Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

Live to Love Scripture Encouragement John 9.3 by Norm Wakefield

Live to Love Scripture Encouragement John 9.2 by Norm Wakefield

Live to Love Scripture Encouragement John 9.1 by Norm Wakefield

John 8:59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. The devil had heard Jesus' prophecy earlier, and it seems he tried to short circuit God's plan by rousing the crowd at this point to stone Jesus to death. There are no details as to how Jesus hid Himself, but this we know: it wasn't God's time or way for Him to die. He had more to do before love had completed its course in Him. It had already been determined that He would be crucified, lifted up for all to see. His life wouldn't be taken from Him. He was to lay it down of His own accord in obedience to His Father. So it is with us. God has given us another day to live to love with Jesus. Until that ministry is completed, God hides us in His hands and puts people in our paths that He wants to love. May we stay in the flow of His love 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 8:56-58, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." Jesus implied that if they were Abraham's children, they would see that Jesus was the fulfillment of the promise Abe looked forward to. Here's what Abe saw and rejoiced in. Hebrews 11:10, 13 “For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God…All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” The question for us is this: Have we seen Jesus' day and rejoiced in it? If so, we also consider ourselves strangers and aliens on the earth as we wait expectantly for the city God has built for us. The Jew's response was their way of saying, "There is no way you could know that about Abraham!" They had no idea who they were talking with. If they had known Jesus was God, they would have hung on to every word He spoke. So it is with everyone who believes Jesus is God, the light, the life, and the source of living water. May all who read these words hang on to everything He has said. Jesus left no doubt as to who He is. He is the eternal, coexisting, almighty Son of God who took on flesh. If Jesus isn't God in the flesh, this statement makes Him appear deluded or, to the Jews, it makes Him a blasphemous imposter worthy of death. What is our takeaway from His declaration? Jesus' life is eternal life, so the life we have in us is eternal. We who believe in Him will never die. He came in the flesh so that His death would become our death, and His eternal life become ours—a life whose nature is 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 8:53-55 Surely You are not greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets died too; whom do You make Yourself out to be? "Jesus answered, "If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God'; and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word. It is our sinful nature to make ourselves out to be something we're not. That was the sin of Adam and Eve—thinking that if they ate of the forbidden fruit, they might make themselves to be like God. The people thought Jesus was discontent, like they were—and projected their insecurity onto Him. It's tempting to project what we are guilty of on others we don't understand. But Jesus wasn't "making Himself” out to be something He wasn't. He is who and what God is. John 8:54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.'” May we give up making ourselves and receive what God gives us with contentment and security. That is love for God and comes from knowing He loves us. This comment is Jesus' response to the Jews asking who Jesus was making himself out to be. His point is that He isn't making Himself out to be anything. He doesn't need to. Let's not miss this. If any man glorifies himself, that glory is nothing. Remember what Paul said to the Romans. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (3:23). The only glory that can be called glory is that which is bestowed by the Father, God. What is the glory that God, the Father, bestows on His Son? "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world" (Jo. 4:24). It is His love! And Jesus wants us to see it, so we will! The Father loves the Son, and the Son loves us as the Father has loved Him, and we love one another with Him. So when we live to love with Jesus, we are receiving glory from the Father and the Son as we glorify God. According to Jesus, to say we have God, and yet not know Him, is to live a lie. According to John, to know God, who is love, and not live to love with Him is also a lie. "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:8). Surely he learned that from Jesus. The Spirit of Christ in us knows God and keeps His word. Let us listen to and live to love with Him for God's glory, not our own. 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 8:52 The Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon. Abraham died, and the prophets also; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste of death.' They couldn't believe their ears. They had never heard of such a thing as someone never tasting death. I'm so glad we live on this side of the cross. Never tasting death is a thing because Jesus tasted death for us. Listen to Heb. 2:9. “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.” Jesus' death was a substitutionary death. If we let the Scripture above inform us as to who the “everyone” is in Heb. 2:9, we know He tasted death for those who would keep His word. Those who believe in Jesus as the resurrection and the life will never die. Jesus said this to Martha when she came to Jesus after Lazarus, her brother, had died. “Jesus said to her, ‘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' ” (John 11:25-26)? Martha did believe it, but when Jesus spoke of it to the Jews, they couldn't believe it. They didn't believe it because they did not receive His word. How about you? Have you believed in Jesus Christ and kept His word? To keep His word is to believe it to the end of your life. It's to surrender your life to Him so that He lives His life in you for the glory of the Father. We know that if we live with Him now, we will live with Him forever—and never taste of death. We have eternal life, and that life is a life of love. Father, glorify Your name through Your Son. Thank you for giving Him to taste death for us. Thank you for giving Him the grace to suffer for us so that we might never taste death. Give us also the grace to die to ourselves so that He might live through us 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 8:51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death." This is the 5th reference in John 7-8 to "my word". What word did Jesus speak that if one keeps it, they won't see death? I think it is both of these. John 7:37-38. Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" AND John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." If you never want to die? Hold fast to both words. Believe in Him for living water and follow Him as the Light of the world. These verses in Hebrews came to mind as I thought about never dying. Hebrews 2:14-15. “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.” Those who believe and trust in Jesus do not need to be afraid of death. It's not happening to them. Death is separation from God, and Jesus said He is the life. Yes, our bodies (our temporary tents) wear out and can be destroyed because of sin, but we transition into a permanent new body with Jesus. Those who fear death can be enslaved by Satan and evil people who use that fear to control them for personal gain. We are watching it happen on a global scale. Perfect love casts out this fear and sets us free to live and love with Jesus! Hallelujah!! 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 8:48-50, The Jews answered and said to Him, "Do we not say rightly that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?" Jesus answered, "I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges.” We see that Satan's tactics haven't changed. When truth and reality are not on your side, attack the messenger with false accusations. They did it in Jesus' day and still do it today. Censor the truth by demonizing the ones who speak it in hopes people will ignore what's being said and buy into the lie. Beware those who attack the character of people and refuse to seek the truth. The sure way to walk in the truth is to live to love with Jesus. They say He has a demon because He honors His Father and speaks the truth. They totally misunderstood Jesus because He wasn't what or who they were expecting. What can we learn? May we honor all those who honor the Father. That is the spirit of Christ. We honor the Father by loving with Jesus. Jesus honors the Father by loving with Him. Jesus did not seek His own glory after healing people. The Father glorified His Son by healing when Jesus spoke in His name. That's why He said previously that He honored His Father. We follow this pattern as we love in Jesus' name, trusting Him to glorify His name. We don't love so people will give us glory. We should love for His glory and namesake. The Father seeks those who worship Him in Spirit and truth, and He's the One who judges if Jesus' life is the genesis of everyone's worship. We give Jesus the worship He deserves as we love with Him 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 8:46-47 Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God." Jesus asked, “Which one of you convicts me of sin?” The answer: no one. We trust and place our hope in a sinless man. There has only been one—Jesus. Hear and believe the word of the Lord. Hebrews 4:15 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. Those who are of God (born of God—created and loved in Christ before the foundation of the world) have ears to hear the words of God. Hearing and believing is evidence of those who belong to Christ and were given to Him by His Father. It is the gospel, the words of God, that are the revealer of truth. The reason someone can't hear isn't because he or she is stubborn, ignorant, mentally disabled, underprivileged, or hard of hearing. The reason the gospel falls on deaf ears is because they are of their father, the devil. Thus says the Son of God who knows and speaks the truth from His Father. To discover those who are of God, speak God's word and the gospel. Then watch their response. Those who are of God will respond in faith and obedience. Jesus is the perfect, sinless, spotless lamb of God, sent into this world to take away the sins of all who believe in Him. With grateful hearts, we praise Your name, O Lord, our redeemer and friend. We love you and humble ourselves in your presence. We have received Your word, and ask that You fill us so we can love out of Your fullness for Your 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 8:43-45, Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. One of the signs of the