Maundy Thursday devotion - John 13:31-35

Holy Thursday – Maundy Thursday

Gospel Reading:  John 13:1-17, 31-35

John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (NIV)

            It was typical of Jesus. On the night in which He was betrayed, which is something that usually derives from hate, Jesus spoke about love. He could have been angry and vented His wrath on Judas. He could have made the rest of the disciples feel uncomfortable and unworthy of His presence, but instead, Jesus chose to emphasize love. It was a remarkable teaching moment in the lives of the disciples who stayed with Him in the Upper Room. It was a lesson that we are meant to keep on learning, practicing, and fulfilling.

            In each of our lives, there are people that we don’t like. They’ve upset us in the past, broken their promises, or they’ve shown hostility to us. We don’t like them because they make us feel vulnerable and their displeasure toward us is hard to endure. However, Christ loves those people no less than He loves us, so in His eyes and through His grace, they are redeemable, acceptable, and even loveable. This is why Christ asked His disciples to love one another before everything soon fell apart, causing them to blame each other and allow fear to override their feelings. Loving one another, under those circumstances, would be very difficult to accomplish.

            Perhaps this week, we could pray for those we dislike and ask God to help us to love them. Maybe God will also give us an opportunity to heal any past wounds or restore a broken relationship. If so, then Christ’s loving words can be applied by ourselves in order to mend our conflicts.

Point to ponder

Am I willing to reach out this week to someone I dislike?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, even in the midst of a painful act of betrayal, You still displayed God’s love. Encourage us to embrace this important lesson and enable us to overcome our personal feelings of dislike in order to truly love one another. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You’ll be made very welcome.

Today’s image is one of John’s drawings called “Celtic Communion.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Communion.

Bible devotion: Meat, not Milk - Hebrews 5:12

Hebrews 5:12              In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!

Recently, I took part in an online survey from a large Christian publishing house. The company was trying to promote yet another new version of the Bible, and the survey dealt mostly with the packaging and cover of the book. It was interesting to complete because the publishers were asking pastors their views on how the new Bible should be marketed to people in the congregations that we serve. I must admit, the whole process made me actually wonder whether or not we truly need another version of the Bible at all!

Never before in the history of Christianity has the Word of God been more accessible to people everywhere. Folks can read the Bible in traditional book form, or as e-books online, on their laptops and notebooks, as well as on their mobile devices and smart phones. It is instantly available, practically anywhere on the planet, so no one can have the excuse of not being able to find a Bible to read. However, it appears that people are actually reading the Bible less and less; even although we have it literally at our fingertips, Christians are become Biblically illiterate and so end up creating their own ideas, opinions, and beliefs about God.

You don’t think so? Ponder this: two generations ago, most church people could recite the Ten Commandments, say the Lord’s Prayer, name the twelve disciples, and quote a whole list of Bible verses. Three generations ago, they could do all of that, as well as listing the books of the Bible, and stating the chapters where you could read all of those things. Sadly today, people who often quote that we should not judge each other because Jesus said so, or that we should all love one another because He commanded it, could not tell where to actually find those sayings in the Gospels (Matthew 7 and John 13).

As Christians, we ought to be People of the Book, not for legalistic reasons, but because the Word of God needs to be cherished in our lives. Daily readings should be a constant in our daily lives because each day that we wake up, is actually a gift from God in the first place.

I think it is time to recommit ourselves to a quiet devotional retreat with God’s Word every day. It’s not hard to get back into the habit – think about it, there are things that we do each day without burdening ourselves – like reading the newspaper, catching up with folks on Facebook, or even watching a nightly TV show. It can be done, but only if we truly want to do it.

Questions for personal reflection

Am I really too busy to spend time alone with God in prayer and Bible reading? Who gave me this life I am living anyway?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, we want to follow You and grow in faith. Help us to recognize how important the Scriptures were to You, and how crucial they are in our spiritual lives today. Give us the focus and determination to set aside some quality time with You, Your Words, and Your Way. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is one of John’s Lent bulletin drawings for this year. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: Lent Bulletin Cover.

Daily Devotions: Walking in Love - 2 John 1:6

2 John 1:6        And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.

Sometimes the best moments in a marriage are the simple things that happen. The other day Evelyn and I were walking together in the local mall. We weren’t saying much, but we were just holding hands as we passed the stores. At one point Evelyn leaned over to me and quietly said, “I like it when we hold hands.” And do you know what? I like it too.

Like every other married couple, we’ve had our moments of crisis and times of disagreement. However, I’ve discovered that the older you get and the longer you are married, the more you feel complete with your partner. Marriage is not an easy journey, but longevity in a partnership brings about special blessings and I feel grateful for the thirty years that we have shared.

Faith in Jesus is also meant to be that way. In the Bible, we’re told that the Church is actually the Bride of Christ. We walk with our Lord not just as servants and followers, but as God’s children who are loved through His grace. In other words, Christ lovingly takes us by the hand and leads us through this life to eternity. Now, that is a long term relationship!

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, thank You for loving us and for walking beside us each day of our lives. Help us to share that love with the world. Let Your Church be known for its compassion and care. Let Your followers take the hands of those who need healing, comfort, and love. Let us delight in the days You grant us and celebrate life as a sacred gift. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

John has just published a devotional e-book which you can find listed on Amazon.com at the following link: http://www.amazon.com/60-Devotions-Church-Meetings-ebook/dp/B005EMXQUU

Today’s drawing is John’s an early morning depiction of the bridges in Knoxville, which he has called “Knoxville Dawn.” You can view a larger version of the drawing at the following link: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4823079492_0bca604219_b.jpg