To Whom Shall We Go?

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

TO WHOM SHALL WE GO

John 6:67-71

67 "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." 70 Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!"  71(He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
NIV

There is no doubt that Jesus chose those twelve men to be special men in the plan of God to bring the Good News to the rest of the world. Jesus selected each of them, called them out of their daily lives to follow, to learn from him, to be men who would change the world. Some people today would say that all men are chosen by God, that is the only people who can be saved are those chosen by God, but we know that simply is not true, for all men may be saved, Jesus died for the whole world, not just few those twelve and the others chosen by God. But in this conversation we should focus on the question Jesus asked, and the response of Peter. From this question of Jesus, it is apparent men may leave him. We just say many turn back from following Jesus because they thought his teaching was too difficult. Now he is giving his chosen twelve that opportunity to leave as well. That surely implies men has the free will to walk away from Jesus, therefore man also has the free will to follow Jesus. Peter had it right when he responded, “To whom shall we go?” Jesus asks us that same question, if we what to leave him too. It does seem rather odd to thing we, as believers would turn back, yet some have as so we should be aware it is possible for us to turn back too. What would we turn back too? It would seem obvious we would turn back to a life of sin, doing whatever we wanted to do without restrictions, yet turning back might also be as simply as just being self-reliant, living under the same principles of the world, rather than trusting God. Turning back might be as simply as turning back to a life of following rules and regulations set forth by a denominations interpretation of selected scriptures, or rather their rules and regulations and selected scriptures they chose to prove their position. There are all sorts of ways of life we could turn back to, but to whom shall we go? Jesus has the words of eternal life. We believe and know he is the Holy One of God. Could Judas be the only one who ever betrayed Jesus? When we turn to living under the law, under the rules and regulations for finding a righteous life, are we betraying Jesus? When we based our righteousness on a check list of do’s and don’ts are we betraying Jesus? Yes we should endeavor to live in a manner that pleases God, and we should refrain from anything which could be labeled as sin, but we cannot ever be perfect, we cannot ever be good enough, we cannot ever find righteousness in anything but faith in Jesus. We cannot ever turn back to any way of living we knew before coming to Jesus, we must live completely in him, for to whom shall we go?

Keep the Truth

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

KEEP THE TRUTH

John 6:60-66

60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" 61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."  66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
NIV

It appears it is much easier to follow the Law than to follow Jesus. Although the Law had so many rules and regulations, many devised or added by man, they felt the simple truth that Jesus was teaching them was too hard to accept. This is also where we get the truth about eating his flesh and blood, that he was speaking spiritually and not physically, for there is not a single person who has every actually done that, we have all used, even Jesus, at the last supper, bread and wine, as a symbol of remembering what he did on the cross, giving up his flesh and blood for us. Here is also where we see some people who followed him, people called his disciples turn back. They preferred their old lives which would lead to death then to follow what they perceived as hard teaching. What appears is they could not see with spiritual eyes, they could not grasp the spiritual as they were too imbedded in the physical. It would seem they felt more comfortable with the rules and regulations numbered out for them, then to accept true spiritual teaching. But Jesus knew that, yet he continued to teach the truth, not willing to compromise in order to convince them to stay. Each man must make his own choice, the Father makes every effort to influence people toward Jesus, that is one of the most uses of the word grace throughout the New Testament, the influence of God on our hearts and how that is reflected in our lives. God endeavors to influence all men toward Jesus, but some are not influenced and so it is true that only those who are enabled by the influence of God come to Jesus. The others would rather live under the rules and regulations of religion. This brings us to the question whether some today who thought they came to Jesus, but in reality could not cope with the freedom in Christ, the true spiritual teaching of Jesus, and therefore devised denominational rules and regulations which seemed easier to have a list of things they could check off they do not do, and a list of things they do. This would seem they too felt his teaching was too hard and turned back to a religion of man. It is far better to follow Jesus then to follow any other way. We must keep the truth as simple as the truth is. We cannot ever turn back to religion; we must stay true to the truth of Jesus. Keep the truth.

The Only Bread of LIfe

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

THE ONLY BREAD OF LIFE

John 6:52-59

52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."  59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
NIV

We should include the rest of what Jesus has said, so that we can include the part where he says what he said is spirit, but we will get to that later, yet we do need to keep that in mind as in the natural, this would certainly appear that he is suggesting people actually feast on his flesh and blood. On the other hand as we know he did not actually mean that. There are some mockers, who would use this to prove the whole bible is an allegory, but that would only be people who love the darkness trying to hide from the light by trying to prove the light is not actually light. This kind of argument is what existed in those who were there listening to Jesus as well. They and many today just cannot see or hear the truth when it is put right to them or they see it and do not want to see it, thinking if they do not admit to seeing it, then it does not exist, it is therefore not the truth. We know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was not telling people to be cannibals, but that they had to accept him into their lives, as the bread of life. He was the only way people would ever experience eternal life. There is only one God, and only one Son of God and only one bread of life. Jesus reminded them about the fact their forefathers ate manna, even manna provided by the Father, but they stilled died. Any other food, any other faith, other in Jesus, concludes with death. Jesus is the only bread of life. There are so many religions throughout the world, but none of them include eternal life, except Jesus. Because God almighty, the creator of all things, is the only God who is not an invention of man, for there is no other actually God, although in some sense a god is what people worship as a god. God, the creator of all things, is who and not what, as are all the manmade gods of this world. Jesus is the only bread of life. There is no other god that can or did do what Jesus did. There is no other god that created all things and who sent his only Son to atone for the disobedience of the people he created. Jesus is the only bread of life.

So Clear

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

SO CLEAR

John 6:41-51

41 At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."  42 They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"

43 "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." 

NIV

Admittedly a large chunk, but it is better not to break this up. People just can’t see past their own noses, their own closed minds of what they have always believed. Sure they wanted free food and were willing to follow Jesus in order to get it, but at the same time they could only see him as the son of Joseph. If they knew his parents they most likely had seen Jesus before, many even when he was a boy, but they had just been feed, all five thousand of them, with two fish and five loaves, yet all they could see is this son of Joseph and Mary. Jesus was telling them if they actually believed in the words of the prophets, if they actually listened to God, believed he spoke to the prophets, they would have learned from the words of God that Jesus was the Messiah, the anointed one, the one sent from heaven. It is not much different today. Many people use the Bible as the basis of their faith, many people call themselves Christian, as opposite to some other religion, but that is as far as it goes. They do not actually believe God. They have not really listened to the Father and learned from him, otherwise they would come to Jesus, they would be born again. This believer never every read the Bible before coming to Jesus, but the Father drew him to Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. That is what Jesus meant about the Father draws people to Jesus. But all of us, one way or the other have believed God and came to Jesus, either through his words, or through the power of the Spirit. Now we have some people who make such a big deal about this eating of the bread of life, of bread being the flesh of Jesus. Yes, Jesus is speaking in a parable, or it might even be considered a hyperbole, but he is making the point that he will die for us, to satisfy the Law, so we can have eternal life through him. Anybody in their right mind would not even think that Jesus was suggesting those people become cannibals. If that was the case only those people could have been saved, we would not have been able to eat his flesh, except to make up some bread and wine and use that as his flesh and blood, as he told his disciples at that last supper with them. Some even believe, through a miracle that wine or grape juice and wafer actually becomes the flesh and blood of Jesus, which would make them cannibals, in some sense. But he did not tell them that would save them, but it was just a way to remember what he came to do, that he came to give his flesh and blood for them, for us. We cannot be saved by eating the bread, his flesh, we can only be saved by accepting him as our Lord and Savior, and that is what Jesus was telling them. He was the Bread of Life sent from the Father to bring them eternal life. If they believed God, then they would believe he is that Bread of Life, and they would accept him as the Son of God, sent from heaven and they would devour every word he spoke, and believed in him. It is so wonderful to believe in Jesus, to know the truth about him. How can anyone miss this? How can anyone misuse this? It is so clear.

Hungry For

DEVOTION

 THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

HUNGRY FOR

John 6:34-40

34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." 35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." 
NIV

There is so much here it really might be better to break it all up into each individual truth and take days to ponder each one, but at the same time it has but one main truth which Jesus was making. But let us look at all he said here part by part, perhaps making one of the longest devotions ever. First those people wanting this bread which would give them eternal life. Just think, bread which we could eat that would bring us eternal life. Could wonder bread do that? Maybe it is whole wheat, or multi grain cardboard bread. Jesus tells them and us it is not any physical bread we could make or buy, but that he is the bread of life. It is Jesus who we must take in to gain eternal life. Everything else in life always leaves us hungry and thirsty for more, but once we accept Jesus we will be satisfied, we need nothing else to fill our life. We will not hunger after other things. This next part is a point of disagreements within the ranks of denominationalism, so claiming this proves God decides who gets saved, using the words, “ All that the Father gives me will come to me.” We know  from so many other words of God that he wants all men to come to him, and so this phrase points to the work, the influencing, the wooing of the Spirit leading people to Jesus. The Spirit is at work making every effort to convince people of their need to repent and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and thus the Father gives them to Jesus. There are too many places within both the Old and New Testament that say, “That all may know”, “That all may honor”, or some other phrase that indicates God desires that all men be saved, as well as so many words that describe men making the choice to love their evil deeds instead of God. But the point here is that when the Spirit convicts a person of their need to repent and that person hears the voice of the Spirit and comes to Jesus, he will forever desire to keep us, he will never say, “Opps, you goofed up, you are out” So who ever responses to the wooing of the Holy Spirit, whoever comes to Jesus, he will forever keep present in our lives, as to not lose us to death. We can also see that it is the Father’s will that whoever, everyone who looks to the Son and believes shall have eternal life. Once again going back to when He said that He loves the world so much that he gave us his Son so that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. It always come down to each person having the opportunity, all throughout the ages, every man must make the choice to believe. God does not make some believe and make others not believe; he gives us that choice, but to those who he convinces through the power of his creation and his Spirit he gives puts them under the authority and protection of Jesus, because it is Jesus who paid the price for us. Jesus redeemed us, Jesus died for us, and so it is right for us to belong to Jesus. Jesus will be the one, who comes back and calls us from the grave. He will raise those of us who have believed in him to eternal life. What more could we ever be hungry or thirsty for? So we must examine what are we hungry for? What do we spent most of our time chasing after? Is it stuff that will spoil, or it is Jesus? What are we hungry for?

