Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

John 11:33-35 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." Jesus wept. “Weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). We see a loving expression of empathy in Jesus. Although He knew Lazarus was only “sleeping” and that God was going to raise him for His glory, He still wept. John seems to imply that Jesus' tears were motivated by a movement of God deep within His spirit which was troubling. What do you think was troubling? Was it that he saw familiar faces—Jews who caused trouble the last time He was in Jerusalem? I wonder if He always felt that way when He saw death—it was always troubling to see the affects of sin on His creation, wasn't it? It's what He came to conquer. For whatever the reason, Jesus was ready to look death in the face in the power of the Holy Spirit with His Father. But still He wept. Filled with the hope of glory, Jesus wept. Isn't God's love amazing? Lord, I worship You.

John 11:27 She said to Him, "Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world." What did Martha believe about Jesus? She believed He is the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world to save us from eternal death, which we deserve. This declaration ranks right up there with Peter's, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Will we join Martha's voice in worship of Jesus Christ? I hope so. Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of God, who comes into the world to save us from our sins. We worship You.

John 11:26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?" Never dies! Faith in Jesus is the difference between eternal life and eternal death. Martha was asked if she believed in Him. Jesus might as well be asking the question of everyone who reads these words. Is He asking if we believe Jesus existed? Is He asking if we believe He was the best man that ever walked on earth? Do you believe that without Him, you don't live? According to Jesus, if you don't believe in Him, you are the walking dead. Everything done has the curse and stench of death on it. But if you believe in Jesus, everything done in Him has the blessing and aroma of life everlasting. Who do you believe Jesus is?

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, These are not the words of a crazy man, a lunatic, or a religious fanatic cult leader. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Lord, we worship You as the resurrection and the life. Everything and everyone around us who is not in You is in a state of perpetual death. There is no life but in You. This is what makes living to love with Jesus so exciting and hopeful. Think about it. If Jesus loves through us, then that deed lives forever for the glory of God. Every other deed is lifeless and dead. Therefore, everyone who believes in Jesus, that is, trusts in His life within as the fountain and source of his life, always lives even if he stops breathing—he's united to eternal life! What a statement about Lazarus. Even if he no longer breaths in his body, Lazarus still lives. What a comfort to Martha—and to us!

John 11:24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Again, Martha's faith and confidence shines. She believes that death does not have the final say in the lives of believers. It's why we celebrate when a loved one who knows Jesus leaves the body at the last breath. This is pretty amazing since this event is a pre-resurrection occurrence. Anyone with such faith should not be afraid of death. We know that all who are in Christ will be raised on the last day that this fallen, cursed world breathes its last breath. What a day that will be! Rejoice today in this wonderful hope of joining all the loved ones who have gone before you in the presence of the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

John 11:23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." This is stunning! Wonderful! Amazing! It seems reasonable that Jesus is telling her what He asked of God. He asked that Lazarus would be raised from the dead, and He is confident that His Father has heard and will give it. In Romans 8:26-28, Paul gives us the same confidence in Jesus' intercession. We may not know how to pray, but that's not our confidence. Our confidence is in God always doing His will with regard to us, and that is to work everything that happens for our greatest good and His greatest glory through the intercession of the Holy Spirit and our Lord Jesus Christ. We also know what our highest good is and what brings Him the greatest glory, namely, that everything is being used to conform us to the image of Christ. Another way of saying this is that God is working everything so that we become vessels of Jesus' love for His glory. Lazarus' death was so that God's love and glory could be revealed as Jesus took authority over death. Whatever assails us is just the setting for God to reveal His love and glory in Jesus as He takes authority over it. Settle for nothing less than resurrection power revealed in love.

John 11:22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." Are we like Martha in this regard? She expressed a trust in Jesus' intercession “even now” with Lazarus being dead 4 days. What was He to ask of God? Her words “whatever you ask” remind me of the words of Jesus to His disciples found in John 14:13. “Whatever you ask in My name that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” and 15:7-8 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” Jesus told them they could ask whatever they needed to obey His command to love with Him, and it would be given, so the Father could receive glory. Isn't this the same case? She knows Jesus loves Lazarus and them, so she knows He could ask the Father for whatever is needed to love them for God's glory. Therein lies our confidence in Jesus' intercession. We know He loves us. We know He asks for whatever is needed to most glorify God. Then we trust Him. We can't live to love with Jesus if we don't trust that His will and intercession are motivated by His love and glory.

