John 4:54

March 16, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.” (John 4:54)

John builds his gospel around 7 signs (miracles), then in 20:30-31, he explains his rationale for this approach: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭30‬-‭31‬, emphasis added) There it is: That you, the reader, may believe and have life in his name!

This second sign (4:46-53) is the healing of a Galilean official’s son who was ill. The son was apparently very sick, and when his dad learned that Jesus was back in the Galilee, he met Jesus there. John described the request rather matter-of-factly: “When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.” (John‬ ‭4‬:‭47‬ ESV)

In fact, the whole story has a matter-of-fact feel: Jesus noted that the man wouldn’t believe without seeing a sign. The man responded, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” (John‬ ‭4‬:‭49‬) Then, Jesus said, “Go; your son will live.” (4:50).

The punchline, according to John’s purpose statement, comes next: “The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.” (4‬:‭50‬). This seems to be John’s point in preserving this story. Well, that and the last line of the story: “And he himself believed, and all his household.” (4‬:‭53‬)

Jesus healed his son from a distance because the father had asked, resulting in the whole family believing. I often say that the recipient of the miracle always benefits from it, but he/she is often (always?) not the focus of the miracle. Jesus is revealing something about himself so that onlookers may believe, as happened here.

Father, help me to see Jesus more clearly as I read through John. Help me increase my belief daily. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Faith, Jesus Said, John, Life in Christ, New Testament

Luke 21:3-4

March 9, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’” (Luke 21:3-4)

In these verses, Jesus focuses on the heart when he says, the “poor widow has put in more than all of them.” Clearly, an accountant would take exception to Jesus’ claim, unless he allowed Jesus to mean what he meant.

Jesus qualified his comparison by evaluating her heart as demonstrated by her level of personal sacrifice. Presumably, the rich put significantly more money into the offering than she did. Yet Jesus said, “They all contributed out of their abundance.” Now, I don’t think this was necessarily a blanket criticism of the wealthy. Rather, I think Jesus was elevating the widow’s sacrifice to the level of appreciation it deserved…in Jesus’ paradigm.

In Jesus’ evaluation of our actions, He considers the heart more than we might. In fact, we are unable to accurately measure the hearts of others. But in this story, Jesus gives some guidance on how to measure a person’s heart. Sacrifice. What is the personal cost (or risk) in our effort for the Lord? As for the widow, “she, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on.”

Father, please help me to have a greater heart of sacrifice for your causes. Help me to risk more for your name’s sake. Please grow my faith in you and help me to have a decreasing faith in the things of this world. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Faith, good enough, humility, Jesus Said, John, Life in Christ, New Testament

Luke 7:4-7, 9

February 23, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Luke 7:4-7, 9

“And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.’ And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore, I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.’ (4-7)

When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.’”(9‬)

This story illustrates the difference between faith and works. Let’s build it out. The characters in this story are 1) the Roman centurion and his servant, 2) the Jewish elders, and 3) Jesus.

The first thing that should leap off the page for us is the oddity of the partnership between the elders of the Jews and the Roman centurion. Typically, the conquered have a strained relationship with their conqueror. But, the oddness of this relationship is elevated because of the religious distinctions between Romans and Jews. Yet both considerations are apparently overlooked by the elders of the Jews, who deemed him worthy because “he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.” The elders deemed him worthy of Jesus’ attention because he did something significant for them. In other words, he earned it.

Contrast that with the centurion’s thoughts. “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.”

The elders and the centurion saw the need in the same way. Their starting point was the same. Their path to the request was different. The elders said he deserved Jesus’ help. The centurion said he was not worthy to be in Jesus’ presence. He also added that he knew Jesus could heal his servant from afar. While it may not be obvious at the first reading, Jesus viewed these additional words as a demonstration of the centurion’s faith. So much so that Jesus said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”

Luke concludes his telling of this story with these words: “And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well” (7‬:‭10‬). Matthew provides a more detailed conclusion, emphasizing the centurion’s faith: “And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment” (Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭13‬).

In summary, we see two approaches to Jesus: 1) works-based, and 2) faith-based. Note that it was the latter that caused Jesus to marvel and remark that he had not seen such faith in all of Israel (Luke 7:9 and Matthew 8:10).

I think we, too, can cause Jesus to marvel when we stop looking at our perceived accomplishments, and focus on him. What can I offer Jesus but a broken and contrite heart full of faith?

Father, help me have a genuine, humble faith similar to the centurion’s. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Faith, Gospels, humility, Luke

Habakkuk 3:17-18

January 31, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

This guy believed bigly in God. Even when everything was failing around him, he trusted God. This reminds me of Paul and Silas singing praise about midnight in the Philippian jail (Acts 16).

I wish I could say that I would praise the Lord if I were unjustly imprisoned or the whole world collapsed around me. I want to do that, but I don’t think I am there yet.

Father, help me to have the spirit of Habakkuk and Paul and Silas. Help me to look into the face of hardship and praise you. Amen.

Filed Under: Faith, Habakkuk, Old Testament

Habakkuk 1:5-6

January 29, 2026 by Leave a Comment

“Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own” (Habakkuk 1:5-6).

These verses demonstrate God’s sovereignty as He says He is raising the Chaldeans (Babylonians). Daniel 2:21 says that “he removes kings and sets up kings.” In this case, He was raising the Babylonians, who would conquer the Assyrians.

The Lord is raising them up because they “march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own.” And, this is what the Lord will use them to do in Judah.

The statement that most sticks out to me is “For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.” This really provides a distinction between God and man. I suspect He doesn’t tell us more about what is going on in the world because we can not understand or believe what He is doing. I also suspect that we would begin to evaluate the rightness or wrongness of what He is doing based on our criteria, rather than His.

Even in this example of the Chaldeans, some would argue that it is immoral for God to raise a cruel army that takes things that are not their own.

Father, please help me trust in the goodness of your actions, especially when I don’t understand them. Amen.

Filed Under: devotional thoughts, Faith, Habakkuk, humility, Old Testament
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