John 18:3So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. What in the world is Judas doing? Earlier that evening Jesus was washing his feet. And now he is using those feet to lead an army against his friend. All for what? 30 pieces of silver. Beware of the love of money! It’ll take you to leng...  Read More

John 17:11Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. Jesus prays for us that we would be one, just as the Father, Son and Spirit are one. We call this phenomenon the Trinity—a divine diversity found in unity. And if you were to take a peek inside the Trinity, do you know what you would see? You would see a harmonious, giving, and non-com...  Read More

John 16:7It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. Imagine if you were on a football team, and your beloved and trusty quarterback has been taken out of the game for the “benefit of the team.” You are in the red zone and the coach suddenly pulls QB1 because he knows that QB2 is best equipped to finish the game. It was a part of the game plan ...  Read More

John 15:5Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. If you want to be a fruitful Christian the gardener will undoubtedly bring pain. It might be the pain of pruning, it might even be the pain of removal, but it comes to make the tree better. This is called addition by subtraction. If you want more tomorro...  Read More

John 14:27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Peace is a lot like oxygen. We have to have it, but we do nothing to make it. It’s made available to us and we breathe it in. The peace of Jesus is similar. We can’t manufacture it, but, as you can see in verse 27, it’s made available to us...  Read More

John 13:5He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. This is amazing. Jesus is literally minutes from being arrested and hauled off to a mock trial, and he’s washing his disciples’ feet. Now that’s dedication. He knew his disciples would forsake him. He knew one of them would even betray him. Yet there he is washin...  Read More

John 12:24Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. The principles of Jesus are often counterintuitive—You want to live? Die.You want to win? Lose.You want to receive? Give.You want to rise? Sink.You want to be great? Be small.You want to be first? Be last.You want to be strong? Be weak.You want to be wise? Be my fool.You want to ...  Read More

John 11:6When he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Seems kind of strange. If anybody could help, he could. It's like calling 911, and them saying, “Okay, we'll get back to you in a couple of days.” Jesus didn't turn on the sirens. He didn't even get in the car. He stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Why? Our answer is found back in verse...  Read More

John 10:33It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God. Here’s the stone upon which many stumble. Islam says, he's not God, he's only a Prophet. Hinduism says, he's not God, he's only a guru. Judaism says, he is not God, he's only a false Messiah. Buddhism says, he is not God, he's only an enlightened man. Jehovah Witness s...  Read More

John 9:3It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We may never know the cause of a misfortune, but we know from verse 3 the reason. Something good can come from your misfortune. The darker the room, the brighter the light. The tougher the situation, the better the solution. The more lost the cause, the more stunning the salvation. Misfort...  Read More

John 8:11Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. This woman got off scot-free! Doesn’t that allow people just to think they can go out and commit immorality and there will be no consequences? If it worked for her, it’ll work for me, right? But I don’t think we need to be afraid of that. Here’s the reason—undeserved blessing motivates unexpected behavior. I wish we could see what her life loo...  Read More

John 7:6My time has not yet come. I love the confidence of Jesus. Here his brothers were trying to egg him on. But Jesus stayed in the moment. He didn’t allow ambition to call him forward and he didn’t let fear hold him back. He trusted in the perfect timing of the Father. And the door into this same kind of confidence is Jesus. Oh, to dwell in Jesus, the supremely confident One. Where there is no...  Read More