Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

A professor once told me that if something is repeated in the Bible, it is important and we need to pay close attention to it.

Verse 47 and 48 say, “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.”

In chapter eight, Jesus told the people that if they abide by His word, they are true disciples.

In chapter nine, Jesus said that those who willfully ignore His teachings will remain blind.

In chapter ten, Jesus said that His sheep will know His voice (by knowing His Word).

In chapter eleven, Jesus told Martha that those who believe Him shall never die.

And here we are, in chapter twelve, in red ink, reading that if we deny His words, we will be condemned to hell.

I’m getting the vibe that believing the words written all those years ago are kind of important, aren’t you?

According to John, if we don't abide by God’s Word, then we aren’t disciples. If we ignore His teachings, we will remain blind (and not be in the Light). If we don’t know His voice (His Word) we aren’t His sheep, and if we don’t believe, we will die.

I’m starting to think that knowing the Word and obeying it is important. We can’t decide based off of our feelings which parts of the Bible we want to follow. The Bible isn’t a buffet where we can fill up our plates with what we love and ignore the food we think is gross.

We have to ingest all of it. We have to believe all of it. And we have to obey all of it. There is nothing in this Holy Book that is “fluff.” Absolutely everything is something we need to become closer to God and more like Christ.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Take time today to thank God for His Word and ask Him to use it to draw you closer to Him. 

Family Application: John 12

By: Carrington Stuart

Today’s story from the book of John is about a day that we call Palm Sunday. It happened right before Easter, and it was an amazing day! On this day, Jesus was on His way to a town called Jerusalem. When the people in the town heard that Jesus was coming, they were so excited! They took palm branches and went out to meet Him.

When Jesus got to the town, everyone had lined up on the streets to see Him. Jesus found a young donkey to ride on and rode through the town while the people shouted “Hosanna! Blessed is the king of Israel!” The people knew that Jesus was the Son of God and had come to save them. They were so happy and wanted to thank Jesus for everything that He had done. They waved their palm branches and made a path with their coats for Jesus to celebrate Him. The people sang and danced and shouted because they were so grateful for Jesus. Just like He came to save the people in today’s story, Jesus came to save us too!

• How can you celebrate Jesus today and tell Him thank you for all that He’s done? What is something that you are grateful for today? Who can you tell that you are grateful for them today, and remind them that Jesus loves them?
• Prayer: God, thank You so much for sending Jesus to save us. It makes me want to shout “Hosanna!” just like the people in today’s story. I am so glad that Jesus came to forgive our sins so that one day we can be with You in Heaven forever. Thank You for all of the blessings that You have given me. Please help me to bless others, too. I love You, God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.