Every day Devotional • December 27
St. John, Apostle and Evangelist
A Studying from John 13:30-25
20 Very really, I let you know, whoever receives one whom I ship receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who despatched me.”
21 After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit and declared, “Very really, I let you know, one among you’ll betray me.” 22 The disciples checked out each other, unsure of whom he was talking. 23 One in every of his disciples—the one whom Jesus liked—was reclining near his coronary heart; 24 Simon Peter subsequently motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was talking. 25 So whereas reclining subsequent to Jesus, he requested him, “Lord, who’s it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It’s the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I’ve dipped it within the dish.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. 27 After he acquired the piece of bread, Devil entered into him. Jesus stated to him, “Do rapidly what you’ll do.” 28 Now nobody knew why he stated this to him. 29 Some thought that, as a result of Judas had the widespread purse, Jesus was telling him, “Purchase what we’d like for the competition,” or that he ought to give one thing to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the piece of bread, he instantly went out. And it was evening.
31 When he had gone out, Jesus stated, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God may even glorify him in himself and can glorify him directly. 33 Little kids, I’m with you solely just a little longer. You’ll search for me, and as I stated to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘The place I’m going, you can not come.’ 34 I offer you a brand new commandment, that you simply love each other. Simply as I’ve liked you, you additionally ought to love each other. 35 By this everybody will know that you’re my disciples, you probably have love for each other.”
Meditation
Immediately, we have fun the Feast Day of St. John, who is usually often called John the Evangelist. Proper firstly of at the moment’s New Testomony studying, we hear this from Jesus: “Very really, I let you know, whoever receives one whom I ship receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who despatched me.” This can be a saying about evangelism. When somebody speaks God’s phrases to us and we really pay attention and take these phrases in, we’re saying “sure” to God. Simply as after we communicate the reality in love, we’re providing him to others. That is in stark distinction to what occurs subsequent in at the moment’s studying. Judas receives a chunk of bread from Jesus, taking bodily sustenance whereas rejecting the reality of who Jesus is.
I don’t prefer to put myself within the footwear of Judas, however the reality is, all of us make the grave mistake of being like Judas at instances. Not like John, we will hear God’s phrase, even obtain items from God, however reject the reality of who he’s. This at all times results in our non secular dying, simply as Judas’s actions led to his precise dying.
Possibly you discover your coronary heart hardened towards God. Or possibly you sense him calling you towards one thing you don’t wish to do. Or possibly there’s a sin in your life he’s attempting to show, and also you’re turning a blind eye. In no matter means you and I are being like Judas—listening to the reality however refusing to take it in, to let it rework us—at the moment we will determine to be like St. John as an alternative, understanding ourselves in the beginning as “beloved.”
Elizabeth Hamilton’s writing has appeared within the Dallas Museum of Artwork, Southern Humanities Assessment, and Texas Month-to-month. She has an MFA from Seattle Pacific College. Discover her work at elizabethannehamilton.com
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Every day Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Immediately we pray for:
