"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
TO PONDER
These words are such beautiful reminder of the eternal life that we will receive in Jesus! The ‘truth’ here is Jesus, and to ‘know the truth’ is to have complete faith in Him. Because of this faith, we are ‘set free’ to enter our heavenly home.
I have always found it interesting that the meaning reflected in Jesus’ words here can also be applied on a more literal level. The popular quote ‘The truth will set you free’ originates from today’s verse, and is said by many people, regardless of their beliefs.
Think about the concept of lying and the way one lie often leads to many lies to cover the original one. Soon enough the person who told the lies begins to feel imprisoned with guilt. Perhaps you have been in a situation like this? But when the truth is told, even when it may be hard to do or there may be consequences, it will ultimately save the person from guilt and provide a sense of relief and freedom. Whether the person believes in Jesus or not, it is cool to think that they will get a glimpse of Jesus through the simple act of speaking the truth!
PRAYER
Jesus, thank you for all you have done for me – especially for the promise of eternal life with you in heaven. Help me to really know you – the truth – and have complete faith in you, whatever I am facing in life. I also pray that those who don’t know you yet, will get a glimpse of who you are when they speak the truth instead of lying. You are the way, the truth and the life. Amen.
Today's Daily Verse is written by Elysia McEwen, LifeWay's Graphic Designer and Communications Coordinator
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever
TO PONDER:
Have you ever felt the sadness of someone close to you leaving and knowing they will not be returning?
In our verse for today, Jesus was preparing his disciples for this very situation. For over 3 years he had comforted them, taught, and encouraged them. They had come to depend on his presence to help and guide them.
What a parting gift to be given, to know that he would still be with them forever and they would never be alone.
Not as a physical presence that they were used to, but as an internal Spiritual presence that will continue to teach them the Word and guide them into truth.
May the Spirit work in us to give us his peace, his love, and his joy, and comfort our hearts and minds.
PRAYER:
Thankyou Father, that you sent the Holy Spirit to be our Helper, to come alongside us in every difficult situation that we may need to face in this life. Thankyou that he is with us and in us – to lead us and guide us. Help me to listen to his voice and submit to his direction’s day by day, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Today's Daily Verse is written by Josi Weiss, LifeWay's Office and Visual Dis[play's Coordinator
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
TO PONDER
I have always thought it interesting that most people find it easier to talk about themselves than to ask questions of others or discuss topics and ideas. I read somewhere that on average, people spend 60 percent of conversations talking about themselves—and this figure jumps to 80 percent when communicating via social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook. I wasn’t surprised! Even those who lack self-confidence find it easier to reveal more about themselves via these platforms. And then there’s always those who think so highly of themselves, who have ‘comment battles’ on other people’s posts, in an endless effort to get their 'valuable' opinion across.
Today’s verse warns us not to get caught up in our own self-confidence and opinions. Just like the Pharisees in Jesus’ time, if we think of ourselves as already wise enough, we will refuse to listen to others and our pride will take over. Our opinions and misconceptions will get in the way of trusting Jesus wholeheartedly. Instead, Jesus calls us to be meek and humble and have faith like a child (Matt 18:3). This doesn’t mean we can’t ask questions (in fact, children ask lots of questions!). It means to experience the life of God in this life requires humility like a little child.
So next time you are tempted to get carried away with self-confidence, or your own opinions, stop and think about how you could be more like Jesus, and show a little more humility.
PRAYER
Dear God, please help me not to get caught up in my own self-confidence and opinions. Help me to be all the things Jesus calls me to be. To be meek and humble and trust in you wholeheartedly each and every day. Amen.
Today's Daily Verse is written by LifeWay's Graphic Design and Communications Coordinator, Elysia McEwen
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
TO PONDER
For the past week all our daily verses have related to hospitality in some form or another, whether it was to our Christian brothers and sisters, or to the strangers, the foreigners, the outcast, or to sum it all up our ‘neighbour’. Remember your neighbour doesn’t have to live next door but your neighbour is actually anyone who is not you.
Today’s verses, I feel, wraps it all up nicely. Hospitality is being God’s tangible presence on earth. All the ‘I was…’ areas require our hospitality to meet, require our partnering with God, being His hands and feet. Every time we participate in the spiritual practice of hospitality we are doing it for Jesus, we are meeting a need for him, we are welcoming him, we are having a meal with him.
Remember live fully, grow purposefully and share boldly TODAY!
PRAYER
Loving Jesus, I am amazed at your amazing grace you have shown towards me, for the needs you have met and continue to meet for me. I thank you for inviting me into your work on earth, for allowing me to help bring your kingdom into this world by sharing your grace to others. Amen.
Today's Daily Verse is written by LifeWay Westside's Church Planter, Danny Brock
Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
TO PONDER
In the past I used to head up the connect/house groups ministry at a church where I would encourage all the connect group leaders to invite the first time visitors to church out for lunch on that very first time at church but Jesus’s challenge in today’s verses is next level!
It’s going out and inviting people to lunch even BEFORE they came to church the very first time. My connect group leaders would have probably quit as leaders on the spot, protesting that the request was unreasonable…But did Jesus actually mean what He said in today’s verses or is it a case of what has been called ‘Semitic hyperbole’ (obvious exaggeration or overstatement)? Well, you can decide that for yourself but to me it sounds a lot like church planting.
Did you notice who Jesus told those listening to go out and invite? He said to go out and “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind”, Jesus is telling them to practice real hospitality, to go and share his grace, or to put it in a more familiar way go out and share boldly.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I thank you for allowing me to be your hands and feet on earth, for inviting me to take part in showing your grace to the hurting and those in need. I ask you to use me today to share boldly. Amen.
