Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+008

 
Deuteronomy 8 (ESV)

10 And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, 12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15 who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. 17 Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ 18 You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

 

REFLECTION:

• Deuteronomy astutely warns its readers to beware of the complacency of success (or its appearance). God blesses us and we stop praying or caring about our relationship with God.  “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth” (v17).  So speaks the doomed arrogance of those who mistake their own resources for the blessing of God.  We become self-sufficient.  When life goes well, we forget God because we think we don’t need Him.
• However, life is such that it isn’t too long before our complacency lands us in trouble and we desperately seek God again. In today’s society, self-reliance is considered a virtue.  Not so in the Bible, where the emphasis is on community in dependence upon God.

 

PRAYER: 

Merciful Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me a peaceful life! My possessions are not lacking, and my path is smooth and stable. Please make me humble and not let the current comfort blind the eyes of my soul, thinking that all of this is a matter of course, something I have earned on my own. Father, without Your grace and love, how could I have peace? My life breath is given by You, not to mention all the things outside of my body. Please teach me how to fear You, to understand that the rewards are from You and what I receive is also from You. You have counted every hair on my head and every day of my life. Without Your protection, I cannot survive even for a moment. Father, please keep falsehood and lies far from me, help me to be honest and sincere every day. Please do not make me too poor or too rich; give me the daily food and drink I need so that I am not full and deny You or become poor and steal, and thus dishonor Your name. Please make me remember those who lack while I am full, and not forget those who are in need while I am at ease. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Christ In Me – www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgGP3g1rjA8

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+007

 
Deuteronomy 7 (ESV)

17 “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ 18 you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, 19 the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So will the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 20 Moreover, the Lord your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed. 21 You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God. 22 The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you. 23 But the Lord your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed. 24 And he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. 25 The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. 26 And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.

 

REFLECTION:

• “Your God will give them over to you.”  The people of Israel are about to enter the land and go to war against its inhabitants.  They will win great battles, but when they do, they must realize that the victory is won not by their power, but because God goes before them.  They need to respond by worshiping the Lord alone and not idols.
• God commanded them to burn up idol images, and do not covet the silver and gold on them to prevent from being ensnared by it.  Today we have the tendency to think that things such as money and political power are the key to success, but the Bible requires us to think otherwise.  Whatever successes the idols of money and power bring are short lived and unimportant in eternity.

 

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, You are a God who hates evil and detests all idols. I pray that You would destroy the idols in my heart and use Your Holy Spirit to refine me, so that I can stand before You and not be trapped by the devil’s snares. My eyes have seen the emptiness and vanity of the world, and both money and power can lead me to destruction. Knowledge and education only make me proud and arrogant. No matter how successful I am in this world, it has no value in eternity. However, even though my eyes have seen the truth, my heart is still reluctant to accept it, and I secretly continue to set up idols for myself. In myself, I deeply feel the deceitfulness of the human heart and the corruption of human nature. I pray that You would have mercy on my weakness and forgive my sins. When I face internal struggles, I ask that You give me a humble heart and a spirit of obedience to follow Your ways. When facing external challenges, remind me not to be afraid, and let me remember all the miracles that I have heard and seen You perform. Let me rely on Your mighty hand and outstretched arm, and believe that You will overcome all difficulties and challenges for me. Please be with me, walk with me. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Battle Belongs – youtu.be/johgSkNj3-A

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+006

 
Deuteronomy 6 (ESV)

1 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

 

REFLECTION:

• “Hear, O Israel”. Thus begins the Shema, an assertion of passionate and exclusive commitment to believe and obey the Lord.  In Jesus’ time, every good Jew would recite it as soon as he woke up in the morning and right before he went to bed at night.  The Shema is a confession of the heart of Israelite faith and is repeated by Jesus, who calls this “the greatest and first commandment”, to be followed by the second, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Matt 22:34-40).  Our faith today begins with our response to the love of God, which elicits our love of others.
• If I were to write a mission statement for my life, what would it be? Would it be the Great Commandment or some lesser commandment, or would it even be a commandment at all?
• What if the Great Commandment were the mission for my work? How would that change my attitude toward my work and toward the people you work with?  What if the Great Commandment were the mission statement for my family?  How would that change my attitude toward my loved ones?  How would it change how I speak to them and how I treat them?