devil's children is that they hear but don't hear. In Matthew 13:13 Jesus said, “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” One of the most dangerous places to be is in a spiritual and Bible-rich environment. One may think they are one of God's children merely because they have heard and know Scriptures all of their lives. But if the word they heard didn't find a place in them, and they submit themselves to it and obey it, then they didn't really hear or understand it. We cannot hear Jesus' words until God overpowers the effects of sin and gives us hearts/ears to hear them. The devil blinds the mind and dulls the hearing. But hearing comes from the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17). Our salvation is all grace. Where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. If you have heard the word of truth, the gospel, and have believed, then you are, by God's doing, in Christ Jesus. Rejoice! Give thanks! Live to love with Him. It is the nature of the devil to murder and lie. It is the nature of God to love and speak truth. Father, deliver us from the evil one and his influence, and may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Love through us today for your glory. Where would we be if we didn't believe Jesus and the words of truth He spoke? We would be in darkness and living a lie. We would base our lives on our own "truth," which would be a lie. What is the truth? We were all born children of the devil with hostility toward God, unable to subject ourselves to God's law. Jesus alone is true, good, and righteous. He is God's son and our only hope for salvation and deliverance from sin's power and curse. When He saves us, we see the truth about our sin and the hope of the gospel revealed in Christ, so we repent of believing the lie that we are good, and we believe in, trust in, and submit to Jesus. To God be the 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 8:41-42, Jesus said to them, “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God." Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.” How could they be so deceived? They were born into religious families. Have and know the Scriptures. Try not to break God's laws. Think of themselves as better than worldly people. Pray daily. Offer sacrifices. Pay tithes. Zealous to expose hypocrites and false teachers. They think God is their father, yet they have no place in their hearts for Jesus' words and want to kill Him. They don't love Him. That's sobering and convicting. How could they be so deceived? Easily. And so can anyone who has such a pedigree, thinks they know better than Jesus and can live without Him. These people were living for God. They weren't living with Him. Our churches are filled with people living for God, but who don't love Him or love with Him. Hopefully that's not true of you. May we be stunned and humbled by God's grace and love that keeps our hearts dependent on Him. The Father loves the Son, so everyone born of the Father loves the Son. In fact, it also makes sense that they also love everyone else born of the Father. It's the way they honor their Father in heaven—love their fellow brothers and sisters. If the Father loves them, we love them with Him. If Jesus loves them, we love them with Him. If someone separates from/rejects one who is born of God, he dishonors the Father and might as well kill Jesus. What Jesus said about Himself is also true of us who believe in Him. We are in this world because God sent us to live to love in His name. We did not choose Him, (did not come on our own initiative) but He chose us. Faith came to us as evidence that we have proceeded forth from God—born of God. As John wrote in his letter, "as He is, so also are we in this world" (1 John 4:17). Jesus came into this world to glorify His Father by loving with Him. We are in this world to glorify the Father by 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 8:39-40, They answered and said to Him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus said to them, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham. But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do.” When Abraham heard the truth from God, he believed and obeyed. He had a place in His heart for God's word, which showed God was at work. When the devil is at work, people reject God's word and the truth, and seek a way to silence the messenger. Hold fast to the word of God and stir afresh your love for Jesus. Beware of anyone who has gone down the path of cancelling parts of the word of God. We are encouraged by these verses to love the truth. If we love the truth, we love the words of Jesus. The Pharisees and rulers of the Jews didn't love the truth. The apostle Paul speaks of those who don't love the truth in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. He spoke of… …the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. The Pharisees were obviously in accord with the activity of Satan. They were entangled in the deception of wickedness because they didn't love the truth. Therefore, God sent a deluding influence so that they would believe the lies of the devil. Loving the truth protects us from going down this road to destruction. I trust that you love the truth, because you probably wouldn't be listening to this podcast if you didn't. My aim is to lift up Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life, who is the only way to the Father. Jesus has promised to be with all who believe forever. His life lived in us for the glory of His Father. What a privilege it is for us today to live for the purpose of loving with Jesus because we love the truth. 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 8:37-38, “I know that you are Abraham's descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father." Look around you and marvel at all the people in the media, entertainment, educational, and political world who have no place for God's word to abide. They would kill Jesus if He were here and rid the world of everyone who has an open, hungry heart for Jesus. The lines were drawn in Jesus' day, and they are clearly drawn today. Jesus and His words have and will always be the focus of our faith and love and the reason for the world's hatred, cancellation, and murder. We speak and do according to our spiritual root or source—our father. We are identified by our spiritual father. He defines us. In the big scheme of things, there are only two fathers—God and the devil. When we are born of a human father the devil's seed of sin is in us (Psalms 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me”). When we are born again by God, the Father, His seed of the Holy Spirit is planted in us, creating a place for Jesus and His word. Their father, the devil, is a murderer (that's why they wanted to kill Him). God is love. Is there a place in you for the word of the Lord? Is God's word advancing in your life? That's what the word translated place infers. If not, you may be deluded into thinking you aren't of the devil because you have heard it and know it. If God's word is taking up more space in your life and transforming the way you live, do you realize that is a merciful, gracious, miraculous work of the Father? The evidence of having a new Father is that we believe in Jesus and have His love in our lives. Jesus' word to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34) has a place in us. That's why we live to love with Jesus today. We will do the things we hear from our Lord Jesus because we are from His Father. 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 8:33-36 They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free'?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." Jesus' statement about being a slave of sin is sobering, isn't it? Every human being, but Jesus, has been a slave of sin. We were born enslaved to sin, and thus live for ourselves without Jesus. We practice sinning (that's the idea behind the two words, “commits sin”). Sin reigns in all who are not united with Christ through faith. If someone thinks they are free without Jesus, they are enslaved to sin. To continue to reject Jesus as God's only acceptable sacrifice and savior is to continue in sin. That's what slaves of sin do—they live in their own strength and foolishness. One of the dangers of growing up with a spiritual legacy is to think one is right with God because they grew up in church and have heard the gospel and know the Scriptures. One of the signs of a self-deceived person is that they place their hope in the faith of their descendants, their heritage, their pedigree. Jesus told them that everyone who believes in Him may be free from sin's dominion. What good news! Everyone who knows they are slaves of sin wants to be free. These Jews thought they were free when in reality they were slaves, so Jesus' invitation was viewed as a condemnation. They were blinded by their self-deception. Paul wrote to the Galatians, "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery" (Gal. 5:1). May we stand firm in the freedom of Christ. The old selfish, angry, bitter, ambitious, proud man died at the cross. The new man, the life of Jesus, frees us to love. Jesus lives to love and do God's will in those who believe in Him. He makes us slaves of righteousness, which is the essence of freedom from sin. The apostle Paul stated this clearly in Romans 6:16-18. Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. To be a slave of righteousness is to be a slave of love. May glorifying God by loving with Jesus be our passion. Thank you, Jesus, for this amazing grace!!! We are free to love with You. Hallelujah! Jesus is the Son of God and heir of all things. So He has authority over all things, and if He declares you are free from sin's slavery, then you are free indeed—forever!!!!!!! Free from sins dominion. Free from sin's curse (death). Free to obey Him. Free to live and love with Jesus. To God be the 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 8:30-32 As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him. So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." The first step of true faith is to become Jesus' disciple, which means we have an insatiable appetite for His word. We continue in it. It's our true meat and drink that satisfies our souls like nothing else. The word from the world loses its appeal, and we repent of following the voices of the culture, religious and secular. That was an impossible choice for those who heard Him then. Only the Spirit of God can make a disciple of Christ. May we continue in His word today and forever. Living to love with Jesus (abiding in Him and His word) is walking in the truth that makes us free. It frees us from sin and selfishness, shame, condemnation, and fear. As we continue in His word, we learn this truth: apart from Him, we can do nothing. He is the light and love of our lives. Thank you, Jesus, for teaching us that you are the way, the truth, and the life. Love through us 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 8:29 And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." Thank you, Jesus, for always pleasing our Father and giving us the gift of your righteousness. We are so loved! Knowing that in You, we are pleasing to God, fills our hearts with hope and joy. To know with confidence that You are with us as we live to love with You gives us assurance as we face this day. You have sent us so we know You are with us. Make Your name glorious and stir our love afresh 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 8:28 So Jesus said, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. Jesus couldn't do anything apart from His Father. He didn't start things and then ask His Father to bless them. If Jesus didn't do anything on His own initiative, then that means His entire life was a life of receiving, like a child receives from his parents. Jesus punctuated this point when some parents brought their children for Jesus to bless them, and His disciples tried to prevent them from interrupting their conversation on marriage. It's in Mark 10:14-15. “Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” Apparently, the attitude necessary for entering the kingdom of God is a humble, do-nothing-on-my-own-initiative attitude, knowing our Father in heaven loves us and gives us everything we need to glorify Him in and through Jesus Christ. Just as Jesus spoke what the Father taught Him, we speak what the Father teaches us through His Son. In this instance, Jesus prophesied that the Pharisees and rulers would crucify Him. That's what is meant by “lift up the Son of Man.” What will they know? They will see Jesus receive being crucified as from the Father in heaven. He will not resist. He will not act on His own initiative to get out of what the Father wills. When they see Him abiding in His Father's work, they will know that He is the Son of God and the Messiah. God has not called us to die for the sins of the world, so when difficult and dangerous situations arise, we don't naively ignore opportunities God provides to escape from them. However, when there is no avenue of escape, then we can expect God to give grace to suffer and love for those who cause it. Living to love with Jesus occurs as we abide in Him, doing nothing of our own initiative. Like Jesus, we are to receive all of life from the Father, with its circumstances and relationships, whether comforting and encouraging, or painful and grievous. We trust that He will give us the ideas, inclinations, motivations, and wisdom that each situation requires as we look to Him for grace. We glorify the Father through being most satisfied in His will and love as we receive what comes from our Father. Jesus said that apart from Him, we can do nothing (Jo. 15:5). The heart of Jesus is in us, so may we humble ourselves and wait on Him to initiate our words and actions. As we live abiding in Christ, others will know that we are children of God and disciples of Jesus 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 8:26-27 I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world. They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father. When we read the words of Jesus, we are reading the words of God, His Father! His words are true. We can believe them and rely on them. They are life-giving and fruit-producing. To receive and heed His words is to love the Father and the Son. Receiving the words of Christ is also vital to living to love with Him. Jesus left His disciples with these words, recorded in John 15:7-11. 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 [the fruit is faith and love], and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. God has called all of the followers of His Son to life in and with Christ. Jesus came to love with His Father as He abided in Him and His words. We love with Jesus as we abide in Him and His words. These words, spoken in the world, are the words of the Father and they are true. This begs a question. Are we more interested in reading and digesting the words of the world than we are the words of our God and creator? If so, may we repent and renew our minds with the words of God. May we stir our love for Jesus afresh by meditating on His words and not be afraid to speak them to the 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 8:25 So they were saying to Him, "Who are You?" Jesus said to them, "What have I been saying to you from the beginning? In John's first epistle, he wrote what they heard from the beginning. 1 John 1:1, 5-7. What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life —This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. Jesus is the Word of Life and revealed that God is Light by walking in the light of His Father's word. We have the light of Life in us, and that light is the love of God. We are sent into this world just as Jesus was sent. As we live to love with Jesus we bring His light into the world. This is an issue of identity. They asked Jesus, “Who are You?” He had told them that He was the Light of the world. We live to love because of who Jesus is and who we are. We are His children within whom the Light of Life, the Light of the world, dwells. His light shines through us as we love with Him. Every small act of love from the life of Jesus in you is a flash of light in the darkness. Don't think that only the big things matter or that love can only be shown on a large stage in front of many people. A glass of water given in love to your child is evidence of the Light of the world. A kind word of encouragement to the grocery clerk can bring glory to God if it's through Christ. May we live your lives in such a way that others will ask the question, “Who are you?” Let's be ready to share with others who we are and the hope we have in 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 8:21-24 Then He said again to them, "I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come." So the Jews were saying, "Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'?" And He was saying to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." Nothing could be more tragic than to die in your sin—to breathe your last breath united to sin. Jesus was raised to heaven, and no one can go there if they are still united with sin—the weight of which sinks one into hell forever. In stark contrast, how beautiful and humbling it is to breathe one's last breath united to Jesus Christ! His death removed the curse and weight of sin, and His resurrection raised us up to be seated with Christ in heaven. Rejoice, if you are united with Christ! How do sinners get free from their sin? Only by believing and trusting in the testimony of God—that Jesus is His son, sent to be united with our sins and give His life to break the power of sin and death by His righteousness. To repent and believe, we break off from our love for self and trust in our own righteousness, and surrender our lives completely to Him, trusting in His sacrifice, righteousness, and love. The Pharisees would not do that because they did not believe the Father's testimony about His son—Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. We live to love with Jesus because we have been united with Him by God's doing. It is important to note that the topic is death and note who is in on the discussion: Jesus, the Pharisees, and the Jews. Jesus addressed both groups, and their thinking is recorded. The setting is the temple, and it's a week of feasting and rejoicing in God's deliverance and provision in the wilderness. The Jews were looking for Jesus (7:11). Jesus taught and identified Himself with the water God provided in the wilderness. He is the actual satisfying water of life (7:37-38). Many of the Jews believed Jesus (7:31). Others wanted to seize Him but didn't (7:30). Feel the conflict among the crowd and between Jesus and the unbelieving Jews. There stood Jesus, the Light, and those in darkness could not see the glory of God in the face of Christ. Today we can celebrate again God giving us the Light. We are from below and are of this world. He is not of this world, which is why He can save us. No man from this world would say, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” I hope to encourage all who hear my voice to believe that Jesus is the Light of the world and the Light of Life (8:12) come from above to save us from our sins and from this world of darkness. Believe that Jesus is the Light of the world so that you won't die in your sins. 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 8:19-20, So they were saying to Him, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also. These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come. What is meant by “His hour”? I think “hour” could be synonymous to “time”. “His”—a possessive pronoun. Whatever “hour” is, it belongs to Him. Is it His hour of testing? Hour of temptation? Hour of suffering? Hour of power? Hour of prayer? Hour of glory? All are true. But notice that His hour is the same as the Father's hour. The Father determined it and orchestrated it, and the Son authorized it. The hour began when Judas left the upper room at Jesus' command. John 13:31-32 “Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, 'Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.'” God's love controls every “hour” of our lives. He gives them to us so we might glorify Him. May we glorify our Father in heaven in every hour as we live to love with Jesus. To know Jesus is to know His Father—God Himself. If you know what Jesus loves, you know what God loves. Of Jesus, the Father says, “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your companions.” (Hebrews 1:9). Do we love righteousness and hate lawlessness? Let's give Him freshly stirred love for righteousness 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 8:17-18 Even in your law, it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me." The testimony of the Father about Jesus is the same as Jesus' testimony about Himself. The Father's miraculous work through Jesus testified that Jesus was His Son. The unity of their testimony gives us confidence to recognize Jesus' lordship, entrust our lives to Him, and trust Him for our salvation. The Father's testimony through His Son is that God is love, and He is still testifying through us that He is love as we live to love with Jesus. Our testimonies are not what we do for God, but what He does for and through us. The Father testified about Jesus by working through and with Him. Be in awe at the corollary: Jesus testifies that He is with us, and we are His by loving through and with us. So we can testify about ourselves that we are His if we say the same things Jesus does and love like He loves. If Jesus sent us into this world to be the revelation of His love, He will testify about us by filling us with love for Him and love for others. What glory to God, and what a privilege