Day 138 Bible Reading - John 10: 27-29 (ESV)

1  Samuel 1, 1 Samuel 2: 1-26, John 10: 22-42, Psalm 77: 10-20

John 10: 27-29 (ESV)

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”

Verses 27 through 29 from John 10 shows Christ talking about his followers and the promises, blessings, and benefits to anyone who follows him. Christ is a good shepherd, and he knows his sheep. Christ knows us better than we even know ourselves. He cares for us, guides us, and makes sure we live good lives. And through his resurrection, Christ promises us eternal life with him where we will never perish. Christ also promises that we will not be snatched from him. We are safe with Christ, and since Jesus and God are one, we are in hands of the one who created the world.

Christ as the good shepherd is a wonderful metaphor to remember whenever we perhaps think God doesn’t look after us. Christ always look after his sheep, and he sees many things we might not see with out limited point of view. What we may think is the worst thing that has ever happened to us, turns out to be the best thing because God is always guiding us in our life.

Day 137 Bible Reading - Ruth 4: 14-15 (ESV)

Ruth 3 & 4, John 9: 35-41, John 10: 1-21, Psalm 77: 1-9

Ruth 4: 14-15 (ESV)

“Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.”

Verses 14 and 15 from Ruth 4 show us that even though Naomi doubted God because her husband and her two sons died, in the end God blessed Naomi whose descendant will become King David. God not only restored her family line, but Ruth’s son will continue the line that line with King David and Jesus Christ. God used Naomi and Ruth to redeem not only Naomi and Ruth, but her people and the world as well with the birth of Jesus Christ. God always has a plan for our lives, even though it can sometimes feel like we are not blessed at all. It might take awhile to see God’s plan, but if we keep our faith in God we will eventually come to know that God’s plan was the best thing that happened in our life.

Day 136 Bible Reading - John 9: 1-3 (ESV)

Ruth 1 & 2, John 9: 1-34, Psalm 76

John 9: 1-3 (ESV)

” As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

Verses 1 through 3 from John 9 shows us how Jesus views bad events that happen in our lives. Christ says God uses these events to do his work and further his plan on earth. We must always view what can seem like bad events to have a purpose in God’s plan. We might not know what the plan is right away, and it could take years for us to even glean what the purpose was for the event. But we need to have faith in God that this bad event will be used in some way to further this plan. I think if we can hold a positive or perhaps a neutral view of the event, then we will be able to see how God uses the event.

I know for myself that if I look back at how I got to a particularly good place in my life, I can sometimes trace it back to an event that seemed at first to be not very good in my life. If I look at the events that happened after that particular not so great event, I can see in retrospect that it did lead on a certain trajectory and that path turned out to be a fulfilling path for my life. Did I have this thought at the time? No way! But I remember trying to keep at least a neutral attitude towards the event and saying to myself, “this might be the best thing that ever happened to me.” I didn’t say it was going to be the best thing, but I said “it might be the best thing”. And I was right although it took many years to see it that way. What I try to say now whenever a perceived “bad event” happens to me is, “this event may be something that God will use to further his plan for my life.”

Day 135 Bible Reading - John 8: 31-32 (ESV)

Judges 20 & 21, John 8: 31-59, Psalm 75

John 8: 31-32 (ESV)

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Verses 31 through 32 from John 8 are prophetic words from Christ for Christians today. Jesus knew after his death that his words and what he said would be written down, so this was his recommendation for those who believe in him. If we abide, with abide meaning if we know what Jesus said and taught, if we knew it enough to be familiar with it, if we lived as Jesus taught his disciples to live, we will know truth. And in knowing the truth from Christ, we will be set free.

We must know the Bible, become familiar with it, and live our lives from the truth in the Bible. The Bible contains many truths and these truths will show us how to live, tell us about our world, the truth of our world. And this knowledge will set us free from the world, from sin, so we are not bound by the world or by sin, but by the words in the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ.