Hey Gems!!!
I pray you all had a wonderful and blessed weekend. I am excited to be getting back into doing my VOTW posts. For those of you who are new to the blog, VOTW (verse of the week) is a segment in which I pick a verse that I can break down in detail and relate to life in today’s world. It’s a verse that I definitely recommend trying to remember or writing down and keeping with you at all times. I enjoy doing this VOTW posts as they are sort of like short scripture studies or verse-mapping. I give definitions, examples from my personal life and application ideas. I have fun creating these posts and my prayer is that these posts continue to be a blessing to many of you.
This week I dove into my old devotional/scripture studies to see if I could find something that would call out to me and boy did I find a good verse for this week; John 8:31-32:
As per usual, let’s breakdown some of the key words and their meaning. As this is the gospel of John is the New Testament, I will define these words in their Greek origin:
In this verse we can see that Jesus is offering both discipleship and freedom to those who truly believe in Him. What does that mean?
As we have defined both words already, it means that He offered those who had placed their trust and confidence in Him a chance to be a follower to learn the doctrines of scripture AND a chance to be free from bondage caused by sin through Him by way of God. How amazing is that?!
The key to that, however, is abiding in His word. By remaining in His word and maintaining an unbroken fellowship with Him we can be liberated from sin’s shackles, become a pupil of His ways AND we are able to identify truth. Without abiding in His word we cannot have what is offering. An offer always comes with some sort of requirement, the questions is are you willing to fulfill that requirement?
Not sure? Think you need to have a whole lot of faith in Him to do so? The Bible tells us we don’t. All we need is “faith the size of a mustard seed” according to Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6. Your faith does not have to be as big as the next persons and you don’t have to be perfect in your faith. If you were perfect in your faith, how could the Holy Spirit guide you? How much faith doesn’t count because a tiny amount of faith can accomplish great things because we serve a mighty, all powerful and great God. Yes a great faith is always good to have, but even in those times when you feel your faith depleted and it’s only the size a single drop of morning dew, that faith can get you through.
Understanding what faith is is another key factor in this offer. To believe in Jesus one must have faith, but you may be wondering what faith is and how to obtain. Well, Hebrews 11:1 tells us “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This means that your faith is a sense that gives evidence of the spiritual world and can only be measured and understood spiritually. It’s not blind because you are aware and understand that God is guiding your every step in life. Now faith does not contradict reason, but goes beyond it. Faith is simply a willingness to rely on, cling to and trust in God having hope that He will keep His promises to you. Do you faith in the unseen? Believing that your Father is with you at all times even when it’s hard or seems impossible?
Let’s take it a bit further, “so then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” as written in Romans 10:17. This tells us that faith comes by way of hearing. One can gain much faith from the testimony of others and for people to testify about the good news they must know the Word of God to see it working in their lives. In essence, a person that hears the Word of God can be sure (prayerfully) that the testimony of a person is based from their experience of abiding in Christ and being free. Are your testimonies based off your experience of abiding in Christ? Can your testimonies help someone else come to faith (big or small) in Christ?
Having an understanding of faith and believing in Him, keep in mind, the freedom He offers is not something we can obtain through a PhD or any academic pursuit. Freedom comes through Christ by way of God as He works His freedom in our lives through His truth. Well, what is this truth? The very Word of God that is living…the Bible.
There is nothing like the freedom we can have in Jesus when we truly abide in Him. Money can’t buy it. Status, popularity or position can’t obtain it. Our works can’t earn it. Truth is, NOTHING can even match it. Sadly, not every Christian experiences this freedom because they choose not to abide in God’s word and/or be Jesus’ disciple.
I pray that as you read this post it moved you to grow in your faith and remain in an unbroken fellowship with Christ and God.
Blessings,I pray you all had a wonderful and blessed weekend. I am excited to be getting back into doing my VOTW posts. For those of you who are new to the blog, VOTW (verse of the week) is a segment in which I pick a verse that I can break down in detail and relate to life in today’s world. It’s a verse that I definitely recommend trying to remember or writing down and keeping with you at all times. I enjoy doing this VOTW posts as they are sort of like short scripture studies or verse-mapping. I give definitions, examples from my personal life and application ideas. I have fun creating these posts and my prayer is that these posts continue to be a blessing to many of you.
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’Two short sentences that hold so much power, truth and love behind them.
As per usual, let’s breakdown some of the key words and their meaning. As this is the gospel of John is the New Testament, I will define these words in their Greek origin:
- Believed: Greek word pisteuó meaning to have faith in (have faith directed unto); to trust in; to have or place confidence in; think to be true;
- Abide: Greek word menó meaning to remain; stay; wait for; to be kept to; not to depart or leave; to continue to be present in; to maintain unbroken fellowship with;
- Word: Greek word logos meaning divine utterance; of the sayings (decree, command, etc) of God
- Disciples: Greek word mathétés meaning a learner, pupil or follower of Christ who learns the doctrines of scripture and the lifestyle
- Know: Greek word ginóskó meaning to take in knowledge of, to learn, ascertain or realize; become acquainted with; to perceive
- Truth: Greek word alétheia meaning what is true in things appertaining to God be it moral or religious
- Free: Greek word eleutheroó meaning to make free; liberate; release from bondage; remove restriction of sin; delivered by God
In this verse we can see that Jesus is offering both discipleship and freedom to those who truly believe in Him. What does that mean?
As we have defined both words already, it means that He offered those who had placed their trust and confidence in Him a chance to be a follower to learn the doctrines of scripture AND a chance to be free from bondage caused by sin through Him by way of God. How amazing is that?!
The key to that, however, is abiding in His word. By remaining in His word and maintaining an unbroken fellowship with Him we can be liberated from sin’s shackles, become a pupil of His ways AND we are able to identify truth. Without abiding in His word we cannot have what is offering. An offer always comes with some sort of requirement, the questions is are you willing to fulfill that requirement?
Not sure? Think you need to have a whole lot of faith in Him to do so? The Bible tells us we don’t. All we need is “faith the size of a mustard seed” according to Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6. Your faith does not have to be as big as the next persons and you don’t have to be perfect in your faith. If you were perfect in your faith, how could the Holy Spirit guide you? How much faith doesn’t count because a tiny amount of faith can accomplish great things because we serve a mighty, all powerful and great God. Yes a great faith is always good to have, but even in those times when you feel your faith depleted and it’s only the size a single drop of morning dew, that faith can get you through.
Understanding what faith is is another key factor in this offer. To believe in Jesus one must have faith, but you may be wondering what faith is and how to obtain. Well, Hebrews 11:1 tells us “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This means that your faith is a sense that gives evidence of the spiritual world and can only be measured and understood spiritually. It’s not blind because you are aware and understand that God is guiding your every step in life. Now faith does not contradict reason, but goes beyond it. Faith is simply a willingness to rely on, cling to and trust in God having hope that He will keep His promises to you. Do you faith in the unseen? Believing that your Father is with you at all times even when it’s hard or seems impossible?
Let’s take it a bit further, “so then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” as written in Romans 10:17. This tells us that faith comes by way of hearing. One can gain much faith from the testimony of others and for people to testify about the good news they must know the Word of God to see it working in their lives. In essence, a person that hears the Word of God can be sure (prayerfully) that the testimony of a person is based from their experience of abiding in Christ and being free. Are your testimonies based off your experience of abiding in Christ? Can your testimonies help someone else come to faith (big or small) in Christ?
Having an understanding of faith and believing in Him, keep in mind, the freedom He offers is not something we can obtain through a PhD or any academic pursuit. Freedom comes through Christ by way of God as He works His freedom in our lives through His truth. Well, what is this truth? The very Word of God that is living…the Bible.
There is nothing like the freedom we can have in Jesus when we truly abide in Him. Money can’t buy it. Status, popularity or position can’t obtain it. Our works can’t earn it. Truth is, NOTHING can even match it. Sadly, not every Christian experiences this freedom because they choose not to abide in God’s word and/or be Jesus’ disciple.
I pray that as you read this post it moved you to grow in your faith and remain in an unbroken fellowship with Christ and God.
Weekly Dare:
Take this week and write out things that you can do to abide closer in the Word, with Christ and with God. No list is too small or too short. Once you write your list, take 2 or 3 of those items and work them in your life.
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