and joy for Jesus and 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 8:15-16, You judge according to the flesh; I am not judging anyone. But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me. Amazing! In this case, Jesus was not judging anyone because the Father wasn't judging. That's what love looked like in that instance. How often do we judge according to the flesh when we should not be judging at all—as an act of love with Jesus? It seems, if anyone deserved judgment in this case, it was the Pharisees. If He isn't judging them because He's entrusting them to the Father, shouldn't we do the same with those who seem like our adversaries? Otherwise, we are "judging according to the flesh." The next time we feel compelled to judge someone, it might be wise to check to see if we are reacting in the flesh as the Pharisees were. It will free us to love with Jesus. What is truth? It is what God does, sees, judges, and testifies to with His Son. Individuality is the flesh and is what the world praises and worships. Union with God reveals the truth. Living to love with Jesus reveals not individual goodness or righteousness, but the truth that a person is no longer an individual, but is a life united with God. May we be filled with thanksgiving and praise for the miracle of new life in Christ, revealed as we 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 8:13-14, So the Pharisees said to Him, "You are testifying about Yourself; Your testimony is not true." Jesus answered and said to them, "Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going." The Pharisees didn't know, but now it is known. Jesus came from the Father in Heaven, and He went back to the Father in Heaven. He came to take away all our sins—everything that separates us from Him. He went back to the Father to intercede for us, so the Father would send us His Spirit to be with us forever and empower us with His presence to live and love with Him. His love in us is His testimony, and it is true. The Pharisees demanded more than one's own testimony about himself. They were looking for more proof of where Jesus was from before they would believe Him. Jesus' proof of where He was from was the work of the Father. Earlier in John 5:36-37, Jesus had told them, “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. And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me.” In the same way, Jesus testifies about us that we are His disciples by the works He does in us. In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 15:7-8 repeats this truth. “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.” Did you notice Jesus said, “It will be done for you?” Jesus loving in us is His testimony that we are from Him, just as the Father loving in Jesus is His testimony about where Jesus was from. That's why I have concluded that God saved us to glorify Himself through His Son loving in, through, and with us. In short, we glorify God by living to love with Jesus. Where are we from? We are from God. Where are we going? We are going to God in heaven. 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 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." It's hard to tell whether Jesus immediately spoke to the crowd that remained after the woman's accusers left the scene, or if this occurred at another time. It is believed that John 8:1-11 was a later addition to the gospel, however, it certainly flows in a line of reason from the events of chapter 7 and those of this chapter. It makes sense that Jesus would make this comment after the differences of darkness and light were so obviously displayed. We are encouraged in our living to love with Jesus, to believe what Jesus believes and follow with Him in His purpose for life. That's what it means to follow Him. He is the Light of the world and His Life is the Light. So we are encouraged that the ones who follow Him will display the Light of His Life. I suggest that the love of God is the light of His life. God is love. Jesus is God. His love is the light of the world. There's obviously more to God than just love. For instance, God is holy, which means that His love is holy. There is no other love like His love, and we could say that about all of His attributes. I want to keep it simple for us today, by encouraging us to embrace Jesus' purpose, which is to glorify His Father by loving with Him. Jesus said in this verse, that if we follow Him, we will not walk in darkness. John reiterated Jesus' words in 1 John 1:7. “If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Then in 2:9-11 and 3:23-24 we see the relationship between walking in the Light and love. The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes (2:9-11). This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us (3:23-24). Living to love with Jesus is God's call to us today. That's what having the light of Life looks like. May we follow Jesus as the Light of the world by being filled with the Spirit whom He has given us. The fruit of the Spirit is 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 8:9-11 When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on, sin no more." Let's first get some clarity. The woman did commit adultery. That was implied in Jesus' remarks to her. Jesus didn't say she wasn't guilty. He said that He didn't condemn her. In John 3:17, it's difficult to know whether it is Jesus speaking or John commenting, but either way, the truth remains. Jesus came into the world to save sinners, not judge them. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” Jesus' judgment of the world occurs after His second coming. So the way Jesus responded to this woman is consistent with His purpose in coming. The apostle Paul understood this reality. He wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 4:3-5. But to me, it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore, do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God. Do you get it? It is not our jurisdiction to condemn people. We are to leave it to the Lord when He returns. That's what Jesus was doing with the woman. He was waiting to condemn her until the time appointed by the Father. Psalms 34:21-22 comes to mind. It says, “Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.” Perhaps Jesus could tell this woman was seeking refuge in Him, and He therefore fulfilled the Scripture when He said, “I do not condemn you, either.” In Luke's account of the sermon on the mount, Jesus said, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned” (Luke 6:37). That would be enough for me to turn and walk away. How about you? Let's check our hearts, friends. Is there anyone you are judging and condemning? These verses encourage us to have the same trust in God to make all things right and to judge all sins, as Jesus had in His Father. Jesus did what was in this woman's highest good. He didn't condemn her, yet He didn't overlook her sin. He told her to go and sin no more. What is your takeaway from Jesus' example and treatment of the woman caught in adultery? Will you refrain from judging others? Will you love them and encourage them not to sin anymore? We have good news to share. Everyone who takes refuge in Jesus will not be condemned, even if they are guilty. 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 8:6b-8 But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. We have no idea what Jesus wrote on the ground. Speculations abound, but what Jesus did do was apply what He taught in the sermon on the mount in Matt. 7:1-5 Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. When we are cognizant of our own sin, we realize that we are not better than anyone else, and that we are worthy of death. The wages of sin is death. We all deserve to be stoned. We are all sinners. We may catch another sinner red-handed so to speak in a sin, but the fact that we haven't been so exposed doesn't mean we are not in need of mercy and repentance. We live among sinners who are just like us. It can be tempting to judge others whose sins are so blatant and public. However, we can learn from Jesus that we should look at our own sins before judging others, then treat them as we want to be treated. Notice in Matthew 7:12 that Jesus considered this to be affirmed by the Law and the Prophets.“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Isn't this good advice for us as we live to love with Jesus? We can be encouraged from these verses in the attitude we are to have as we love others with Him in a fallen world.

John 8:3-6 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?" They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. Having failed the previous day to arrest Jesus, they hatched another plan to publicly shame Jesus and catch Him breaking the Law of Moses. Appealing to His obvious heart of mercy and penchant for forgiving sinners, while He was teaching in the temple, they placed before Him a woman caught in the act of adultery. The cultural pressure to condemn, shame, and stone this woman would have been intense. The scribes and Pharisees knew the crowd. The only honorable thing to do in this case would be to execute her on the spot. If Jesus did what they thought He would do, exercise mercy and forgiveness, He would not only violate the Law of Moses by excusing and forgiving her but also run counter to the sentiments of the crowd. They could then condemn Jesus publicly for honoring the guilty woman and breaking both societal standards and the Law of Moses. They would have the crowd's support for condemning and executing Him. Those were the grounds of their accusations. Jesus knew what was happening, but He had one purpose in life—to glorify the Father by loving with Him. Gaining the crowd's approval or escaping the trap laid for Him by the scribes and Pharisees wasn't on His radar screen. He wasn't afraid of their accusations, rather His aim was to remain blameless in His Father's eyes. My encouragement today to live to love with Jesus is that we also would have one ambition, to be pleasing to God. We would be in good company. Not only do we see this in Jesus' life, but listen to what the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 5:9. "Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him." There is a real possibility that we might face the pressure to go with the flow of the culture or even religious traditions rather than do the loving thing in some situation at work or church. I'm not suggesting that we should take an accommodating position on adultery or any sin as defined by the Scriptures. As we will see, Jesus didn't excuse the woman or make light of her sin. My aim today is to encourage us to have as our ambition to be pleasing to the Lord in all that we do. We do that by embracing His purpose in life, to live to love with His Father for the glory and pleasure of the Father. I hope you'll set your heart on making God smile as He lives in you 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.

