April 17 Bible Reading: John 16:12-15 John 16:14, “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” “He shall glorify me.” These four words speak to the primary purpose and intent of the person of the Holy Spirit in this age.  His ministry is to glorify Jesus Christ.  Charles Spurgeon put it this way: “It is the chief office of the Holy Spirit to glorify Christ.  He does many things, but this is what he aims at in all of them, to glorify Christ.” The term translated “glorify,” means “to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manife ..read more

April 16 Bible Reading: John 16:8-11 John 16:8-11, “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” It was the summer of 2016 when my wife, Laura, began to experience back pain.  As is typical in such cases, the physician prescribed physical therapy.  Though she dutifully attended the recommended exercises, things got worse instead of better ..read more

April 15 Bible Reading: John 16:1-7 John 16:7, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” Advantageous (adjective): “involving or creating favorable circumstances that increase the chances of success or effectiveness; beneficial.” Imagine the shock of the disciples when they heard from Jesus that His departure would be advantageous for them!  How would His leaving be in any way beneficial?  They had been blessed by His presence and experienced many amazing ..read more

April 12 Bible Reading: John 15:26-27 John 15:26, “But when the Spirit comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.  And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” It was a “by the Spirit” work when you trusted in Jesus for salvation.  You were convicted “by the Spirit” of your sins.  Someone was led “by the Spirit” to share the truth with you.  “By the Spirit” your eyes were opened to the glory of Jesus.  That is the way it works. “I will build My c ..read more

April 11 Bible Reading: John 15:18-25 John 15:20, “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” Their only crime?  They were Christians telling others about Jesus.  A group of Hindus gathered to teach them a lesson.  They stripped the husband and wife of all their clothing, then they compelled the husband to carry his wife, piggie-back style, down a path.  Along the way, the tormentors goaded the couple with sticks and shouted derogator ..read more

April 10 Bible Reading: John 15:12-17 John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Ernest Gordon was one of many British soldiers captured by the Japanese in the battle for Singapore in WW2.  Ultimately, he and thousands of other captives ended up being taken to Banpong, Thailand.  The Japanese forced the prisoners into hard—sunrise to sunset—labor in building a 258-mile railway to further their war effort.  Severely mistreated, many prisoners died due to torture, beatings, and disease. Gordon was not a Christian, but during hi ..read more

April 9 Bible Reading: John 15:6-11 John 15:8, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” April 9th, 2024.  My Dad is 93 years old today!  He’s doing well at 93.  Until recently, he was bowling in a league.  He still grows a garden every year.  And he takes care of a small orchard of fruit trees.  He sprays his trees and prunes them and waits expectedly every year for harvest time.  One year, his fig tree was so productive that he invited neighbors to come pick some and even set some fruit out by the sidewalk f ..read more

April 8 Bible Reading: John 15:1-5 John 15:5, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” We’ve a KitchenAid mixer in the kitchen.  Though I’ve never used it, I know it can do lots of things like mixing, kneading, shredding, whipping, etc.  I also know that it will do none of those things unless it’s plugged into an electrical outlet.  Likewise, it is impossible to bear fruit without being well connected to Jesus. Some wrongly imagine the Christian life to be some kind of religious endeavor in which we try hard in our own strength to “do our best for God,” but that’s not the way it work ..read more

April 5 Bible Reading: John 14:28-31 John 14:30, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me.” Superman’s exploits are legendary.  He is: “Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.” There is seemingly nothing that Superman can’t do!  But Superman is vulnerable.  Expose him to Kryptonite, and Superman will quickly lose his superpowers. Sin is man’s kryptonite.  It is the chief tool in the Adversary’s arsenal whereby he works his murderous plots.  S ..read more

April 4 Bible Reading: John 14:27 John 14:27, “Peace 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.” “Long ago, a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally, the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered. Only two pictures rem ..read more