John 11:21 Martha then said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. We are all like Martha. If from our perspective, something bad happens, we conclude it happened because God doesn't love us or wasn't there. We naturally have the “If only…” syndrome. If we think God should orchestrate the affairs of our lives according to our desires, we forget that God's ways are higher than our ways. His goal is not our comfort and convenience in this world, but to glorify Jesus in this world. The Fall and its resulting pain, sorrow, suffering and death are His stage upon which He displays His love, comfort, mercy, forgiveness, preeminence, power, authority, and glory (just to name a few). Lazarus' untimely death, from Martha's perspective, is actually perfect timing for God's purposes. Had He been there, and Lazarus not died, none of what we know and see about Jesus in this narrative would have occurred. You can almost hear Jesus say in response to Martha, “Exactly! I need Him to be dead.” As you look upon all of the events of your life and are tempted to think, “If only…” remember that everything has occurred exactly like God planned to glorify His Son. We can't see it yet because of our self-centered perspective. We only need to wait for it.

John 11:20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house. Someone went before Jesus and alerted Martha that Jesus was coming. As soon as she heard, off she went to meet Him. As we know from other accounts of Martha, she's a woman of action, and she's not afraid of speaking her mind to Jesus. In contrast, Mary is the focused one. She's not easily distracted and prone to busyness, so she stayed in the house with her guests. Now, let's look at God at work. As we will see, it was necessary for Martha to meet Jesus away from the house and for Mary to stay in the house in order to get the crowd in place for God to glorify His Son. Always keep your eyes on Jesus, not people. The ultimate, glorious will of God is being done on earth as it is in heaven—always. Trust in God today. He loves you. He's at work in all things and in all people—for His glory.

John 11:18-19 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. As Jesus delayed, the crowd of Jews, perhaps many who had previously conspired to stone Jesus, was gathering in Bethany at Martha's and Mary's house. Did God know this? Not only did He know it, He was orchestrating it. He is preparing to glorify His Son in their midst. For some, it would be sufficient for them to believe in Jesus. For others, it would be further reason to get rid of Him. In both cases, God accomplished His purpose with the ultimate outcome in both of their responses, the Son of God being glorified. The works of God always test and reveal what God is and isn't doing in the affairs of men. His works and words always expose the condition of the hearts of those who observe or hear them. The same is true today. We are not responsible for what people do with what we say or do. We are responsible to love, obey, and speak His word faithfully while trusting God to accomplish His purposes in everyone He puts in our paths. So today, let's love with Jesus and trust Him.

John 11:17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. Jesus waited two days before beginning the trip to Bethany (vs. 6), and apparently it took two days to travel to Bethany. For Lazarus to be in the tomb 4 days means that he died the day Jesus heard that he was sick. Mary and Martha must have sent word two days before he died because we assume it also took them two days of travel. That's six days of waiting for Mary and Martha to hear from Jesus. How long have we waited to hear from Jesus when we've been desperate for His presence and comfort in our storm? The six days of waiting for Mary and Martha and the four days in the tomb were necessary for the glory of God to be seen. Let's remember that is always the case with our storms. He loves us. He purposes to glorify His name in our situation. Whatever delay we are experiencing is necessary for His glory to be revealed. Trust and pray as we wait.

John 11:16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, so that we may die with Him." Doesn't Thomas give us hope? Sometimes we are like Thomas, the ever-doubting, pessimistic Thomas. But I wonder if there's something more admirable revealed here. I don't know if he was being facetious or not. “Yep, let's all just go with Him. We're all gonna die anyway.” Or if he seriously thought, “If he goes to Judea, they're gonna kill Him, and we might as well die with Him as live without Him.” Have you come to the point that you would rather die with Jesus than live without Him? How often have you been faced with the fact that if you have to love a certain person, it'll kill you? So rather than go with Jesus and die with Him, you decided to preserve your life and live without Him. Interesting thoughts, Yes? What do you think? Apparently the rest of the disciples thought about it, and decided it was better to die with Him than live without Him. What do we have to die to to live to love with Jesus?