 

PRAYER:

Merciful Heavenly Father, today the precious scripture reminds me of “Shema” again, so I understand that You are the one and only true God in heaven and on earth. I should love You with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength, and I should firmly remember Your words in my heart. My children and I should work hard to follow Your commandments. My Lord Jesus Christ also told me that this is the greatest of all commandments, that I should love You, and love others as myself. Heavenly Father, please let me understand the deep meaning of “Shema” and let me see Your love and power through it, understand that I was created by You to obey Your will and manifest Your glory in this world, and to obtain blessing in Your eternal kingdom. This is the whole meaning of my life, and nothing else. Heavenly Father, please give me a mission statement that matches the calling I have received. Please help me to love You with all my strength, all my heart, and to fervently love You. Please make me completely Yours, and learn to love others as You have loved me in this worldly and transient world, so that more people who do not know You can return to Your arms from singing and feasting, and from anxiety and confusion. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Love the Lord – youtu.be/EAbeFfsqLdc

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+005

 

Deuteronomy 5 (ESV)

1 And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. 3 Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. 4 The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, 5 while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said:…

28 “And the Lord heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. 29 Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever! 30 Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.” 31 But you, stand here by me, and I will tell you the whole commandment and the statutes and the rules that you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land that I am giving them to possess.’ 32 You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.

 

REFLECTION:

• “Hear…learn…follow” (v1). Each of these words is found in Moses’ first words to the assembled Israelites.  The Ten Commandments state fundamental principles which are to be applied in our relationship with God and with others.
• It’s important not to confuse loving God and others only with our emotional state. Love is a choice, a commitment, an act of the will.  The person who loves God will hear God’s Word, study to understand what that Word means, and then carefully apply it in daily life.
• Sometimes we act as if the moral standards revealed in the Ten Commandments are arbitrary and restrictive. We resent the “You shall nots” of Scripture, as if these were intended to spoil mankind’s fun and make human life as miserable as possible.
• But God’s laws are actually intended for our benefit, that we might live or live to the fullest of God’s intention and desire for us. There is a special urgency in Moses’ call to Israel to obey God.  Israel enjoyed a covenant relationship with God.  In this relationship God was committed not only to bless obedience, but also to punish disobedience.

 

PRAYER:

Father in heaven, I desire to listen, learn, and obey Your word. Please help me to have a reverent heart and to always follow Your commandments, so that both myself and my descendants may be blessed forever. Your commandments, statutes, and ordinances are simple and clear, written in every stroke of the Bible. However, I lack the perseverance to listen and learn, and I lack the courage and strength to obey. Father, I am a stubborn child of Yours, but I have a heart that loves You. I know Your grace is sufficient for me, and Your love, righteousness, and power are my fortress and shield. Please have mercy on my weakness, strengthen my power, and strengthen my faith. Write Your commandments, statutes, and ordinances on my heart, so that I may diligently and steadfastly learn and follow Your ways, and cultivate noble character and a beautiful life. Give me courage and purity so that I may be strong and brave before the world’s mockery and condemnation of Your ways, and that I may use words and actions of light, holiness, kindness, and wisdom to be a good witness for You. Amen!

 

HYMN:

You are Holy (Prince of Peace) – youtu.be/QsYyuK1w3q0

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+004

 
Deuteronomy 4 (ESV)

1 “And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal-peor, for the Lord your God destroyed from among you all the men who followed the Baal of Peor. 4 But you who held fast to the Lord your God are all alive today. 5 See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 6 Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8 And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?

