Tuesday, October 26 Daily Reading, John 3:16-18

Is Jesus The Only Way? Part 1: One Son

Background Passage: John 3:16-18; 14:5-11; 1 Timothy 2:3-7

Today’s Focal Passage: John 3:16-18

All for One and One for All

“Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno” is the Latin phrase most commonly associated with French writer Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers. It’s a motto that might as well be a Scriptural reference. God gave one for all so that all might live for one; as one.

As a youth pastor, I have operated under this principle many a time. “Don’t let the many suffer for the one; let the one suffer for the many.” Not only is it a direct reference to what Christ (the one) did as he suffered for the many it’s also a principle that just works. In large group teaching time when one kid is an overwhelming distraction, why continue to allow the whole group to suffer and miss the message? No one would suggest that. You remove the one so that the many can be blessed. Of course this isn’t a sacrificial substitution as in the case of Christ. The wayward teen is anything but innocent. But discipline here provides a teachable moment that can be explained and used to benefit both the majority and the trouble making minority. The one and only Son of God did indeed suffer for the many, “that the world might be saved through Him.”

“One for all” certainly describes the heart of God and the life of Jesus. Jesus, the One, did much for us. Belief in the One cancels our debt and affords us eternal blessing. But does “all for one” do as well describing us? Is there an “all for one” unified approach to the Christian life within your family? Your church? Your small group? How about in your personal life? Do you really live out the idea of “all for one” as your response to Christ? Does everything you do, everything you say, everything you are, everything you represent indicate a life lived for Christ alone?

o If God gave His one and only Son for us, can’t we live our one and only lives for Him?

Monday, October 18th Reading, John 6:66-69

Week of October 17

What’s Do Different About Jesus? Part 1: Consider Jesus’ Teachings

Background Passage: John 6:22-71; 9:1-41; 20:1-31

Today’s Focal Passage: John 6:66-69

Confucius Say

Obedience to Christ could be summed up in the statement, “I do and I understand.”

Many people want that statement to be different. We’d rather it read, “I understand and I do.” We’d like for the teachings of Christ to be easier to comprehend and simpler to employ. In today’s passage from John, Christ has just finished informing those assembled at the synagogue in Capernaum that they were to eat his flesh and drink his blood, share in His life in order to receive eternal life. Perhaps it isn’t until we have shared in Christ’s life, His suffering, His love that we won’t fully understand his teaching. Maybe it’s not until we reach the eternal afterlife He promised that we’ll comprehend the ways of our Lord. For many, that’s too much to ask; too long to wait. No matter how fine the print, we’d like all the information up front. The real issue lies with the fact that Christ’s teachings weren’t meant to just be pondered and studied. They were intended to be followed and with doing comes understanding.

Paul, in his instruction to Timothy (1 Timothy 4:6), told the young minister that he would be “nourished by the words of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.” Our faith in Christ and His teaching is only as certain as our willingness to follow. Perhaps understanding Christ and enjoying the life-nurturing benefits of His teaching comes in obedience. When we say to Jesus, “You alone have the words of eternal life” but then spend our time looking for life elsewhere, we’re left empty and confused. But when we acknowledge Christ with our lips and our lives, wisdom and understanding are ours for the taking.

o What parts of Scripture do you find to be particularly difficult?

o How can you experience greater understanding of who Jesus is and who He has called you to be?

o How can your life be a better example to unbelievers of what it’s like to live by faith and understand God because you do what His word says?

Wednesday, October 13 Reading, Isaiah 6:1-5

Week of October 10

Can I Fix What’s Broken? Part 2: Holiness Recognized

Background Passage: Isaiah 5:8-6:7; Romans 3:9-26

Today’s Focal Passage: Isaiah 6:1-5

How Big is God?

According to 1 Kings 6:2, Solomon’s Temple was 90 feet long and 30 feet wide. That is 2700 square feet…not that big when you consider the size of most houses in suburban America. However, 1 Kings 6:2 also tells us that the Temple was 45 feet high. When you think about your own 9 to 12 foot ceilings, 45 feet becomes the grandeur we imagine when reading about the temple of the Lord. Isaiah said that the Lord’s robe filled the temple. If just his garment filled a room 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high, how big must the God who wears that robe be.

