Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

John 6:27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” We have a wonderful, sure, assurance that we have eternal life if we believe in Jesus. Let's navigate through this verse, one truth at a time. First, we will learn in the following verses that Jesus is the food that endures to eternal life. He's the bread of life. The crowd pursued Jesus because of the earthly food, the multiplied fish and bread they had received. They were working for an earthly kingdom and for food that perishes. If the purpose of our lives is rooted in something temporal, then we are working for food that perishes. That's why I believe our highest purpose as human beings is to work to glorify God by living to love with Jesus. That purpose never perishes, can't be taken from us, and will sustain us forever. Second, pursuing glorifying God by living to love with Jesus endures to eternal life. In fact, it is eternal life. Knowing the Father and the Son is eternal life (John 17:3). Loving with Jesus is how we know Him. The only way we can love with Him is to abide in Him, be discipled by Him, live out of His fullness. That's eating the True Bread. He gives us eternal life, Himself, who is ours forever. Third, Jesus called Himself the Son of Man, His favorite title for Himself. The title communicated that He was the Messiah. The One sent from God to be the Savior of the world. Our confidence in Jesus as the Son of God, the Son of Man, is the Father's validation or seal that He set upon Jesus. Although the works of God that Jesus did were the Father's witness to Jesus' Sonship, there were three times recorded in the gospels where God “set His seal” on Him. Matthew 3:17 “and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.'” Matthew 17:5 “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!'” John 12:28 “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” If you have not believed in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the authorized giver of eternal life, then please consider what Jesus said in this verse. You're wasting your life working for food that perishes. He said He is the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to the Father in John 14:6, which echoes this same truth here in John 6:27. You need eternal life! Temporal earthly life is just that—temporal. You'll lose it someday. The crowd following Jesus didn't get who He was and what He had to give. Do you? I hope you'll tune in regularly to the Live to Love Scripture Encouragement podcast the next several days as we draw eternal life encouragements from John 6. I'm inviting you to rethink your purpose in life. You were made to glorify God and the only way for God to receive glory through your life is by living to love with Jesus instead of living for yourself, for your own glory. Jesus said that it's impossible to believe in Jesus if you seek glory for yourself from men. Their setting their seal of approval on you, means nothing. You receive it, and it is gone. It perishes. But if you live out of the life of Christ, God will set His eternal seal of approval to your work because it is united with Him, upon whom He has already set His seal. That confidence is assuring, encouraging, and enduring. Won't you surrender your life to Him today and work for the food that does not perish?

John 6:22-26 “The next day, the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. There came other small boats from Tiberias, near to the place where they ate the bread, after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” A few days ago, we mentioned the discernment that is necessary as we live to love with Jesus. There may be people who expect others to do what they want. They will use those who love because of the benefit they gain. We are reminded from these verses today that we need Jesus' discernment. He knew they intended to make Him king by force (vs. 15), and He revealed their motives for their benefit. As we love people, we must be careful that we don't serve people because we want to please them and want their good opinion of us or their friendship. Our one motive in life is to glorify God, to seek His good opinion or pleasure. The way we glorify God is by abiding in Christ and loving with Him. Jesus said that explicitly in John 15:7-8. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” We don't produce the fruit, Jesus does. He's the vine, and we are the branches. We display His fruit, which is love, the fruit of the Spirit. By this is our Father glorified through His Son. Abiding in the Father, Jesus confronted the crowd who wished to make Him king. We can draw another important lesson from these verses. We need to check our own motives in our relationship with Jesus. Do we seek Him for the benefits we enjoy? Are we seeking the blessing rather than the blesser? This is easy to do because we receive grace upon grace from Him. He fills us with His goodness, grace, and love. We have the joy of meaningful relationships in the body of Christ. If we are focused on God being glorified in Christ, we will be protected from selfish motives. Living to love with Jesus for the glory of God keeps us in God's will and blessing. Enjoy this day, recognizing Jesus is your king, your life, and your way to glorifying the Father with your life. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 6:20-21, “But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. Once the disciples knew it was Jesus, and heard Him say, “Don't be afraid,” they overcame their fear and welcomed Him into the boat. Although He didn't say, “I'm here with you,” that was the effect of His words. When we are being tossed to and fro by the storm winds of life, feel the terror of being out of control and imagining things we can't explain and that make no sense, and are enveloped in darkness, Jesus' words of comfort are, “I am with you; don't be afraid.” This is our confidence as we live to love with Jesus in all circumstances. I'm reminded of many times when God's people were in dire straits and God spoke these words of comfort and encouragement. Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” Jeremiah 1:8 “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD. Matthew 17:7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” Hebrews 13:5-6 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” so that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?” In the moment that they knew it was Jesus with them, their fear turned to comfort and their long, arduous night of rowing in the storm ended. Once He got in the boat, John said they were immediately at the shore in Capernaum. Our confidence as we walk through each day to love whoever God puts in our paths in whatever circumstances He orchestrates is that He is with us to help us. He's in our boat, we are brought through the storm, and that's what mattered. It's interesting that John didn't record any conversation between the disciples and Jesus. I don't know about you, but I would like to know what Jesus had to say to them. However, apparently what John wanted to communicate was that once Jesus was with them, the storm had served its purpose and so had His midnight hike on the sea. We are meant to be encouraged by this one great reality: Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God who gives life to all who believe. Those who have Him in their boat don't need to be afraid, and can be assured that they will arrive at their final destination safely. So be it! I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 6:16-19 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. What an interesting and memorable scene. Matthew, Mark, and John all record events of this night on the Sea of Galilee. The boat was large enough for 13 people. It was between 3 and 6 a.m. and dark, so their visibility was limited. The sea was choppy due to a strong wind. The disciples had strained at the oars for hours. Jesus walked on the water toward the boat. Certainly unexpected. Wouldn't it be interesting to know the comments of the disciples once one of them saw Jesus? Matthew's and Mark's accounts inform us that they were frightened, terrified, when they saw a form walking on the sea. They didn't immediately recognize who it was. Both accounts said the disciples exclaimed, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.” Matthew records that once Peter heard Jesus, he asked Jesus to command him to come to him on the water, which Jesus did. It seems the distraction of the waves occurred once Peter got to Jesus. When he started to sink and called out to Jesus to save him, Jesus took hold of him, and they walked to the boat together. Yes, Jesus rebuked Peter for having little faith, but hey, he did walk on water to Jesus and then with Him back to the boat. I'm impressed, aren't you? So here are my questions. Why did the Father do this? Why have His Son walk the 3 or 4 miles on choppy waters in the middle of the night when He needed to be resting up for another day of ministry? Jesus certainly could have gotten a good night's sleep and waited until morning, when He could have made the trip in another boat or have walked in daylight along the shoreline. In Mark 6:48, Mark wrote that Jesus intended to walk past them. Why didn't Jesus do that? Why did He go near the boat at all if He intended to meet them in Capernaum? That would have been easy to do. How far could they see on a dark, windy night? Maybe 10 or 15 yards? So what's with going on a four-mile walk on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of the night? Furthermore, why did John leave out Peter's walk on the water with Jesus? The reason for all of it was clearly stated by John in 20:31. It's so we might read this and believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that we might have life in His name. For John's purpose, what mattered wasn't if Peter walked on the water, but that Jesus loved them so much that He provided undeniable proof that He is the Son of God. In fact, in Matthew's account, those who were in the boat worshiped Him saying, “You are certainly God's Son” (Matt. 14:33). That was the conclusion drawn by the experience on the sea of Galilee that night. But I don't want us to miss Peter's encounter with Jesus on the sea. I have a couple of questions for you. First, are you convinced that Jesus is the Son of God? It's impossible to love with God's love without believing Jesus is God's Son. To believe He is the Son is to believe the whole of creation belongs to Him and that He is the sovereign Lord of all things and everybody.

John 6:15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone. There are some liabilities that come with loving with Jesus. One of them is that of being used by others who want what you can do for them. Like some in this crowd of Jesus-followers, they may be forceful in their attempts to control and get what they want. Jesus' response was not to acquiesce to their demands, but rather to distance Himself from them. Perceiving that they intended to forcefully make Him king, He went further up the mountain and away from their influence. My guess is that all of us have been deceived and manipulated by someone who interpreted our love, kindness, and generosity as a weakness to be exploited. If the love, kindness, and generosity is indeed from Jesus, then they will be disappointed when they can't get what they want. However, the danger we face is when we are confused or deceived ourselves and misinterpret the need for approval from men, which can motivate kindness and generosity, as love. When we seek the glory and approval of men, we are not loving God or others. It's a kind of self-love, which can be manipulated by others. Because Jesus sought the glory of God and not men, He knew to avoid people who were self-motivated. As we abide in Christ and love with Him, there may be times when we also discern that we need to avoid such people. Jesus has been tempted in every way that we have, and has not sinned. As we abide in Christ, we can be encouraged that He will give us the discernment we need as we relate to people that God puts in our paths. Everyone God puts in our paths is to be loved, but that doesn't mean we live to please them. They may be placed in our paths as tests so we may glorify the Father by seeking only His will. The encouragement today is to be discerning. May we walk today with Jesus, abiding in Him, seeking the glory of God, filled with His discernment and love. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 6:14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” So far in John, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, and now the crowd in Galilee recognize Jesus is sent from God into the world as a prophet because of the signs He performed or the authority with which He spoke. We will see this repeated in later verses. But when I read this verse, I was struck by Jesus' greatest sign to Israel that He is THE prophet who is come into the world and has authority over life and death. The sign Jesus performed for the world to see that should absolutely give us unshakable courage and confidence as we live to love with Jesus is prophesied in John 2:18-22. The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Romans, and the Jews were gathered together against Jesus as the Scripture says in Acts 4:28, “to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.” Jesus prophesied the sign. Then God performed the first phase of the sign as Pilate condemned Him and His body was destroyed in a few hours by whip and crucifixion. Then three days later, Jesus raised that body to life. Notice, Jesus said, “I will raise it up.” The one who can create bread for 15,000 can create life in His own dead body. That sign is the first in a series of signs where He creates His own life in our dead bodies. Our living to love with Jesus is a sign to the world that Jesus is the Prophet of God sent for the salvation of the world. We embody His greatest prophetic sign because when He died, we died to our lives in this world. When He was raised, we were raised with Him to live with Him forever. In this world, we live with Him to reveal His love and the power of His presence. The reason for this podcast is to plant that seed in the hearts of God's people so that it will grow into a movement of His love in this world. The world is looking for signs that give their lives meaning and purpose. Most don't even know they are longing for a savior, but do know they are longing for love. Our purpose is to help them identify their longing for love and connect it to Jesus, their savior. Did you get it? That occurs as we live to love with Jesus. Love is the sign God has given us to perform in this world. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 6:12-13 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. They were filled. They ate until they could eat no more or were satisfied. That's usually what we mean after eating, and we say, “I'm full.” The point I want to drive home today is that when Jesus spiritually feeds His people, He feeds them until they are filled with His love and grace. John wrote in chapter 1:16, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” In Ephesians 5:18, Paul wrote, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” To say it in the terms of these verses in John 6, “Eat and drink of the Spirit until you are full.” You don't need to be afraid that He'll run out of food or drink. There will be some left over for you to give to others. Jesus gave His disciples confidence to ask to be filled three times in His last instructions. John 14:12-14, “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” John 16:23, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” There are many other verses of Scripture to which we could turn for us to be encouraged to ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit. I ask for the anointing and filling of the Holy Spirit in my daily morning live to love with Jesus prayer. “Father, anoint and fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can love and trust You and love those You put in my path today, for Your glory.” We can only love with Jesus out of His fullness. May we abide in Jesus until we are full and don't feel like we can take anymore! When the disciples gathered the leftovers, each came back with a basket of bread. Jesus was intent on nothing being lost, so we may suppose that the leftover bread was given away to others. When we abide in Jesus until we can't take more, that's when we'll find there are leftovers to give away to others. When we are filled with the grace of God, it will spill over to others. That's how He's glorified. God is glorified in the fullness. Had the people still gone home hungry, the glory of God would be diminished. He is glorified in the overflow, the leftovers, so to speak. So today, let's be encouraged to not be satisfied with a little of Jesus. Let us eat of His fullness until we are filled to overflow with His love and grace. Out of His abundance, we will then have what we need to feed others for the glory of the Father through Jesus Christ, His Son—our daily bread. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 6:10-11 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. What an amazing act of hospitality and generosity to feed approximately 15,000 people as much as they wanted. It is also a fitting picture of the incredible generosity and fullness Jesus offers to us. He is going to tell them that He is the living bread, of which the material bread is a type. We'll talk more about that in the days to come, but today, let's be encouraged that God offers us in Christ as much as we want of Him. He gives Himself, totally, fully. In living to love with Jesus, we have everything we need to love for the glory of God. Jesus told His disciples they could ask with confidence for the grace to love and be fruitful for God's glory. It's recorded in John 14 and 15. Because Jesus had just commanded His disciples to love as He loves and believe He is God, I take the following verses to pray to be encouragements to pray for that grace to love and do what He commands. John 14:13-14. “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” Then again in John 15:7-8. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” He offers us as much of Himself as we want in order for us to be fruitful for God's glory. We may have the same expectancy the crowd had on that day as they sat down to eat from His hand. They ate as much as they wanted, and so may we. So, today, I encourage you not to just taste of Jesus. Don't just nibble on the food at the table. Eat your fill! Our Father is generous with His Son, and if He's given us His Son, will He withhold anything from us? I close with Romans 8:32. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” We live to love with Jesus out of His fullness. Thank you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for your generosity to us and the promise we have of grace when we need it. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 6:7-9 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” John chose to record this miracle because it was a public, impossible to deny, pivotal event in Jesus' ministry. The Jews in Jerusalem had rejected Jesus, but the Jews in Galilee wanted to make Him king, but for the wrong reason: material comfort and gain. This lesson is important for us for many reasons. First, the magnificence of the miracle was the Father's testimony regarding His Son. This was an unparalleled act of love for the crowd. When Jesus asked Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” Everyone knows the answer to that question. There's no place that has that much bread (assuming 5000 men with one wife and child accompanying them, with each eating 1/3 of a loaf, that's 5000 loaves of bread or about 1 and 1/2 semi-tractor trailer loads). And if there were a place that had that much bread, it was unaffordable. It would take around 6–8 months of normal wages to pay for it all. Perhaps 200 denarii was what they had, but Philip said that was insufficient. So feeding 15,000 people was quite a generous expression of God's love and provision. This encourages us to be generous in our hospitality, looking to God for His supply. Second, we can be encouraged by Andrew's faith. Would you offer as an answer to this problem a boy's lunch of 5 loaves of bread and two fish? That seems incredulous unless you figure in faith. We aren't told why Andrew mentioned the boy's lunch, but it is possible that Andrew believed Jesus could do something big with such a little thing. And if that's the case, I pray, “Lord, make us more like Andrew!” We are encouraged that Jesus can take whatever we have to give to Him, and He will use it for the glory of God. That's exactly the attitude we should have as we live to love with Jesus. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 6:3-6 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. Therefore, Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Jesus and His disciples went up on the mountain just north of the hometown of Andrew, Peter, and Philip. He may have chosen that location because He was thinking of where 15,000 people could sit and listen. He knew they were following Him, and knew why—they were seeking Him as a material, political savior and provider. The timing of this event was significant, it was during a time of preparation for the Passover, which was preceded by 30 days of solemn consideration of the significance of the event. Perhaps that's why Jesus and His disciples were retreating, but unsuccessfully, as the horde of Galileans ascended the hill. Jesus received the crowd as if the Father had sent them to His house. He was obligated to provide refreshment. It was the hospitable thing to do in their middle eastern culture, so He passed the responsibility over to Philip, as a test of his faith. Jesus knew He was going to do a miracle of provision for them. This is where we draw our live to love encouragement for today. Jesus always knows what He intends to do in and through our lives in every situation that is given to Him by the Father. In this case, the Father put around 15,000 hungry, expectant people in Jesus' path. In our cases, we may find ourselves facing impossible situations where there are no apparent, sufficient resources. It's a test! The situation given to Jesus in us will become a test for us. Will we respond to the situation from a secular, natural worldview or from Jesus' position of trust? Remember, Jesus is our life! If we have adopted God's purpose for us, which is to glorify Him by living to love with Jesus, we will pause and filter the situation through Jesus' three foundational worldview truths. 1). There's only one God from whom are all things, and He is love. 2). Our souls are satisfied with God's love and will, revealed in Jesus' love with and in us. 3). God's purpose for this situation is to reveal the life of Christ in us and prepare us for glory. That's how Jesus viewed the situation on the mountain, and He passed the test on to Philip. He did so with a question, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” We will see Philip's answer in the next verse, but for now, we know that the situation is impossible from a natural perspective. Have you ever been in such a predicament, an impossible situation with inadequate resources or abilities? I'm sure you have been in, may presently be in, or will be in such a situation. I encourage you to memorize these three worldview perspectives, and apply them to your situation. You are not alone. You have Jesus dwelling with and in you. Expect God to glorify His Son in you as you trust in Him to reveal His life and power in your life. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 6:1-2 After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. As we continue our study in the book of John and enter into chapter 6, we notice there's a change of context, but let's not miss John's overall purpose in writing this gospel account. He wrote these things, so his readers might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing they might have life in His name (John 20:31). There is a change of location for Jesus in this chapter, but it's not a long distance, perhaps less than five miles. Bethsaida is located on the northeast of the Sea of Galilee, home to Peter, Andrew, and Phillip. The area was a grassy area and apparently a good place for Jesus and His disciples to “get away.” However, they were unsuccessful. A large crowd from Capernaum walked the four or five miles to find Him because of the signs which they had seen Him do. I'm encouraged by this from these verses. The Father led Jesus to this place to set the stage for another display of His glory, the miraculous feeding of 15,000 people, counting women and children. We can be encouraged by this great reality. Our Father is always going before us, setting the stage for Jesus to display His glory. As we live to love with Jesus, we have confidence that nothing is random. Where we go today is necessary for what God wants to do through His Son in our lives. Who we meet is also arranged by the Father. Why they are in our paths may depend on a thousand small acts of God, both passive and active. Let's thank God, our Father, for going ahead of us today. “Father, thank You for guiding our paths and for orchestrating the circumstances and encounters we have today with people. Prepare us for loving with Jesus by keeping us abiding in Him and being filled with the Holy Spirit. Give us faith to trust You as things happen today, and keep us mindful that You are at work and desire to bear fruit in our lives through Your Son, Jesus. We love you, and consider it a privilege to be called and empowered to live to love with You and Him. Magnify Your name in us today. Amen. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:45-47 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” When did Moses write about Jesus? Everything about the tabernacle spoke about Jesus. He is the substance underlying the shadows of the tabernacle, the table of show bread, the lamp stand, the incense, the offerings, the priests, and the Sabbath festivals. We could go on and on. Jesus said the Jews did not believe Moses and therefore can not believe Him. Jesus' point was that Moses, the one in whom they set their hope, will accuse them for not believing Jesus' words. Implied is that one who believes Moses is on the right path to believing Jesus. However, we don't believe Jesus because of the witness of man. As He said earlier, He did not need man to witness for Him. He had the witness of the Father. We who have set our hope in Jesus may receive great encouragement from these verses. There may have been a time when we set our hope in keeping the Law, but we discovered there was no hope in keeping the Law of Moses. The Law could not effectually deal with our sin and make us righteous. We have believed Jesus' words that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and God's provision to bring us to God. So Moses will not condemn us, nor will Jesus. We have set our hope in Jesus. Let me remind you of Jesus' words that we believe. We believe Jesus when He commanded us to love one another with His love (John 13:34) and believe that He is the Son of God (John 14:1). We believe He is the resurrection and the life, and whoever believes in Him will never die (John 11:25). We believe His promise to give us the Holy Spirit, who is a witness to us from God that Jesus is in the Father, we are in Jesus, and He is in us. (John 14:20). We believe He will return and establish a new heaven and earth, where we will dwell with Him in righteousness (Rev. 21:1-5). Everyone and everything will be lovely! As we live to love with Jesus for the glory of God, we live with a wonderful hope. Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:42-44 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? I want to make three connections in these verses that will encourage us to live to love with Jesus. Let's first connect the Father and the Son. For Jesus to say that He came in His Father's name meant that He is the Son of God. He was sent by God, His Father. Our first encouragement then is that our relationship with Jesus is also with God, the Father. Second, let's connect love and faith. Jesus in essence told the Jews that they had neither the love of God in them nor faith. He knew them. If the love of God, the Father, abided in them, they would certainly love the Son and receive Him. But the love of God was not in them. The absence of the love of God made believing in Jesus impossible. Jesus' reasoning was that if the love of God were in them, they would seek the glory of God by receiving Him whom God sent, and upon receiving Him, faith could be generated by His word. Our second encouragement is that God, in His mercy and grace, has poured out the love of God in our hearts by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that's why we believe and live to love with Jesus. Third, let's connect faith and seeking the glory of God. Jesus' understanding of faith is that it cannot exist in one who seeks glory from man rather than glory from God. If my understanding of unbelief is correct, then it makes sense. Unbelief looks at the things we can see, taste, touch, and experience in the earthly realm. Faith looks to Christ, who is the author and perfecter of faith (Heb. 12:2). When we receive glory from one another, the gaze of our hearts is on our own significance and what we can get from others. Apparently, no one can believe in Jesus if the heart isn't seeking God's glory. God is only glorified in His Son. To seek glory any other way than through Jesus is an exercise in futility and unbelief. So the third encouragement is that as we live to love with Jesus, we are seeking the glory of God in the way God intended to be glorified—in His Son. What encouragement we have as we realize we are loved by God. If we abide in Christ and live to love with Him, we are exercising the faith God has given us as we love God and others for the glory of God. Let's remember the purpose of our lives is to glorify God by living with Jesus. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:31-32 Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." In verses 31-38, John let us in on the conversation he and the rest of the disciples had with Jesus while those from the city were on their way to the well. The disciples had returned from the city with the food they went to purchase (vs. 8). Apparently, they were just ahead of the men whom the woman had told about Jesus. They were concerned that Jesus get sustenance for the rest of the journey. Although it isn't mentioned in the text that Jesus either drank or ate, more than likely, He did. But physical water and food wasn't foremost in Jesus' mind; His relationship with His Father was, and John picked up on that for sure. It's always interesting to me to look at Jesus' words and actions through the lens of His relationship with His Father. We know from John 14:9-10 that Jesus is the revelation of the Father. We know that His worldview is that everything that happens comes from His Father with the purpose of making the Father known. So when the disciples say, “Rabbi, eat.” We are to view Jesus' response with what the Father gave Him. Just like with the woman, Jesus redirected their worldly focus, in this case food, to the spiritual focus of being satisfied in doing the Father's will. We are watching what worshiping the Father in spirit and truth looks like. We are seeing Jesus abide in the Father as He lives to love with His Father. We can be encouraged in our living to love with Jesus by following His example. First, receive everything that happens as from the Father. Second, seek your deepest satisfaction in Jesus' love and doing His will. Third, realize that God's purpose in everything that happens in your life is to reveal the living, Lord Jesus Christ, for the glory of God through the Son. The disciples didn't know of this food at the time of this encounter at the well, but we do know that Jesus' food was to do the Father's will, which we will see in the next two verses. I hope you'll be encouraged in your living to love with Jesus by remembering these three foundational worldview truths that guided His life. He lives in you. He still has the same purpose of revealing the Father, for His glory, in and through your life. If Jesus is your life, and His food is to do the will of the Father, then you also will be sustained and strengthened as you do the will of the Father, which is to make Jesus first place in your life (Col. 1:18). Your purpose is to reveal Jesus as you live to love with Him. No one can take that food away from you. You can live in the fullness of Christ as you think like He thinks and abide in Him for the glory of God. Living to love with Jesus is our true food. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:41 I do not receive glory from men; reason with me for a few minutes, please. Jesus lives in those who are His, and He hasn't changed. He is life. As Paul wrote to the Colossians in 3:4, “When Christ, who is our life…” As we abide in Christ, we are empowered to live to love with Him. We abide in Christ as we identify with and embrace Jesus' life. We can be encouraged by a couple of things from this verse. First, notice His humility. Even though men may give Him glory and praise Him, He doesn't receive it. The glory of man isn't on His radar because the only glory He is interested in is the glory which comes from His Father. Humility is recognizing that everything we have comes from God. When we look to our Father in heaven as the source of our everything in our lives, we are abiding in Christ, and that's when the love of God can flow through us. Second, there is within all of us a desire for significance and glory from men. It's fleshly, natural, and demonic, as James noted in James 3:14-16. “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.” The context of this verse is the various witnesses to who Jesus is. There's been John the Baptist's testimony, which is the witness of men. Then the witness of the works the Father gave Him to do, which testify that He is from God. Also mentioned are the witnesses of the Father and the Scriptures. The only glory Jesus received was that which was from God, revealed in His works and the Scriptures. We also then, as we abide in Christ, should only find our significance in the witness of the works Jesus does in and through us, being testified to in the Scriptures. Our significance in life comes from Jesus' life revealed in us. We must be on guard against loving for the glory of man. We should also say that we don't receive glory from men. I'm reminded of 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them, you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. To put this verse into its context, Jesus had said that He gives life to the dead. John 5:21, “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.” And 5:24-26 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;” Let's talk about the wrong idea of the sufficiency of Scripture. The Jews thought that knowing the Scriptures was sufficient for eternal life. They searched the Scriptures because of this errant belief. The Scriptures are inerrant, and they are sufficient for the purpose of witnessing about eternal life. Jesus said here that the Scriptures testify, they witness about Jesus. We can be confident that we have all we need to have accurate knowledge about Jesus, but they cannot give eternal life. The Scriptures are a means of grace to us, but they cannot in themselves impart life. Only Jesus can give life, because He is life and has authority to give life. When Jesus gives life, the Scriptures come alive. They become sufficient for us to know Jesus and walk with Him. It is through the Scriptures that we learn what Jesus' purpose is: to glorify His Father by loving with Him. It is through the Scriptures that we learn Jesus' worldview, what He believes, which informs us as to the worldview we should live by, namely, 1). That there is only one God from whom are all things, and He is love. 2). That the love of God revealed in Christ and the presence of Christ communicated and imparted by the Holy Spirit is enough to satisfy the deepest needs of our souls. He is life. And 3). God's purpose in all things in our lives is to reveal Jesus Christ in us and prepare us for eternity and His glory. As we abide in Him and fellowship with Him in the Scriptures, in prayer, and in the community of believers, we have everything we need to experience the fullness of life in Christ. Without the Scriptures, we would not know what or who eternal life is. We would be ignorant of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The inspired Scriptures were given by God to us, according to the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” So we thank God for the Scriptures, for the witness they provide about Jesus, and their equipping ministry to us, but we do not think they have the power to give life without Jesus, Himself. They are insufficient to give life. He alone gives life. Our encouragement today is that as we live to love with Jesus, who is our life, we have the Scriptures to testify to us about how to glorify God by walking with Him in love. We search the Scriptures daily so that we may be equipped for every good work of love that God prepares for us to walk in with Jesus. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:37-38 And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. You do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. Today, we are encouraged by the testimony of the Father regarding Jesus. All the miraculous works of Jesus were the Father's validation that He sent Jesus and that He was the Son of God. When Jesus spoke, they were hearing the word of God, but they didn't recognize it. Since they didn't believe Jesus' words, they could not hear God's voice. The voice of Jesus was the voice of God. Amazing! Jesus testified that they had never heard His voice or seen His form. That was Jesus' witness regarding them. He was telling them that they were dead. Let me remind you of what Jesus had said only a few minutes earlier to them recorded in John 5:25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” Even though the time now is that the dead will hear the voice of God and live, they haven't heard and therefore were in a helpless and hopeless condition—dead to God. For everyone who has received life in Christ, there is great encouragement. We believe God sent Jesus. We believe His words are the words of God, and therefore His words abide in us. We who were dead have heard His voice and now live. Hallelujah! Will you rejoice with me today in the amazing grace of God that gave us ears to hear His voice? Jesus told His disciples just before leaving them to go to the Father, John 15:7-8, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” If Jesus' words abide in us, we will ask Him to do what He commands us to do, believe in Jesus (John 14:1) and love with His love (John 13:34). The promise here is that the believing and the love will be done for us so that the Father is glorified in the Son as He does it in us. Remember, He had just said that apart from Him, we can do nothing to produce fruit and glorify God. So our encouragement today is that we have heard His voice, have life in Christ, and may ask for Jesus to live His life in and through us for the glory of God, and we know we will be heard and answered. What hope we have today as we live to love with Jesus! We have the witness of the Father—eternal life in His Son, who loves through us. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:31-36 “If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true. You have sent to John, and he has testified to the truth. But the testimony which I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was the lamp that was burning and was shining, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the testimony which I have is greater than the testimony of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. When Jesus called Himself the Son of Man, the Jews knew He was saying that He was the Messiah and equal with God. He explained that He had authority to execute judgment because He always sought the will of the Father. He also knew they were questioning His testimony about Himself, so having presented His case for who He is and for His actions, Jesus acknowledged that if he had no other witnesses to testify for Him, His testimony could not stand. Therefore, He cited other witnesses who could be trusted. Today we will look at the first two. First, He recognized His cousin, John the Baptist, who had testified to the truth that He is the Messiah. The people believed John was from God, and therefore was a worthy witness. Second, Jesus presented for their consideration a greater witness—His works. Even one of the Pharisees had testified on behalf of them, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” We also should have these two witnesses testifying of who we are and where we have come from—the testimony from man and the testimony of our works of love for His namesake. If we are the only ones testifying about ourselves that we have been born again and have Jesus' life living within, then Jesus said in these verses that there is no truth to the testimony. Not only should there be others who bear witness to the transformation of our lives, but our love should prove the case that we are living our lives with Jesus. Love is a sign—the fruit of the Spirit at work in our lives. Our works should testify that our faith is true. The encouragement today is that if Jesus is living in us, we love with Him, and Jesus still has the witness if His works that He is who He says He is. May our faith shine as lights in this world as we live to love with Jesus. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:30 "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. When I read a verse like this which reveals the heart and attitude of Jesus, I am encouraged because Jesus lives in me. Since Jesus hasn't changed, I gain helpful insight in my relationship with Him and how to live with Him. The context of this and the previous verses is judgment. In verse 27, Jesus declared that the Father gave Him authority to execute judgment, and that He will execute that judgment at the final resurrection. This verse reveals the reason Jesus has that authority. He lives in total submission to the will of God. Here are my takeaways from this verse. First, Jesus said that when it comes to judging, He can do nothing on His own initiative. As He hears, He judges accordingly. This gives us great confidence that Jesus isn't judging out of His own feelings in the moment. He doesn't judge until He hears from His Father because He seeks the will of His Father in every judgment. The Father's judgment and the Son's judgment are one. Can we say that we can do nothing on our own initiative? No we can't. When we are not abiding in Jesus, we can and do act on our own initiative. Why do we act on our own initiative? If I stick with Jesus' reasoning, we do so because we are seeking our own wills. When that occurs, we nor anyone can trust our judgment. I'm convicted by my tendency to seek my own will, but encouraged to abide in Jesus. If we want His will above our own, we must wait on the Holy Spirit to reveal God's will before we act. Like Jesus, we must hear from the Father before doing anything. Love flows out of such submission and devotion to God being glorified and His will being done. This is the first practical insight into how to abide in Jesus and live to love with Him: don't act on your own initiative. Wait on the Lord for His will to be revealed. Second, we learn that Jesus loves and therefore seeks His Father's will in all of His judgments. This encourages us to selfless humility and surrender of our own wills to God. I conclude that it is impossible to abide in Jesus if we are not surrendered to His will. For Jesus, He could do nothing to glorify His Father apart from His Father. For us, we can do nothing glorifying to God apart from Jesus. To abide in Jesus, we must identify with His heart to love and seek God's will. We have this attitude in us if Jesus dwells in us. As we abandon our own personal, earthly desires and embrace Jesus' heart to know and do God's will, we can then abide in Him. There's no other way. Jesus is the way to the Father's heart because He loves the Father with all His heart. Jesus lives to love with His Father—still. Our purpose then, today is to live to love with Jesus. That is the Father's will—that He be glorified as we carry the fruit of the life of His Son. You'll notice there is in all of us a strong ambition and desire for self-satisfaction and accomplishment. As long as self-will rules, our judgment will be flawed, sinful, and destructive. We cannot trust ourselves, nor should anyone else, when we pursue such self-fulfilling purposes. With the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I'm calling you to surrender your will to God, abide in Christ, don't act on your own initiative, and wait on the Spirit of Christ to reveal and express the Father's will on a moment by moment, situation by situation, basis for the rest of your life. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:28-29 Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. What a day that will be! A time, that is what is meant by “an hour.” A time is coming when everyone who has ever lived on the earth will be resurrected. They will hear Jesus' voice, like Lazarus heard His voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” Their bodies will be reconstituted, rejoined with their souls, and they will come forth like Lazarus came forth. That will happen when Jesus returns in glory to execute judgment on God's behalf. We notice that Jesus said the judgment will be for deeds already committed. In other words, there will be nothing else to consider, once we die. What occurs in this life determines whether our resurrection will come forth into life or into judgment. We also notice that those who rise to eternal life, do not come into judgment. For them, the judgment already took place. God judged their evil deeds in Jesus at the cross. Their evil deeds were those deeds that were done without Jesus, and therefore were unrighteous, and fell short of the glory of God. Hopefully you remember what Jesus said in John 15:5 that apart from Him, we can do nothing to produce fruit for God's glory. That helps us understand what the “good deeds” were that were done by those who are resurrected to life. Everything done with Jesus as we abided in Him is a good deed. Or we can think of it this way. Whatever the Holy Spirit did in those who are His is a good deed. The apostle John described the good deeds, the sinless deeds in his first epistle when he wrote in 1 John 3:5-6, “You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in Him sins.” So when we aren't abiding in Jesus, we sin, and those deeds are evil. When we do abide in Jesus, and He loves through us, they are good deeds. Jesus said in this verse that those who did the good deeds will come forth to resurrection of life. Do you get how this verse encourages us to live to love with Jesus? Loving with Jesus, abiding in Him, so His life is revealed in us, are the good deeds! That's incredibly significant. It reveals the hope of living with Jesus' purpose and from His worldview. That's how we abide in Him. When we think and apply what we know of Jesus' purpose and worldview, He lives His life in and through us. Living to love with Jesus is a life of hope—the hope of eternal life. If you would like to learn more about Jesus' purpose and worldview, please check out my book, Live to Love: Experience Freedom and Joy in Relationships. It is available for free as an e-book, audiobook, or print book at www.livetolovewithjesus.com I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:25-27 Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. The time we are living in, ever since the first coming of Jesus, has been the time of Jesus' reign as King. All things were given into His hands, as Jesus said recorded in Luke 10:22. “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” He told His disciples in Matthew 28:18 that He has authority over heaven and earth. In Luke 10:18, upon the return of His disciples from a ministry adventure, Jesus said, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” In this verse, He made the stunning declaration that He has authority to execute judgment and that the time had come for the dead to be given life by the Father through the Son. We are children of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Lord of life and the Lord of love. We will see in the next two verses the resurrection of life is juxtaposed with the resurrection of judgment, so I take Jesus' being given authority to execute judgment to mean He has the authority to determine who will be resurrected to life because He has been given the authority to give eternal life by the Father. Jesus said that He has that authority because He is the Son of Man. It is His favorite title for Himself as it signifies His humanity, humility, divinity, and fulfillment of prophecy. We who live to love with Jesus are encouraged today, by this verse, because living to love with Jesus is the fruit of eternal life. Because we see His love flowing through us, we know we have life. We should be able to remember when we were dead in our sins, and we heard the voice of the Son of God, as the gospel was either presented to us, or read in the Bible. We were given repentance and faith as His life came to dwell in us. The Word of God came alive, our heart desires changed, and we became aware of Jesus' presence and power. His love was poured out within our hearts by the Holy Spirit as described in Romans 5:5. His love operates in our hearts today and will be manifested to the people God puts in our paths. I encourage you. You have the life of Jesus in you. You are no longer dead, but alive in Christ. Enjoy living to love with Jesus. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Let me say this verse as I understand it in my own words. Hearing the word of Christ and then believing the Father, reveals one already has received eternal life and has passed out of judgment into life. The truth is this: Faith in the Father's revelation and work in Christ shows one has passed out of death and judgment into life in Christ. Here's another way of stating the truth of this verse. One who has passed out of death into eternal life, upon hearing the word of Christ, he believes Jesus was sent by God to be the savior of the world. This isn't the first time we've read this truth in John's gospel. It must be important. John 3:36. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life.” Then, will see it again in the next chapter. John 6:47 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.” Luke echoed this truth in Acts 13:48 “When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” We learn from the apostle Paul in Romans 10:17 where faith comes from. It comes from hearing by the word of Christ, just like Jesus said in this verse. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” How are we encouraged by this to live to love with Jesus? We are first encouraged that we have eternal life by the grace of God. Because we were given to Jesus before the foundation of the world, we heard the gospel and believed. We are encouraged also by the fact that since it is by God's grace that we believe, God gets all the glory. Second, since our faith began in Christ, we are encouraged that what He began, He will perfect. Again, Paul echoed this reality in Philippians 1:6. “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” We know with confidence that our faith will grow and mature throughout our lives. Third, we know that faith works through love, as Paul wrote to the Galatians in 5:6. All who have eternal life believe, and that kind of faith is revealed through love. Living to love with Jesus is the outworking of eternal life. That makes sense, doesn't it? Eternal life is knowing the Father and the Son (John 17:3). Abiding in Christ means thinking as Jesus thinks, having His purpose, applying His worldview to life. The one who knows Jesus, knows how He thinks. He renews his mind to live with Jesus as He abides in Christ. John reiterated this truth in 1 John 3:6. “No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.” Do you see the link? The one who knows Jesus, abides in Jesus, and Jesus lives His sinless life through him or her. It doesn't mean that believers never sin. They sin when they don't abide. When they abide in Jesus, and He lives through them, they don't sin, because Jesus is their life in that moment. The only fruit that brings glory to God is the fruitfulness of the life of His Son in us. That fruit of Jesus' eternal life is love in all of its many wonderful expressions. Living to love with Jesus reveals that one has passed out of death into life. Isn't that encouraging?! I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:22-23 For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. You'll notice that these verses are part of Jesus' explanation of an initial statement regarding why He healed the lame man on the Sabbath. That statement was in verse 19. “Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.' Then Jesus followed with a series of supporting statements, all beginning with “for.” First, we learn that Jesus is God's appointed judge of all things. He's the judge to whom we will all give an account. If you recall John 3:17, you might think this is a contradiction. John wrote, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” The contradiction disappears when we remember that John 3:17 refers to Jesus' first coming into the world. He came to save. However, when He returns, He comes to judge everyone. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” Acts 17:31 refers to that day. “Because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” So the Father, Himself, doesn't judge, but will judge through Jesus, His Son, whom He raised from the dead and gave life so He could judge the world at the end of the age. Second, in these verses, Jesus aims at the hearts of His detractors. They don't honor God. In an honor/shame culture of the middle eastern world, displaying honor was a big deal. It was a high value. Speaking of value, that is the meaning of the word honor, timao in the Greek, meaning to fix a value or to set a price to something. The reason the Father gave all judgment to His Son is so that He would be valued as the Father is valued. If we don't honor Jesus, we don't honor the Father. Or to put it in the positive, if we honor Jesus, we honor the Father. Third, we draw from these verses that our relationship with the Father, God, is only as good as our relationship with Jesus, His Son. As we abide in the Son, we abide in the Father. As we love with Jesus, we are loving with the Father. Abiding in Jesus is how we show the value of Jesus. He is the Father's appointed life-giver. As we look to Him and value Him as first place in all things, we honor God, the Father. We see this same reasoning in Paul's letter to the Colossians when he wrote of Jesus, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. Jesus is to be valued, honored, as the first consideration in everything we do. How can we glorify God? By honoring His Son. How do we show Jesus' value in our lives? We live with Him in His purpose, to glorify His Father by loving with Him. If we love Him and love with Him, the day will come when we will also exercise that love in judgment with Him. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” So let us prepare for that day by living united with Christ, thinking like He thinks, and loving with Him, for in doing so we honor our Father.

John 5:21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. I want to open my comments on this verse with this: to live to love with the Son is to live to love with the Father. I derive this conclusion from Jesus' statements like this one. He continued to drive home the point to the Jews that Jesus' works were the Father's works and will. In this verse, Jesus exalted His Father as the life-giver. He raises the dead and gives them life. Was Jesus referring to physical resurrection such as Lazarus, Jairus' daughter, or the widow's son or to spiritual new birth? Both would be true. Both would also be true of Jesus' power to give life. Let's be encouraged by two things from this verse. One, the Father and the Son have the power to give life because they are the source of all life. Death was conquered at the cross. Just as the Father did it, Jesus did it. The writer of Hebrews wrote in 2:14, “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” Death has been defeated and swallowed up by life. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise the name of the Lord! So first, we who have believed in Jesus are encouraged that we not only know this great truth as an intellectual fact, but we know it by experience. The One who raises the dead and gives life is our Father, and He has given us life in His Son. Two, we may be encouraged that Jesus, like the Father, gives life to whomever He wishes. That means there is no person who cannot be saved. There is nothing anyone has done or can do that can stop the life-giving power of God. This gives us great confidence as we love those God puts in our paths. We aren't relying on our ability to convince anyone to do anything. When the Father and Son give life, they will believe that Jesus has conquered death and is life and the life-giver. We love people and proclaim the gospel with confidence that God is able to give life to them when He wishes. Father in heaven, thank You for another day of life to know and love You and love with Jesus. We thank You for the Holy Spirit, who manifests the presence and power of Christ, so that we can love and trust You and love those You put in our paths for Your glory. We pray that You will give life as we love and share the gospel today. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel. The Father shows the Son what He is doing because He loves the Son. Let's pause and think about this reality. We ask, “Has this changed?” I don't think so because Jesus said to His disciples in John 14:12-14. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” The Father still loves the Son and shows Him what He is doing in our lives, so the Son may glorify the Father in our lives. Now let's think along another line. If the Father loves the Son, and the Son lives in us, then we are also loved by the Father and the Son. If one aspect of God's love is to “show all things that He Himself is doing,” shouldn't we expect God to show Jesus in us what He is doing so we can experience and express His love? The passage in John 14 says we should because He went to the Father, meaning, the Father glorifies the Son by sending the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes, both the Father and the Son indwell those who love Jesus and His word (John 14:23). Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and my Father will love Him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” In other words, we become God's house that has many dwelling places, as Jesus said in 14:2. Now, what are the greater works that the Father will show the Son? At the time that Jesus spoke those words, the greatest work of God had not occurred—the redemptive work on the cross, which came about because of the rejection of the Jewish leaders. The Jews, who were questioning him at the time of this story, were fulfilling the Lord's work. This was prophesied in Psalms 118:22-23. “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” Today, we should marvel that the Lord has accomplished all that was planned that we might become sons of God, loved by the Father, and participants with the Son as He does the mighty works of God in those who love Him. Isn't it marvelous that we have the privilege of living to love with Jesus and doing the works of God with Him? Indeed, how marvelous! How wonderful is the Savior's love for us. Today, we are the living, God-indwelt, body of Christ on the earth. May the Father show us what He is doing so we can accomplish and prove His will, that which is good, acceptable, and perfect. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner. This verse reveals a truth about Jesus that is also true about all disciples of Jesus Christ. In essence, Jesus said to the Jews that apart from His Father, He could do nothing. Jesus told His disciples (and all believers by extension) that apart from Him, we could do nothing. This reminds us of what Jesus said in John 14. He told His disciples that He didn't speak on His own initiative, but the Father, abiding in Him, did His works. To see Jesus is to see the Father. This was Jesus' explanation for why He healed the lame man on the Sabbath. He saw the Father at work, so He worked with Him in the same manner. This truth lies at the heart of living to love with Jesus. He abides in us and when we abide in Him, He does the Father's works in and through us for His glory. That's what is meant by “doing nothing.” There's nothing we can do to glorify God apart from Jesus, any more than Jesus could do anything apart from His Father to glorify God. We can do things apart from Jesus, but nothing we do apart from Him glorifies God, the Father. Therefore, we glorify God in the same manner as Jesus glorified God—by abiding in Jesus as Jesus abided in the Father. What does that mean for Jesus to abide in the Father? I use the present tense because He still abides in the Father as He abides in us. He thinks as the Father thinks. He never acts apart from the Father's purpose and worldview. His mind is one with the Father. That gives us great encouragement to be of one mind with Christ. The apostle Paul gave this encouragement to the Philippians in 2:1-5 when admonishing them to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus. Can you see it? Just as Jesus had the same purpose and mind as His Father, we are to have the same purpose and mind as Christ. His purpose is to glorify the Father by living to love with Him. Our purpose is to glorify the Father by living to love with Jesus. I have explained Jesus' worldview in chapter 2 of my book, Live to Love: Experience Freedom and Joy in Relationships, which you can find in print, e-book, and audiobook formats at livetolovewithjesus.com. I hope you'll get your free copy soon and share it with others. This is the call of God to all who believe. Christians are those who live in the same manner as Jesus. Abiding in Him as He abides in us. Doing His work as we think and live in a manner worthy of our calling for the glory of God. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. The Jews understood exactly what Jesus was saying. His Father is God, and He is equal with God. But they didn't believe it. It angered them and fueled their murderous hearts. It was bad enough that He broke the Sabbath, but it was blasphemous to make Himself equal with God. Jesus knew who He is. He is God. Jesus is the only human being of which this is true in the history of the world. He is like no other. The writer of Hebrews described Jesus as “the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.” However, we are not to think that Jesus is the Father. He is God's only-begotten, or unique, son, as John recorded in John 3:16. Jesus said in Matthew 11:27, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” This shows clearly that the Father and Son are both God, and yet they are separate beings, working together. For our encouragement today, let's connect some dots, so to speak. Jesus is God, and God is love. Because we have all of God dwelling in us, we have the fullness of God from which His love flows. Living to love with Jesus is how I describe those who have the God of love dwelling inside them. Through the new birth by the Holy Spirit, the presence of Jesus Christ comes to abide in those who love Jesus. Because they love Jesus, the Father also abides in them. Jesus promised this in His last words to His disciples before going to His Father by way of the cross. John 14:23. “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” Why do the Father, Son, and Spirit live within us? To glorify God by revealing His presence and power as we live to love with Him. We reveal that Jesus lives and that He is both Lord and Christ. What a privilege it is to be His ambassadors of love, His representatives on the earth. May God fill us with His grace today as we walk with Him, abiding in Him, and He in us. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

