Day 144 Bible Reading - John 14: 26 (ESV)

1 Samuel 14: 24-52, 1 Samuel 15, John 14, Psalm 78: 56-72

John 14: 26 (ESV)

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Verse 26 from John 14 shows Jesus talking about the Holy Spirit, the Helper. I became more aware of the Holy Spirit after a sermon given by my pastor last year about its role in the life of a follower of Christ. I always knew about the Holy Spirit, but it wasn’t something I had a relationship with as a Christian. I can happily say now that I’ve developed a relationship with the Holy Spirit and rely on it more now for guidance and help.

This verse is one of many regarding the Holy Spirit, and for more information I would look up all the verses using a Bible concordance. The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity along with God and Jesus Christ, and to use and become familiar with all parts of the Trinity is something every Christian needs to do to understand the role of God in their lives.

Day 143 Bible Reading - 1 Samuel 13: 13-14 (ESV)

1 Samuel 12-13, 1 Samuel 14: 1-23, John 13: 18-38, Psalm 78: 40-55

1 Samuel 13: 13-14 (ESV)

“And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

Verses 13 and 14 from 1 Samuel 13 shows Samuel proclaiming God’s judgement over Saul. Saul did not obey God because he was more interested in pleasing himself, his image, and his prestige. Saul did not want to please God because he loved God. Saul wanted to do his will and not God’s will.

I think these verses show that God wants us obey him for the right reasons, not because obeying God will make us great or that God will give us great things and perform miracles in our lives. God wants us to obey him because of our love for him, and because we want to do his will in the world.

For myself, it’s hard to know sometimes if I am choosing to obey God because I know that obeying God will brings good things into my life or because I really want to do God’s will on earth. I think my ego gets in the way, and I have to stop and constantly ask myself why am I doing the thing I’m doing. Am I doing it because it makes me look good to other people? Because it makes me look spiritual and obedient to God? Or, am I doing this thing because I love God and it makes me feel good to see his will done on earth? I think if we keep constantly ask ourselves these questions, we will discern what our motives are and always make sure we are doing things because we love God and want to do his will on earth.

Day 142 Bible Reading - John 12: 44-46 (ESV)

1 Samuel 10-11, John 12: 27-50, John 13: 1-17

John 12: 44-46 (ESV)

“And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.”

I love verses 44 through 46 from John 12 where Jesus talks about his unity with God the father. For me, God and Christ are one and the same, so I use the words Christ and God interchangeably. I’m not sure all people who believe in Christ do this, but I do. For me, Jesus Christ and God are one. I also believe that my belief in Christ brings light to my world. I know that without my belief in God, my world would be a very dark and fearful place.

In the bible commentaries I read on John 12, these words were the last words Jesus said to public before he was arrested. I believe Jesus wanted to tell his followers and the public what he needed us to remember about him. That he was one with God and that he came into the world to bring to our darkness.

Day 141 Bible Reading - John 12: 23-24 (ESV)

1 Samuel 8 & 9, John 12: 1-26, Psalm 78: 17-31

John 12: 23-24 (ESV)

“And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Verses 23 and 24 are Jesus’ prophetic words about what was about to happen to him. He knew that his time on the cross was almost upon him, and that he would need to die like wheat to bear much fruit. And that fruit would be become the sacrificial Lamb of God for our sins, and his glorification when he would be resurrected three (3) days later.

I am always astonished when I read about Christ’s calm acceptance of his fate. He loved his people so much and he was completely surrendered to his father’s will for his life. Christ provides a model for us for how we need to accept our fate in lfe. We must be totally surrendered to God’s will for our life, and we must have the faith to know that we are doing will ultimately serve God’s plan not only for us but for all of humanity.