Today, we are focusing on John 8:1-3. However, the chapter divide seems strange because it separates a sentence with a contrasting conjunction. So I'm going to read the last verses of chapter 7 and ignore the chapter break so we can get the line of reason. Let's remember that the day before, during the great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus called the thirsty to come to Him and drink. He promised them that rivers of living water would flow from them. He caused quite an uproar and a great division developed about who Jesus is. Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) said to them, “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” They answered him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.” Everyone went to his home. But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. Jesus spent the night on the Mount of Olives, whereas the Pharisees went to their homes. Early the next morning, Jesus was back in the temple area, teaching those who came to Him. These are the thirsty souls responding to His invitation to come and drink. Notice how He made Himself available to them. This is a good reminder to us about how we might love with Jesus. We make ourselves available to people who are thirsty and hungry. We offer others an invitation to be with us and drink from the life of Jesus within. Then, when they respond, we make ourselves available to them. How available are you to those you want to love and serve? It is possible to be so occupied with our activities that we don't make time for others. Being available means we'll have to go where they are. We may need to slow down our roll and wait on them to sit down with us to talk. Jesus wanted to be with the people. This means we don't rush out of church and go on our way, but we hang out to see who the Lord puts in our paths. I hope this encourages us to look for opportunities to be with people for the purpose of loving 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 7:50-53 Nicodemus (he who came to Him before, being one of them) said to them, “Our Law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?” They answered him, “You are not also from Galilee, are you? Search, and see that no prophet arises out of Galilee.” Everyone went to his home. This was pretty bold of Nicodemus, wasn't it? Perhaps John wanted to show that, yes, there was a ruler or Pharisee who believed in Jesus. Remember John's account of Nicodemus' encounter with Jesus, recorded in John 3? There was no indication that Nicodemus became a believer then, but here he kinda stood up for Jesus. It wasn't a declaration of faith from Nicodemus, but it was an appeal to give Jesus a hearing. They responded in ignorance. They wrongly thought Jesus was born in Galilee. The point was that they had not even cared enough to do research on where Jesus was really from. It would have been easy to discover. In fact, Nicodemus' suggestion was simply to ask Him. The point I want to zero in on is Nick's apparent courage to buck the peer pressure. He could tell they were determined to have a mock trial and a quick murder. Maybe he was merely testing them to see if there was any sober thinking. There was none but he. Sometimes, that will be the case with us. There will be none who will side with us or want to hear from us. We need the courage of Nicodemus to speak up in defense of Jesus. Nick did the loving thing. He spoke for their highest good. He entreated them to settle down, think more clearly, and not rush headlong into injustice and evil. I encourage us today to be ready to resist the temptation to remain silent when the loving thing to do is to speak up and be the one who speaks with wisdom, reason, peace, and love. May we have courage under fire like Nicodemus to buck the pressure to go along with the crazed, self-glorifying, greedy mainstream. Let's pray that we will be filled with the Holy Spirit so we can testify unashamedly about Jesus and love unconditionally for the glory of God. Father, through your son Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, give us courage today to be bold and to reveal Jesus Christ and His love. 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 7:47-49 The Pharisees then answered them, “You have not also been led astray, have you? No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in Him, has he? But this crowd which does not know the Law is accursed.” All of us have at some time had to deal with peer pressure. It can be somewhat jarring and scary to think that we are not in the mainstream. We've noticed how often propagandists use the phrase “not in the mainstream” to put down a particular idea or philosophy. The Pharisees used that tactic on the temple officials. In essence, they said, “None of us have sided with Jesus. Don't you want our approval? If you have been convinced to believe in Jesus, you also have been cursed like this crowd.” It is possible that today we will feel that same pressure the temple officials felt when it comes to Jesus. If we speak out about Jesus, people will think we are some super spiritual weirdo. If we don't laugh at the dirty jokes and use profanity like everyone else in the office, we will be rejected. What do the pastors and the elders think about watching R-rated and PG-13 movies? Or if you are a pastor or elder, what will the people to whom I'm trying to relate think if I can't converse with them about the latest movie? Without realizing it, peer pressure, or fear of man, may shape our lives more than the fear of God, or our relationship with Jesus. These verses encourage us to put Jesus first place in our lives. As we live to love with Jesus, we will want to make our decisions based on what gains His approval and glory. Three Scriptures come to mind that encourage us to not cave to the pressure of the crowd. First, Colossians 1:18, “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. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.” Second, 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.” Third, John 5:44, “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?” It is obvious that the Pharisees want to put the pressure on the officials to seek their glory rather than the glory of God. As we renew our minds to think like Jesus, we put Him first in all things, and we seek His will and glory rather than the glory of men. Out of such a mindset, the love of God flows. I encourage you today to have the same attitude in yourself that Jesus had—seeking to please the Father by doing His will 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 7:45-46 The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” The officers answered, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.” We learn in these verses that the temple officers had been sent by the chief priests and Pharisees to seize Jesus and bring Him in for examination. They came back empty-handed. We learned in the previous verses that the temple officials and the hostile crowd didn't lay a hand on Him. We also learn why they didn't arrest Him—He spoke with authority and love. I assume that is what they meant by saying, “Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.” After Jesus, with a word, healed the paralytic whose friends had dropped him through the roof, it was said, “But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men” (Matt 9:8). When Jesus spoke the truth, it came with authority and love. Such authority left people awestruck. In this case, the temple officers were awestruck to the point that they couldn't bring themselves to arrest Him. They were more afraid of interrupting Him and taking Him into custody that they were upsetting the chief priests and Pharisees. In other words, there was more fear of God than there was fear of man. That's the power of the Holy Spirit attending Jesus' words and impacting even Jesus' enemies. We also know from previous verses that the officials didn't arrest Jesus because it wasn't God's time. In John 7:30 we read, “So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.” So again, we see God's providence at work as the Father protected His Son until His work was done on the earth. I encourage you today with two things. One, when we speak the truth of God in love, we also have authority. When Jesus loves through us and gives us His words to say to others, they will recognize that we are not normal. They may not know what it is, but like the officers, they will notice we don't speak from the same perspective as most people. Let's be encouraged to boldly speak God's word and truth as we share with others. Two, we may also have confidence that God's providence will protect us as we live to love with Jesus. He has work to do through us, and our days are numbered. We may speak God's word and truth without fear. Let's be encouraged to fear God more than we fear man. May we love with boldness and speak with authority 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 7:43-44 So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him. Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid hands on Him. Jesus said of Himself, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). We see the truth of His statement in John 7:43-44. Some were supportive of Jesus, and others wanted to seize Him and kill Him. There was not a spirit of peace about the temple during this feast. There was a division and conflict. Throughout the centuries, this division regarding Jesus has existed. If we start talking about Jesus in a secular setting, we can expect differences of opinions about Jesus. Some will be favorable, others apathetic, and then there will be some who are offended even at the mention of His name. Regardless of the potential divisions and offenses, our call is to love whoever God puts in our paths. We aren't called to love for Jesus, but to love with Jesus. He loves them, and we have the privilege and joy to express His love to them. That may be nothing more than a listening ear. Other times, it will be an act of service or mercy that Jesus moves us to do. Many times, He loves them as we share about our own relationship with Jesus. Let's be prepared to represent Him faithfully today. The key to that is our being filled with the Holy Spirit and abiding in Jesus by embracing His purpose (to glorify God by living to love with His Father) and His worldview. I summarize Jesus' worldview in 3 foundational truths. 1. There is one God from whom are all things, and He is love. 2. Jesus' love is enough. His love and will satisfy my soul above all things. 3. God's purpose in all things is to reveal Jesus lives and prepare me for eternity. Thinking as Jesus thinks will equip us to respond in love to those who respond negatively to Jesus. To abide in Christ, we must pursue His purpose and renew our minds to think like He thinks. As Jesus' worldview is applied, circumstance by circumstance, we abide in Him and His life and love will be revealed. If you would like to learn more about how to live to love with Jesus, please check out the free resources at livetolovewithjesus.com. There's no greater purpose for your life than living to love with Jesus and thereby glorifying . 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 7:40-42 Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is the Prophet.” Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” Still others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” Jesus is the prophet, the Christ, and yes, He is a descendent of David, born in Bethlehem. As the prophet, He speaks to us from God. He is the living Word of God. As we abide in His word and live accordingly, Jesus produces His fruit in our lives. Living to love with Jesus happens as we believe Jesus is not just a prophet, but the prophet of God. Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, God's servant sent to deliver His people from their bondage to sin. Of course, the people of Jesus' day expected the Christ to deliver Israel from the Roman oppression and occupation. Jesus humbled Himself, came to serve, not to be served, and to offer Himself as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28). We could not live to love with Him had He not set us free from our sin and selfishness. We must carry about in our bodies the humility of Jesus, the death of Jesus, in order for His life to be manifested in our bodies, as the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 4:10. We do that as we willingly carry the weight of the sins and fleshliness of others so that they might see Christ in us and be drawn to Him through His love. The apostle Paul began his letter to the Romans declaring Jesus as the promised son of David. Rom. 1:3-4, speaking of the gospel of God… …concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord. The title, the Son of David, identified the Christ as the promised one. It was God keeping His promise to David when He said through Jeremiah, “For thus says the LORD, ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel.” Jesus is our king forever. We have been called to advance His kingdom in the power of His love. We are His ambassadors in this world proclaiming that He lives and reigns forever. Jesus, our prophet, the Christ, and king. May His love empower us today as we live to love 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 7:39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. What an encouraging verse and wonderful reality. We have here the promise of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who was to be given to believers, thirsty people who come to Jesus and drink of His life. Jesus became the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles—God's provision of deliverance from sin, the bread of life, and the eternal supply of living water. At this time, Jesus was foretelling two things that were to come. One depended on the other. The Holy Spirit would not be given until Jesus was glorified. So this raises a couple of questions. What did He mean by glorified? What are the rivers of living water? The birth of the church was signified by the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. So we know that whatever Jesus had in mind, had occurred, or the Holy Spirit would not have been given. So what had occurred? He had, according to the Scriptures, both died for sins and had been raised from the dead for the justification of the church. He had ascended into heaven and taken His rightful place at the right hand of the Father. In John 14:20, Jesus told His disciples that when the Holy Spirit came, they would know that three things were true. “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” The gift of the Holy Spirit was the Father's testimony that He had glorified His Son. Jesus was in the Father, that the church had been raised up and seated with Jesus, and that Jesus was now coming to reside in His church as its glorious head. Maybe you remember how Jesus began His prayer to His Father in Gethsemane before going to the cross. “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You. Even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” God has glorified the Son by raising Him up and giving Him authority to give eternal life. Eternal life is given with the giving of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of Life” (Rom. 8:2). He manifests the presence and power of Jesus in our lives, as He loves us, fills us and flows through us, producing rivers of living water. We live to love with Jesus, being filled and sustained by the rivers of living water through the Holy Spirit. May you experience Jesus' fullness and the overflow of His love 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 7:37-38 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” Thirsty? Come! Drink! Believe! Be overflowing. The great day of the feast was the high point of the celebration. The priests brought water from the pool of Siloam and poured it out on the altar. The Feast of Tabernacles was a remembrance of God giving the Israelites water and manna in the desert after He delivered them from the Egyptians. It was a celebration of joy. The stage was set. Perhaps you can imagine being there and your thirst being triggered by the water being poured out. It was probably at that moment that Jesus made the declaration, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'” He was appealing not to a physical thirst, but to a spiritual thirst. Jesus gave clear directions. If you are thirsty for eternal life, come and drink. What did He mean? He made that clear. To come and drink is to believe in Him as God's provision of living water and bread from heaven. It is to believe in Him as our hope of deliverance from the bondage of sin and death. Jesus made a wonderful promise—the promise of transformation. Instead of looking for satisfaction from things and people of this world, believers find satisfaction flowing from within, making them a source of living water to the thirsty people of the world. I hope you can see this reality embodied in the three foundation worldview truths that I've repeated throughout this podcast. There is one God from whom are all things, and He is love. Jesus' love is enough. His love and will satisfy my soul. God's purpose in all things is to reveal Jesus Christ in me. Those who believe in Jesus and abide in Him, think like Him. They believe what He believes, and the result is an overflow of His life into this world of thirsty people. Every day that we live in that reality, we are celebrating and experiencing what the Feast of Tabernacles commemorated. We should be filled with joy, as Jesus said after calling His disciples to believe and love with Him. It's recorded in John 15:11-13. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. Thirsty? Come! Drink! Believe! Be overflowing. Rejoice! 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 7:35-36 The Jews then said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him? He is not intending to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He? What is this statement that He said, ‘You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come'?” Obviously, the Jews didn't understand what Jesus said. They could only think in earthly terms. Remember, they were seeking to kill Him. Not being able to find Him was troublesome to them. Furthermore, maybe they thought if He were going to the Greeks—good riddance. The point John made here is that they were puzzled by Jesus and His words. They didn't believe in Him in a saving way. The stage was set for one of Jesus' most public gospel proclamations of His ministry, which we will enjoy tomorrow. Our Father is always setting the stage to reveal His Son in our lives. He orchestrates circumstances and maneuvers people into our paths, creating a sense of neediness that only He can meet. He comes to us as our deliverer and provider so that we may experience His fullness and be satisfied in Him more than in things or people on the earth. The words of the apostle Paul written to the Corinthians comes to mind. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. I invite you to pause for a moment of meditation on the stage God has set in your life for Him to reveal His grace. Look at the need God has created in your life through circumstances and relationships, and give Him thanks for the opportunities they provide for you to trust in Him and love with Him. Thank Him for the weaknesses in yourself that they reveal and glory in His presence, strength, and grace He offers. He is worthy of the glory, trust, and praise. He alone is our life. In Him, we have everything we need for life and godliness. 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 7:33-34 Therefore Jesus said, “For a little while longer I am with you, then I go to Him who sent Me. You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.” Jesus knew He was going to His Father soon—a few months. This feast of Tabernacles was a fall festival to be followed in the spring with Passover. He also knew this crowd would play a significant part in His return to heaven to be with His Father who sent Him. They would crucify Him. Let's follow this last sentence very carefully. He said, “You will seek me, and will not find me; and where I am (I would've expected him to say, ‘and where I am going') you cannot come.” Or to stay consistent with the tense He might have said, “Where I am, you aren't” one commentator explained it this way. “You will not find Me, and where I am [i.e., will ‘be' at that future time] you are not able to come [i.e., then].” We would probably not be very likely to say it like this in English. We would be more likely to say, as you rightly suspect: "... and where I will[then] be, you will not be able to come." In the next verse, it is clear the audience took Him to mean a future event, for they questioned, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find Him?” Two things strike me about what Jesus said. First, is the sad reality that there are many who cannot come to where Jesus is—at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Those who refuse to believe in the historical Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and the only way to the Father, cannot come to heaven. By choosing to pursue their own wills, they cannot enter into eternal life. Second, I'm struck by the incredible privilege and grace God has given to me that I have entered into the place where Jesus is—in the bosom of the Father in heaven, where I have and experience eternal life. It is out of that place that the love of God flows into my being and through my life. That's why I call it living to love with Jesus. I'm with Him where He is, and therefore my purpose in life is in Him. Have you come to where Jesus is? I hope so, but if you haven't, you may. Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that He is the only way to the Father. I invite you to surrender your will to Him. Be willing to do His will, which is to believe in Jesus as God and to trust in His righteousness rather than your own. According to the Scriptures, He came to die for the sins committed against Him and was raised to live for those who believe and trust in Him. I hope you won't wait to come to where He is. Receive His life. Surrender yourself to Him now, as soon as this podcast is over. Heavenly Father, give eternal life to all who come to you now through Your Son, Jesus. Give them the heart and words to say to You in repentance for living for themselves and trusting in their own works. May they give You glory as they give their lives to You and trust in Jesus. Lord Jesus, You have authority to give eternal life to all who trust in You. Give it according to Your promise to all who hear my voice and trust in You. Bring them into the joy of living to love with You for the rest of their lives. Thank you. 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 7:31-32 But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, “When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?” The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about Him, and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to seize Him. John described what the Pharisees heard from the people as grumbling or muttering. It's the same word used in verse 12, “There was much grumbling among the crowds concerning Him; some were saying, ‘He is a good man'; others were saying, ‘No, on the contrary, He leads the people astray.'” The fact that there were many thinking favorably about Jesus was threat enough for them to take action. So they sent some temple officers to bring Him in. Again, the crowd was said to believe in Him because of signs. Although this event is at the Feast of Tabernacles, John 2:23-25 wrote of similar crowd response at the Feast of Passover, “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 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.” The signs Jesus performed, which caused many to believe in Him, were acts of mercy. From this reality, I draw today's live to love encouragement. As Jesus lives His life through us, we may expect that He would continue to express His mercy to reveal His presence and love. Let's be on the alert for people who need to see and experience mercy. Perhaps Jesus' comfort or kindness or healing may encourage them to believe in Him. We may rely on the Holy Spirit to open their hearts and give them faith in Jesus. It is not our responsibility to discern whether the kind of belief of which John spoke regarding the many in the crowd was flesh-born or Spirit-born. True conversion will become evident as faith expresses itself in love for God and others. Our responsibility is to love in His name and give Him the glory. “Father, glorify Your name by loving through us today, and draw many to Your Son through us. 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 7:30 So they were seeking to seize Him; and no man laid his hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come. We see God's providence at work in this verse. The rulers wanted to take Him into custody with the intent to kill Him, but they didn't because God's time for that to occur had not come. There was more work to be done, more truth to be spoken, more love revealed to those who were His. So no man could touch Him with evil intent. We also have the same confidence that God's providence will keep us until His time for our lives arrives. The apostle Paul, speaking to the Athenians about God, said, “He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation.” God's providence rules over our lives from the time and place we were born until the time and place we fall asleep in Jesus. As long as Jesus has work to do, truth to be spoken, and love to be revealed in you, you have purpose in this world. Your hour won't come until God is done, receiving the glory He planned from your life. He has good reason to watch over your life as you live to love with Jesus, so do not be afraid. Move through your day with confidence and peace, relying on your Father in heaven to watch over you and use you 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 7:28-29 Then Jesus cried out in the temple, teaching and saying, “You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me.” Jesus reiterated what He had said previously in John 7:18 “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Authority doesn't come from ourselves, it comes from the one who sends. Jesus was sent from God. He came into the world from Him. The crowd had no frame of reference for someone who didn't come from an earthly authority. Jesus made it clear that He didn't demand to be listened to because of Himself, but that they should listen to Him because the One who sent Him is God, and He came from Him who is true. To say that God is true is important. It's another way of saying that God is real. He is the reality they are reckoning with as they respond to Jesus. How they receive Jesus reveals their relationship with God, the Father, who sent Him. This is true today with us as well. How is our relationship with our creator, God? It is the same as our relationship with Jesus, His Son, through whom we have been created. We bring God glory as we receive His Son as the giver of life eternal. God sent Him to give eternal life to those the Father gave Him. In John 17:1-2, Jesus stated it plainly in His prayer. “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.'” One of the primary reasons I think we ought to live to love with Jesus, is that He came from God, and was sent, so the life of God could be revealed in us, for the glory of the Father. There's no higher purpose. Jesus came to live to love with His Father by giving eternal life to His children. His children then are called to live to love with Him. I don't want it to sound like we have to do this, we get to do this. It is our highest calling that supersedes everything we do. We have the joy of loving with Him in our homes, at work, at church, and wherever we go. So I encourage you from these verses to receive Jesus as your life, and joyfully obey His commands to believe in Him (John 14:1) and love as He loves (John 13:34). You will certainly be glad you did! 