Here we have Jesus' answer to the Jews who were persecuting Him for healing on the Sabbath. John 5:17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” Later in John 14:10-11, John recorded very similar words from Jesus explaining His union with His Father and His Father's working. “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.” Jesus lived to work with the Father. If His Father was healing on the Sabbath, then Jesus spoke the words. Did you notice in John 14:10 that when Jesus spoke, the Father worked? That's how the lame man was healed. Jesus spoke, not from His own initiative, but from His Father's, “Get up. Take up your pallet and walk.” Then God did His work and healed the man. Jesus constantly abided in the Father, meaning, He lived for the same purpose the Father did, which was to love for the glory of the Father, and He thought and spoke as the Father thought and spoke. This is the live to love with Jesus encouragement from this verse. We should be able to say the very same thing. We have Jesus abiding in us, and as we abide in Him, meaning, as we live with His purpose and think and say what He says, then Jesus does His works. If Jesus is speaking or working in any given moment, then we receive what He gives us and express His presence and power through our words and actions. We trust He will do the work as we receive and give. That's what it means to live to love with Jesus. Just as Jesus received from the Father and then gave what He received, we receive what the Father gives us through Christ in us and then give what we receive. Another important encouragement from this verse is implied. Jesus lived for the glory of God and not man. Even though Jesus knew He would not receive the glory from men if He healed the man on the Sabbath, He was most satisfied in glorifying His Father by doing His will. This encourages us to not seek the glory of men as we live each day, rather we seek the glory of God, and the way to glorify God is to live to love with Jesus. When Jesus is loving, we are loving. When we are loving, Jesus is loving. We are one with Him for the glory of God. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:14-16 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason, the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. The lame man probably had not participated in a feast for 38 years. He could not have entered the temple in his condition, but now that he was healed, he headed for the temple to join the celebration. That's where Jesus found him. Let's notice Jesus' love for the man and the man's betrayal of Jesus. Jesus loved the man enough to go looking for him. Jesus found him in the temple, which implies He went looking for him. He had a message for him that provided an opportunity for the man to engage with Jesus regarding his deeper need for healing—the salvation of his soul. The opportunity was provided by telling him his responsibility before God—do not sin anymore. Let's not miss this. He told him to do the impossible from a natural human perspective. The love of God was revealed by Jesus' admonition to not sin anymore. If the Spirit of God was at work, the man would have responded with a confession of sin and a brokenness that comes from an awareness of helplessness. Faith in Jesus can only come when a person realizes they must repent of trusting in themselves. In a real sense, Jesus knocked on his door, to see if the Holy Spirit would answer. This, by the way, is the love of God. The Law is meant to reveal the power of sin and our helpless condition so that we might repent of trusting in ourselves, humble ourselves, and call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. That's how the Law is. It is spiritual (Rom. 7:15) and has the power to reveal whether the flesh or the Spirit is at work. That's the message of Romans 7. Unfortunately for this man, the Spirit was not at work. Instead, this time having learned Jesus' name, he went away to tell the Jews who had healed him and broken the Sabbath. He betrayed Jesus to the Jews. He returned evil for good, which demonstrated an amazing hardness of heart. It was clear that the Father wasn't saving the man at that time. Let's not miss this example of God's love being poured out to His enemies. Jesus healed the man, not because the man was one that the Father had given Him to save, but one the Father had given Him to love. Jesus lived to love with His Father, and the Father loved even if it resulted in suffering. There are times when Jesus avoided these conflicts, but this is one time when He didn't. We will be faced with the same situations. We must abide in Jesus, so we can have the wisdom to know when to draw back and when to engage. Both can be acts of love when guided by the Holy Spirit. Our encouragement today is to love with Jesus, even when doing so may bring suffering and persecution. When we love like that, it is for the glory of God. God is glorified through His Son, as He loves His enemies through us. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:12-13 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk'?” But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. I ask myself how on earth did that man not know who healed him? If I apply the information I have in these verses, I can imagine a scenario where the man never got Jesus' name. There were no words of introduction. The portico around the pool was packed with people because of the feast (5:1). Jesus saw the man and asked if he wanted to be healed. The man gave his excuse for not being able to get to the pool, and then Jesus said, “Get up. Pick up your pallet and walk.” The man got up and started walking, and as soon as the man walked away from Jesus, He slipped away through the crowd. I see the man turn back in amazement to thank Jesus, but He's already gone. Why did Jesus slip away so quickly that the man couldn't even thank Him or get His name? Was that loving? I think the explanation lies in why John told this story. In John 20:31, we learn that these things were written so that those who read it might believe in Jesus and be saved. If we go back to John 3:14-21, we get the introduction to the encounters of the Samaritan woman, the men of Sychar, the royal official and the healing of his son, and now the lame man's healing. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God. These are examples of God's love for the Gentile world as well as Israel. Each encounter revealed God's judgment, which is shown by their responses. Jesus is the Light. His deeds and words revealed where God was at work to save and to judge. The unbelieving Jews played an important part in Jesus being lifted up, so we would have a savior. The healing on the Sabbath, the willful blindness of the Jews, and the hardness of the healed lame man are necessary to the gospel story and exemplify what John said about Jesus. They show us that God had given all things into Jesus' hand so we might believe in Him. One thing for sure was that Jesus didn't need or want notoriety or glory from man. He wasn't doing these things for a show. So let's be encouraged today as we love with Jesus to make as little of ourselves as possible, and as much as we can of Jesus. That's what Jesus did. He made much of His Father by entrusting what He did to His Father, and made little of Himself. He humbled Himself as a servant of His Father. May we be filled with the humility of Jesus and make much of Him and little of ourselves. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 5:9-11 Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.” But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.'” Jesus, knowing the laws of the Sabbath, told the man to pick up his pallet and walk. Upon hearing those words, the man was healed. The miracle itself revealed that God is merciful and has the power to heal. More than likely the man knew the Sabbath laws also, but as soon as his legs were strengthened, he obeyed Jesus. The man concluded that if Jesus could heal him with a word, then He also had authority over the Sabbath. In fact, we see that he used that argument with the Jewish Sabbath police. There is no record that Jesus called him to repent or revealed anything to him about God, other than that God is merciful and speaks with authority. Curing the man after 38 years of suffering was definitely a great kindness. I'm reminded of Romans 2:4. “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” It appears that the man thought lightly of Jesus' kindness. There's no record of gratitude. He didn't even get Jesus' name because Jesus slipped away so quickly. Both are indications of extreme self-centeredness. I draw three encouragements from these verses. The first one is that living to love with Jesus is often expressed in deeds of mercy and kindness rather than through words. Kindness is one expression of love mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 as the fruit of the Spirit. God can use our kindness to lead people to repentance. It doesn't always happen, but we know from God's word that it is how He works. So let's look for ways to express kindness to all God puts in our paths. Second, as we love people, we do it for the glory of God and not for our own significance. Jesus wasn't trying to be noticed, although, how could He not be? Certainly, this miracle was noticed and talked about all over Jerusalem, and during a feast time, at that, when the city was teeming with worshipers. We don't love so that we will be thought well of or thanked. We love for the glory of God, and leave the results up to Him. Third, as we live to love, God is working out His will on earth as it is in heaven. The fact that it was a Sabbath upon which Jesus healed the man was used by God to further alienate the Jewish leaders from Jesus. It added another reason for them to plot for His murder, which was necessary for the redemption of God's people. Jesus was commanded by God to lay down His life for God's children, and this miracle on the Sabbath was one act of obedience in laying down His life. Sometimes, we are going to be faced with situations where to love or be kind is going to annoy or anger someone who doesn't love us. Our kindness will make them feel guilty because they don't want to love us. In those cases, we can expect them to twist the truth, sabotage our efforts to love, and use it against us. Jesus told his disciples later that if people hate Him, they will hate those who follow Him. But we should not let that discourage us from loving our enemies. We are to love everyone God puts in our paths, even if they don't like it. So let us remember to look for ways to show God's mercy and kindness for the glory of God, and trust Him to accomplish His will on earth as it is in heaven. We love with Jesus, no matter what. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus.

John 5:7-8 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” We have recorded here the sick man's reply to Jesus' question, “Do you wish to get well?” His answer? He wanted to be healed, but someone else always beat him to the pool because of his disability. This shows us that the man didn't think there was any other way to be healed than to be the first one into the pool when it was stirred by the angel of the Lord. That was about to change. I notice that there was no indication that the man believed in Jesus, and as we will see in the following verses, there's no indication that he ever did. In fact, even after being warned by Jesus not to sin, he sided with the Pharisees and ratted on Jesus. So what was the purpose of God in this healing? First, we see God's mercy, even toward His enemies. Matthew 5:43-48 reveals the love of the Father for His enemies. This is a passage in the Sermon on the Mount. You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. God was merciful to this man who was in desperate need of healing. His suffering had been long-term, and agonizing. This encourages us that we too may show mercy to those who are undeserving as an expression of God's love and as a testimony of His glorious grace. A second purpose for healing the sick man was to fuel the fire of the Pharisees' hatred of Jesus. In John's gospel, he shows the development of this hatred, which increased with every miracle Jesus did, especially when performed on the Sabbath, like this one. This was God's plan according to Acts 4:27-28. “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.” This miracle was necessary in the grand scheme of redemption. A third purpose then behind this miracle is a judgment against the sick man and the Pharisees. You would think the sick man would respond with great gratefulness and allegiance to Christ. In fact, you would think anyone seeing the healing would rejoice and marvel at it. Shouldn't it cause the healed man and the Pharisees to believe in Jesus? No, it does not, which reveals the hardness of heart and animosity toward God. They are judged by the miracle. What can we learn from these verses? If God puts an enemy in our paths or someone who has endured long-term suffering, let's be in tune with how Jesus wants us to love them. We are not to base the expression of love and mercy upon how we think they might respond. God is glorified in the act of mercy, whether there is a positive or grateful response or not. Also, when people do not respond to the love of Christ through us, pray for them. They have been judged by God, and their need for forgiveness and mercy has become obvious. God intends for us to understand their need better, so we might intercede for them more.