Today's Daily Verse is written by LifeWay Westside's Church Planter, Danny Brock
“‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
TO PONDER
I recently read a couple of well known, best selling atheist books, I read them, not due to a crisis of faith but to find out the ideas and views used to discount my God. What surprised me the most was both books, by different authors, spent a lot of time using the actions of adherents of the different religions to disprove God, especially a loving God.
I wanted to ask the authors as I was reading their arguments if they had ever spent anytime in actually reading the Bible with an aim to understand it, or even to read the cheat-sheet to the Bible; the Gospels; you know to find out who Jesus was and what He actually taught?
In short, what I discovered while reading these best selling books was the world is judging my God based on the actions of His people, and they have judged us to be bad.
Today’s verses are once again telling God’s people to treat the ‘others’ as one of ‘us’, to treat the foreigners as locals. Instead of standing against them we should welcome them, to love them, to practice true hospitality. To be honest, I wasn’t really surprised by what I read in those books because I see the same reasoning from the people I meet regularly when they find out what I do for a job (ChurchPlanter). I often make a joke out of it and apologise with a chuckle when I tell them about my career but I know they are judging me based on our judgements they have experienced from the church.
I recently read another book, it was a book written for businesses but this time he was a follower of Jesus. The book is called “Know What You’re For”, the book asks the questions; “What are you known for” and “What do you want to be known for?” which surprisingly is what today’s verses are asking. Are we known for what we stand against or are we known for who we stand for, are we known for being judgemental or being a people who boldly practice hospitality? Something to reflect on in your own life today!
PRAYER
Almighty God, I repent for the bad example I have been as a representative of yours and commit to being a representative of your grace to everyone I come into contact with daily. Amen.
Today's Daily Verse is written by LifeWay Westside's Church Planter, Danny Brock
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
TO PONDER
When was the last time you practiced hospitality?
I’m guessing your thoughts went straight to the last time you invited someone over for dinner but did you know hospitality is so much more than sharing the occasional meal with someone at your house? Don’t get me wrong, inviting people over for a meal is a great spiritual rhythm to practice frequently but don’t stop there. Even today’s verses begin the idea of forgiveness with hospitality.
I realise I end up saying this often so, once again, continue on in reading the verses following verse 9 and you will see that hospitality is empowered by grace. Verse 10 says “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms”. So hospitality has various forms, it can be forgiveness, it can be a card of condolence, it can be greeting people coming to church for worship, it can be playing an instrument or singing for worship.
Basically hospitality is boldly sharing the gifts you have received out of love to shows His grace.
PRAYER
Almighty Father, I thank you for your grace you have shown to me and for the many gifts you have given me to serve. I invite your Spirit to lead and guide me daily into living out hospitality to all of those around me. Amen.
Today's Daily Verse is written by LifeWay Westside's Church Planter, Danny Brock
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
TO PONDER
Today’s verses end with the statement “not to turn away from your own flesh and blood” which kind of sounds a bit like what we talked about yesterday in; “love your neighbour as yourself”.
In yesterday’s verses we looked at how Jesus removed a whole classification of people, He removed the ‘neighbour’ (neighbour being anyone who is not you, the ‘other’), in fact He went as far as saying, via a story about a ‘good Samaritan’, even the hated ‘other’ needs to be treated as our very own flesh and blood. We have a saying out at LifeWay Westside; BBQ’s before sermons (and it’s not only because of BBQ Church) or to put it another way, invite people to dinner before inviting them to church. We want to practice no-strings-attached hospitality as a way of life (it’s the ‘sharing’ part of LifeWay’s vision).
But we do have to remember that hospitality doesn’t end with a BBQ, it doesn’t even start at the BBQ, Hospitality as a way of life begins on the other side of grace, because He first loved us and reached out to show hospitality to us when we were lifeless in the ditch.
PRAYER
Saviour Jesus, I thank you for pouring out your grace upon me, for you becoming a servant to demonstrate true hospitality, teach me to show and share your grace daily. Amen.
Today's Daily Verse is written by LifeWay Westside's Church Planter, Danny Brock
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
TO PONDER
Way back on July 2nd, 2021 Tim Soutphommasane, a professor at the University of Sydney, wrote in an article in the Guardian; ‘We’ve become a nation divided: by politics, by state, by age, even by vaccine.’
We are told that we were well on our way to that divided culture years before COVID with the increase of digital tribalism, identity politics and our world view being fortified by confirmation bias have increased the idea of the “other”, all thanks to the internet. We have never been so divided…
Or have we?
In today’s verses we read about Jesus addressing the same issues as above sans internet.
An ‘expert in the law’ (read a religious Jewish leader) was trying to prove Jesus was indeed the ‘other’, not actually part of his tribe so not to be trusted, by asking a question. If you read verse 25 down to verse 37 you will see how the man began wrapped in his identity politics, he tried to create the other, he even attempted to receive confirmation bias but Jesus removed a whole classification of people in response, Jesus removed the classification of ‘other’.
“Love your neighbour as yourself” negates tribalism, your neighbour is anyone who is not you! Even the dirty Samaritans (insert your ‘other’ instead of Samaritans).
PRAYER
Father God, I ask your forgiveness for the times I have created the ‘other’ and forgot to love my neighbour as myself. Amen.
Today's Daily Verse is written by LifeWay Westside's Church Planter, Danny Brock