Welcome to Day 28. We believe in a “Priesthood of All Believers!” Therefore, I want more than anything for our church to draw near to Him. Because as we abide in Him He will abide with us. But I also want our church to learn that they have the gift of the Holy Spirit. And if He abides in you He can give you revelations about His word that could bless others! A degree can give you more tools to understand His word, but you don’t need a degree to receive His Spirit. His Spirit is given freely to anyone who Believes! Some Repent and Believe. You are a Son and Daughter of the King.
Find your place and welcome Him with me as we spend the next 10-15 minutes in prayer and study.
Choose an ordinary place to become a sacred-ordinary holy ground. This could be your favorite chair, the back porch steps, or a coffee shop.
- Set aside anything that could distract you for the next 10-15 minutes. If you are using your phone or laptop for these devotionals put it on do not disturb. If you are using a printout, set aside your phone or smartwatch. This time is intentionally meant to be with The King.
- I suggest picking up a journal so that you can jot down some ideas that stick out to you from your time with Jesus. As you continue to meditate on it throughout your day, write it down.
- Pick a consistent time. For you, it may be the final moments in your day, early in the morning before anyone wakes up, or your daily office lunch break. When doesn’t matter as much as being consistent.
I pray that during this time of meditation, reflection, and prayer God will reveal himself to us so we can draw near to him. Shall we begin?
August 31 John 7:1-18
Let’s Begin with Prayer. Pick a posture whether kneeling, sitting, or sitting up straight with the palms of your hands facing upward.
- In this season of prayer, ask God to open your eyes and heart to someone who can use the gospel today. Give him permission to use you. Then email me what He does! So others can read and be blessed. It doesn’t have to be grand or small. Most miracles happen in the mundane.
- Read John 7:1-18 Write some of your thoughts down. Here are some questions to consider to help navigate your time studying scripture.
- Where did I feel resistance? Where did I feel delight? What portion of scripture did I experience God’s nearness?
Some Thoughts I Like To Share,
Today read what Jeffery was revealed. He says, “The first was that Jesus Christ was trying to be intimately, yet widely, recognized by the public — as their Savior! His brothers had the wrong idea of what they saw Him doing. They may have thought He was just trying to boost His fame for vanity or become a celebrity in our terms. They may have had the best of intentions for giving marketing advice to Jesus. However, the goals were different. Jesus wanted lots of deep, “heart-choice” followers; His brothers thought He wanted popularity. The lesson from this truth is that, as we grow as a church, may we never pursue great numbers (money, people, etc.) or great influence at the expense of the depth and quality of conversion Christ seeks. Remember, “humble yourselves under the might hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” applies to us individually and as a congregation. Contrary to His brother’s logic (vs. 4), He DID do things in secret (prayer, fasting, simple living, etc.) to align Himself with Abba and to cause Him to become popular for the right reasons. Love, Jeff McCormick
Jeff, I had some other things I wanted to add but truly that was so much better than anything I could write! I love how the Spirit revealed to you that they wanted to boost His fame for vanity! But you are right, God is not looking for good marketing advice. He easily could have used the excitement to boost His popularity. But He wants hearts transformed. Imagine if the disciples were exposed to that type of exposure. They would have crumbled to the pressure and compromised heavily on their faith in Jesus. Jesus is wise to see that there are moments to reveal himself to the public and moments to retreat. Not just for His own mental state but for those whom He is discipling as well. I think of how God might be causing someone to stay in obscurity a little longer. Not because He is mad at them, but because He knows they aren’t ready for it. But He will prepare you in the process.
Also, I would like to share with you what Angel said as well. She writes, “You’re really good at making us answer the ones I’m hoping you’ll talk about…😅 For me, this draws a similar picture in comparison to what we processed on Day 25, but there are a few nuances that make this dialogue more pleasant to me. These guys are Jesus’s brothers, or at least half brothers. They didn’t believe in Jesus’s purpose either even though they watched Him grow up and embrace this calling. This shows the importance of Jesus revealing things to us through the Holy Spirit. However, Jesus doesn’t give them the “harsh” invitation that He gave those other people who were following Him. He tells them the fact that He’s not really being liked and it’s not time yet for Him to go through dealing with that much popularity and closes the discussion. Really simple. Jesus knows that the popular Jewish understanding of the Messiah is what His brothers are suggesting to achieve. His brothers aren’t trying to set Him up for failure. This is a suggestion on how to do it “right” in their opinion. Not everyone who disagrees with how you do ministry is out to harm your ministry or make you look bad. Sometimes, it just takes more proof for them to shake out of a very cemented mindset. The timing of the King is perfect. Sincerely-Angel.
Angel, as I was reading what God spoke to you, I thought of something else as well. How is it that those closest to Jesus from the moment of His birth didn’t see Him for who He truly was?! In order for us to see Jesus for who He really is, we do need the Spirit! For only He can open our eyes to Jesus’ true Divinity and purpose for us and the world. Therefore Angel I will pray for the rest of the 30 days for God to send a double portion of His Spirit to us and the church so our eyes can be open to His Will and purpose.
For the next portion of Scripture, share with me what God has revealed to you in your time with him.
Here is my email: equinones@okadventist.org