John 11:14-15 So Jesus then said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him." Not only did love for Mary and Martha lead Jesus to delay His response, but love for His disciples also. God orchestrates the affairs of life in order that we may believe in Jesus—that our faith might be displayed as wrought by God. The more helpless and desperate the situation, the greater the potential for God's glory to be manifested as He gives us the faith of the living Jesus Christ. They needed to see that they could trust God in the face of death or any kind of suffering, for that matter. It is faith that overcomes in those times. This is true for us as well. We may learn with the disciples through this story. This didn't just happen for their sakes, it happened for our sakes too. Watch what happens to your faith as we continue on in John 11 and go to Lazarus with Jesus.

John 11:12-13 The disciples then said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover. Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. We can't see what Jesus sees in any situation any more than the disciples could understand what Jesus understood about Lazarus' situation. Their limitations were understandable as are ours. This should teach us to trust Him and not lean on our own understanding. Let's remember, from their perspective, going back to Judea wasn't a good idea. Death awaited them. So when Jesus spoke of awakening Lazarus from sleep, they still thought, then there's no need to go. If sleep was the problem, then the recovery can happen without Jesus. From Jesus' perspective, death was mocking Him, and God had put this in His path. It was time to reveal His authority over death. If sin and death is the problem, then the waiting, going, and the power of Jesus were indispensable—He had to go, regardless of the dangers. Jesus showed us that even as death stared Him in the face, He was not afraid to look death in the face. Let's remember today that God's love conquers all our fears.

John 11:11 This He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep." The love of God that is the Light of the world, knew Lazarus had not died the death that occurs because of sin, but had “fallen asleep.” Love was going to awaken him. This must have excited Jesus! Jesus wasn't concerned about any danger to His life, as the disciples were. His eyes were on what the Father was doing—displaying His glory in His son. God had given Him authority over life and death, and it had been revealed to Him that this sickness of Lazarus and the despair of the sisters was the perfect setting for this hope-inspiring expression of love. Blindness is a great darkness, but death in the grave is a greater darkness to conquer. Jesus expects to see His Father work through Him. As we live to love with Jesus, we also can expect Jesus to work through us for His glory. We have hope because we know that Jesus can awaken those who are spiritually dead and in darkness. Don't let someone's spiritual state discourage or disillusion you. All He has to do is speak and the dead will hear.

John 11:9-10 Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." How do we know how to make decisions if we want to live to love with Jesus? Jesus explained His decision to go to Judea where His life had been threatened. His explanation is that He follows the light of God given to Him. If you remember what John wrote about Jesus in John 8-10, you remember that He testified that He was the Light of Life and the Light of the world. He opened a blind man's eyes to see the Light of the world while the Pharisees and Jews stumbled around blindly in the dark. They couldn't see Jesus because there was no light in them. Jesus made this decision to go to Judea because the Father had given Him love for Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, and that was The Light. Where God's love is directed, there is daylight. The night has no love in it. John wrote the same in his first epistle. 1 John 2:10-11 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. How do we make decisions? Live to love with Jesus and you'll walk in the light.

John 11:8 The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone You, and are You going there again?" Remember that twice the Jews had picked up stones to kill Jesus. If left up to the disciples, the decision to return to Judea would have been made based upon natural reasoning, outward circumstances, and history. They were concerned for His welfare and probably their own as well. They would have missed God's will and seeing God's glory. How many times have we done the same? We chose the path of least resistance or the road which offered what looked like a happier and more comfortable outcome. To The Spirit's point through John: that's not how we make decisions as we live to love with Jesus. If we don't make decisions based on our natural reason, outward circumstances and history, then how do we know what to do? Tune in tomorrow to find out.

