DAY I – APRIL
23
SERIES:
DISCOVER WHO JESUS IS
TITLE: “TRUST”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY
SCRIPTURE: “Do not let your hearts be
troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” John 14:1
In
May 1995, Randy Reid, a 34-year-old construction worker, was welding at the top
of a nearly completed water tower outside Chicago. According to writer, Melissa
Ramsdell, Reid unhooked his safety gear to reach for
some pipes when a metal cage slipped and bumped the scaffolding he stood on.
The scaffolding tipped, and Reid lost his balance. He fell 110 feet, landing
face down on a pile of dirt, just missing rocks and construction debris. A
fellow worker called 911. When paramedics arrived, they found Reid conscious,
moving, and complaining of a sore back. Apparently the fall didn’t cost Reid
his sense of humor. As paramedics carried him on a backboard to the ambulance,
Reid had one request: "Don’t drop me." Doctors later said Reid came
away from the accident with just a bruised lung.
Who
do you put your trust in? There are many
people in my life I have put a lot of trust in. I have trusted in people I know
and people I don’t know. When driving home yesterday from Southern California,
I remember looking around at all the trucks that seemed to be only a few inches
away from me. I thought to myself, “I am putting a lot of trust in them that
they will stay between the lines and not hit me.” It also dawned on me that all
those drivers around me were putting their trust in me that I would stay in my
lane and not hit them.
Perhaps
you have put your trust in someone, or something, and you have felt let down. Several
years ago, when my father died, we had a yard sale in order to prepare for
selling his house. In all the things we were planning to sell, there was an old
race track set I had when I was a kid. A family came by, said they lived nearby,
and they really wanted to have the race track set. They promised that they
would bring the money over the next day. I let them take it. I never saw the
money or them again. I put my trust in someone that proved not to be
trustworthy. I could tell other stories of times that I have put my trust in
others and they let me down. You could probably tell stories of your own of
people you trusted but have let you down.
The
good news is that there is One who is trustworthy. There
is One who will never let you down. There is One you can put your trust in today. Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts
be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” John 14:1. His promises are true.
You can put all of your trust in the Lord, for He will never let you down. You
can trust Him at all times with everything. The scripture says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and
lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he
will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6.
DAY 2 – APRIL
24
SERIES:
DISCOVER WHO JESUS IS
TITLE: “A PLACE FOR YOU”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: John14:1-6
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: John 14:2
KEY
SCRIPTURE: “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have
told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2
I read that at one time, Spain controlled both sides
of the narrowest part of the Strait of Gibraltar. At the narrowing of the two
land masses, (Africa and Europe), there was a huge marker called the “Pillar of
Hercules,” and prior to Columbus’ voyage in 1492, it carried a three word Latin
saying chiseled into stone: NE PLUS ULTRA, which, translated, said, “No More
Beyond.” It was the standard belief of that time. No one would dare question
the prevailing conviction that the western horizon contained nothing new. After
Columbus’ discovery of a new world beyond Spain, recognition of the revised
outlook was pressed into its coins. Coins were struck with a simple Latin
slogan, two words: PLUS ULTRA; which meant “More Beyond.”
For
the Christian, it is PLUS ULTRA. There is much more beyond. Jesus spoke with
assurance of the divine provision for His followers. We can trust in the
promise that in the Father’s house, there are many rooms. We can trust in the
promise that He is preparing a place for you. The purpose of His departure was
to make ready the place where He would welcome His followers eternally. For the
Christian, there is more to come. When I was a child
growing up, I would listen on the record player to a song titled, "Mansion
Over the Hilltop," by Ira F. Stanphill.
It is a song that speaks about the hope of heaven. Take a few moments to
reflect on heaven as you read the words of the song.
“I'm satisfied with
just a cottage below; A little silver and a little gold;
But in that city where the ransomed will shine; I want a gold one that's
silver-lined.
Refrain: I've got a mansion just
over the hilltop
In that bright land where we'll never grow old;
And someday yonder we will never more wander
But walk the streets that are purest gold.
Tho' often
tempted, tormented and tested; And, like the prophet,
my pillow a stone;
And tho' I find here no permanent dwelling; I know
He'll give me a mansion my own.
Don't
think me poor or deserted or lonely; I'm not discouraged, I'm heaven bound;
I'm just a pilgrim in search of a city; I want a mansion, a harp and a crown.
Refrain:
I've got a mansion just over the hilltop
In that bright land where we'll never grow old;
And someday yonder we will never more wander;
But walk the streets that are purest gold.” (Ira F. Stanphill.)
DAY 3 – APRIL
25
SERIES:
DISCOVER WHO JESUS IS
TITLE: “I WILL COME BACK”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE
KEY
SCRIPTURE: “And if I go and prepare a
place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be
where I am.” John 14:3
One
of the primary promises of Jesus in this passage is that He will come back and
take us to be with Him. The second coming of Jesus stands as a decisive future
event for all believers. Take a few moments to reflect on the promise of the
second coming of Christ.