John 5:1-6 After these things, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now, there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate, a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.] A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, "Do you wish to get well?" This seems like a strange question to ask someone who has been afflicted for 38 years, if he wishes to get well. However, there are some significant issues at stake. He has probably made his living by begging, if he is healed, then his means of income will change. He will have to find a job and go to work. If before he was afflicted he had no marketable skills, then if healed, he will have to start at the bottom and work his way up. It is possible that he might have to take a cut in his income if healed. Furthermore, he would have to break into an entirely new social circle. That wouldn't be comfortable or easy. So perhaps the question is relevant after all. In Hebrew, Bethesda, means "house of mercy." Jesus is going to perform an incredible act of mercy for this man. Jesus knew he had been there a long time. He probably had seen him several times before, when He had been in Jerusalem for other feasts. We may assume that Jesus was led by the Father to walk through the Bethesda porticos. Why did He pick this man? He knew the man had been there a long time. John tells us it was because of mercy. D. Martin Lloyd-Jones differentiated grace from mercy. "Grace is especially associated with men in their sins; mercy is especially associated with men in their misery. While grace looks down upon sin as a whole, mercy looks, especially, upon the miserable consequences of sin. Mercy really means a sense of pity, plus a desire to relieve the suffering. That is the essential meaning of being merciful; it is pity plus action." Here's a helpful definition of pity: sympathetic or kindly sorrow evoked by the suffering, distress, or misfortune of another leading one to give relief or aid or to show mercy. As we live to love with Jesus, there will be times when we see the suffering of people and will be led to give relief or aid. Perhaps today, someone like that will cross our paths. Let's not be surprised if Jesus brings them to our attention, and may we not be afraid to engage them in conversation. One of the best ways to engage them is with questions so we can learn how we may express the love and mercy of Christ. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of "giving it forward," so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:51-54 As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. So, he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him.” So, the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed, and his whole household. This is, again, a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. On the way home, some of the royal official's slaves met him, to give the good news that his son had survived the illness and was out of the woods, so to speak. Of course, the official was curious about the timing of the turn around. When they told him that it was at 1 p.m., the same time Jesus had said, “Your son lives,” it's not hard to imagine the impact. We don't know what happened on the rest of the journey home, but once he got home and shared what happened, not only did the official believe in Jesus, but so did the whole household—family and slaves. The encouragement these verses have for us today is that when we love one person in Jesus' name, we are probably introducing an entire network to Him. As we love and share Christ with a serviceman who comes to repair an AC unit, the ripple effect may extend to family, friends, and work associates. For example, as I spoke briefly to our waitress at a restaurant and asked how I could pray for her, she immediately told me about her mom who had just been diagnosed with cancer. She also told us she was going to be moving to go to a university in the state. As I'm thinking about her, I realize Jesus could put hundreds of people in her path in the next year, and if God causes the seeds planted to bear fruit, there's no telling what the impact of a few minutes of loving with Jesus can have. Think for a moment about your own network and Jesus' influence in their lives through you. Jesus loves everyone in your life that you love when you live with Him. We ask for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives, so the kingdom can advance in this world. That's how our Father works. He touches one life with a view toward glorifying His name in many others. So let's be encouraged by the ripple effect of the love of God. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:49-50 The royal official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off. The faith expressed by the official satisfied Jesus that His Father was working, and word of Christ satisfied the official. He needed no proof, in direct contrast to those Jesus rebuked for needing signs to believe. This man believed with no sign. He only needed the word of Christ. Let's notice that the faith the man had to return home with no sign or proof of his son's healing was generated by the word of Christ. At this point, there's no indication that the man believed Jesus was Lord or the Christ. He believed his son lived. However, we will discover in the next few verses that the official was on his way to a life-changing faith. Hebrews 12:3 describes Jesus as the author and perfecter of faith. This man fixed his eyes, his hope on Jesus, and when Jesus said the son lives, he took Jesus at His word. That's exactly what Paul said about faith in Romans 10:17. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” As in this case, God often uses storms in life and crises to initiate movement toward His Son. Knowing this encourages us to be alert to those God puts in our paths who are hurting, hungry, thirsty, and in desperate need. To love them well, we point them to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith. We want to lead them into an encounter with Him that will be life-changing. The best way to lead someone to a life-changing encounter with Jesus is to share with them the word of Christ—the promises of God given to us through His Son. John 14:6 comes to mind. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that He alone is the way to the Father. John 11:25-26 is another good one. Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” In times of trouble, Hebrews 4:14-16 is one of my favorite. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Do you have some favorite verses in your mind ready to share when God puts someone like this official in your path who is desperately in need of help? I hope you'll collect a few and be prepared to love them with Jesus by sharing His word. You never know how God is working until you give the word of Christ to someone. Paul said the gospel is the power of God for salvation in Romans 1:16. May the Spirit of God prepare us and work through us today as we live to love with Jesus. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” This is a very interesting reply by Jesus. The “you-people-see” is a third-person singular form, meaning, Jesus isn't referring to Himself or to the official. He's referring to someone not in the immediate audience. Then Jesus used the second-person plural when He said, “you will not believe”, referring to the official and those associated with him. Jesus' reply is a rebuke that we probably all need to hear and consider. In this verse, we see an example of Jesus' insight regarding man. Jesus knew the hearts of men. John 2:24-25. “But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.” In this case, Jesus exposed what was apparently a common “show me” attitude detected in the official and the Gentiles of Galilee. Here's a somewhat more contemporary version of this. Missouri is called the “Show Me State” primarily due to a statement made by Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver in 1899, emphasizing the need for proof or evidence. He applied it generally to people in Missouri. That's what Jesus did when He said, “Unless you people see signs and wonders.” He rebuked the man with a general comment. Now let's be encouraged not to have this attitude. Have you ever asked God for a sign before you really trusted Him? You know, “God, if you will do this, I will trust You and give my life to You.” or “If you'll have my husband or wife be more loving, I'll love him or her with You.” That's what Jesus picked up in this man's heart. In contrast, our trust in Jesus should be based on His character and His word. He says, “I will never desert you nor will I ever forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). He promised the Holy Spirit would be with us forever (John 14:16). So as we live to love with Jesus, we step out to love people based on His word to be with us. We should not demand that He prove that He is with us before we obey Him. Our obedience to God reveals that we believe in Him. We seek His help for His glory and trust Him to do what is best for us. There are no strings attached before we believe and trust in Him. We will still trust Him even if He doesn't do what we so deeply desire or feel that we need to have from Him. With no intent to rebuke my friends in Missouri, let us not tolerate a “show me” attitude in our hearts toward God. May we step out to love God and others in obedience to His word with a confidence in His presence and His promises to us. He will be faithful to love everyone the Father places in our paths. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:46-47 Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee, where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. Let's begin today with a few facts. The journey to Cana from Sychar was about 40 miles, or probably 2–3 days. The royal official was probably a Gentile, an official in Herod Antipas' administration, who was the Tetrarch of Galilee. The distance from Cana to Capernaum was about 20 miles over hill country, a long day's journey by foot. These facts help us keep things in perspective. Nothing is going to happen fast if everything goes at the normal pace. The situation given by the Father to Jesus was dire. The official's son was probably at the point of death before the father left for Cana to meet Jesus, so you can imagine the urgency of the official once they met. Having heard that Jesus was in Cana, he believed Jesus was the boy's only hope of healing. He believed it enough to undertake a 40-mile round trip. Under the circumstances, I think he would have taken the fastest means possible, which would have been horseback. That's simply conjecture. The apostle John didn't give us that information. There are a few encouragements I get from these verses. First, God may allow sickness in order to reveal His glory through His Son. The condition of the official's son was totally in God's hands. For this story to be in the Bible, the son had to be sick to the point of death. In fact, that had to be true of everyone Jesus healed. So, my takeaway is that regardless of how dire the circumstances are, don't panic, the situation is necessary for the glory of God. Since my purpose is to live to love with Jesus for the glory of God, it seems wise and faithful to ask, “How does God want to glorify Himself through His Son in this situation that He has given to Him and to me? Then pray, listen, receive, and release into the situation what I'm given. A second encouragement is that God reveals His will by giving faith where He plans to work. Jesus knew where the Father was working by the attitudes and responses of the people God put in His path. I think of 2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” Where Jesus saw faith at work, He knew His Father was working, so then He worked with His Father. He was living to love with His Father. In this case, the official demonstrated faith. He heard Jesus was in Cana. His son was desperately ill, and there was no other hope. He knew Jesus was a healer and miracle worker. He made the trip to find Jesus to beg Him to come and heal his son because he believed Jesus was capable of healing his son. As we walk with Jesus, there will be times when we face dire circumstances and people with an urgent need. May we be so filled with the Spirit of Christ that we can discern where the Father is working and trust in Him to give us what we need to glorify His name at that time. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast. In light of yesterday's contrast between the Samaritan's receiving Jesus and the Galilean's prior rejection of Him, we learn from today's verse that the Galileans received Him. However, let's notice why. They had attended the feast in Jerusalem and witnessed the same signs Nicodemus had witnessed. They, too, couldn't deny that God was with Him, so they received Him. We're not to think that they believed in Him with saving faith as a result of the signs. We will see in the next chapter that the miracles He performed got Him into more trouble with the Jews, but that didn't stop Him from loving people God put in His path. I realize there may be many of you listening who work in a hostile environment or have family who consider your values and faith toxic. You've found it difficult to navigate those relationships. They receive you into their midst, but they don't like you or what you stand for. You know you aren't just imagining their disgust or disdain for you. You see it on their faces, or notice conversation stops when you come near, or you are the constant butt of jokes and snide remarks. My guess is that Jesus experienced the same and expected it, however, His purpose never changed: He lived to love with His Father. He stayed tuned in to His Father as things happened and people crossed His path. Knowing this about Jesus, encourages us to stay tuned in to Him each day in every situation. We want Jesus to be glorified in us, just like Paul wanted Jesus to be glorified in the believers in Thessalonica. He prayed for them and I pray for you, “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:11-12). Therefore, today, should God lead you into difficult circles, be ready to glorify Jesus by loving with Him those He puts in your paths. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:43-44 After the two days, He went forth from there into Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. These verses are meant to show us the contrast between how Jesus was received in Samaria and how He was received in Galilee. He was received in Sychar, a city of Gentiles, as a prophet. Remember what the woman said after Jesus revealed that He knew she had five husbands and was living with a guy? “Sir, I perceive that You are a Prophet.” Jesus performed no miracles in Sychar that we know of, and the people wanted Him to stay. He was honored, and in an honor/shame culture, that's a big deal. They believed Him to be the Savior of the world because of His words. Jesus experienced for a brief time, only two days, the joys of sowing and reaping with His Father. What a blessed and rewarding two days! In contrast, Jesus not only was not honored in Galilee, His own country, but was shamed and cast out. He had lived a perfect life in Galilee for more than 20 years of His life. The manner in which He lived His life, His attitudes, His conduct, His words must have stood out to those who knew Him, but they couldn't see His glory. When He healed a man with a withered hand, preached the good news in the synagogue, and prophesied, they cast Him out of the city and attempted to kill Him by throwing Him off a cliff. In the next verse we will see how He was received, but for today, let's learn a couple of important lessons in walking with Jesus. First, there are good times and difficult times in ministry. We must not determine to whom and where we minister on the basis of hoped for results. We are to be faithful wherever He leads us and receive what He gives us with contentment and gratitude. If God gives us a season of sowing and reaping, we are to receive it with great joy, but be ready to move on in obedience to the leading of the Spirit of God. Second, we must not pre-judge people or assume we know how we are going to be received. We learn from this account, that the ones we think might be most receptive to our love will not be, and the ones we think might be the most resistant may not be. Familiarity may breed contempt, or at least blind people from recognizing that they have one sent from God in their midst. It is not always the case, but it still may happen. One may find a much warmer reception in a foreign field than he finds at home in his own family or church. That's how it was with Jesus, so we should not be surprised. We are to trust the reception of our love and ministry to God and His will. Our responsibility is to be faithful and to trust God for the results. So let this verse encourage us to live to love with Jesus in both good and bad times, content with whatever results or fruit the Lord wills. Let's simply be faithful, enjoy the blessings of loving with Him, and be thankful for the privilege and honor it is to work in God's field with Him. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:39-42 From that city, many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.” What a wonderful encouragement and truth is revealed in these verses. We see two kinds of faith. There's the faith that comes from hearing someone's testimony about Jesus. Then there's the faith that comes from hearing Jesus, Himself. In chapters 3 and 4, John gave us examples of this truth. The first kind of faith isn't saving faith. It's a natural faith, like that of Nicodemus, who came because of the signs Jesus did. The signs are undeniable, so Nicodemus believed He was from God. Likewise, these Samaritans believed in Jesus because they couldn't deny the testimony of the woman. Paul wrote of the contrast between hearing someone testify about Jesus and one hearing Jesus, Himself, when he wrote to the Romans in chapter ten, verses 16-17. He pointed out that Isaiah, who had been sent by God as a prophet to testify of the good news of the Messiah, wrote that just hearing about the Messiah isn't enough. Paul wrote, “However, they did not all heed the good news; for Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our report?'” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” That is John's point in these verses. The faith that comes from hearing the word of Christ by the power of the Spirit is a saving faith. John said, “Many more believed because of His word.” That has been my experience as well. I heard about Jesus from the time I was a little boy. I came to a point at the age of twelve that I could not deny the testimony about Jesus, so I invited Him into my heart. However, there was no change because it wasn't an encounter with Jesus that happened. It was an encounter with others who testified of Him. I based my initial coming on the testimony of others. But, when at the age of 29, I heard the word of Christ as He told me I was full of pride and revealed the sin that He had seen in me, and then spoke peace to my heart as He revealed that He knew me at the cross, a saving faith came. I no longer believed because of what others said about Jesus, I believed because I had an encounter with the living Jesus Christ, and He revealed Himself and gave Himself to me. So, I totally get what these guys were saying to the woman. Do you? This encourages us that we are not responsible to produce saving faith or to get someone to believe in Jesus. That's God's work. We enter into His work, as the disciples did, as we live to love with Jesus, and lead them to an encounter with Him. That's what the woman did. She said, “Come and see.” or “Go see for yourself.” We are encouraged that God is able to produce fruit for His glory through the power of the word of His Son. We can share our testimonies with confidence that Jesus can speak when we speak. We lead them to Jesus, encouraging them to talk with Him because He knows them and loves them.

