In this Scripture, Mary of Bethany realizes her great love for Jesus as her guiding principle towards toward serving the Lord. She takes an expensive oil from the alabaster and anoints the feet of Jesus with it and wipes Jesus feet with her own hair. One of the disciples, Judas, complains about her service but she is never distracted by this. In fact she uses very expensive oil that would have been sold for enough money to help the poor. According to Mary, the price of that alabaster oil could not compare the great love of Jesus for her life and in turn uses it as an expression of her great love for Him.



We too need to show the great love for God without limits. We need to support the work of God with our best resources without fear of contradiction. We must not listen to the other voices but keep a focus onto what God’s word is telling us. Our actions should reflect our love for Him. Not all people will support your ministry or your giving to the Lord so don’t wait for their approval.  


"Stay excited about your faith as you serve the Lord." Romans 12:11

 "Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect." Romans 12:2

Written by Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Bethesda Faith Ministries

Easter is for Second Chances

Bible Reading: Mark 16Focus verse:

"But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." Mark 16:6-7

Do you need a second chance today? On the first Easter morning, Peter needed one. There in the Upper Room, he had insisted that he would never deny Christ. But just as Jesus had predicted, Peter not only denied the Lord, but he denied Him three times. The last glimpse Peter had of Jesus before His crucifixion was in the glow of the fire in the high priest's courtyard, where he actually made eye contact with Jesus. And then he went out and wept bitterly.What kind of look do you think Jesus gave Peter when their eyes met? Do you think it was one of those I-told-you-so looks? Do you think it was one of scorn, as if to say, "How could you betray Me?" I don't think it was either one. I think it was a look of love, a look of compassion that said, "I still love you, Peter." And I believe that is why Peter went out and wept bitterly. He had failed the Lord so miserably. He probably thought there was no hope for him.  But then a message went out from the empty tomb that Jesus had risen, followed by these instructions, "Go, tell His disciples—and Peter. . . ." It was not, "Go tell the disciples, including Peter, James, and John. . . ." It was just Peter, because Peter needed a special word of encouragement.

 

Do you need encouragement today?  Maybe you have fallen short. You didn't plan on it, but it happened. And like Peter, maybe you ended up with the wrong people in the wrong place at the wrong time, ultimately doing the wrong thing.God gave Peter a second chance. And He will give you one, too—because Easter is for the person who needs a second chance. 

 

By Greg Laurie

The Purpose of the Church

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 

Focus verses: "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." Hebrews 10: 24-25
 
What is the church?
The church, also known in scripture as “the body of Christ” (Colossians 1:24, Ephesians 5:23), it is not the building we gather in on Sunday morning, although that is what we often think of when we consider the church. The church is made up of the believers in Christ, those who believe that Jesus Christ came to earth and died for our sins, and trust Him as the way to receive forgiveness for the sins we have committed, so that we can have a relationship with God. Together we encourage one another as we go through life, build each other up as we seek to follow Christ. 

What is the purpose of the church?
Ultimately our purpose is to glorify God with our lives (1 Corinthians 10:23-33). As the church our role is to bring glory to God. As we see in our main reading that we are not each given the same role, we have different purposes within the body. The Lord has given each of us different personalities, skills, talents and spiritual gifts. When we compare ourselves to others we tend to get discouraged because we might get jealous of someone else’s gifts and not be happy with our own (v. 15-16). Instead we see that not everyone can be an eye (v. 17) we each have our own strengths to bring to the body of Christ. In the same way we should also be careful not to think of our gifts as better than the gifts of someone else (v. 22-23). What we as humans might consider as insignificant could be the most honorable. We need to make sure that we as the body of Christ are not divided (v. 25). There needs to be respect for one another, if there are any arguments we need to make sure we are not holding a grudge towards any believers. It is important that we remember that they are human too, they make mistakes just like you, we should be quick to forgive one another. If we are distracted with hatred towards one another this keeps us from fulfilling our purpose as the body of Christ. Our purpose is to suffer together and to rejoice together, we are the church so we don’t have to go through life alone, we need one another (v. 26). God has given each of us a different role so instead of getting jealous we need to learn what our gifts are and to use them to give God the glory. If you are unsure of what your spiritual gift is you can ask someone who knows you well that is a spiritual leader over you, maybe a parent, your youth pastor or a close friend. 

Pray:
God thank you for creating us differently and for a purpose. Help me to recognize the spiritual gifts you have given me. Show me how I can use these gifts to glorify you Lord. Help me to use the gifts to encourage other believers and in sharing the gospel with those who don’t have a relationship with you. Remind me that you have given me different gifts for a reason and that you would keep me from being jealous of others’ gifts. I love you Lord. Amen. 

written by Haley Kinsman 

Expect Kindness

Expect Kindness [and give kindness]
~by David Jeremiah from Hope for Today

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:17-32
Focus verse: "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Ephesians 4:31-32

Counselors sometimes suggest that a sure way to avoid disappointment is to avoid expectations.  Married couples are sometimes told if they expect nothing from a spouse, they will not be disappointed if they receive nothing.  That is a sad way to approach life.

Often, we confuse expectations with rights, especially in marriage.  Some claim "It is my right to be loved and understood by my spouse."  Demanding rights can be problematic.  But are expectations in marriage wrong?  When we follow Paul's lead, comparing marriage to Christ and His Church, it would seem not (Ephesians 5: 22-33)  Do we as the Bride of Christ have expectations of Christ?  Yes, and He is always faithful.  Does Christ have expectations of us, His Bride - expectations of love, loyalty, obedience, service, and more?  Yes, and whyle we sometimes disappoint Him, expectations remain.

As the Bride of Christ, we should be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving toward one another as Christ is toward us (Ephesians 4:32).  Don't disappoint Him.  Be kind to each other - He expects it.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; Colossians 3:12

More on marriage:
^{Ephesians 5:22} Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. ³⁰ For we are members of His body,^[a] of His flesh and of His bones. ³¹ “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”^{[b] 32} This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.