Tag: John

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A few spiritual petitions

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Fa Barboza on Unsplash

Jesus’s approval ratings skyrocket after he feeds the five thousand. Jesus knows it’s because they fed him. They remind him, “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness…Give us this bread always” (John 6:31,34).

Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). He repeats this truth two more times to emphasize that we need more than a meal. We need him.

How many of our prayers are for physical things, and how many petitions are for spiritual blessings? Surely someone has run the numbers. It’s probably not close. I’ll bet less than one percent of prayer is for spiritual blessing. The rest is for healing, provision, protection, wisdom for decisions, and relationships.

There is nothing wrong with praying for those things. Jesus told us to ask for “daily bread,” that is, everything we need for the support of this body and life. Such prayers help us receive everything with gratitude, acknowledging that every good and perfect gift is from above.

But what about our spiritual needs? Do we pray for those? How do we pray for those?

Somewhere I read these suggested petitions when reading the bible:

  1. Help me learn something new about you, Lord.
  2. Give me knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.
  3. Guide my steps according to your Word.

None are tangible. All have a spiritual flavor to them. An enhanced view of God provides insight to shape our lives from the inside out. It’s a useful outline that lets spiritual needs bubble to the top of my prayer list.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Prayers that glorify God

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 17.

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you'” (John 17:1).

We know that Jesus went off by himself to pray. In John’s gospel we get to listen in. At the heart of Jesus’s prayer is the desire to glorify his father.

How often do we pray that God would be glorified?

I pray for healing, protection, relationships, faith, and provision. And I ought to pray for all those things. But my prayers are for my personal health and well-being. Sometimes it is for others. Do I pray for God to be glorified?

Not intentionally. To be honest my prayers sound selfish compared to Jesus’s. But God is glorified when he responds to my prayers. He’s the source of healing, provision, faith, and life. Whenever I receive those things, he looks good. That is, he’s glorified.

How would the shape of my prayers change if my motivation was God’s glory? The slices of praise and thanks would be the larger pieces of my prayer pie chart. The bottom line would not be my comfort and happiness, but good publicity for God, that more would know, trust, and glorify him.

What if prayer were a highlighter for all that God is and does? I wouldn’t be able to ignore his power, kindness, grace, justice, and mercy. He would look better and better every time I prayed.

He would be glorified!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

The breath of life

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 20.

It’s the evening of resurrection day when Jesus appears to all but one of the disciples in the locked upper room. Twice he said, “Peace be with you.” “And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit'” (John 20:22).

This time around, I made the connection. At the very beginning, “the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7).

God shows Ezekiel a valley full of dry, lifeless bones and commands him to prophesy. Ezekiel does, and “the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army” (Ezekiel 37:10).

God’s breath gives life!

It’s that time of year when our neighborhood plays host to every imaginable Christmas lawn inflatable. They lie lifeless until someone plugs in the fan that breathes air into them. Santas, snowmen, penguins, the Grinch, and dogs in Santa hats all come to life!

  • New parents check on their sleeping infants, to make sure they’re breathing.
  • I’ve been in hospital rooms where the rhythmic sound of a ventilator reminded all of our mortality and the blessing of medical technology.
  • It doesn’t happen very often in Florida where I live, but on a cold day you can see your breath. A glimpse of the divine?
  • After a tough day of guarding the house, my dogs breathe very heavily on the love seat as they catch up on their sleep.
  • Every air mattress now comes with a built-in inflator, alleviating the need for lots of huffing and puffing before bedtime.

If I’m breathing, I’m alive. God gives me my first breath, blesses me with daily breath (ands bread), and will see me through my last breath in this world.

I’ve been there for some last breaths. I’ve been there when families have pulled the plug. I’ve been there in the hospice room waiting for that last breath. I’ve held my dogs as the vet put them to sleep and they took a last breath.

What a joy to know that God reverses that, and when we take our last breath here, we take our next with him!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Is that true?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 18.

I laugh out loud at pictures and videos of people, places, and things that fill my social media feeds. After filling his wheelbarrow at the buffet, a morbidly obese man crashes through the floor and capsizes the cruise ship. A buck with a chain saw fells a tree in which a hunter in waiting in a deer stand. Stephen Hawking and Queen Elizabeth II go MMA in the octagon.

Of course, none of this is real. It’s all AI generated. But it looks real enough to capture your attention long enough to ensure the algorithm will send more.

An email tells me I’ve purchased expensive anti-virus software. A text alerts me about an undeliverable package waiting for me at the post office. A message warns that I am about to go to prison for an unpaid highway toll.

Of course, none of that is legit. But they look real enough that someone somewhere will click on the link.

A door-to-door alarm system salesman tells me about all the break-ins in my neighborhood. Lightning flashes and thunder’s not far behind as the meteorologist predicts a nice, sunny afternoon. An advertisement announces today’s the last day of the sale.

We’ve learned to take it all with a grain of salt.

Not much has changed since Pilate asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). The priests claimed Jesus was a criminal. Others said he was a king. Jesus insisted that his testimony was the truth.

Pilate had learned to take it all with a grain of salt, too.

But what if truth is a person? In the upper room, before his arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said, “I am the truth.”

Like it or not, you and I have to deal with deception. Every day. Some days, we’ll be duped. Other days, we’ll see right through it.

But we’ll never have to doubt the veracity of Jesus.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

I am so thirsty

Posted on by William Douthwaite

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:37,38)

What a contrast with the nasty stuff Jesus said comes out of the heart:

[Jesus said,] “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” (Matthew 15:18, 19)

You don’t know how spiritually thirsty you are until some of that sludge comes out of your mouth. That’s when you realize you could use a nice, long drink of Jesus. When we pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” (Psalm 51:10), it’s like saying, “I am so thirsty.”

