Jewels from John and Lessons from the Kings

Devotion # 23 Abounding in Fruitfulness For the Audio Version of this devotion click here -  Abounding in Fruitfulness Read John 15:1-8   “ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4 (NKJV) When Jesus told His disciples, that He was the true Vine, His Father, the Gardener and they, the branches, it was an analogy that they could relate with. For those of us who are interested in gardening, we understand the importance of trimming the branches and also cutting off those branches which sometimes are completely dry. That’s exactly what the Father has to do when there is no fruit in our lives. Just like a gardener who invests his time, energy and resources on a plant and expects to see the fruit, so also, God who has given us everything we ever need, including Salvation, which is the greatest gift, anticipates a life of fruitfulness. In order to bear f

Devotion # 22 Peace That Prevails For the Audio Version click here:  Peace That Prevails “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 (NKJV) Many have the misunderstanding that when they come to Jesus, life will transform into a bed of roses, but the truth of the matter is, the life that Jesus invites us to is not a cushy one. The reason is, we live in a fallen world and so the consequences of sin and the fall are many; that is why there is so much of poverty, pain, suffering, sickness and death. Being part of this system then makes us also vulnerable to all of the above.  Moreover, when Jesus called people to follow Him and be His disciples, He was categorical that those who came after Him were most assuredly going down the hard and narrow way that Jesus walked. Jesus never painted a rosy picture for His disciples but here’s what He assured th

Devotion # 21 The Gift of Life For the Audio Version click here:  The Gift of Life Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the Truth and T he Life .   No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NKJV) Jesus is not only the Way and the Truth but He is also The Life. At the beginning of creation when God made man Genesis 2:7 says, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." (NKJV). It is of fundamental importance to understand that God is the Creator and Sustainer of our lives. That is why the birth of every baby is of utmost value.  When Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, one of the serious consequences that they, and everyone after them had to face, was death – one that was physical, the other spiritual and eternal.  All of man’s sacrifices could not free him from the pangs of death, and that is why Jesus came down to earth to live a

Devotion # 20 Truth That Sets Us Free For the Audio Version click here:  Truth That Sets us Free Jesus said to him, “I am the way, T he Truth and the life.   No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NKJV) Jesus not only claimed He was the way to the Father but He also affirmed that He was also The Truth. In John 8:32,  when Jesus said to the Jews, “ And you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free, ” they were perplexed.   As the descendants of Abraham they believed that they had never been in bondage to anyone.   However, what Jesus was talking about was a bondage to sin that no one but He alone could liberate one from.   He went on to explain to them in John 8:36 , “ If the Son sets you free, you are truly free” (NLT).   The point Jesus was making was that He is indeed the embodiment of truth that can truly set one free. One of the greatest struggle for most of us is to be a truthful people. The situations and the pressure to co

Devotion # 19 Know The Way – Go His Way For the Audio Version click here:  Know The Way - Go His Way Thomas said to Him, Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, “ I am The Way , the truth and the life.   No one comes to the Father except through Me. ” John 14: 5-6 (NKJV) When Jesus told His disciples that heaven had many mansions and that He himself was going ahead to prepare a place for them, Thomas asked the pertinent question ‘ Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’   He must have been astonished when Jesus replied “ I am The Way ” and no one can come to the Father except through me. Today there are countless ways and options that people are being offered to get to God, and this has left many confused and bewildered, not knowing which way to choose. Jesus was categorical to His claim that He was The Only Way. Throughout His life here on earth Jesus established this fact by the man

Devotion # 18 A Faithful Friend For the Audio Version click here:  A Faithful Friend Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and He exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!” John 13:21 (NLT) Let's for a moment, put ourselves in the place of Jesus to try and understand the pain and heartache He must have gone through, knowing that one of His 12 chosen disciples - Judas Iscariot, was conspiring to betray Him for a measly 30 pieces of silver. Judas'  association and friendship with Jesus was for three and a half years; he stayed with Jesus, ate with Him, heard all His teachings, experienced first-hand, all the miracles and wonders He performed, was in-charge of the group’s finances, had his feet washed by Jesus and was the recipient of Jesus’ unconditional love. No wonder Jesus was deeply troubled and sorrowful at the thought that His friend to whom He had entrusted so much had turned his heel against Him. Some of us may have been through a

Devotion # 17 Let’s Get Down to Serving For the Audio Version click here:  Let's Get Down to Serving Jesus said, “You call me. ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,' and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet.” John 13: 13-14 (NLT) (Read John 13:1-15 for the entire narrative) That day, when Jesus took a basin of water and stooped down to wash the feet of His disciples He did so, fully aware of several things. He knew His hour had come to depart from the world, that Judas Iscariot was conspiring to betray Him, that the Father had handed over all authority into His hands and that He came from God and was going back to God. (John 13:1-3). So what was it that prompted Jesus to go down on His knees and wash all of His disciples’ feet including that of Judas? There were a few key reasons mentioned; the first one was His immense and unconditional love for His disciples. J

Devotion # 16 Why Not Believe? For the Audio Version click here:  Why Not Believe? “Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.” John 12:44 (NIV) (Read John 12:37-50 for the entire account) While Jesus was here on earth, he performed so many mighty miracles. He healed people with various infirmities, cast out demons, raised the dead, fed thousands, calmed the sea and even walked on water. However, in spite of the multitudes having witnessed these astounding signs and wonders, John 12:37 says “...they still would not believe in Him.” This was a group of people, who as the Prophet Isaiah described in Isaiah 6:10 , were blinded by unbelief and whose hearts were so hardened that there was no way they could perceive and understand God’s ways or His thoughts, and were therefore unable to receive God’s healing. There was another group of Jewish leaders who did believe in Jesus, but they were so fearful of th

Devotion # 15 When Death Brings Life For the Audio Version click here:  When Death Brings Life Jesus replied, “ The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:23, 24 (NKJV) In the above mentioned verse, it seems, at first glance, that Jesus is talking about two contradictory subjects.   He is speaking about the Son of Man being glorified and in the same breath also talking about His death. Strange as it may sound, it is a reality that only when a seed is buried into the ground, and dies can it actually produce a good crop. Have we ever pondered on all that Jesus had to give up when He came down to earth?  Philippians 2:6-9 spells out a few of the things that Jesus gave up – His equality with God, His divine privileges, His exalted position, His divine form and all the power and authority that were d