John 4:37-38 For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor. The food the disciples brought was the fruit of someone else's labor. Jesus pointed out that fact, so He wanted them to notice that they were entering or coming into their labor. The same thing was about to happen. Arriving at the same time as the crowd from the city was also arriving, they were coming into the labors of Jesus and the woman. His food, doing the will of His Father, was going to become their food. They would reap where they had not labored. As we live to love with Jesus, we will often enter into the work of others who have gone before us. Jesus has already been working in the hearts of people, and He brings them into our paths. They are ripe for the picking, so to speak. They have heard about Jesus. They are looking for someone to tell them more about Him and how they may be saved. God sends us to harvest the fruit for which we have not labored. We simply enter into it, by the grace and sovereign will of God. What a joy that is when that happens! That's what happened to the disciples that afternoon at the well. More than likely, the disciples baptized them. I get that from 4:1-2. “Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were)…” They now, ever since they began to follow Him, were living to love with Jesus. They lived to enter into His work. That's what we do every day, as we live to love with Jesus. We live to enter into His work. I love the way Paul put it to the Ephesians. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” As we go through our days, we are coming into His work, being brought into them by the Father, and we work through His life dwelling within us. What a joy it is to enter into the work of God. Sometimes we sow or water or reap. Whatever we do, we do it by the grace of God that He gives us. That's how the Father glorifies the Son in our lives. We reap the fruit of His labor as we live to love with Him. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:35-36 Do you not say, “There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest”? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already, he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. Jesus continued talking about spiritual agriculture. The food He had been eating had already been harvested by the reapers, and He was enjoying the harvest. To bring the spiritual analogy front and center, He probably pointed to the crowd of men walking from the city, through the fields which were still four months from being ready to harvest. Most would have been dressed in white. The fields, indeed, were white for harvest. Jesus had planted the seeds of eternal life in the woman, who then went and planted the same seeds in the men of the city. Now, God had caused the seeds to take root and bear fruit. The time for fruit gathering had arrived, and that's when both the sowers and the reapers rejoice together. This is a great description of the experiences of those living to love with Jesus. As God places people in our paths, Jesus loves them through us. Depending on God's working in the field, we can be both sowers and reapers. Most of the time, I realize I'm planting seeds. Usually, I only have a minute or two with someone who is serving me in a restaurant or place of business. I want to be thoughtful of their time. Since I pray each morning for those whom the Lord is going to put in my path, I can say that I prayed for them, but didn't know who they were going to be. With them standing in front of me, now I know. So I will then say, that when I prayed, God knew it was going to be them. Then I'll say, it must be important to you, that you know today, that God knows you and loves you. Depending on how the Lord has them answer, I'll either plant the seed of knowing God and His love or water seeds that have already been planted. The encouragement today is that it is a joy to both sow and reap. It is God that causes the growth, so there's no pressure to have to make something happen. We simply can go with the flow that the Father has established for our day, as He establishes the steps of His creatures. Let's notice, to have that moment of rejoicing, we must participate in the sowing and reaping. When we live to love with Jesus, we will be used of God for His glory and joy. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:33-34 So the disciples were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. The disciples' response to Jesus about the food He said He had to eat was so similar to Nicodemus and the woman at the well. They didn't understand and tried to make sense out of what Jesus said from the physical world—normal birth, water, and food. Our first encouragement today might be that when there are things that Jesus says that don't make sense to us, at least we're not the only ones. The truth that we are dealing with is that spiritual things cannot be understood by the natural mind, as Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 2:14: “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” To live to love with Jesus, we should know that the mindset and thoughts behind living with Jesus are not going to be natural thoughts. They are not going to make sense to us if we are thinking with our culture or even from our own self-centered perspective about life and relationships. Jesus viewed all of his circumstances and relationships through the eyes of His Father. We must view all of our circumstances and relationships through Jesus' eyes. It's the only way we can live with Him. The disciples were still learning this lesson. They were thinking physical food, and Jesus was thinking spiritual food. A second encouragement we can take away from this verse is that if Jesus lives in us and hasn't changed, then His food is still to do the will of the Father. He is still living to love with His Father. The only change is the means by which He's doing it. He accomplishes the Father's work in and through His people. Before His resurrection and the giving of the Holy Spirit, He worked in His one and only physical body. Ever since then, He has a new body in which to work, and today, He's eating the food the Father gives Him as He lives to love in us. So, today, let's eat up! Let's dine and feast with Jesus and the Father as we do His will—love those the Father brings to us with Jesus. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:30 They went out of the city, and were coming to Him. In John 3:35 we read, “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.” In John 3:27, John the Baptist said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” In this verse, we should be encouraged of the Father's love for His Son. The Father used the woman's testimony to draw a group of men to Jesus. In the previous two verses, we learned that she went into Sychar and shared with the men. These men came out to see if Jesus was the Christ, as she had said. The point I want to make is that these men were given to Jesus by the Father. He received them from His Father in heaven. When Jesus saw them coming, He experienced the love of His Father because He believed this great foundational truth: There is only one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and He is love. The Father was at work. The same is true in our lives if we are living to love with Jesus. Every person who crosses our paths is being given by our Father to Jesus, who lives in us. The Father is still loving His Son like He did that day at the well. Consider how the scope of His love has expanded since He sent His Son to live in the hearts of His people. As we share the love of Christ, the Father draws millions to His Son. It's happening all over the world simultaneously. Today, the Father will probably give His Son in you, some people to love. As we relate to them, we are entering into the work of the Father and the Son. More than likely, it will first be people with whom we are most familiar, our family members, then probably people at work and in the communities in which we live. This verse encourages us to be alert and ready to love the Father and them with Jesus. Here they come! I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:28-29 So the woman left her water pot, and went into the city and said to the men, "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?" The Samaritan woman came to the well to fill her water pot, but left with her soul filled with living water. Once she had heard that Jesus was the Christ, filling the water pot was irrelevant. She left it. Have we left our water pots? The water pot represented the means by which the woman collected something she thought she needed from the world. She needed water, and the water pot allowed her to have temporary access to what she needed but would never fully satisfy. The pot had to be filled repeatedly. We all have had our water pots. The woman used men like she used water pots. Men can use women in the same way. We have electronic devices which store up information and provide access to temporary satisfaction from the well of the world. We go to the well of the world, download what we think will satisfy our desires, and drink until we need or want more. We use our cars and trucks to carry our groceries which last us for a while, then we have to return for another supply. There's nothing wrong with the water pots. What is important is that we not think that life consists of what the world has to offer us. I've found that only Jesus can cause one to leave his or her water pot. Once our souls are transformed into a water pot containing living water, our earthly water pots can be left. I suggest it's a matter of love. Love for the things of this world can only be overcome by a greater love—the love of God revealed in Christ Jesus. Jesus spoke of this reality in Matthew 6:24. “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” The spirit of idolatry masquerades as love. Anything that takes Jesus' place is an idol, a substitute, an object of love that cannot satisfy. It might taste good and refreshing for the moment, but the power is in the repeated drinking that becomes habitual. Before long, you think you can't live without it, and you're hooked. How you get access to it is your water pot. You love something in this world more than you do Jesus. It's a matter of love for the substance the water pot contains. What's your water pot? What is it filled with? Has it taken the place of Christ in your life? The woman probably never looked at her water pot the same way as she had before. Certainly, when she returned, she filled the pot with water and used it daily. However, every time she came to the well, don't you think she thanked God for the living water she received on that day? The trip back to the well probably became a daily reminder of the new life and love she received from Christ. We live to love with Jesus because we have experienced the fullness of His love. Our souls are satisfied with the living water that never runs dry. We overcome idolatry with a higher and greater love. Being filled with His love, we are able to leave our water pots and go tell the world about the One who alone fills the empty souls of men. We are members of the “Come and See” community. “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:27 At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why do You speak with her?" At this point, the Father determined that the woman had enough information upon which to respond. The conversation ended with the arrival of the disciples. And for a reason that we can only attribute to the work of God's Spirit, the disciples don't question Jesus as to why He spoke with her. That would have hijacked the encounter. The Spirit wanted the woman to be consumed with this giant reality. The Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ spoke to her. We may assume Jesus talked with her again since He stayed in the area for two more days, but those encounters were not recorded. Let's notice God's timing in this story. The Father had Jesus send His disciples into the village to get food. That was necessary for Jesus to have a one-on-one conversation with the Samaritan woman. For that conversation to happen, the Father, whether through decreed or passive power, directed the woman's steps at just the right time to go get water. Had either of those two things happened differently, either Jesus and the woman would have missed each other, or the disciples would have been in the way. Their return was perfect timing. Jesus had just given the woman all she needed for God to draw a crowd from the village to His Son. “I who speak to you am He.” The Father and the Son show the disciples that the kingdom of God and eternal life is to cross over racial, ethnic, and social barriers. We have in this story the fulfillment of Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus where He told him that the Spirit was going to blow to the Gentile world and give new birth. God loves the Gentile world as He loves the Jews as mentioned in John 3:16. This encourages us to take the gospel to the nations, to everyone God puts in our paths. Another encouragement I draw from this verse is how we may trust in God's sovereign and perfect administration of our lives. John wanted his readers to see the wisdom and love revealed in the Father as He administrated every aspect of this story. Like Jesus, we can trust that God establishes our steps every day and the steps of everyone we meet. They are not random, chance encounters. God has been in control of ten thousands things in everyone's lives for His children to cross paths with someone who needs living water and needs to know that Jesus is the savior of the world, the Christ. God writes our stories like He wrote this one. With that confidence and encouragement from this verse, I hope you'll join me in praying what I call the Live to Love prayer. “Father, thank