Good news. Trusting Jesus is like draining a 64 ounce jug of water in one gulp. More than you can handle. Getting it all over yourself. Plus splashing some on others.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

What are you looking for?

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Amir Geshani on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 9.

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind” (John 9:39).

After giving sight to a man born blind, Jesus runs into those who cannot see how he could be the Messiah. After all, he healed this man on the Sabbath. But how could he do that if he weren’t from God?

This man has his eyes opened, but others shut them, refusing to see.

When does my sight fail me?

  • A horn honks and I hit the brakes. I checked twice but never saw the car coming.
  • The homeless guy at a busy intersection every day becomes part of the landscape. I hardly notice him at all.
  • Important information gets lost in the torrent of email newsletters that fill my inbox every day. I didn’t see the meeting announcement.
  • I thought I had cleaned up all the dog poop in the back yard. Of course I stepped in the only pile I didn’t see.

In what ways does Jesus help my vision?

  • I see people around me in a different way. I see people with stories not just issues.
  • I recognize how much I have rather than just the things I lack.
  • I think back and see how God has brought me to this time and place.
  • I see reminders of God’s provision in every flower and bird.

There’s so much to see. And so much I don’t. A great question to ask is, “What are you looking for?” God did say, “If you seek me, you will find me.” If I choose to notice him, it’s amazing how much of him I will see!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

He is the light

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Alexander Jawfox on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 8.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

Jesus’s words made me think about sources of light.

In the bible, your source of light would be the sun or from a flame, like a candle or torch.

In addition to those, my house is filled with LED lightbulbs on tables, inside appliances, hanging from ceilings, and in nightlights. The nighttime world is lit by street lights, headlights, phone lights, and motion-sensor lights.

It’s hardly every really dark.

So what different does Jesus’s light make in a not-so-dark world?

Well, darkness isn’t always about the absence of light, is it? I can be “in the dark” when I don’t have enough information about something. Books and movies may be “dark” when they involve evil or sinister topics. Dark humor uses death or pain to get a laugh. When a lot of bad things happen, we might find ourselves in a “dark place.”

Light has a lot of metaphors, too. We might say, “Enlighten me,” when someone alludes to some information we don’t have. To “shed some light” is to explain what’s going on. “Light at the end of the tunnel” expresses optimism.

All of that adds a lot of meaning to Jesus’s simple statement, “I am the light of the world.” He brings understanding, wisdom, and hope. Darkness cannot rule because it always gives way to the dawn and a new day. He invades the darkness of the grave with restored life and light.

And when there are shadows? They are created by the light. Difficult moments are from his hand to strengthen us and cultivate a mature faith.

Jesus is the light in so many ways!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

More than a snack

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Gaining Visuals on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 6.

Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).

Jesus goes on to explain, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (6:51)

Of course, “The Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (6:52)

The sixth chapter of John isn’t the easiest to figure out. Volumes have been written about interpreting and applying Jesus’s words. I’m still working it out in my own mind.

The image of eating and drinking is a metaphor for taking something into your innermost being. Other forms of this metaphor sound like

  • Drink the Kool-aid
  • Hook, line, and sinker
  • All in
  • Swept up
  • Buy-in
  • On board
  • Jump on the bandwagon

In other words, fully absorbing everything Christ is and does. Manna in the desert? That was about Jesus. Psalm 23’s “A table in the presence of my enemies?” Yep, about Jesus. A land flowing with milk and honey? Ultimately it’s Jesus. Elisha’s abundance of bread for a hundred people (2 Kings 4:42-44). Another image of Jesus.

Food sustains physical life. Jesus nourishes our spiritual lives. Without him you’ll starve. We’re dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1). With him, we have eternal life (John 6:51). With him we’re full – of life.

Jesus spoke of this before he instituted the Lord’s Supper. John wrote about it much later. Is that what Jesus was talking about? Plenty of theologians have written about this, and they don’t all agree.

Having said that, I certainly think Jesus should be more than a snack you read for when you’re worried, sad, or struggling. He ought to be at the bottom of your food pyramid. His word ought to be a the most substantial part of your daily consumption of news and entertainment

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Let me see some identification

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 1.

In the first chapter of his gospel, John identifies Jesus as

  • The Word
  • God
  • The Light
  • The Lamb of God
  • The Son of God
  • The Messiah
  • The son of Joseph
  • A rabbi
  • The King of Israel
  • The Son of Man

Identifying yourself is a big deal.

  • I have to show a driver’s license to visit a doctor or dentist, to travel, or to vote.
  • Everyone who sees me in the doctor’s office confirms my identity by asking my birthdate.
  • I’ll often have to complete two-step verification, with a password plus a code sent to my phone, to identify myself to a website.
  • A fingerprint or facial recognition grants you access to your phone.

After waiting a short while to see a doctor, a nurse came out and said, “William?” Three of us stood up. With a smirk, she said, “Just a minute,” and disappeared until she had found a last name.

I’ll be preaching at the church from which I retired three-and-a-half years ago. Enough time has passed that many will have no idea who I am, other than a preacher. Should I identify myself? Or just let them ask someone else, “Who’s this guy?” Or better yet, “Where’d they get this guy from?”

It’s not long into Jesus’s ministry that people begin to ask, “Who is this?” Who is this who forgives sin? Who is this that the wind and the sea obey him? Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Who is this riding into Jerusalem on a donkey? Are you a king? Are you the Christ?

All those IDs didn’t do him much good, I guess.