A Sign

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

A SIGN

John 6:30-33

30 So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 32 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 

NIV

It seems people are always looking for a miracle in order to believe. As long as the conversation was all about food, free food, food provided through a miracle at that, they brought up a miracle from the past trying to justify why they believed in the Law of Moses rather in Jesus. So they asked what kind of miracle you can do. Had they not just seen him feed them all from five loaves and two fish? What more of a miracle do they want? Those people were just not satisfied. Of course Jesus had just told them about not working for food that spoils but instead if they did the work of God, believing in the one he sent, then they would have done the work of God and had food that would never spoil but endure to eternal life. So show us, make us believe, is their response. What Jesus tells them is the beginning of a very pointed truth, which we will get to next, but for now we should focus on the truth about these people. Many people will not believe unless they see a sign, a miracle for themselves. It seems so many people are looking for some supernatural spiritual experience and it does not have to be Jesus. Any supernatural or what they believe is supernatural, or what they have been convinced is a supernatural phenomenon will do. Some people, even those who call themselves believers or Christians are looking for a sign to prove their faith in Jesus has worth. Many will gather to see some special person who claims the gift of healing, and has people healed miraculously on stage. It seems so many are so desperate to see a sign in order to truly believe. But in reality all we have to do is just believe that what we need is the bread God has sent from heaven. Although some of us have actually been recipients of a miracle from the hand of God, or through the power of the Holy Spirit, which is the same as the hand of God, we still only need to believe. Maybe some people truly do need a miracle, a sign from God in order to believe. If we are so convinced that God is a hoax, that Christians are just being doped than God comes alone and throws a miracle we cannot deny right into our laps. That is in fact what happened to this believer, and then God kept right on going, doing one miracle after another, year after year, even after this believer’s faith was unshakable. Why there are many miracles is unknown, but surely appreciated and testified about. But the true miracle is the fact God sent Jesus as the bread of life, so that whosoever believers in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The most magnificent miracle is that we believe. We have heard the voice of the Spirit, we have responded to his wooing, his call, and we believe. What a miracle, what a sign.  

Something is wrong, I cannot post in the normal manner, so this will have to do, DEVOTION THE GOSPEL OF JOHN A SIGN John 6:30-33 30 So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" 32 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." NIV It seems people are always looking for a miracle in order to believe. As long as the conversation was all about food, free food, food provided through a miracle at that, they brought up a miracle from the past trying to justify why they believed in the Law of Moses rather in Jesus. So they asked what kind of miracle you can do. Had they not just seen him feed them all from five loaves and two fish? What more of a miracle do they want? Those people were just not satisfied. Of course Jesus had just told them about not working for food that spoils but instead if they did the work of God, believing in the one he sent, then they would have done the work of God and had food that would never spoil but endure to eternal life. So show us, make us believe, is their response. What Jesus tells them is the beginning of a very pointed truth, which we will get to next, but for now we should focus on the truth about these people. Many people will not believe unless they see a sign, a miracle for themselves. It seems so many people are looking for some supernatural spiritual experience and it does not have to be Jesus. Any supernatural or what they believe is supernatural, or what they have been convinced is a supernatural phenomenon will do. Some people, even those who call themselves believers or Christians are looking for a sign to prove their faith in Jesus has worth. Many will gather to see some special person who claims the gift of healing, and has people healed miraculously on stage. It seems so many are so desperate to see a sign in order to truly believe. But in reality all we have to do is just believe that what we need is the bread God has sent from heaven. Although some of us have actually been recipients of a miracle from the hand of God, or through the power of the Holy Spirit, which is the same as the hand of God, we still only need to believe. Maybe some people truly do need a miracle, a sign from God in order to believe. If we are so convinced that God is a hoax, that Christians are just being doped than God comes alone and throws a miracle we cannot deny right into our laps. That is in fact what happened to this believer, and then God kept right on going, doing one miracle after another, year after year, even after this believer’s faith was unshakable. Why there are many miracles is unknown, but surely appreciated and testified about. But the true miracle is the fact God sent Jesus as the bread of life, so that whosoever believers in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The most magnificent miracle is that we believe. We have heard the voice of the Spirit, we have responded to his wooing, his call, and we believe. What a miracle, what a sign.