 

REFLECTION:

• The vast bulk of Deuteronomy records God’s will for His people in the form of the Law. Before the Law is given, Moses warns Israel not to add or take away from the Law.  The latter we do by simply disobeying the Law, while the former is a more subtle problem because we can do it with the best intentions.  We don’t want to offend God by having premarital sex, so we prohibit dancing.  We don’t want to transgress by getting drunk, so we ban drinking.  We don’t want to take God’s name in vain, so we never speak God’s name.  Such fencing of the law with legalism is as offensive to God as breaking it.  In Mark 7:9-13, Jesus criticises the Pharisees for adding to the Law in such a way that they could get out of honouring their parents.
• When is it hardest for me to give God’s Word its due place in my life? What needs to happen this week to make sure God’s Word receives the proper emphasis in my life?
• Recall a specific time when God’s Word brought clarity and guidance to my life. What happened?  How did Scripture fill your ache for God?

 

PRAYER:

Father in Heaven, may I obey Your statutes and regulations and be careful to follow them; for this is my wisdom and understanding before others in this world. There are all kinds of worldly wisdom that seem reasonable and beneficial in the moment, and so I often pursue such “wisdom” and forget Your statutes and regulations, even thinking of them as foolishness. Thank You, Heavenly Father, for teaching me today to listen and obey Your statutes and regulations, so that I may live and inherit the heavenly reward You have prepared for me. I understand in my heart that the wisdom of this world is only human cunning and deceit, and can only provide temporary physical benefits, leading ultimately to destruction. I also know that Your ways are higher than my ways, and Your wisdom is deeper than the wisdom of this world. However, despite this understanding, I often find it difficult to follow Your ways, because I am both prideful and weak, and my mind often generates “smart” ideas that focus on self. My vision is limited and short-sighted, and I cannot see the glory of Your kingdom. Father in Heaven, I pray for Your mercy and for more humility, and ask that You would open my spiritual eyes, so that I may follow all of Your teachings without adding or subtracting anything from them. Amen!

 

HYMN:

Ancient Words – youtu.be/3vmTkXNpwzs

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+003

 
Deuteronomy 3 (ESV)

21 And I commanded Joshua at that time, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. So will the Lord do to all the kingdoms into which you are crossing. 22 You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.’

23 “And I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, 24 ‘O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours? 25 Please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon.’ 26 But the Lord was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me. And the Lord said to me, ‘Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes westward and northward and southward and eastward, and look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan. 28 But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.’ 29 So we remained in the valley opposite Beth-peor.

 

REFLECTION:

• Moses is honest in reporting his own personal failure to trust God, though he does not go into detail here. The image of Moses pleading with God to be allowed to go over the Jordan and see the Promised Land is touching.  Moses had been a faithful and godly leader.  Yet his one act of disobedience was severely punished.  Why?  Undoubtedly to remind us that no one is immune to divine discipline.  No one can sin safely.
• The aged leader, then some 120 years old, begged to “go over and see the good land”. Instead God led Moses to the top of Mount Pisgah and gave him a glimpse of Canaan.
• The sight from this height across the Jordan is impressive. Rising from the fertile plain is a series of hills that gradually flow into an impressive range of mountains.  The rich colors and shades reflect the complexity of Palestine, with its wide range of climates and soils which make the land capable of growing every kind of crop.  Moses did not “go over” the Jordan.  But he did “see the good land” to which he had successfully led God’s people.

 

PRAYER:

Dear Heavenly Father, today through the experience of Moses, You have reminded me once again how important it is to obey You. Because of one act of disobedience, Moses was unable to enter the Promised Land and could only look from a distance at the goal he had pursued his entire life. Father, in the past when I read this passage, I felt that You were too severe with Moses. Today, I finally understand that Your severity is for our greater benefit. Although Moses did not enter the Promised Land, his mission on earth had been completed, and he has received eternal life. You have prepared something better for him, and he has returned to his heavenly home to be with You. Heavenly Father, I often value earthly blessings more than heavenly ones, and as a result, I disobey You. When You do not answer my prayers, I become disappointed, frustrated, and even angry. Please grant me greater faith and deeper wisdom, so that I may understand that even the best promises on earth are not my ultimate goal. My true home is in heaven. Only then can I obey You as I grow, and grow as I obey You. May You mould my life in this way and continue to guide me on my journey, Amen!

