Category: Food For Growth

³ And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ Whoever says “I know Him” but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, ⁵ but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: ⁶ whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked. ~ 1 John 2:3-6

Paul explained to Titus that people can claim to know Jesus, but yet deny Him with their works, or with their actions. Actions do indeed speak louder than words. Just like you witness with more than just words, you deny God with more than just words.

Paul had some choice words for those kinds of Christians. He called them insubordinate, empty talkers, deceivers, liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons, detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work. In verse 11, he writes plainly that these kinds of lying teachers must be silenced, because they were upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.

That was Paul’s own words. And you know what? We still have the same kind of preachers doing the same things today. They preach for shameful gain. Others… preach to spread a false narrative, throwing whole communities… not just families, but whole communities into confusion by preaching a lie, and thus, leading countless many astray.

They preach a lifestyle that is contrary to the Word of God. And the work that they were called to do, they won’t do. That is to keep His commandments and make disciples, teaching them to obey all that He taught us to obey (Matthew 28:20). There is no alternative lifestyle for the Christian. We will be judged on what is in the Bible, and not on what man deems is right or wrong.

Look, real love does not deceive, but rather, real love tells you the truth even if it hurts. I know that you’ve been taught that if someone does not confirm your actions, or your lifestyle, they obviously hate you, or at the least, they do not like you. And that person, or persons who tell you the truth, are judged to have a phobia. But nothing can be further from the truth.

True love corrects with love, respect, patience, and hope. True love will never watch as another soul walks towards destruction and never once open their mouth to point them to Christ. As Christians, our testimony isn’t just what we say. Our testimony is how we live our lives. Therefore, live your life in a way that when you tell others about Jesus or correct them in their sin, they will know it is from a true place of love and not one of hatred or hostility.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Live A Strong Testimony.

By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. ~ John 13:35

Our love for one another is a sign to the unbeliever. Why? Where hate divides… love unites. Where hate wounds… love heals. Where hate destroys… love restores. And know this: while hate may last a long time in the hearts of the broken, God’s love is eternal. It lasts forever. So, let us love one another and be as one, just as Jesus and the Father are One.

LORD, please help us to love one another and be an example to the world. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

Isaiah 53:3-12

[3]  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. [4]  Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. [5]  But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. [6]  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. [7] He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. [8] By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? [9] And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. [10] Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. [11] Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. [12]  Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Jesus has now been betrayed, condemned by the chief priests, turned over to Pilate, flogged mercilessly, and forced to carry His own cross up to Golgotha. On His way the cross becomes too much for Him and He is physically unable to carry it any further, so they get Simon the Cyrene to carry Jesus’ cross for Him. As if that wasn’t enough, they then strip Him of His clothes and nail Him to a tree.

Everyone around Him is mocking Him and reviling Him. Even those on the cross next to Him are mocking Him. People passing by are ridiculing and spewing hatred His way. It’s not until after Jesus drinks the sour wine and is almost ready to die that one thief on the cross realizes He is in fact the Messiah and changes His attitude before Him.

His body is raw from being flogged. His strength is gone from within Him and He is slowly and painfully suffocating to death. In order to get any ounce of breath into His lungs He has to push against the nails in His feet and His raw back against a wooden cross. He did this fully knowing that those around Him, the majority, would never repent. They’d never accept His sacrifice, but it didn’t matter. He did it willingly out of love, even go as far as to pray on their behalf for the Father to forgive them. From 9 am to 3 pm He hung on that cross in agony, never once taking the easy way out and giving into pride and showing them who He is by coming down off of that cross. Still, He turned the other cheek and showed them and the world love.

It’s easy to overlook what Christ did for us. It’s easy to just take it for granted. This is the importance of truly understanding what Christ did for us. I’ve watched the Passion of  the Christ ever since it first came out. I flinch at each whip that hits His body so viciously and every nail that pierces His flesh so mercilessly. I have loved ones who refuse to watch it because it’s too gruesome. I used to believe that this portrayal was what Christ would’ve looked like on the cross, but after reading Isaiah, I realized it wasn’t gruesome and painful enough.

¹⁴ Just as there were many who were appalled at Him— His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and His form marred beyond human likeness—

Isaiah 52:14^NIV

Isaiah says He was beaten beyond recognition so much so you couldn’t even tell He was human. Let that sink in. While Mel Gibson’s depiction was gruesome and is by far the best depiction we have of Christ’s crucifixion today, it doesn’t even come close to what Christ actually went through on the cross.

Christ’s sacrifice was so much more than what we feel and think it was. How can we refuse to look at something that doesn’t even come close to the true sacrifice of Christ Jesus because it’s too gruesome, but we want to accept the benefits of that sacrifice?

When we water down the message of salvation and all that Christ did for us, we begin to be take the sacrifice for granted. His sacrifice wasn’t nothing. It was a great sacrifice. At burden so henry Isaiah rightfully calls Him a Man of Sorrows.

Dear LORD, I’m sorry for every time I have taken Your sacrifice for granted. Please forgive me, LORD. Thank You for Your sacrifice. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your grace. Thank You, LORD, for giving Yourself without reservation. Help me to proclaim Your death until You return or call me to You. Help me to live a life worthy of being called Your servant. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. 

Exodus 12:5-13^NIV

[5] The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. [6] Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. [7] Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. [8] That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. [9] Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. [10] Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. [11] This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover. [12] “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. [13] The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

The Passover is the feast in remembrance of the LORD passing over all who had the blood of the sacrificed lamb on the doorposts. This was the protection given to all who listened and obeyed. A protection against what? The Destroyer coming through the land of Egypt and striking down the first born. So, the LORD, when He saw the blood, would stop the Destroyer from entering the home of any person who had the blood on their doorposts.

This feast foreshadowed the LORD God Himself coming in the form of man and dying on the cross. Three days later, He rose from the dead and ascended to the father to sprinkle His blood in the altar in Heaven. Just as the blood was brushed on the doorposts, we, as Christians are washed and covered in the blood of Christ. Why? So that when the LORD comes to bring judgment on the earth by pouring out His wrath, He will look for His blood, see it, and call us to Himself so that we might not be caught in this wrath.

Dear LORD, thank You for Your sacrifice. Thank You for Your promise of redemption. Please help me to live my life striving to be worthy of Your precious and holy blood. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. 

¹⁵ The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to Him. ~ Deuteronomy 18:15^NIV

Before Moses died, he reassured the people that the LORD would send them another prophet like him, from among their own people. Moses had been saved from the decrees of pharaoh to be thrown in the river. That very river brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, who would pay his own mother to nurse him until he was old enough to be given to pharaoh’s daughter. He was raised in the palace of Pharaoh free from the persecution his people felt, yet he willingly risked it all to try to help his own.

This led to him fleeing for his own life and ending up a stranger in a strange land. There, he became a shepherd, a husband, and a father. He was free, enjoying life when the LORD called him back to Egypt. So, what does Moses do? The risks it all once again and goes to help his people. Then, throughout their deliverance, and even after, they complain to him. They blame him for their hardships.

Then, when God met with them, he was the only one who went into the presence of God and therefore became the bridge between God and man. Jesus’ story is similar but more intense.

He wasn’t just a guest in a foreign king’s home. No. He was the King of kings and LORD of lords seated on His own throne in Heaven. Free from all pain, suffering, and want, only to freely give it up to take on the from of a servant. He felt hunger, thirst, pain, suffering, and even temptation. All of this for the world He knew would ultimately reject Him and even crucify Him.

What’s the major difference between them? Moses physically delivered his people, but Christ physically, spiritually, and emotionally delivered all people willing to believe in Him. This deliverance was not for just a moment but is for all eternity. As Moses died, Christ also died, but the biggest difference is that Christ rose three days later. This is the most important difference.

Christ died but rose again to never die again. This is our hope. To die to sin and live to Christ. To look forward to His physical return, but even as He is physically in Heaven, His Holy Spirit dwells in us, and He lives through us. So we are not alone.

Dear LORD, thank You for Your promises fulfilled. Thank You for Your great sacrifice that freed me from my sin. Help me to not make light of Your sacrifice nor take it for granted. Teach me to lean on Your Holy Spirit and hear Your guiding whisper. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. 

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ~ John 14:6^NIV

When Jesus says, ‘I Am the way,’ He’s not offering one path among many—No! It’s much, much more exclusive than that. Jesus is saying, “I AM the only Way to God.” When He declared Himself ‘the Way,’ this was no mere metaphor—it’s a radical claim that undermines and challenges every human attempt to chart their own course to God.

In a world cluttered with diverse paths of empty philosophies, deceptive practices, and misguided beliefs, Jesus stands as the singular, ‘living bridge’ between a holy God and a broken humanity.

The Greek term hodos, translated as “way,” signifies both a road and a journey. This implies that it represents not only a fixed direction but also a dynamic, personal experience, and Jesus is the path we traverse, guiding us safely to the Father.

Without Him, we’re lost wanderers, stumbling in the dark, chasing shadows of salvation that can never lead us home.

He doesn’t just show the way; He ‘is’ the Way, the only access to reconciliation with God the Father, because He alone bore the weight of our sin on the cross, clearing the roadblock of our rebellion.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Go To The Way.

¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. ~ John 15:11

The context of this passage is crucial. Jesus was nearing the end of His earthly ministry, fully aware of the trials, suffering, and crucifixion awaiting Him and, in time, His disciples. Yet, He chose to emphasize Abundant Joy over despair—not just any joy, but a powerful, deep-seated force that laughs in the face of danger and smirks in the presence of anguish. Far from a temporary, fleeting emotion, this Abundant Joy is a profound, abiding state flowing from Him, inviting us into a rich, deeply fulfilling relationship untouched by circumstances. It offers comfort that transcends every challenge and affliction, an Abundant Joy independent of favorable conditions, rooted solely in His unshakable presence.

To live in this Abundant Joy means anchoring ourselves in the truth of who Jesus is and what He accomplished for us on the cross. When we embrace Christ’s Abundant Joy, we know it is rooted in the eternal rather than the temporal, and so we eagerly anticipate His return when He will gather His jewels—an event the Early Church called ‘The Blessed Hope.’ As we Christians comfort one another with this truth, Abundant Joy radiates from every fiber of our being, fueled by the promise of seeing our Savior and dwelling with Him forever. This understanding reshapes our perception of Abundant Joy, solidifying it with the knowledge that even in our darkest moments, God is working for our good. Indeed, the Abundant Joy of the LORD is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10), empowering us to face challenges with unwavering faith and hope.

Just as a branch draws sustenance from the vine, we too draw Abundant Joy from our Savior. As we happily bear one another’s burdens, we also share in each other’s joys, united as a body grounded in Christ. Our circumstances may shift—struggles may emerge, pains may pierce our hearts, and trials may test our foundations—but the Abundant Joy of Jesus remains an unshakable constant.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the truth that the Joy of the LORD is my strength. Please help me to make that a reality. Help me to rise above my circumstances and immerse myself in the joy of the LORD, Your Abundant Joy. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.