As we encounter the God of this universe and the Lord of our very lives, the only proper response is utter awe. He is so big and so holy; so worthy of worship and adoration and “awe” the attention we can give Him. Our first response to the recognition of a holy God is worship. Our second is all together related but also very different. It is very simply to see ourselves in light of who He is. When we think about who we are against the holiness of God, the only fitting response is that of Isaiah in verse 5. “Woe is me!”

Today, I invite you to do something a little different. Grab a sheet of paper sometime today and a pen or marker. Sketch your interpretation of Isaiah 6:1-4. Beside your representation of God and His winged creatures, write words to describe the holiness of God. Close your artistic endeavor by praying a prayer of adoration to God for being the Holy creator that He is. Close your prayer by thanking God for loving you even though you are who you are. Recognize your imperfection in light of His perfection and thank Him for loving you anyway!

Monday, October 11 Reading, Isaiah 5:20-23

Week of October 10

Can I Fix What’s Broken? Part 1: Evil Rationalized

Background Passage: Isaiah 5:8-6:7; Romans 3:9-26

Today’s Focal Passage: Isaiah 5:20-23

2 + 2 = 5

George Orwell’s classic Nineteen Eighty-Four used the phrase “two plus two equals five” to make us wonder whether absolute truth can actually exist or if lies themselves are truth simply because the majority of people believe them.

1984 is long past. My favorite TV shows were Kids Incorporated and The Cosby Show. I got to see Ghostbusters and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in theaters. Hard to believe that much time has passed. I spent the fall of 1984 in 1^st grade learning that 2+2=4. I am quite certain that if I ever put the number five down for that math problem, I would have gotten it wrong. To the equation 2+2, there is one right answer!

The evil one has an agenda. He uses popular culture and promotes a false sense of tolerance to make us lower our guard and question whether the worldly way can be as wrong as biblical wisdom would have us believe. His techniques are nothing short of propaganda. He would have us live in a world and be a people who call evil behavior good, or at least acceptable. He would have us so accustomed to darkness that light bothers our senses. He would have us think ourselves wise and clever in our own opinion. He would have us be heroes at self-indulgence and more concerned with ourselves than injustice in the world.

To the tactics of the evil one and those of us who buy the lie, the prophet Isaiah says, “Woe!” That is the cry of God’s kingdom when God’s people begin to waiver between right and wrong, truth and lies.

We live in a world where all kinds of evil can be rationalized. The problem is that trusting God and His truth is the only rational thing worth believing. Everything else is a lie and lies are harmful. Woe to us when we exchange the truth of God for the lies of the world; godly living for ungodly beliefs.

o What are the evil actions and attitudes that you have rationalized in your own life?

o What are the lies the evil one is using to capture your attention and the attentions of your children?

o Make a list of those today and develop action plans for helping your family trust in God’s truth. It may not be the popular answer, but it’s the right one. 2+2 is indeed 4 even if you’re the only one out there who believes it.

Wednesday, October 6 Reading, Genesis3:16-19,24

I Don’t Want To Deal With That

When Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, their first instinct was to run and hide. They said it was because they knew they were naked. Their eyes had been opened. They were sinners now and they knew it. They were ashamed so they hid. Maybe it was in part because they knew they had let God down. Maybe it was in part because they knew there would be consequences for their disobedience and they didn’t want to face Him.

Reliant K sings,

And I so hate consequences

And running from you is what my best defense is


Consequences, 
Oh God, don't make me face up to this


Cause I know that I let you down, 
And I don't want to deal with that

What do we do when we’re confronted with our own sin? Do we run and hide? Why? Do we try to come up with excuses or alibis? Do we hate our sin or just the trouble it gets us into? God eventually found Adam and Eve. He finds us too. We’re never far from reach and no matter how much we loathe them, consequences are a reality when it comes to sin. If we know this, then why not respond to our sin in ways we know to be healthy. Rather than run, we should confess. Rather than hide, we should admit our mistake and accept the consequences that accompany our actions. After all, consequences are a good thing. They serve as the lessons and reminders not to make the same mistakes again and again.