John 11:7 Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." This is all about timing. Jesus knew to wait upon His Father. It was the only way to glorify Him. He always abided in the Father. He said, “Let's go,” because His Father said, “Let's go.” The only way we can glorify Jesus is by abiding in Him and living to love with Him. We should go because He goes. We should love as He loves. We are in this world as He is in this world, wrote John (1 John 4:17)—for the glory of God. Waiting for believers shouldn't be difficult because we have surrendered our lives to Him and want His glory. Therefore we don't want to move or speak without Him. May we learn that when He bids us wait, He is loving us. How important it is to learn this lesson early in our lives.

John 11:5-6 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. Now Jesus loved…so He delayed. Wait! How do we respond when the love of God delays to act and bring healing and relief? John clearly wants us to know and believe that it was love for the sisters and Lazarus that motivated His delay. We may conclude from this that when He delays to relieve our suffering or answer our prayers, it is because He loves us and knows our greater need and highest good is to see His glory revealed in Jesus through the suffering. This lesson is life-changing, and only Jesus' disciples have this understanding and apply in their lives. Something glorious happens when we wait on the Lord. God is at work when we wait upon Him in the faith and trust of Jesus who lives in us. Jesus was waiting on the Father, and so the sisters were waiting on Jesus. Their faith and love were being purified from self-focus to the glory of God focus. Where is He doing that in our lives so we may glorify Jesus by trusting His timing and love?

John 11:4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it." This verse deserves more meditation. Yesterday, I commented that God's purpose for all things in the lives of those He loves is to glorify Jesus in them. This is a distinctively Christian foundational truth to be applied often, everyday of our lives. This means we know God is working all things together for good—His glory (Rom. 8:28) — and that every situation is an opportunity for the faith of Jesus to be revealed in us as we trust Him. The temptation to manipulate people and circumstances to get what we want or think is best faces all of us just like it did Mary and Martha. Contrary to natural fallen thinking, our best is not our comfort and happiness in this world. It's seeing God make much of Jesus in our situations and suffering. This changes everything. Let God be magnified (Psalm 70:4)!

John 11:4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, "This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it." Lazarus's sickness (which is a result of the Fall) has a greater end than the death he deserves—the glory of God. God's purpose for the sickness was to glorify (bear testimony to) His Son. Is this a unique situation? I think not. It's what Jesus believed about all of life and every difficulty the Father placed in His path. He believes the same about every storm God wills that we face. Jesus in essence said, “Don't look at Lazarus's condition, trust in God's purposes and power in Me.” He is saying the same to us today about whatever troubles, afflicts, or assails us. God's purpose for all things in the lives of those He loves is to glorify Jesus in them. This is a distinctively Christian foundational truth to be applied often, everyday of our lives.

John 11:3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." Mary and Martha knew Jesus loved Lazarus and would want to know of his illness, so they sent word to Him. Makes me wonder if others can see Jesus' love for someone through me. I don't think Jesus' concern was to be seen to love. His love was as steady, constant, and genuine as His Father's. He lived to love and it was obvious to the sisters. So they thought Jesus would want to know that Lazarus was sick. May God's love be obvious in us today.

John 11:2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. This event isn't covered by John until the next chapter, but it indicates how impressed John was with her extravagant love for Jesus. He wants us to be impressed as well with her reverence for Him. Maybe it's to show us something about Jesus' love for His Father as it relates to His love for Mary. We are often faced with pressure to please someone who is special to us more than pleasing Jesus. If we are going to live to love with Jesus, we need the lesson the Holy Spirit through John is to teach us about Jesus. Stay tuned.

John 11:1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. As I think about Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, I'm reminded of dear friends that God has given to us as gifts of His love. The Father gave them to Jesus so He and Jesus could love them. Who has God put in your life as special, dear friends that He wants to love with you? The idea comes to write a note of appreciation to them for being special friends. Love them with Jesus today.

John 10:33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.” If it had been anyone else, they would have been right in their assessment. Even today, there are blasphemers who make themselves out to be God. By the way, be on the alert for the lie that suggests that we are all one with God because we are part of His creation. Jesus wasn't making Himself out to be God, He is God. For Jesus to say that He was one with the Father and that His works are the works of the Father, distinguished Him from everyone else. I wonder what people think when we say that we are one with God and the works that we do are the works of Jesus. Let's be clear in our testimony that we are not saying we are gods or are equal with God. However, we can say with humility and amazement, “We are united with Jesus and He lives, works, and loves through us for His glory.

