Tag Archives: Jesus

It All Comes Down to Jesus

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I was having a conversation with a friend yesterday at lunch and we were talking about church. Talking about leadership and connection and fellowship and growth and all the stuff that goes into church.

We talked about our excitement in church, over frustrations, over all types of things. And as we were leaving, we both just though the same thing.

It all comes down to Jesus.

Everything. Everything comes down to Jesus. Not to theology. Not to denominations. Not to preferences. Not to styles. Not to anything else in all of creation.

Jesus.

Everything comes down to Jesus.

Listen to what He says today in John 6:38-40:

For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

He says today that God’s will is that everyone that looks to Jesus should have life.

Everyone that looks to Jesus. That’s it. That’s what it is all about. Everything else in life fades away. Everything else in life withers. But it all comes down to Jesus.

Everything. In Him, we have life. In Him, we have purpose. In Him, we have hope. In Him, life has meaning.

Without Him, we are hungry, tired, and weak. Rudderless and purposeless. In Him, we live.

Today, it all comes down to Him.

I had a professor that used to tell us that everything in our life comes back to our walk with Jesus. Every problem, every trouble, every worry, it all comes back to Jesus.

He is life. He is hope. He is all. Today, may we be found in Him. And today, may we find our strength, joy, and purpose in Him.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

An Example

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Jesus Christ is Lord of all. He is the very Son of God. The Bible tells us in Colossians that everything in all of creation was made by Him and through Him. He holds everything together. He is the source of life, the source of strength, the source of everything that is good in life.

He sets the example for us. The word Christian means a follower of Christ, or sometimes “little Christ.” As Christians, we are commanded and called to live as Christ would have us to live.

And, lucky for us, Jesus set the example for us. He showed us what we are supposed to do. Look at what we see in John 13:12-15 today:

When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

What did Jesus do? He served. He served in the must humiliating, demeaning fashion. He served His disciples. He washed their feet. He set an example.

Today, our command as Christians is not to walk around beating our chests. It’s not to act like we are better than others. It’s not to look down our noses at others. It’s not beat other people up.

It’s to serve. Our calling today is to serve others. Our calling today is to follow the example of Jesus and place others ahead of ourselves and serve them, serve their needs, love them.

In loving them, we show them Jesus’ love for them. In serving them, we show them their worth. In serving them, we follow the example set by our Lord.

We will not be able to argue someone into the kingdom of heaven. But, we can love them in. We can serve them in. Jesus showed us that example. He showed us what we are to do. He served His disciples.

And He calls us to serve each other. Today, in your life, find a way to serve someone. And in doing that, you will be showing Jesus example of love. And in that, He will be glorified, and folks will know His love.

Today, he set an example for us. Today, may we follow.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

It’s All Worth It

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Christianity doesn’t promise the moon and the stars. It doesn’t promise that everything will be perfect. It doesn’t promise that everything will be great.

Paul says today that we will toil, we struggle we work. There are and there will be tough times in our faith and in our lives.

That’s simply reality. It’s what you and I know, it’s what you and I deal with. Being a Christian doesn’t make those tough times disappear.

But you know what? It’s worth it. It’s worth it all. Why?

Listen to what Paul writes in Colossians 1:27-29 today:

To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

Paul tells us today that we have the beauty of the mystery of God, Christ in us. That’s the hope of glory.

Our hope doesn’t like in jobs or careers or relationships or hobby or reputations or anything upon the earth.

Our hope is in this. Christ, the very Word and Truth of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, lives within. Our hope is not found in anything other than that. That is our rock, our hope, our faith.

That is the greatest thing we can can ever know. That’s the greatest thing we can possess. That’s the greatest thing that our minds, our hearts, our lives can know.

Christ in us, that’s the hope. That’s the rock. That’s the foundation. Christ in you.

That’s what all of life comes down to. As I’ve said before, everything in our lives comes back to our walk with Christ. Everything. Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Today, if you are in Christ, if He is your hope, it’s all worth. Every trouble. Every slight. Every worry. Every defeat. Every pain. Every tear. Every broken heart. Everything.

Christ in you. The hope of glory. That’s what it’s all about.

Today, may we keep that the main thing in our lives. And may we know that it’s all worth it.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

What Will We Choose?

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Jesus lets us make choices. He respects our free will. He will call us. He will let us answer. And He will let us make the choice that we make.

Today in the text we read, we see how Jesus lets us make choices each day.  Listen to what happens in Luke 9:57-62:

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

In this text, we see three different people have a conversation about following Him. The first tells Jesus that he will follow Him. Jesus says that in following Him, this man will have to make some real sacrifices. Now scripture does not say, but is implied that he didn’t follow.

Two others are given the chance to follow, but each comes up with a reason or an excuse that he cannot follow. There is a reason why they cannot follow.

And what does Jesus do? He lets them make that choice. He lets them decide what they want to do. He lets them live with choices that they make.

