When I was a young girl, I loved to visit my father’s elementary school. He was the principal, and being the principal’s daughter made me feel special. I especially loved the times he sent me on errands. I would walk into the cafeteria or library, looking like any other student. But when the staff learned who I was—and that I’d been sent by my father, the principal—it made all the difference. All that he represented was connected to me.
I love that the book of John sets itself apart from the other Gospels in the way it showcases Jesus as the Son of God. While Matthew, Mark, and Luke together have a handful of instances in which Jesus refers to Himself as “sent” by God, John records more than thirty. As Jesus talked to the crowds—and in particular, to the Jewish leaders—He used some version of these words: “Him who sent me” and “the One who sent me.”
Jesus’s choice of words was purposeful. The Jewish people knew that God had promised to send a Savior. It’s amazing to me that Jesus would tell them so plainly, so many times, that He was the sent One. In chapter 7 alone, those words appear five times:
“My teaching isn’t mine but is from the one who sent me” (John 7:16).
“…but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is true…” (v.18).
“ I know him because I am from him, and he sent me” (v.9).
“I am only with you for a short time. Then I’m going to the one who sent me” (v.33).
And this one: “I have not come on my own, but the one who sent me is true…” (v.28).
God the Father had been true to His promise. He had sent His Son for the salvation of humanity. Yet, many who walked and talked with Jesus—who heard Him repeatedly testify that He was the sent One—did not believe.
So many precious truths are repeated this way throughout the Bible, and I can’t help but wonder at just how often I’m slow to believe them. For instance, while some version of “do not fear” appears hundreds of times throughout Scripture, there are still countless circumstances arising in day-to-day life that tend to stoke fear deep within my heart. The Bible is replete with assurances of peace and joy despite what’s happening around us. But how long does it take to believe those assurances in a given situation? God trumpets His love for us, unconditional and eternal, a love unsurpassed by any human love we could ever experience.
God keeps His word. If a promise is given just once in the Bible, He is faithful to fulfill it. By His grace, He often repeats those promises, giving added assurance to our hearts. With faith, we can stand on those promises and believe because there is another promise that’s often repeated: our God is true (John 7:28–29).
Jesus says, “follow Me…”, Lord, help me follow. He slips away, unharmed. Help me follow. So many examples of how to slip away from what seems impossible to escape. Because of Him we have sanctuary. A place to return home after all the weary battles. May I be a faithful follower and do the works of Your hands. Thank you Jesus. I love Your ways. Amen.
Angie, Ariana, Brooke P. Praying for your individual situations and specific requests now.
How many times has God tried to tell me something, yet I only looked at what my limited vision could see? Jesus tried to tell the crowd about the resurrection, yet they did not understand, because they were thinking of their limited experiences. How many times do we try to fit Jesus into a box when he’s so much more than that?
I have been trying to figure out what to do about church. I feel God leading me to a certain church in my area, but I don’t drive, so transportation would be hard to come by. God keeps telling me He will handle it. I just have to trust him. But I am so use to doing things for myself that dependecne does not come easy. May I just let myself trust in Him. After all, he has been vision than I do.
So thankful that God remains the same & true & steady even when nothing else ever does. He is so faithful
In verse six, I love this “… but your time is always at hand.” Let us live today as saved people… sisters who believe that it is always the right time to proclaim His love for us.
This group of SRT women! I so appreciate the requests we share so we can pray and support each other and build our faith step by step. The insights we gain from each other are precious too! The comment about God knowing the hairs on our head and when one of them drops off stopped me! We don’t know when one of our hairs drops off (we just see them later on the bathroom floor) but God does! We can’t begin to fathom how much He cares for us and wants to be involved in every detail and decision we make. We have all that we need in Jesus! Step by step we walk with Him!
The verse that stands out to me is John 7:24, “stop judging according to outward appearance; rather judge according to righteous judgment.” I’m feeling convicted by this, and also more kinship with Jesus realizing that HE was judged by SO MANY, and judged incorrectly, ultimately leading to the cross. I love looking for Jesus’ humanity, and seeing how he handles different problems that we face every day. His example is always one to follow. We are here how Jesus handles judgement by others, and I think there is something there for us all to take in. Praying that I will see people the way Jesus sees them, and respond to judgement in the ways that He did.
God is with us. He is with us even when we cannot see Him at work. Often times, I feel we simply do not see Him at work in our lives because our prayers are not answered in the way we think would be best or things are not going according to what we want to happen, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t WITH us. It doesn’t mean He isn’t working in our lives. Do we see Him? Are we actively looking for the ways He is working in our lives OR are we like those in his hometown who doubted because the Savior wasn’t what they thought he would be? God, let me SEE you. May I live my life so that others SEE you too! Amen