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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Subjecta:Children of Abraham [3] Bible Verse:John 8:48-59 "The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. " Message:
Jesus has now, obviously, pushed the group of Jews past their boiling point. When he says that those who keep his word will never die, they become infuriated, because he has placed himself above the great figures of Judaism: Abraham and the prophets. Christ refuses, however, to say outright that he is greater than Abraham. When asked, he declines to answer, saying that “if I glorify myself, my glory is nothing.” In other words, he is refusing to brag.
Give us Barabbas
Many Christians get confused about the divinity of Jesus during His life. They believe that Christ is God, and therefore attribute full divinity to the human Jesus; but this is incorrect. (See Philippians 2:6-8.) Jesus was the Son of God; he prayed to God the Father, and he repeatedly stated that he did not do his own will, but the will of the Father. This is critical to understanding Jesus’ perfect faith. He died, not knowing that he would be resurrected, but having absolute faith that he would be resurrected.
Understanding his humanity allows us to understand the meaning and implications of his teaching: “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me . . . .”
But he does lay claim to divinity, in the past and the future. When he says “before Abraham was, I am,” it is too much; the group picks up stones to kill him. It is not simply that Jesus says he lived before Abraham. He doesn’t say that before Abraham was, “I was.” Instead he says before Abraham was, “I am.”
This is tantamount to saying “I was God before Abraham was born,” because “I AM” is how God the Father famously answered Moses’ questions about his name (Exodus 3:14). It is called Jehovah in the King James Bible, or “Yahweh” or “YHWH”, and it means “I am who I am”. The name of God was unspoken by devout Jews—much less attributed to oneself! So when Jesus says, in Greek, simply “I am,” he has, in the eyes of the Jews, committed an unspeakable blasphemy.
Meditation : . Prayer : O Sovereign and almighty Lord, bless all your people, and all your flock. Give your peace, your help, and your love unto us your servants, the sheep of your fold, that we may be united in the bond of peace and love, one body and one spirit, in one hope of our calling, in your divine and boundless love.....Amen |
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