John 10:32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” Jesus showed them the works of the Father. Works of healing on the Sabbath. The Jews couldn't accept that the works of Jesus were the works of God, His Father, so they considered Him a sinner and an imposter. Does anyone see the disconnect? The disconnect was that they didn't know God. If they had known God, they would have recognized the merciful and gracious works of Christ as the works of God. In the Law, Exodus 34:6, God proclaimed His name, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” Look how patient and kind Jesus was to direct their attention to His good works. That's probably a good thing for us to do also. As we love with Jesus, let's do His works (love) and give Him glory as Jesus gave His Father glory.

John 10:31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Did you notice the word “again.” After Jesus had said that He was the Light of the world and the Light of life, He said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” In John 8:59, it says they picked up stones to throw at Him, but He hid Himself. Twice Jesus spoke plainly that He was the Son of God and was God in the flesh, and twice they took up stones to kill Him. It was the same evil spirit that rose up in Cain, a spirit of bitter jealousy and selfish ambition. When bitter jealousy and selfish ambition are at work, a person is ready and willing to do harm to others. They wanted to kill Jesus because they didn't like His truth. If His truth was truth, then “their truth” was a lie. My friends, we are watching the same spirit at work today. For those who think life is about being happy, significant, and being your best “you”, anyone living to love with Jesus is a threat to their living to love themselves. They will pick up stones to kill you. They are doing the work of their father who hates the work of God, the Father, revealed in His Son in us. But let's not let that stop us from living to love with Jesus. Let's love them with His love for His glory.

John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.” “Snatch them out of My hand,” said Jesus, and "…snatch them out of the Father's hand.” Jesus told them plainly that He was the Christ—just like they asked Him in vs. 24. Jesus wasn't a good man showing all mankind how to be your best you. He wasn't a mere mortal who for a time had the spirit of the Christ upon him. He was the Christ in flesh. He was God the Father's hand in this world. He was perfectly united with His Father. To see Jesus was to see the Father (John 14:9). To know the Father, and the one whom He sent, Jesus Christ, is to know and have eternal life. For the Jews, He was saying the truth. “When you look at Me, you are looking at God, the Father.” Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will, toward those with whom He is well-pleased. Jesus is Immanuel.

John 10:28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. Don't you love this verse?! Jesus is the giver of eternal life and every single sheep will be safely drawn into the fold—not one will be lost. What a comfort it is to be in the hand of Jesus Christ! How do we know if we are in His hand? We hear His voice and follow Him. We do not follow the voice of another shepherd. There are some sheep who are not of Jesus' flock, who for a time, mix and mingle amongst the sheep of His flock while they are out in pasture. But they will never get into His fold because they are not His. Living to love with Jesus is the primary characteristic of Jesus' sheep. It is God's way of keeping His sheep in Jesus' hand. Living to love with Jesus is the heartbeat of all sheep who have eternal life. They will never perish.

John 10:29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." Jesus' sheep are given to Him by His Father. He is greater—more powerful—than any one who would like to snatch His sheep out of His hand. His sheep can't be snatched out of His hand because not only are the sheep in Jesus' hand, they are in the almighty, all-powerful Father's hand. Our security isn't based on what we do or don't do. Our salvation isn't based upon our good works. We are saved and have eternal life because of the Father's sustained will toward our highest good, even if it cost the Shepherd's life. He created us in Christ and gave us to Him forever. That's security! However, those who are not His don't need to be snatched out. They aren't in the Father's hand. They do not believe because they are not His sheep. They refuse to listen to His voice because they do not know His voice. We are living through a time in history where it appears that the devil is snatching sheep out of the midst of Jesus' flock. He doesn't have to snatch them, he can just call them. Progressive “Christianity”, which isn't Christian at all, is calling his sheep out from His flock. The apostasy has begun. God is separating the world's sheep from His sheep before He brings them into the fold.