What have been the consequences of sin in your life? How have you accepted those and learned from your own mistakes?

Tuesday, October 5 Reading, Genesis 3:1-6

Week of October 3

Is Sin Really a Big Deal? Part 1: Sin Defined

Background Passage: Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 5:12-14

Today’s Focal Passage: Genesis 3:1-6

Smoking Kills

I’ve only been to Germany one time and it doesn’t really count. Sitting in the Frankfurt airport for six hours doesn’t really give one bragging rights to time spent in grand Deutschland. The Frankfurt airport, like any good international airport, provides globe-trotting jet setters with many a shopping opportunity. I found myself there in the international terminal browsing Duty Free passing time until my flight home. I noticed bulk cases of cigarettes in sizes I had never seen before. Let me say here that I am not a smoker and don’t really encounter retail cigarettes very often, meaning that these cases may be as common as a cold, but nonetheless new to me. It was only a moment before I noticed the special labeling on the outside of each of the bulk boxes. In large print, these words were scribed:

SMOKING KILLS.

SMOKING IS HARMFUL TO YOU AND OTHERS AROUND YOU.

This labeling was different than any Surgeon General warning you would find on individual packaging in the US. While the size and font did catch my eye, I was more caught up in the content. It was certainly of no shock to me to realize that smoking kills and is harmful to you and others around you. The surprise came and continues to come in the form of the following: How can we as people know something is bad for us and do it anyway? That’s a question we can ask about all sin. “Believers, why do we continue marring our life with things we know full well to be harmful, not only to us, but to others around us?”

Maybe it’s because we, like Adam and Eve, choose to believe some of the lies the evil one tells us about sin. (We won’t die; our eyes will be opened; we will be like God.) He is after all as scripture describes, very cunning. Maybe it’s because sin (like smoking) is habit forming. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 7:19, “For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do.” Sin is an attitude of rebellion towards God and we do it even though we know it’s harmful to us and others around us. We do it even though we don’t want to. We do it because we want to believe the evil one’s lies and because we can’t help ourselves. Thank goodness we have a Savior who forgives our rebellious nature and connects us to God in spite of our sin.

What are the areas of sin where you struggle most? What truths about your own behavior do you need to believe? How can you rely on God’s power to kick nasty sin habits?

Friday, October 1 Reading, Philppians 2:5-11

The Case for God’s Involvement Part Three: God Incarnate


Background Passage: Philippians 2:5-11

Today’s Focal Passage: Philippians 2:5-11

Attitude Adjustment

One of the great things about having kids (and I am convinced that God has designed it like this) is that we learn some incredible spiritual lessons from our kids. When we, as parents, interact with our kids we often see much that is similar in our relationship as kids to our Heavenly Father.

Has this situation every occurred at your house (if not, that’s OK, I’ll own it): your son is running rampant around the house in a complete tear and just completely bent out of shape. He is going off on everyone and is just acting (dare we say it)…poopy!

So, what do you do? You sit him down and say something to the effect of: Young man, you need an attitude adjustment! (and then sometimes it was necessary to bring out the ‘attitude adjuster.’) But, what exactly does that mean? It means that currently your attitude is really bad. It is not something that I, as your parent, want to see exhibited in and through you. I want you to stop for a few minutes, think about how you are acting and feeling, and then change that attitude to something that is more pleasant.

In Philippians 2, Paul challenged us to have our own attitude adjustment. We are challenged to have the same type of attitude that Christ exhibited. So, what does that mean to you?

o What difference would it make in various parts of your work day if you were to have the mind of Christ?

o What difference would it make in your family if you were to have the mind of Christ?

o So, does God need to sit you down in order to help you change your attitude?