My Daily Pause

“Are there not twelve hours in a day?” – John 11:9a

How we choose to use our alloted time is critical

The way the Jews marked time, the daylight was always broken into twelve parts. Winter or summer, there were twelve “hours” of light so some hours were a lot shorter than others.

In the account of raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus knew the urgency of doing God’s will before his “day” was over. It was dangerous to go back to where he had angered the Jews, but God’s will was most important. (John 11:1-16) Even the disciples sensed this and prepared themselves to face the peril (John 11:16)

We face the same urgency. We cannot be sure how long our “twelve hours” will last.

Following Jesus’ lead, we need to make use of our lifetime to do God’s will – no matter how the world treats us.

Without a healthy vine, there are no branches and no fruit.

Jesus made every effort to teach us that he was everything we needed to sustain our spiritual life. He is our strength and support. He is the way in and the path to life.

John records for us seven times that Jesus said he is something key to our salvation.

Jesus said “I am …”

• the bread of life (John 6:35)
• the light of the world (John 8:12)
• the door (John 10:9)
• the good shepherd (John 10:11)
• the resurrection and the life (John 11:25)
• the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6)
• the vine (John 15:5)

Today, review these passages in their full context and consider how much more priority we should give Christ in our lives.

Healing the son of a royal official – 1752 – Joseph-Marie Vien (1716 – 1809 )

The healing of the nobleman’s son is more than a lesson on having faith. (John 4:46-54) It is a lesson on how to act if you really have that faith.

When Jesus said “Go,” the nobleman went – after dragging his feet a little. He eventually had to accept that Jesus could heal his son from a distance. He braced himself and went on his way home like Jesus told him.

What if Jesus had gone with him instead? Would the nobleman’s faith have grown at all?

Sometimes our prayers are answered far differently than we expect…

That’s because God works in his way and his time – not ours.

Let your light so shine …

John 1:1-14 is one gorgeous passage.

Go ahead and read it. I’ll wait.

One awesome thing about being in Christ is that we also get be a light to others. Christ told us to use that light to glorify God and not hide it. (Matthew 5:14-16)

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify the father which is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

Think about that today as you go about your business. Whatever it is you do, do it to glorify God.

There is no goodness in the dark

People who live good lives respect the Lord,
but those who live evil lives don’t. – Proverbs 14:2 NCV

Here, in one sentence, is the reason for the urgency to remove God from public view. With godly behavior being systematically removed from T.V., radio and other influences in our lives, the foul behavior seems less offensive and starts to seem normal.

Take a look at what John says:

…the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. – John 3:19-20

According to the worldly people, their behavior and belief comes from education and enlightenment.

According to the Scriptures, it comes from evil.