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 7:27 is a continuation of the comments of the people of Jerusalem about Jesus. They had wondered, “The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they?” In a sense, they were asking, “Do the rulers know something we don't know?” Then they reasoned that He can't be the Christ. “However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.” Apparently it was common knowledge that Jesus was from Nazareth, and so in their minds He couldn't be the Christ. But Jesus didn't say that He came from Nazareth. He had proclaimed to the crowd in Capernaum that He came down from heaven. John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” The people of Jerusalem weren't there when Jesus said that, but it is probable that the word had gotten back to the rulers in Jerusalem. That's why they wanted to kill Him. The point is that a man from the earth is a normal man, but a man who is from heaven is not. Jesus is not a normal man. He is a man, but He was sent from God, which Jesus will assert once again in the following verses. For today, I ask us this question. Do we know where Jesus is from? Do we live like Jesus is the Christ, the one sent from God? The Scriptures teach that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” Jesus is the king of Israel come to rule in the midst of His people. We are His people, and He is our lord and king. We live in God's kingdom, with Jesus as our ruler. It is a kingdom of love and peace. May we be filled with His love and peace as we go through our day, trusting in Him to give us everything we need to glorify His name and advance His kingdom in this world. We know that Jesus is from heaven, and our citizenship is in heaven, from which we await His coming in glory according to Philippians 3:20. When He comes, “He will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (verse 21). What a hope we have in 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 7:25-26 So some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is this not the man whom they are seeking to kill? Look, He is speaking publicly, and they are saying nothing to Him. The rulers do not really know that this is the Christ, do they? Apparently, Jesus' reproof of the crowd for not judging righteously hit its mark. The Jewish leaders fell silent, and it didn't go unnoticed. We note that Jesus wasn't the only one who knew they wanted to kill Him. The word had spread through the community. In fact, it might even have been one of the reasons for the crowd. They were there to see the fireworks. When the rulers didn't confront Jesus after He spoke, there were some who wondered if they too had become convinced by the lame man's healing and Jesus' words that He was indeed the long-expected Christ. To the religious rulers, Jesus was a threat, a cancer that needed to be removed. To the crowd who followed Him, He was an enigma, a mystery, and a source of entertainment. To the people of Jerusalem, Jesus was a news item, a front page story. To Jesus' disciples, He was their rabbi, but also the expectant deliverer from Roman oppression. To us, He is the savior of the world. I am hoping that there may be some listening to this podcast that could relate to each of those groups when it comes to Jesus. I'm so glad you've found this podcast. I want to encourage you to rethink your life and your judgment of Jesus. Consider: how would you expect a world who wants to be god and lord of their own lives to react if they met the one true God who created them and deserves to be worshiped and obeyed? How are you reacting to Him? I pray that even as I speak, the Holy Spirit of God would convince you that Jesus is the Christ—God in the flesh, God with us—so that you might experience His forgiveness and love. From the time that the Gospels were written and circulated, Jesus has been speaking publicly. He still speaks now through His Word and His disciples, people like me, so that you might hear and believe. He died to take away sins, and He lives to love in those who will receive Him and submit to Him. I invite you to surrender yourself to Him, and to do it now, as I pray. Will you humble your heart now with me? Father in heaven, thank You for another day of life. I ask you to give Your Son and eternal life to all who hear my voice and at this moment surrender their lives to You. By the power of Your Spirit, give them hearts to repent—to turn from trusting in themselves. May they abandon their own desires to be god of their lives. Then give them faith that Jesus is Your Son and the only way that they might have peace with You. You have said that everyone who believes in Him will not be disappointed and will have eternal life. I trust You to keep Your word to them as they pray now and humble themselves in Your sight. May you be glorified. Amen. If you prayed with me, I hope you'll contact me at norm@livetolovewithjesus.com. Put “trusting in Jesus” in the subject line. I hope you'll visit livetolovewithjesus.com and join the Live to Love with Jesus prayer challenge. Become a part of a world-wide movement of the love of God through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

John 7:21-24 Jesus answered them, “I did one deed, and you all marvel. For this reason Moses has given you circumcision (not because it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and on the Sabbath, you circumcise a man. If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath? Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” Jesus knew why this crowd was offended. Remember? He healed the lame man on the Sabbath at the pool of Bethesda. His explanation for the healing was that His Father was working, so He worked. He lived to love with His Father, and when His Father put the lame man in His path, He saw that the purpose was to reveal He and the Father's united love for him. It was an act of God revealing that He was the Son of God. That one deed caused them to marvel, but it also made them angry with Him. Jesus admonished them not to judge according to appearances, but to judge righteously. Jesus' reasoning went something like this. In order to keep the Law of Moses, a deed is done on the Sabbath, a procedure upon a small part of the body. That deed is celebrated because it is a small, hidden sign of God's blessing. In contrast, Jesus performed one marvelous public deed on the Sabbath that resulted in the healing of an entire man as a testimony or sign of the blessing of God. That deed entirely changed his life, and you condemn it and Me because it was on the Sabbath day. Obviously, that is not a righteous judgment, because righteousness is primarily about doing good deeds for people that makes them whole. As we live to love with Jesus, I hope to encourage you to look for ways to do good deeds for others that makes them whole. Let's not love just for appearance' sake, but love for righteousness' sake. We have the privilege of showing the blessing of God in our lives for God's glory. What a marvelous way to live! 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 7:20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who seeks to kill You?” Some of the most challenging people to love are those who are deceived as this crowd. They sought to kill or delete Jesus from their lives because they thought He was from the devil, which is a stunning, and unthinkable judgment of Him. They are the ones that are under the influence of demons, but don't recognize it. My heart goes out to these people. They are deceived and don't know it. Satan has blinded their minds so that they cannot see the glory of God in the face of Christ, or see Him in anyone else, for that matter. Without God's mercy, they perish. As we live to love with Jesus, God will put people like this in our paths. They may be strangers, work associates, or hopefully not, but possibly family members. Loving them won't be easy, but I'm sure we will discover that Jesus loves them. He was drawn to those who were spiritually blind and helpless. He loved them by speaking the truth to them, confronting their deception with good questions which could help them see where they are in relationship to Him. That's what Jesus was doing with the crowd mentioned in chapter 7 of John. If someone were to accuse you of having a demon, how would you react? How would you love that person? I want to encourage you to not take their accusations personally. That person's conflict is with God. Until they are reconciled to God, they are going to have trouble with anyone who loves them in His name. They will react to the truth because they don't want to do His will and have desires that run counter to walking in the truth and in love. Let's be encouraged by Jesus' love for people such as those in this crowd, of which we read in this chapter. May we be ready to humble ourselves, not take personal offense, pray for them, and when possible do them good. 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 7:19 “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?” In the Law which Moses gave them, law number six commands, “You shall not murder.” Jesus asked the Jewish leaders why they were seeking to kill Him. He knew they wanted to kill Him, which means they have no intention of carrying out the Law. In fact, let's connect this to what Jesus had just said. Verse 17: “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.” In this context, He was saying, “If anyone is willing to do the Law, they would know His teaching was from God.” But they were already committed to killing Him, so there was no way they would listen to Him or believe in Him. Let's notice that Jesus spoke the truth to them in love. He gave them an opportunity to rethink what they were doing by appealing to their authority, Moses and the Law. He was correct in saying that none of them carried out the Law. The truth is that there is no one but Christ who carries out the Law. The point of Jesus' questions to the men who were accusing Him of breaking the Law of Moses was this: Can you not see that in seeking to kill Me, you are breaking the Law of Moses? No, they could not, and that is what we can expect from those who have been blinded by their self-ambition and bitter jealousy. Their hearts are hardened and are so convinced that they are right in their judgment that as they persecute Jesus in you, they think they are doing right. The apostle Paul summarized the Law in his letter to the Galatians when he wrote, “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself'” (5:14). Of course, the one word in the statement is the word, love. As we live to love with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, we are fulfilling what James called the royal law, the law of love, by which we are all bound (James 2:8). Again, the only way we can fulfill the law of God is through Jesus Christ. He alone bears fruit for the glory of God, and He brings pleasure to His Father by loving through His people. We have the high calling and singular privilege today to fulfill the law of God by loving with Jesus. I hope you are encouraged by recognizing the blessing you have in having the life of Jesus dwelling within you. Let me wrap up today's live to love scripture encouragement with the words of the apostle Paul from his second letter to the Corinthians. He said, we are “always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Cor. 4:10). Jesus died for us, and He lives for us. Daily we are putting off the old man who died in Christ and putting on the new man, Jesus Christ, who lives 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.

