Wednesday Devo
Scripture Reading:
John 14:6-7
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
14:6 Jesus as the one way to the Father fulfills the OT symbols and teachings that show the exclusiveness of God’s claim, such as the curtain (Ex. 26:33) barring access to God’s presence from all except the Levitical high priest (Leviticus 16), the rejection of human inventions as means to approach God (Lev. 10:2), and the choice of Aaron alone to represent Israel before God in his sanctuary (Num. 17:5). Jesus is the only “way” to God (Acts 4:12), and he alone can provide access to God. Jesus as the truth fulfills the teaching of the OT (John 1:17) and reveals the true God (cf. 1:14, 17; 5:33; 18:37; also 8:40, 45–46; 14:9). Jesus alone is the life who fulfills the OT promises of “life” given by God (11:25–26), having life in himself (1:4; 5:26), and he is thus able to confer eternal life to all those who believe in him (e.g., 3:16). This is another “I am” saying that makes a claim to deity.
Study Questions:
- The first takeaway from Sunday was the Jesus IS the Word of God. Jesus speaks as God, he IS the Truth! Not A truth, not YOUR truth, but THE Truth! And if we are going to pursue the heart of God and follow Jesus, we must have the right heart. The Pharisees disregarded the truth in God's word and, because of their pride, refused to consider that they might be wrong. We must accept the fact that a right heart will always submit to the right authority. We MUST keep our hearts in check and when there is some kind of disagreement between what we think and what God thinks, we must submit. It's HIS truth over our truth, feelings or experiences. What are some ways you have had trouble submitting to the truth of God's Word? Are there any times you go with what YOU think over what GOD thinks?
- Recently I've seen on social media, in the midst of a culture that is literally running from the truth of God's Word, people talk about things "their Jesus" would or wouldn't do. "My Jesus would NEVER" fill in the blank. And in that blank is usually something completely contrary to Scripture. Many times we have it completely backwards. We want to develop our own beliefs and platforms and then try to fit Jesus into them, because surely he would think and behave like us, right? Conservatives have their Jesus and liberals have theirs. If you've ever said or thought similar things, YOUR Jesus just might be the WRONG Jesus. Jesus was ALL grace and ALL truth, regardless of how that makes us feel. Have you ever been guilty of letting your platforms shape the Jesus you serve? How do we make sure that we are serving and following the REAL Jesus?
Pray:
- That you would constantly be submitting your thoughts and feelings to the truth of God's word.
- That you would daily check yourself against Scripture and make sure you aren't inventing your own Jesus.
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