 

HYMN:

Great Is Thy Faithfulness – youtu.be/ErwiBz1QA4o

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+002

 
Deuteronomy 2 (ESV)

1 “Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir. 2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 ‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward 4 and command the people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. 5 Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6 You shall purchase food from them with money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink.

32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz. 33 And the Lord our God gave him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. 34 And we captured all his cities at that time and devoted to destruction every city, men, women, and children. We left no survivors. 35 Only the livestock we took as spoil for ourselves, with the plunder of the cities that we captured. 36 From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The Lord our God gave all into our hands. 37 Only to the land of the sons of Ammon you did not draw near, that is, to all the banks of the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, whatever the Lord our God had forbidden us^.

 

REFLECTION:

• A surface reading of the Old Testament makes one think that God was for Israel and against all the other nations. We forgot that God chose Abraham so he could be a blessing to the nations (Gen 12:1-3).  Although Esau and his descendants were not the conduit through which God would effect His work of redemption, Genesis is careful to inform readers that God cared and made provision for Esau (vv4-6, Gen 36), Ishmael (Gen 21:8-20), and their descendants.
• However, against those that intended to destroy the Israelites, God gave the Israelites military success (v33). Victory comes from the Lord, not from the power of the people.
• Today, God’s people do not engage in military conquests to advance the cause of the Church. However, the New Testament teaches us that we are in the midst of a severe conflict, a spiritual battle, and God still is in the business of giving His people the resources to withstand the onslaught (Eph 6:10-20).

 

PRAYER:

Am I aware of the spiritual warfare I am in?  Am I encountering any attack, temptation, confusion?  How could I have victory?  Ask God to help and give me power.  Remember that God does not allow us to be tested beyond what we can bear (1 Cor. 10:13).

 

HYMN:

Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) – youtu.be/qOkImV2cJDg

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Deuteronomy+001

 

Deuteronomy

The book of Deuteronomy records the great speech Moses gives just before his death. He addresses the generation of Israelites who grew up in the wilderness just as they are preparing to enter the land of Canaan. God wants this Promised Land to show what renewed life under God’s blessing looks like. The book presents the covenant in a form commonly used by rulers of the time to make treaties with those they ruled over. The standard form of these treaties included five elements:

• The great ruler is identified by name and title.
• The history and mighty acts of the great ruler are told.
• The allegiance and specific duties expected of the ruler’s servants are spelled out.
• Blessings for keeping the treaty and curses for breaking it are listed.
• Provisions for continuing the covenant with future generations are laid out.

Deuteronomy follows this pattern very closely. Moses is identified as the representative of the Great King—the God of Israel—whose mighty acts for his people are recalled. Moses reminds them to give exclusive allegiance to their king and lists their duties. He then calls on the people to join in a sacred oath to ratify the covenant. After naming a successor and climbing a mountain to look out over the land, Moses dies. The people of Israel stand on the edge of their inheritance, the promise of a new creation before them.

www.bible.com/zh-TW/bible/111/DEU.INTRO1.NIV

 

Deuteronomy 1 (ESV)

1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. 2 It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea. 3 In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses spoke to the people of Israel according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to them, 4 after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei. 5 Beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to explain this law, saying, 6 “The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. 8 See, I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their offspring after them.’

26 “Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 27 And you murmured in your tents and said, ‘Because the Lord hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where are we going up? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’

 

REFLECTION:

• Moses began his plains-of-Moab sermon by going over what the people had been through during their wilderness wanderings. It wasn’t their enemies, and it wasn’t the forbidding terrain that stretched eleven days of travel into almost forty years of wandering.  It was because they complained against God in their tents (v27).
• God had promised the people that he would take care of them and bring them into the Promised Land. However, faced with visible threats, they immediately lost faith and turned against God.
• What about me? Is my life today also full of obstacles to faith?  Does it often seem as if God isn’t taking good care of me or is in control of my life?  Do I hide myself in tent under dismal conditions, even desperate conditions and grumbled against the Lord?
• Do I hide in the tent and find something to gripe about – the way the wilderness generation did? Or do I find something to be grateful for, giving thanks in all things, the way Paul did (Phil 2:14-15, 1 Thess 5:18, 21)?

