John 7

 Have you ever felt alone when you knew that you had to follow through on what God wanted you to do?  How many times have you had to stand on your own two feet, unwavering, knowing that you had to go it alone?  I think there are countless opportunities to refine our character and moral stamina. We can think others will stand with us, but we are never sure. Thinking ahead, preparing ourselves for those ‘what if…decisions can help. But there is no prediction what the next scenario will be. Finding friends we can trust certainly helps. Talking out those scenarios and sharing past mistakes or successes are the training camps for tomorrow’s challenges. Reminding ourselves that Hod will NEVER leave us or abandon us is wisdom for all situations.  His grace and mercy are new for all circumstances.  Jesus paved the way and knows our issues.  

“The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and his work become the one and only thing that is vital between us. We have one another only through Christ, but through Christ we do have one another, wholly, for eternity.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

“A storm was brewing around Jesus’ ministry, drawing Him closer to the cross, now just six months away. During this last year of ministry, Jesus stayed mostly in Galilee because the religious leaders in Judea wanted to kill Him. Jesus guarded His time on earth, according to His Father’s schedule. Everything He did honored His Father’s plan, His Father’s timetable—His Father’s will. 

Next, Jesus showed up in Jerusalem at the temple to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Everyone marveled at how He taught. Such authority! Such insight! 

Jesus invites anyone and everyone to Himself who wants to investigate if God is really good. The wonder of God’s Word is that if you’re willing, God will make His truth real to you. 

“But do men want to hear God?” If they do, God will speak to them in His Word. Some think the Bible is foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:14). This shouldn’t bother us since that’s the way God said it would be.” - J Vernon McGee

Prayer:  “Lord Jesus, the world we inhabit is often marked by superficiality and easy answers. The temptation to engage the world from this place is very real. But you have called me to witness to the depth of life made available by your grace. Help me open myself to the beneath-the-surface transformation of the Spirit. May I dare to look at the places I’m often afraid to give my attention to, for you are with me. In Jesus’s name. Amen.” - Rich Villodas, The Deeply Formed Life