Marvelous message we
bring; Glorious carol we sing;
Wonderful word of the King; Jesus is coming again
Coming again coming
again; Maybe morning maybe noon;
Maybe evening and maybe soon; Coming again coming again;
O what a wonderful day it will be; Jesus is coming again
Forest and flower
exclaim; Mountain and meadow the same;
All earth and heaven proclaim; Jesus is coming again
Coming again, coming
again; Maybe morning, maybe noon;
Maybe evening and maybe soon; Coming again, coming again;
O what a wonderful day it will be; Jesus is coming again
Standing before Him
at last; Trial and trouble all past;
Crowns at His feet we will cast; Jesus is coming again
Coming again, coming
again; Maybe morning, maybe noon;
Maybe evening and maybe soon; Coming again, coming again;
O what a wonderful day it will be; Jesus is coming again
(John
W. Peterson)
DAY 4 – APRIL
26
SERIES:
DISCOVER WHO JESUS IS
TITLE: “WE
DON’T KNOW”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: John 14:4-5
KEY
SCRIPTURE: “Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we
don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’” John 14:5
Anyone
in my family could vouch for the fact that I am not real gifted when it comes
to finding directions. In fact, they would probably say that is an understatement.
Though I’ve lived here in Medford several years now, I still find myself
needing directions much of the time. If someone who knows the way is not with
me, I usually have to do a MapQuest on the computer before I go, to make sure I
know how to get there.
It
was not that long ago that I found myself lost in town. Actually, it was last
week. I was going to make a pastoral call on one of our families who had
requested I come. Though I had been to their house some years ago, I knew that
I could not find it without some help. So, I relied on MapQuest to get me
there. I was thankful for the directions, for I found the house without any
difficulty. However, the trip was not over yet. On the way back to the church,
I had a problem. I thought I could find a faster way than the way I came. Let
me simply say that I was wrong. I should have just followed the directions in
reverse that I used to get me there.
Jesus
told the disciples that they knew the way to the place where He was going.
Responding to the statement of Jesus, Thomas gave Jesus an abrupt but honest
question concerning directions. Thomas told Him that he did not know where
Jesus was going so he did not know the way. Thomas, who wanted ‘tangible’ proof
and precise definitions, was perplexed and on a quest for certainty.
The
first three gospels tell us very little about Thomas. It is the gospel of John
that gives us some insight into this follower of Christ. In the gospel of John,
Thomas is portrayed as zealous and inquisitive.
Earlier, he had declared his willingness to follow Jesus and to die with
Him if necessary when he proposed the journey to Bethany.
When
many think of Thomas, they think of him as Thomas the Doubter. Thomas earned
the title of “Thomas the Doubter” because of his hesitancy in accepting the
disciples’ story of the Resurrection. In this passage, we discover that Thomas
did not hold back his thoughts but voiced his despair and confusion. Though he
had been with Jesus, he still did not understand. Thomas came to Jesus openly
and honestly, admitting his lack of knowledge and understanding. He confessed
he did not know the way to the Father’s house.
Jesus
came to put an end to the loss and confusion of mankind. He answered the
question of Thomas, who said, “We don’t know where you are going so how can we
know the way?” Jesus came to show us the way to the Father’s house. Jesus came
not only to show us the way but to reveal that He is the Way.
DAY
5 – APRIL 27
SERIES:
DISCOVER WHO JESUS IS
TITLE:
“JESUS IS THE ANSWER”
WEEKLY
SCRIPTURE READING: John14:1-6
DAILY
SCRIPTURE READING: (John 14:6)
KEY
SCRIPTURE: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way
and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6
Jesus
answered Thomas by telling him that He, Himself, was the answer. Jesus is the
way to the Father. Jesus not only knows
the way, He is the Way. Jesus not only knows the truth, He is the Truth. Jesus
know only know the life, He is the Life. Jesus is the answer.
Jesus
is the way to the Father, for He alone has a relationship with the Father not
marred by sin. Jesus is the only way to
the Father. Efforts to approach the Father without going through Jesus are
worthless. There is no other way to the Father, for Jesus is the only way the
Father has provided. Jesus is the Answer.
Jesus
is the Truth. In John 5:26, Jesus said, “For
as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in
himself.” As one commentator said, “Jesus is the truth in contrast not only
with the false, but with the incomplete. Jesus provides all that is needed for
an eternal relationship with the Father.”
Jesus
is the giver of eternal life. The Father has authorized Jesus to overturn death
and bring life eternal. Jesus not only offers life, He is the Life. Because
Jesus is the Life, Jesus and Jesus alone can help you live life to the fullest
and live life as it was created to be lived. Jesus is the answer.
If you have some
questions, In the corners of your mind,
Traces of discouragement, The peace you cannot find,
Reflections of your past, Seem to face you everyday,
But this one thing I do know, That Jesus is the way.
Chorus: Jesus is the answer, for the world today,
Above Him there's no other, Jesus is the way.
Jesus is the answer, for the world today,
Above Him there's no other, Jesus is the way
I know you've got mountains, That you
think you cannot climb,
I know your skies are dark, You think the sun won't shine,
But in case you don't know, That the word of God is true,
Everything he's promised,
He will do it for you.
Chorus: Jesus
is the Answer, for the world today,
Above Him there's no other, Jesus is the way.
Jesus is the answer,
for the world today,
Above Him there's no other, Jesus is the way. (Andrae
Crouch)