“Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the
descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” (John
7:42)

Technical questions arise but ignore whether or not there is truth. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but raised in Nazareth. Life is often filled with twists and turns. If Jesus had been born in Nazareth, the people there would have made it clearly known. God fulfills what He says, but we often doubt. Don’t be double-minded but believe.

Lord, just because I do not see the connections does not
mean that they are not there. Help me see that what You say is true always. Move
my heart to be believing and not unbelieving that the power of Your Word would
rule in my heart. Move me to see the connections of the truth You have spoken
and live in them.

Guide me
today in my thinking, Holy Spirit, that I may live into the truth of Your Word.
Indeed raise in me questions, but then lead me to Your Word where You have
already given the anser. Equip me to be able to speak with others who are
doubting and questioning that I may point them to You. Amen.

“Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” Still others were
saying, “Surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is He?” (John
7:41)

God is not
who we expect Him to be. We have our own ideas. Sinful humans have a sinful
idea of how things are supposed to be. The imperfect cannot comprehend the
perfect. Therefore, we come with our ideas of how it should be. But God comes
as He IS and does what He will do. Believing in the Christ is to accept the
revelation.

Lord, help me not get caught up in speculations. Grant that
I would hear what You have revealed and begin there. Help me when I accept
things that are contrary to the truth that I may know You, abide in Your Word,
be Your disciple and live in the freedom You have come to grant. Move me beyond
myself to embrace Your revealed truth.

Thank You,
Lord Jesus, for coming as You are that we would have the chance to know eternity
as it is. Help me today to live firmly in the truth, proclaiming in Word and
deed what You have shared. May others come to know that You are the Anointed
One and follow You into eternity. Amen.

“Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words,
were saying, “This certainly is the Prophet.” (John 7:40)

We marvel at
amazing words that speak truth. Here today and tomorrow, do we actually take in
the words that impact us, or do we move on? Jesus is giving us the Word of life
and asks that we believe. He wants us to live into this hope and promise that
we will be united in Christ for eternity to the glory of the Father.

I hear Your words, Lord Jesus, but I often do not act upon
them. In the living water You have given me, motivate me to become a person of
action. Help me live into the life that I will live in eternity knowing that
You have come to lead as many as will believe into a new life. Help me live
that life today and not just think nice things about what You say.

Thank You,
Lord Jesus, for those who have given witness of the truth of who You are. Help
me take in that witness and then be a witness not because someone else said it,
but because I believe it. Grant today that I would speak of what You have done
not only for others, but also for me in the truth of the Gospel You offer to
all. Amen.

“But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in
Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not
yet glorified.” (John 7:39)

The Holy
Spirit is the Spirit of life that flows from the Father and the Son into and
through the believer; guiding, teaching, directing, leading and helping in
every way so that we need not lean on our own understanding, but on the very
Word of the Lord who speaks moment by moment that we may know Him by faith.

Holy Spirit, guide me today in Your ways that I would not
lean on my own ways. Flow through me that I would learn from You and go the
direction You lead. Help me see that You have already laid out a course and all
I need do is walk that course in order to fulfill what is needed for this day.

Thank You,
Lord, for coming and leading all who believe in the way of truth. Grant this
day that Your bride, the church, would bring You glory as You have sent us the
Holy Spirit because of Your glory. Guide us to work in unison for the sake of
the Gospel, that Your will be done throughout our earthly lives. Amen.

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his
innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” (John 7:38)

Without
water, there is no life. Wherever water is, there life grows. Jesus offers us
an abundance of life here and now and forever. Acting on what Jesus has given
us, the offered life comes as we live into this promise. He has promised life
to the innermost part of our being if we will receive Him.

Lord, help those places in my life where I am not believing
that I may grow with Your living water. Remove those things that would dam the
water, in order that I might live fully in Your purpose and power. Help me
today to work on those things You have given me to do that I may become more
faithful to You.

Thank You
,Jesus, for providing the living water and the opportunity for it to flow from
me to others. Grant today that I would flow with Your living water, splashing
on others Your Word. Guide my mouth, mind and heart that I would think on those
things which are pleasing to the Father. May I be a witness to Your truth this
day in all I say and do. Amen.

“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus
stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and
drink.” (John 7:37)

We are
mostly water. All of what we need, Jesus offers to provide. He will fill us up
so that we are not parched. Many, however, will go elsewhere trying to be
filled. Jesus stands in the middle of the crowd and offers us what we need. Will
you take Jesus up on His offer and have your soul refreshed?