 

PRAYER:

Think about my choice, tell God about the obstacles of my faith. Ask for strengthened faith in facing the challenges and difficulties in life.

 

HYMN:

I’ll Fix My Eyes – www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMx7jc1cn_o

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=John+021
 

John 21 English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus and Peter

¹⁵ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” ¹⁶ He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Jesus and the Beloved Apostle

²⁰ Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” ²¹ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” ²² Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” ²³ So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

²⁴ This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

²⁵ Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

 

REFLECTION

• Read over this passage a few times slowly. If time allows, read the whole chapter.
• Read it slowly as if you were Peter and the Lord was asking you three times, “Do you love me?” Follow Peter’s answers and imagine his mood, emotion and thoughts going through his whole person. Repeat it several times paying extra attention to what the Lord is saying to Peter. Is He speaking to you, too?
• Continue to be quiet before the Lord, listen, wait, listen, and wait…..
• If you have heard what the Lord is telling you, thank Him. If you haven’t, thank Him, too. Continue to wait and listen to the whispering voice of the Holy Spirit after this time with God.

 

PRAYER

Dear Lord Jesus, the question and answer between You and Peter seems to be the question and answer between You and me! Lord, You know that I love You, and You still ask me repeatedly, so that I can understand the price I have to pay for loving You. To love You means to please You, to imitate Your sacrificial love. You said that if someone wants to be Your disciple, he must deny himself, take up the cross and follow You. Lord, I am often unwilling to pay the price of this love. I am often willing in my heart but unable to act. I am such a weak person! Please help me, Lord, and give me more courage to love You; please, Lord, to give me wisdom, to make me understand that what You ask me to do in love is not to embarrass me, but to make me grow and receive abundant life. Lord, I would like to receive the abundance of Your life and see the glory of Your kingdom in imitating Your sacrifice. I would like to be a holy lily flower, blooming among the thorn bushes because of Your love, to be a beautiful witness for You. Amen!

 

HYMN

Will You Love Me – youtu.be/0dkrQWGw_LM

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=John+020

 

John 20 English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

¹⁹ On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²² And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Jesus and Thomas

²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

 

REFLECTION

• Read over this passage a few times slowly. If time allows, read the whole chapter.
• Thomas reminds us that skeptic is not rejected by God – that doubts and uncertainty do not disqualify us for a place in God’s kingdom. He also reminds us that Jesus willingly comes to us, to show us His hands and side so that we might believe.
• Read the passage once more. Look around Jesus’ disciples, those believing ones; and then Thomas. Judging from where you actually are in your relationship with Jesus right now, which group will you be in? As you hear Jesus speak to you, respond to Him from your heart. Let Him engage you in conversation.
• Thank God for the faith He has given you no matter if you were a Thomas or like the other disciples.

 

PRAYER

Dear Lord Jesus, how like Thomas I was! I have asked many times about the imprint You left on my life, and said that if I don’t see what You have done, I won’t believe it! People’s hearts are suspicious and deceitful. In fact, sometimes even if I see Your deeds, I just pretend I didn’t see them, and even use various excuses to cover them up. Lord, thank You for not turning away the doubtful. Thank You for reminding me that blessed are those who believe without seeing You. You deeply sympathize with my weakness and encourage me to seek You in faith, I found that my doubts were gradually decreasing, and my faith was gradually increasing. I suddenly understood that only after I grew up, could I see Your mark; only after experiencing setbacks, could I see Your deeds! Lord, thank You! Those who could not see You before have seen You now, all this is Your grace! I beg You to continue to walk with me; I beg Your grace to shine, so that my eyes will be bright and I will not stumble. Amen!

 

HYMN

Help My Unbelief – youtu.be/3TW0kjy9fkc