John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; Living to love with Jesus is like being an impersonator who sounds like another. We want to be sure our “voice” is the same as our Shepherd. He will speak through us if we speak with His words and His Spirit in love and care for His sheep. We can trust God to give His sheep ears to hear His voice as He puts them in our paths. May we speak of Him and His love. His sheep are waiting to hear His voice, and they will follow Him to the praise of His glory.

John 10:26 “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. Those who don't believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, the Door, the good Shepherd, the Light of Life, the one who lays down His life for us, don't believe because they are not His sheep. They follow another shepherd, the shepherd of the world. They recognize the voice of their shepherd, Worldly-wiseman, and they believe he is the door to significance, security, acceptance, and self-glory. Unbelief in God and in Christ characterizes all who are not His. You could tell them about Jesus all day long, and they will not have ears to hear. However, we can't tell who are His sheep or who are not His sheep until we love and speak in Jesus' name.

John 11:28 When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, "The Teacher is here and is calling for you." What more needed to be said. She knows she's in right relationship with Jesus. She believes. Apparently her answer was affirmed by Jesus. He sent her to get Mary. Look at Martha's love for Mary. She knows her time with Jesus will be filled with emotion, so secretly informs her of His arrival. I think this is atypical to Martha's personality. Remember, she's the one that interrupts Jesus and without sensitivity to either Mary or Jesus, suggests He ought to make Mary help out in with meal preparations. However, in this instance, Martha shows a loving sensitivity. This a good example to us of living to love with Jesus—think about Jesus and think about others. How do we best facilitate one's relationship with Jesus?

John 10:25. Jesus answered them when they asked Him, "If you're the Christ, tell us plainly," "I told you, and you do not believe the works that I do in my Father's name. These testify of Me." What do these works testify of regarding Jesus? Just to name a few, the miracles testify that God is with Him. They tell us that Jesus's passion is for the name of His Father. They tell us that Jesus is the Christ, God in a body like ours. These testify that Jesus's words are true. As people hear, listen, and follow Him, it testifies that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Those who live to love with Jesus should say the same. We should say, "The works that I do, I do in the name of Jesus Christ. These testify of me that I'm a child of God and that Jesus lives in me." Jesus taught this in John 14:12-14. Let's think about this today: Are all of my works bringing glory to the name of Jesus? Do they accurately testify of who He is, and who I am as His disciple?

John 10:24. The Jews then gathered around Him and were saying to Him, how long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly. Some people want to know who is the Christ. God may put one or more of them in our paths today. How can we tell who they are? Love them for their highest good, which is pointing them to Christ. When possible, make a statement that might beg a question. For instance, if you pray the live to love prayer daily, you could say, "It's nice to meet you. I prayed for you this morning." Then when they look at you with a puzzling inquisitive look, you can share what you prayed. Don't keep them in suspense. Then say, "I prayed for you. I just didn't know your name, but God knew you and he loves you. Do you know Jesus?" Then if there's an opportunity, tell them plainly. Now that's a live to love with Jesus adventure.

John 10:22-23. At that time, the feast of the dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was Winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple and the Portico of Solomon. In 165 BC, when Judah Maccabee recaptured the temple, after it had been desecrated by a Syrian king, he ordered it to be cleansed, a new alter to be built and new holy vessels to be made. After these steps, the temple was rededicated to the Lord. However, unadulterated, undefiled, pure olive oil from the seal of the high priest was needed for the menorah, or the lamp stand, in the temple, which was required to burn throughout the night, every night. Unfortunately, only one flask was found with only enough oil to burn for one day. Yet when the Jews poured in the oil, and lit the menorah, it burned for eight days. Well, of course, eight days is the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of kosher oil for the menorah. It is this miracle that is commemorated during the feast of dedication. It's also called the festival of lights or Hanukkah. Jesus went to the temple to celebrate this wonderful work of God. That's what love for God does. Plus He is the light of the world. Jesus has recaptured our temple that has been defiled and desecrated by the world. Let's celebrate the work of God today that restored His temple so that it could be a holy place of worship to God. We celebrate that by living to love with Jesus.