You for another day of life to know and love You and to live to love with Jesus. Anoint and fill me with the Holy Spirit, the presence and power of Christ, so that I can love and trust You, and love those You put in my path today, for Your glory. Amen.” I invite you to make that prayer a part of your daily devotion to God. Please go to the website and take the Live to Love prayer challenge to pray it each morning for two months. I hope also that you'll become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:25-26 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” How do you think the woman at the well understood what Jesus said about God? This verse reveals that she didn't understand it at all. She again changed the subject, but at least hovered around the salvation issue. She at least knew that God was going to send the Messiah, and that when He came, He would declare all things. I'm not sure what the woman understood what “all things” the Messiah would declare, but Jesus had already declared some amazing things. He had declared that He could give her living water that springs up to eternal life. He had declared that He knew about her life—remember, He knew of her 5 husbands and that she was living with a guy. He had explained the characteristics of true worship and that God is spirit. We find in this verse the greatest declaration of everything He had said to the woman. “I who speak to you am He.” He is the Christ, the Messiah, the One for whom she, her people, and all of Israel were waiting. Here is today's encouragement for us. The good news for her is also good news for us if we too are in need of salvation, which of course, we are! Everyone needs a savior. Everyone needs eternal life. Everyone needs a never-ending spring of living water gushing forth from within. God had placed this woman in the path of the Christ, whom she so badly needed. If we have become believers and disciples of Christ, then we know what amazing, overwhelming joy, and gratitude this woman experienced. These verses remind us of our first love for Christ that arose when we realized who Jesus was and what He has done for us. It confirms our faith in Him, and should assure us that we have not trusted in Jesus in vain. We believe Jesus is who He said He is. He is the Christ, our savior, and source of living water that springs up to eternal life. I hope you'll pause, remember your first love for Jesus, and if you've drifted away from it or have taken it for granted, return to your first love for Jesus. Be amazed at who He is and that you have His life in you. Worship God in spirit and truth. Drink deeply and satisfyingly from His presence so that you can live to love for His glory today. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:23-24 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. Do you think it is encouraging to know who the Father is seeking to be His worshipers? Psalms 53:2 puts this in God's perspective. “God has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if there is anyone who understands, who seeks after God. Every one of them has turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” So question: Why is God seeking worshipers who worship Him in spirit and truth if there are none? Answer: Because only the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit, can create such a worshiper. Apart from the gracious work of Jesus, there would be no true worshipers. That's why Jesus said, “But an hour is coming, and now is.” We can be encouraged from this story about the woman at the well that Jesus creates worshipers with whom the Father is well-pleased. Do you remember that Jesus told His disciples that apart from Him, they could do nothing to please the Father (John 15:5-8)? Let's notice how Jesus made this woman into a worshiper in God. He told her some things about herself that reveals that she has always been in the presence of God. He sees and knows her because God is spirit. Jesus is God. Although He is in a material body, He is one with the Father, who is spirit. To say that God is spirit is to contrast the woman's idea that God can only be worshiped in one place. The author of Hebrews wrote of the spiritual nature of God when he wrote in Heb. 4:13, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” To say God is spirit is to say that we can't get away from His all-seeing eye. Because God is spirit, He is always present in His creation and working His will. What He is doing is the truth. What He sees happen is the truth because He's ultimately the great, first cause of all that happens in His creation. Furthermore, and to the point of this encounter, the Father glorifies Himself through His Son. He does His work through His Son. Do you remember how I defined truth? Truth is what Jesus does, says, and sees. 1 Corinthians 8:6 expresses these concepts perfectly. “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” Do you get it? To worship God in spirit and truth can only happen if Jesus creates such worshipers. That's what He came to do! He came to bring us to God, and that's exactly what He was doing with the woman at the well. One can't be a true worshiper without believing 1 Corinthians 8:6. That's the only kind of worshiper the Father seeks and the Son creates. This kind of worshiper glorifies God because he knows his worship is God-wrought and that everything he does is in His presence for His glory. I suggest that glorifying God is the ultimate reason behind living to love with Jesus. He loves His Father and loves people, and that is His worship of the Father at work in all who believe. Their faith in God, who is spirit and truth, is the first work of grace that makes them the kind of worshiper the Father seeks—one who worships in spirit and truth. Believing that God is spirit is the foundation of living to love with Jesus. Is that your foundation? I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. Jesus told her that the time had come for true worshipers to worship the Father in spirit and truth. The term true worshipers created a contrast between true and false worshipers. False worshipers focus on the physical realm, tradition, and appearances. The woman had spoken of this kind of worshiper when she said, “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus didn't suggest that those who worshiped God in Jerusalem were true worshipers in contrast to the Samaritans. Jesus' coming changed everything when it came to worship. First, let's notice the worship is not of Jehovah, the covenant keeper. The worship is of the Father. Jesus came to reveal that the covenant-keeping God is primarily a father. Three times Jesus calls God, the Father. Everyone in the world needs the Father. Jesus came to show us the love of His Father by bringing us to Him through His substitutionary death and His righteousness given. The new time that came with Jesus and now is, is a new worship of the Father. Second, the new worship isn't a matter of where, but of how. Two characteristics of this new worship are mentioned. The first is that it is in spirit as opposed to in the physical realm, which broadens the scope of where this worship takes place. Before, worshipers had to physically come to the temple in Jerusalem. Now, since worship is in spirit, anyone, anyplace, at any time may worship the Father. For the Samaritan woman it meant that she could worship the Father at any moment there at the well. For us, it means we have 24/7/365 access to the Father's Holy of Holies, so our entire lives become our service of worship as Paul wrote in Romans 12:1. “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Third, the second characteristic of the new worship is truth. Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). Truth is therefore what Jesus does, says, and sees. Whatever He does in us is worship of the Father. When we do what Jesus says, believe what He believes, let His words abide in us, we bear much fruit, proving that we are His worshipers (John 15:8-9). We are worshiping with Jesus as we live to love with Him. If He's loving through us, that is worshiping in spirit and truth. That's what God sees, and it is pleasing in His sight. The time has come and now is for true worship of the Father—worship that is in spirit and truth. Living to love with Jesus is how we present our bodies, a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to the Father. As we renew our minds with His purpose—to glorify God by living to love with Him, His worldview—there's only one God from whom all things come whose love is enough to satisfy our souls so we can reveal Christ in this world, and truth—what Jesus does and says is revealed in us, we prove that God's will is that Jesus be first place in all things—in our thinking, in our living, and in our worship. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. The issue with everyone we meet is salvation, not what denomination they belong to or what eschatology they espouse or their ethnicity. Jesus' reference to salvation being from the Jews is the same as saying that the Messiah or Savior is from the Jews. Simeon in Luke 2:29-30, John the Baptist in Luke 3:6 both used the term salvation to refer to Jesus as the Savior and Messiah. When Simeon saw Jesus, he declared, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation.” In effect, He made it clear that what they believed was wrong and that the Jews were right. Since the Savior comes from Israel, then the Jews were worshiping according to the truth. Putting that debate to rest, Jesus got to the ultimate need of this woman. She needed salvation from her sins and ignorance about the savior. Salvation can only come by the knowledge of God, revealed in Jesus Christ through the work of the Spirit of God. May we be encouraged today to remember that is every person's need. If God puts them in our path, then we know they need to be saved if they are not already. We know the one we worship, Jesus Christ, is the Savior, and if they do not worship Jesus, then they need to know Him. The first thing we can do to show them that Jesus lives is to love them with Him by caring for them, being kind, and praying for them. I've learned to engage them by asking about them, listening to see how the Lord has them respond, then respond to them with what the Holy Spirit gives me. I'm learning to trust that He's already ahead of me, knows them perfectly, and will give me what they need for that moment. We worship what we know if we are born again. We have His life dwelling within us, and know that He is not only our Savior, but the well-spring of eternal life. We have the Son, so we know we have the life of God. May we live out of His fullness today and be ready to love those He puts in our paths, for His glory. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.

John 4:21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.” After Jesus had revealed that He knew she had been married five times and was living with another man, the woman surmised that Jesus was a prophet and posed the debate between the Samaritans and the Jews as to where God was to be worshiped. It's interesting that Jesus didn't comment on either. He didn't let her distract Him or hijack the conversation. However, He took her response as the Father's prompting as to where to take the conversation. Remember, Jesus is living to love with His Father. He received this woman's presence as the Father's will. He also received her response as from the Father. He knew Proverbs 16:1. “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” So Jesus had clear direction from her response in the way to direct the conversation—in the direction of true worship of the Father. I am learning the same lesson from Jesus as I live to love with Him. As I meet people, I know God has put them there. He has given them to Jesus in me, who will love them. To love with Jesus, I must abide in Him, which means to think like Jesus thinks. I am renewing my mind. I know Jesus believes there is only one God, His Father, from whom are all things. He knows His Father is always working, and He trusts in Him. He is satisfied in His Father's love and loves to do His will. He believes therefore that the Father has a purpose in everything that happens, namely, to reveal Himself, His presence and power. To live to love with Jesus, we must believe and apply what Jesus believes and lives by. It's His worldview. As I meet people, I listen to what the Father has them say, as Jesus did with this woman. Then I listen for Jesus' response. The Holy Spirit gives us the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:10-14) so we reveal that Jesus lives and is present to love. When I do this, I've experienced the Holy Spirit's guidance to Scriptures that are helpful or encouraging to the individual. Sometimes, I've received His compassion or sympathy if the person is suffering. When nothing comes in response, then I'm at peace to say nothing or confess what I don't know. I want to encourage you that we can learn much from this verse if we understand what's going on between the Father and the Son. To see Jesus is to see the Father (John 14:9-11). As we read this passage, we are watching the Father guide His Son to love this woman. Jesus took her words, and responded to them. He knew His purpose was to glorify the Father by revealing the truth: what God is doing, seeing, and saying. We can see from the beginning of the engagement with the woman where Jesus was going—to the Father as the source of eternal life—true worship. As we live to love with Jesus, we are displaying that very truth. The Father glorifies Himself through His Son as the source of all life. There is one God, from whom are all things. He is the true source of life. May the Holy Spirit open our hearts to understand how to abide in Jesus and live to love with Him. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.