John 7:18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. This verse informs us of what was and is going on in Jesus' heart. He doesn't seek His own glory. He seeks the glory of His Father, which makes Him true and righteous. Is there anyone like this other than Jesus? Only those who are abiding in Jesus. If we are going to live to love with Jesus, we can't have the attitude of the world. In this world, everyone speaks for himself and seeks his own glory. We know this is true because we have all been like that. It never crossed our minds to seek the glory of God who created us. That's the old man we are to put off. Our minds must be renewed if we are going to live and walk with Jesus. What He says, sees, and does is the truth. Everything He does is righteous, which is another way to describe what love for people looks like. This is our aim: to live for the glory of God, who sent Jesus into this world. For His glory, God gave Jesus to live for and in us. Then, having regenerated us, send us into this world. We are not to speak from ourselves, but to speak from Christ. To speak from Christ, we have to renew our minds to think and believe as He thinks and believes. The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians (4:22-24) that they were to put off the old man and put on the new man, which is Christ. That, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. This verse tells us what to put on as we put on Christ each day. We are seeking the glory of God revealed in the life of Jesus Christ, so we don't speak from ourselves, but from Him who lives in us and has been sent as the savior of the world. This encourages us to memorize and apply Jesus' line of thinking—His worldview, which I've condensed to three foundational truths for love. There is one God from whom are all things, and He is love. Jesus love is enough. His love and will satisfy my soul. God's purpose in all things is to reveal His Son in me and to prepare me for eternity. These three truths are the truth and reveal righteousness. They are from God. No natural man thinks this way or believes these things. As we practice applying these three truths to every situation and relationship, we learn that they are from God and are the truth. I hope you'll write these down. Memorize them, and every morning remind yourself of them so you can put on Christ and live to love 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 7:17 If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. We learn in this verse that there's a prerequisite to knowing and recognizing truth: a surrendered, obedient heart to God. One must be willing to do God's will. Where does such a heart come from? It comes from God. Having ears to hear is a gift from God. It's what makes them learners, disciples, and ultimately is the evidence that one is a child of God. If someone isn't willing to do God's will, then they won't be able to recognize truth when they hear it. The reality is that if self-ambition rules in the heart, then they won't even consider a teaching that doesn't enable or sanction their selfish desires. I've noticed this to be true after teaching for over 50 years. I ask myself, “Why can't this person get the truth or hear what I'm saying?” This explains why. They want to do something that, if they accepted the truth, they couldn't do. The desire or lust for whatever is so strong that they can't tell that what is being taught is from God. In verse 7, Jesus echoed the point, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.” When Jesus taught, those who didn't want to do God's will, but rather wanted to do their own will, were exposed. The same dynamics occur today. When the truth is presented in words or in example, revelation takes place. For the person who is determined to do what they want, it reveals that one's deeds are evil and the lack of the presence of God's Spirit in their lives. Instead of a recognition of the truth and the goodness of God, out comes hatred toward the truth and those who speak it. Or it reveals one has a willingness to do God's will. They recognize the truth because they are seeking to do God's will. They want to please Him above pleasing themselves. Those who are willing to do God's will are able to receive the message of living to love with Jesus as their purpose in life. Why? Because they are willing to do it. As they do it, they know it is from God because the Spirit of God testifies to them by giving the grace to do it and the joy that accompanies loving with Him. We can thank God that we are willing to do His will. It is because He has loved us in Christ and given us ears to hear and given us hearts that are willing to obey what we learn to be His will. That's the power of a surrendered, obedient heart. 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 7:16 So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.” This was Jesus' response to the Jews' question, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” Jesus received His learning from His Father. He wasn't speaking on His own initiative, but passing on the teaching of the One who sent Him. So His authority is clear. It isn't self-derived. Years ago, I double-booked on a weekend. It's the only time I've ever done it, and I'm still not sure how I missed it up until a month before the event. So I was faced with telling the host of the homeschool conference that I had made the mistake. I believe there is only one God from whom all things come, so I reasoned that this was from God for the good of everyone. When I asked for wisdom in what to do, the thought came to me to send someone in my place to give the agreed upon messages from their having experienced it in my life. So, I asked if they would consider letting my son, who was, I think, twenty years old at the time, and my daughter and her husband make the presentations. They agreed. So I sent my son to speak in my name with my message. His authority to speak came from His relationship to me, and He couldn't come up with His own message. His message was my message. He had learned from me, and was there in my name. We both had to trust God, empty ourselves, and receive whatever the Father had for us. It was quite an experience for both Micah and me. That experience helped us to see the relationship between the Father and the Son, of which Jesus spoke in this verse. Dear friends, we are God's sons and daughters sent into this world to give His message. We love, serve, and teach in His name. Representing Jesus is no small responsibility. There is powerful potential. I've never had any homeschool organizer collect and send me individual reviews on each message presented, but that's what this organization did. They had attendees to the session fill out their review of each session and offer comments. One comment stood out above the others. It read, “It was more powerful to see and hear the son than the father.” It was followed by a comment that it gave more authority to the message than if the Father had presented it. Our living to love with Jesus has authority as we express His love and His message. We are sent by the Father and the Son to love and minister in the power of the Spirit. As my son went in my name as my son to convey my spirit, his message and ministry had authority and power. It was a shadow of the gospel. We are living the gospel today. May we do it full of grace and 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 7:14-15 But when it was now the midst of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple, and began to teach. The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” The Jews recognized that Jesus was well-educated, knowledgeable about the Law and the things of God. His learning began early. Do you remember what He told His mother at the age of 12? In Luke 2:29, Jesus told them He had to be about His Father's things; His Father's business is how some versions read. He was taught by His Father. We'll talk more about that tomorrow. Today, let me ask you a question. Would others ask the same question about you? Do they see in you a life of study in the word of God? Do they recognize that you are learned in the things of God? I'm not saying we need to be seminary trained to be effective in ministry. It may help, but very little that I teach came from what I learned at seminary. The courses stimulated me academically, but nothing can substitute for studying God's word habitually, daily, for decades. When explaining who comes to Him and believes, Jesus said that they are those who have been taught of God and learn from the Father (6:45). I want to encourage you to set your heart on learning everything you can about glorifying God and expressing His love. Determine to become an expert on how the Spirit of God works and on loving with Jesus. Ask our Father to teach you and give you understanding for His glory. I land the plane on this subject with a quick note. Jesus didn't learn so that others would notice how educated He was. He didn't seek the glory of man. Nor should we. His love for His Father was the source of His learning. He sought the glory of God. May that be our aim today as we live to love with Jesus. Father, glorify Your name in us as You give us circumstances and relationships. 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.