Lord, I do not think I need anything, so I do not come to
You. Yet, here You are, calling out and offering to quench our thirst. Jesus, I
am a sheep who is led around. I do not know what I need, often not until it is
almost too late. Help me listen to You so that I may be guided in all things,
today and every day.

Thank You
Jesus for putting Yourself at risk for all who would come to faith through You
to the Father. Help me today to live into this faith You have given me by
acting upon the things You have given me to do. May others have their souls
filled because I have helped to bring You to them. Amen.

“What is this statement that He said, ‘You will seek Me, and
will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come’?” (John 7:36)

As Paul told
us in Ephesians, the Lord must lead the captives home. No one can seek the Lord
while He cannot be found, but He comes to those who hear His voice and leads
them home. We come to the Lord because He first came to us. The lost will
wander, but the found will follow. Only those found will follow the Good
Shepherd.

Lord, let me not get caught up in the mindless speculation
of this age, spoken by those who do not know You. Instead, lead me today to
perceive the unseen and live firmly in the truth You have already revealed. Grant
that I would not be a seeker, but instead be a follower. Help me where I
stumble in order that I may live by faith.

Help me
today, Lord Jesus, to show others Your presence by living in Your presence and
by Your example today. As You lead me, so use me to lead others to You that
they may have the opportunity to no longer be seekers, but followers of You who
leads us away from the realm of rebellion toward the heavenly realm of eternal
peace. Amen.

“The Jews then said to one another, “Where does this man
intend to go that we will not find Him? He is not intending to go to the
Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks, is He?” (John 7:35)

We often
think in temporal current time terms. God is Spirit and Truth and those who
worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth. Jesus descended from the heavenly
realm to dwell with us for a time. Where He is taking us is to the heavenly
realm. We need to listen to what the Lord says and by faith believe in that
which is not seen.

Lord, trusting You is simple. Yet it is also profound and that is what puzzles me. I am unable to comprehend the ultimate reality. Rather than living befuddled, help me trust that You are leading me where I need to go. Help me trust You step by step that I may become what You have always intended.

Thank You
Lord Jesus for speaking in terms that I can understand to learn about things I
do not know. Grant today that with gentleness I would speak to others as You
have spoken to me. Help me not just impress upon them Your Truth, but instead
be a witness of it by being gentle and kind that others may know You are in me.
Amen.

“But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so
that we will not be condemned along with the world.  So then, my brethren, when you come together
to eat, wait for one another.  If anyone
is hungry, let him eat at home, so that you will not come together for
judgment. The remaining matters I will arrange when I come (1 Corinthians 11:32-34).

The virtue
that describes what Paul is saying is temperance.  Live in the knowledge that Christ is with you
and in you.  Live seeking to please the
Lord always.  Live with God’s love for
your neighbor.  Live knowing that in
eternity we will all get along because we will have concern for the other as
well as our self.  Live into the calling
to which you have been called knowing the Lord is leading you.

Lord, these are not altruistic words, but the words of truth.  Guide me in the way I should go knowing that You are leading me.  Help me to overcome my sinful selfishness that I would now and always abide in You as You abide in me.  Teach me how to overcome those times where I want to do what I want to do, that I may do instead what is right and fitting.  Teach me Lord!

Lord Jesus, You are the Savior, and You are also the teacher.  Guide me Lord in the way You know I need to go.  You have judged me already and know all that I need.  Lead me in the way I should go that I may always walk according to Your direction.  Help me in those selfish moments to put myself aside that I may live in witness that You are in me and I am in You.  Teach me how to be faithful.   Amen

“For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged” (1 Corinthians 11:29-31).

Think in terms of eternal health. The Lord is guiding those who come to Him in the way they need to be guided and feeds them heavenly food.  Those who think this mere formality mock what the Lord is doing and bring into themselves condemnation. It is not a matter of works, but of attitude. Are you learning to love the Lord as He loves You?  Do you submit to love or are you in love with yourself only?

Lord, this is important. It is not a matter of me figuring everything out, but of learning how to love as You love. Guide me, O Lord, in the way of truth that I may receive all that You give in grace and grow in Your likeness. Where I am trivializing what is important, convict me. Where I do not honor You, show me how to honor, love and worship You always above all things.

Lord Jesus, You gave Your body as the sacrifice for all my sins. Lead me to see that You feed me with heavenly food in order to build up my mind, body, and soul through You to become what I shall be. Help me to understand that in You alone is life and light. Teach me faithfulness always that I may live into the life to which You have prepared the way, honoring You now and forever. Amen.