John 10:21. In verse 20, there were some, many in fact, said, "He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to him?" Then John says, "Others were saying, 'These are not the sayings of one demon possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind can he?'" Although many are afraid of Jesus, there are others who cannot deny what Jesus has done and who He is in spite of what we don't understand about Him, we believe and follow Him. Don't let what we don't know or understand hinder us from responding to what we do see, know, and understand. Jesus is the light of the world, and that light is His love.

Live to Love Scripture Encouragement, John 10.20. John 10:20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” Hm. Why did people listen to Jesus? Let's see. In the last 24 hrs, God testified about Him by healing a lame man and a blind man. He claimed that God was His Father and that He is the Light of life, the door to safety and peace, and the good shepherd. No one ever spoke with authority like Jesus. This being said, there are many people today who will think we are insane to listen to Jesus and love with Him. Let's not be distracted or discouraged. Love on with Him!

Welcome to today's Live to Love Scripture Encouragement. John 10:19 A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. The words of Jesus often cause division. They bring out what's in the hearts of people. If there's a good heart, humility gives Jesus access to their lives. If pride, His words are toxic to them and they find ways to dismiss, change, or censor them. Sometimes, when we love people, we must speak the truth, the words of Jesus (there are times when it's loving to remain silent). But when we speak the truth, we should expect divisions to occur among those who think they know better than Jesus. The divisions are necessary to that we might demonstrate the love of Jesus through patience, forgiveness, empathy, or whatever expression of love He wishes to show for His glory.

John 10:18 “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.” On the front side of the cross, you can see why the Pharisees were constantly scratching their heads as they listened to Jesus. However, from our post-cross perspective, our heads explode with wonder and awe. We know exactly what He was saying. The Father commanded Him to lay down His life and take it up again. So if the Father commanded it, then He has authority to do it. His death won't be because He is a victim of men's hatred and plotting. He put Himself into their hands (probably the very hands of the Pharisees to whom He was talking) to be killed of His own initiative in obedience to His Father. He knew they were trying to kill Him (Jo. 7:19; 8:37, 40). He wanted them to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He and the Father were in complete control. As we live to love with Jesus, let's remember that we are never victims. We are in the hands of our Father, who loves us through our good Shepherd, who is with us. We lay our lives down by confronting sin, speaking the truth, forgiving, and loving those who who hate us and wish us harm.

John 10:17 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again.” Isn't this an amazing revelation? Jesus told the Pharisees why the Father continuously loves Him. It's because He continuously lays down His life (implied for the sheep). “So that” is a purpose clause indicating that He gets His authority to take up His life again because He willingly, obediently, and continuously lays down His life. Resurrection follows death, not only in Jesus' life, but also in ours. Living to love with Jesus is a continuous laying down of our lives willingly and obediently, knowing that God will raise us up with Christ. What humility, surrender, love, and glory are displayed in the life of Jesus, our Savior. Let's remember and be amazed that His humility, surrender, love, and glory live in us.

John 10:16 “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.” Can you see, “What does He mean?” displayed over the faces of the Pharisees? I can't help but think He was referring to the Gentiles—that's all of us who were not born of Jewish descent. We have become one flock with all of the Jews who also heard His voice and followed Him. This “must bring them also” is the only reason Jesus hasn't returned yet. Peter explained Jesus' delay in returning based upon this great truth recorded in 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you (the beloved sheep), not wishing for any (of the beloved sheep) to perish but for all (of the beloved sheep) to come to repentance—and be brought into the fold. There is one sheep that will be the last one who He knows like the Father knows Him, and when that one has been brought into the fold, Jesus will return in glory to gather His flock into the fold. What a day that will be!

John 10:15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” We are known and loved by Jesus as Jesus is known and loved by the Father. We know and love Jesus as Jesus knows and loves the Father. Don't miss this. Jesus is going to unpack this relationship more in John 14. The Father and Son relationship is the pattern and source of the relationship between Jesus and His sheep/disciples/followers. Attitudes of trust and surrender permeate both relationships. This begs the question: Would God see these attitudes of trust and surrender permeating our lives and our relationship with Him? Love flows where trust grows, and it looks like surrender (laying down our lives). Jesus knows us like the Father knows Him. Out of that love relationship (of trust and surrender) between the Father and Son, flows our salvation and our lives, for our lives are hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).

