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Read Jn 2.1-11

Jesus was not burdened by the social side of life. He was always around people. He was a man who was approachable and didn’t count the crowds as a bother. They were the people He came to rescue. They were the objects of His compassion. He saw their spiritual potential and was quick to forgive their shortcomings. He was also so engaged in their lives He was not willing to silently let them slip into Hell. He was passionate about correcting and straightening their relationship with God. I must say, for me, this is one of the most challenging aspects of being Jesus’ disciple. Crowded rooms make me nervous. I’d rather hang out with those who completely agree with me and my theological views. And I certainly do not enjoy chit chat or immature spiritual discussions. To be honest, I’m more like a Pharisee than Jesus. I’d rather set the rules for my club and unless you have the appropriate password, you’re not going to disturb my tidy little space. But as His disciple, we must be committed to stretching ourselves to becoming more “others focused” like Jesus was. I am working on the social skill set that communicates love for all kinds of people in all kinds of settings. I’m working on making relationships more about giving than receiving. Follow me as I follow Christ (1 Cor 11.1) FJ22

Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools…
(Ecclesiastes 5:1)

When approaching the target a good reconnaissance begins by using the ears before the eyes. When approaching the Throne of Grace it is the same, the ears first. God puts a premium on the listener/learner. As you read or listen to the Word of God is your brain on transmit or receive? Remember, God’s not after your attendance, He’s after your heart.

Application: When you finish reading your devotions or hearing a sermon, ask yourself, “What is God trying to tell me?” Then write it down. SP313

Read Jn 1.40-51

It’s amazing to see how effective a simple invitation can be. Jesus says,”Follow Me” and they follow Him. Then brothers invite brothers and friends invite friends to come and discover who Jesus is. Pretty soon there was a crowd of folks following Jesus. The ministry of a disciplemaker in the beginning was to simply invite their family and friends to see Jesus. At Ft Benning we practice a very aggressive invitation plan; If it breaths, invite it to chapel or Bible study. Here’s what it sounds like; “Hey man, we have this great Bible study, you ought to come and check it out.” Then we hand them a business card with the time and place. Is that it? That’s it. My personal effectiveness in evangelism has never been better because I’m finding people who are interested in Jesus rather than trying to convince those who are not. Make it a habit to invite 5-10 people to Chapel or Bible study a week and see what happens. FJ21

Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. Galatians 2:16

“Sir, your uniform looks great, but you have a string hanging from that pocket.” In all my years in the Army, I have never been able to meet the standard perfectly. And I think I have demonstrated pretty clearly using the 10 commandments that we can never perfectly meet God’s standards either. For some, this may cause them to give up, “why even try,” they say. But God does require our obedience. Some may try to earn God’s forgiveness by trying harder. But try as they may, they will always come up short. The fact is we need a Savior. We need to be saved from our own wickedness and a final destination that will eternally separate from God. Jesus is that Savior! He is our only hope for both forgiveness and obedience. Repent from your sins and spiritual pride. Embrace the Christ and His way of life.

Read Jn 1.35-51

The disciples of John left him and began following Jesus. This makes perfect sense to us as we read it in the Gospels. Of course they are going to follow Jesus, He’s the Messiah right? But how do we feel when one of our own leaves us to follow another spiritual leader? Or when they pursue a different ministry or move away in search for a clearer understanding of Jesus. Do we hold them in a clenched fist or an open hand as John did? Ultimately, I have no disciples. They are all Jesus’ disciples. My attitude as a discipler is very important in this area. It is crucial that I recruit to the King and His Kingdom rather than to my own ministry. Don’t stop recruiting to your ministry, just keep an open hand and heart. Have the attitude of John the Baptist and point them to Jesus first. FJ20

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:17

I looked at my MRE: tuna and noodles again! Then I looked at my assistant’s chicken chow mein, “boy, I sure would like to have his meal…” BOOM, just broke the 10th commandment of not coveting. “Would you just look at that vehicle, I’d rather have that one… POW, broke it again. “Wish I had a Special Forces Tab…” SLAM DUNK. Ladies and gentlemen, he’s down for the count! He’s broken the 10th commandment three times in one hour! Sound absurd? Not really; it happens every day. This is the commandment that the great Apostle Paul said “got him” every time. It’s the easiest of all to break and we do it all the time. Any time I look to my neighbor’s stuff with the idea that I would be more satisfied with his than mine, I have coveted.

Read Jn 1.29-37

It took two days for the disciples to get it. On day one, John announces “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!” The disciples don’t budge (vs29). The next day, two of them get it and begin to follow Jesus (vs35-37). As Disciplemakers, don’t be surprised when people don’t figure it out on the first go round. In fact make a plan to come back to the important things over and over again. Paul had learned this principle in his teaching, “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.” (Philippians 3:1) Remember, our Forgetories are better than our memories. FJ19

“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16

We were rippin’ into the boss but good and of course he wasn’t there. Or at least that’s what we thought. Turns out our sergeant was standing right behind a half open door listening to every word we had said about him. Boy, there were some red faces in the crowd when he stepped around the corner. His half grin verified he had caught us in our half-truths. We were a little embarrassed but we should have known someone was listening. And if it wasn’t out team leader certainly God was. Every time we breathe a word of insult, gossip, or slander, God hears it all (even when we just think it).

“You shall not steal.” Exodus 20:15

We had a great time on our staff-ride studying the WWII battlefields of Tunisia and now it was time to head back home. As we checked out of the five-star (really two-star) hotel, I saw that the lovely Tunisian desk clerk was writing with a US Government ballpoint pen. I asked her casually if I could have “my” pen back. She was visibly shocked and replied, “I’m sorry, sir, but this is my pen.” To which I replied, “No, Ma’am; it says right on it “US Government,” I’m with the US Government, so it’s my pen.” I broke the tension by laughing and assuring her that I was just kidding with her. But then I started to think about all the US Government pens in my house. Could it be that I was more guilty of thievery than she? But it’s just a pen! Not the excuse I would accept from my son if he took one from the store.

“You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14

“Chaplain, I’ve never committed adultery. Sure I look but its not like I’m cheating on my wife or anything. It’s OK to check out the menu as long as I don’t order, right?” It would seem the simple act of lust would be pretty harmless but actually according to Jesus it’s the same as committing adultery. That would put 99% of us red-blooded American men in violation of the seventh commandment (and some red-blooded American women as well). That’s a high standard of holiness and believe it or not there are folks out there that think they are just that perfect. Every time we think we have a handle on personal purity, God raises the bar and shows us we just can’t make the grade.