He doesn’t chase them down. He doesn’t make them follow Him. He doesn’t force them into a relationship with Him. He lets them choose. He lets them decide.

And He lets them live with the consequences of that choice.

Today, Jesus is calling you. He’s calling you to love Him, follow Him, serve Him, and serve others. He is calling you today. He wants to know Him.

He wants you to make that choice.

But, He will respect your choice. He will not force you. He will let you choose.

Today, what will you choose? Will you choose to follow? Or will you not. Will you choose to follow Jesus in each moment of your life today? Or will you choose to say no and follow you own will and own way.

Today, we have choices to make. What will we choose?

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Watch Me

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Paul says something really big and scary in today’s reading. Something I’m not sure I’d want to say or any of us would want to say.  It’s some big words.  But, it’s something that we each say, each day of our lives.  Listen to what he writes in Philippians 3:17-20:

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Paul says this – you want to know what a Christian is? You want to know how you walk the walk God has set before us? You want to know how a Christian is supposed to live?

Watch me. Follow me. Imitate me. Do what I do.

Wow. That’s a big statement. That’s a powerful statement. I tell folks I’m afraid to put one of those fish on my car because I’m such a bad driver that I don’t want to embarrass God.

That’s how we all can feel sometimes. We see our shortcomings. We see our mistakes. We see what we do wrong.

Paul says, watch me. Do what I do. If you want to see what a Christian does, watch me.

Two things then – first, let’s make sure we surrond ourselves with those that are an inspiration, that are a role model, that help us to know how to live.

Who do you look up to? Who do you follow? What crowd do you associate with? Are the folks in your life helping you to live the life that you’d like to live?

And second, realize that there are always eyes watching us, to see what we do and how we live. These are the little eyes of our children, our grandchildren, our nieces or nephews, those little ones in our lives.

They are watching us. They are seeing what we do. They are seeing how we live. Let us not forget that. Let us remember.

Let’s make sure that we are doing what we need to do in our lives, so that those little eyes can have examples to follow.

Paul says, watch me. In our lives, that’s already happening. May we each live in a graceful manner and set that same example.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

First Things First

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Just a reminder, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Jesus must be first in our lives. There is no other way that life works. Jesus must be first. Only when He is first, does everything else fall into place.

Listen to what happens in Luke 9:57-62:

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

We see in today’s text that different people respond to Jesus’ call to follow Him. One says, I’ll follow, but Jesus warns, it will be tough. You will have no place to lay your head. Scripture doesn’t say, but it implies that He does not follow.

Jesus is saying – I must come first.

Next, Jesus gives the call and the other says, I must bury my father. Jesus response sounds cold, uncaring for family. That’s not who Jesus is, through. If you remember at the cross, one of the last things that He did was that He made sure His mother Mary was taken care of.

Jesus is not uncaring for family. He is just saying – I must come first.

Finally one says let me go and say good by to my friends and family, and Jesus responds – no. I must be first!

Jesus does not desire to separate us from those that love us. He does nto desire to separate us from those that we love. What is saying is this – first things first. I must come first.

In every relationship, in every moment, in every thought, in everything in our lives, He must come first.

That’s where life is found. And when He is first, everything else makes sense. When He is not, when something or someone else is first things don’t make sense. But, when He is first, life is as it should be.

Today, in all your life, keep first things first. Keep Jesus first. And everything else will make sense.

Why I Love the Bible

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Before today’s devotional – a quick note. This week, Asbury released a mobile app for smartphones. You can download this app and listen to my weekly sermons, read this devotional, and find out all that’s happening here at Asbury. To download the app for iPhones/iPads, click here. To download the app for Androids, click here.

Now, onto today’s reflection!

In this passage Peter is sharing with the people about Jesus. He is telling how God, through Jesus, longs to give salvation to all that would believe. Jesus lived, preached, taught, was betrayed and rose from the dead. He was the offering for us all, and through Him, all of us can know the power of salvation and grace and peace.

Today listen to part of Peter’s sermon in Acts 10:39-43:

And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

I love what Peter says in that last verse – all the prophets bear witness to Him. In other words, all the scriptures point to Jesus. All of it.

That’s why I love the Bible. It is God’s love note to us. Are there things there are hard to understand? Yep. Are there things there that can be a little confusing? Yep. Can Leviticus be a book that’s a challenge to read? Yep.

But all of it, from Genesis to Revelation, paints a picture of God’s love for us and a picture of God’s plan of salvation for us through Jesus Christ.

So, as we said, there may be things that we don’t understand, John 3:16 shows that love. Romans 10:9 shows that love. Today’s passage shows that love. Jesus Christ came so that all who believe in Him will receive forgiveness.

All of the scripture, all of it, points to this. Jesus. His love. His life. His forgiveness. God is working all of it out for this point. To show us, me, and all the world, that we are loved, forgiven, and accepted.