John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,” Jesus repeated His claim to be the good shepherd. He certainly didn't want them to miss what He is. How comforting it is to know that He knows His own. He knows everything about us individually as well as collectively. And we each know Him. We know His voice. We know when He is near. We know that He loves us and will not let the wolf (sin) get us. This highlights two characteristics of both Jesus and His own. Of Jesus: He longs to know us and to be known by us. Of us: We know we are His and we know who He is (God's Son), what He is to us (our Door and Shepherd), and what He does for us (saves us from sin). The man who had received sight was the subject in view. He no longer was blindly following the Pharisees who were also blind, hired hands, and thieves and robbers, but he knew He belonged to Jesus, knew His voice, and was following Him. We praise and thank You, Jesus, for knowing us and enabling us to know You.

John 10:13 “He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.” The hired hand is only concerned about his or her pay and personal safety, not the sheep. He or she cares only about the sheep to the degree that it results in reward, whether money or significance. Just like Jesus is the door and the shepherd, the Pharisees were the thieves and robbers and the hired hands. As we live to love with Jesus, let's continually search our hearts and sanctify ourselves by dying to a desire to get a reward for loving others. As good shepherds, let's lay our lives down willingly and lovingly for the sake of His sheep.

John 10:12 “He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.” A new character enters the story. The hired hand. He's not the thief or the robber. He has no ownership of the sheep and therefore won't lay down his life for the sheep. When the wolf comes, he runs, which leaves the wolf free to snatch at will and scatter the sheep. So it is in churches where there are no shepherds, but the leaders are in it for themselves. They are afraid to love the sheep and confront the wolf. Who is the hired hand? The leader for hire. Who is the wolf? The devil and sin. Jesus came to face the wolf head on and lay down His life in order to save the sheep. That's what love looks like. Have you put yourself into the hands of a hired hand (someone on earth that you pay with money or praise as your counselor/guide/shepherd) or have you given yourself to the good Shepherd? Be careful, there are many hired hands on the internet and social media.

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” Jesus is the Door and the good Shepherd in Jesus' parable. He's a good shepherd because He will do whatever it costs to save His sheep—even to laying down His life. He is prophesying what He will do to save us and give us abundant life. God's love: the sustained direction of the will (He lays) toward the highest good (salvation) of others (the sheep) no matter what the cost (His life). What a good shepherd we have! We are His sheep. We are saved! We are loved! Jesus, You are good indeed!

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” If the voice isn't that of Jesus, then loss, death, and destruction come upon those who follow the thief. Jesus came so the sheep may have abundant life. Why didn't Jesus just say, “Hey, guys, follow Me and leave everything else behind”? I think it's because He was jealous for the work of the Spirit. He simply and clearly stated who He is, who He came for, and why He came. Then He trusted the Father to work through the Spirit and open their ears and eyes to see and follow. That's love for God and love for men being expressed. This helps us know what to do as we love those God puts in our paths who don't know Jesus. Who is Jesus? He is the Door to God's house. Who did He come for? He came for anyone who will hear, believe, and enter. Why did He come? He came t0o save us by leading us out of death into abundant life. Thank you, Jesus!

John 10:9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Jesus spoke lovingly and clearly. He is the door through whom anyone may be saved and find satisfaction for the hunger of the soul. Such a simple gospel! When I read this, I leave this world behind and run into Jesus. He is my door, my salvation, my pasture. My soul runs to You, Jesus. I want to be in You, rest in You, and be satisfied in You so that You may be glorified. Thank You for enduring with me until my deaf ears were opened and my blind eyes received sight. I love You, enjoy You, am filled with You. Amen.

Live to Love Scripture Encouragement John 10.8 by Norm Wakefield

Live to Love Scripture Encouragement John 10.7 by Norm Wakefield