Today’s passages points to this truth. All the bible points to this this truth. And that’s why I love the bible.

Staying Connected to Jesus

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Before devotional – a quick note. Yesterday, Asbury released a mobile app for smartphones. You can download this app and listen to my weekly sermons, read this devotional, and find out all that’s happening here at Asbury. To download the app for iPhones/iPads, click here. To download the app for Andorids, click here.

Now, on to today’s reflection!

Life is found in Jesus. That’s a simple statement. But it’s an incredibly powerful statement. Life, life that matters, life that can weather a storm, it is found in Jesus.

Jesus shares this with us today, in a powerful concept.  He is the vine. We are the branches.  Listen to what He says in John 15:4-5:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Today, in this passage Jesus tells us that He is the vine, and we are branches. He is the source of our strength, our life, our power, our everything. We get our very life from Him.

And this is so important for us to not only understand, but to live by as Christians, to say that He is our life is to say that He is the source of power, our strength, our ability to fight through pain, or doubt, or fear, or worry, or troubles, or trials, or anything like that.

He is the vine. He is our life.

But, that means as the branches, we have to be really plugged into Him. We have the amazing source of power and life at our disposal, and we just have to turn to it.

How? How do we acces this power? The ways we can do it have been called by folks like John Wesley, the means of grace – prayer. Studying the Word. Communion. Christian Conversation. Fasting.

By being active in these things, we receive grace. And we stay plugged into the Vine. We get His power, His life, His hope. His everything.

So, today, when you grow tied, read, pray, talk to a Christian friend. When you get frustrated, read, pray, talk to a Christian friend. When you think you can’t do it, read, pray, talk to a Christian friend.

Stay plugged into the vine. And in doing that, you will find life. He is our life. And as we stay connected to Him, we will find all the life we could possible need!

Do Not Be Afraid

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I’ve read the story of Jesus calling the first disciples many times in my life. I’ve preached on it a good many times in my ministry. It’s a story that I feel like I know pretty well.  It reads in Luke 5: 8-11 like this:

But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

So, when I started reading today’s passage, I thought, well, I wonder what’s there. I’ve read it so many times, I just don’t know what’s there this morning to reflect on and share. And then I read verse 10 again.

And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

And when I read it, I noticed something that I had never noticed before (it’s funny how God has a way of doing that!).

Peter realizes who Jesus is, and his immediate response it to say – I am sinful and not worthy of being in presence. Just like Isaiah in Isaiah 6, when Peter has an encounter with the Holy, he realizes how unworthy he is.

Jesus then calls the disciples to follow Him. But before He calls them to go and catch men, He says this – do no be afraid.

Do not be afraid. What a message we need to hear. These disciples were beginning to head out on a journey that would take them far from home. They would see things that they never thought they would have ever seen. They would experience things that many of them would have never through possible. They were literally going to do the impossible.

And I’m sure if they realized on the front end all they were going to do, they’d have been terrified.

So, Jesus says, don’t be afraid.

I don’t know what your day holds. I don’t know what your life holds. I don’t know what challenges await you. I don’t know what all callings Jesus has on your life. I don’t know what the future will be.

I know that there will be joy and pain, laughter and tears, challenges and triumphs. And I know in all things, today, tomorrow, and always this message we hear today rings true.

Do not be afraid. God is with Jesus. He never leaves us. He is with us. He calls us, He loves us, He cares for us.

Do not be afraid. You are His beloved child. He will neve leave your side. You have nothing to fear. Today, or any day.

Do no be afraid.

Little Things

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Life is not always about the big things. Sometimes, it’s about the little things. Now, little does not mean unimportant. It just means, little.

Little things, done well, done for Jesus, sometimes can be the greatest thing that we can do. Sometimes, yes sometimes, God calls us to amazing, big, gigantic things. Yes, that happens. And when it happens, we should celebrate. We should take courage. We should be brave, be bold, and do it with great joy.

Sometimes though the things that God calls us to aren’t big. Sometimes they are little. Or at least to us, they appear to be little.

Listen to what Matthew 10:40-42 says:

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Scripture tells us this. Nothing done in His name is little. Nothing done for His glory is little. Nothing done to further the Kingdom of God is little. All things, big or small, when done in His name and for His purpose are grand and glorious things. All things, big or small, when done for Him, are huge!

Today, God may be calling you to something big. If so, then do it. God gives us great dreams sometimes.

But today, God may be calling you to give a smile. A hug. A warm word. Just to be nice. Something we might not think of as “big.” But if these small things, this little things, are done for Him and His name, they are huge.

Today, in all things, big or little. May be faithful. And today, in all things, big or little, may God be glorified.

Today, in Jesus, and through Jesus, there are no little things. Today, through Him, may all things be for His glory. Today, through Him, may everything we do show His grace, His mercy, and His love.