KEY VERSES: John 8:31-32
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.
REFLECTIONS:
As I reflected on this passage I thought how fitting this verse was while we are doing this 40-day challenge to stay in the Word of God, to follow His teaching and commandments. As Christians, we are not slaves or prisoners anymore but we are FREE.
Who do you say who Christ is in private? John 7:1-13 and chapter 9
This is the question I would like to challenge you with that challenged me as I read through these three chapters. Jesus told His brothers that He was not going to go the feast because His time had not come yet, but later changed His mind and decided to go. As He was there, He was walking through the crowd in secret and listening to what people were saying about Him. Some said He was a good man, some said He was a prophet, some said He was a deceiver; but no one would speak openly of Him for "fear of the Jews." Wow! It says no one. What would Jesus hear if He secretly followed you around to work or in your home or on vacation? What would He hear you say? What would He hear me say?
Matt 10:32.
Later on in chapter 9 the story is told of a blind man; the disciples, seeing this man, asked Jesus which one sinned -- was it this man or his parents? Jesus said neither, but that the power of God could be seen in him. Jesus healed this blind man and he could now see, but the Jews did not believe that this man had been blind so they brought in his parents to question them. They said he is our son but he is old enough to speak for himself. Later on in verse 22 it says because "they feared the Jews." Fear can paralyze us. We started taking Bella this year to preschool for the first time, and she was so excited. She just could hardly wait for her first day of school. Well, the first day finally came and she was still excited on the way to school, but as we started to get out of the car and walk into the building her demeanor was starting to change. She stopped being that bubbly girl and became a very quiet young lady. We saw things going south very fast and were trying to salvage the situation, when all of a sudden out of nowhere the teacher asked all the children to get in a straight line. You would have thought the teacher said for her to jump into shark-infested waters. Bella was terrified!! She was paralyzed. So many times in our life we become paralyzed.
I love how the story goes on. The religious leaders were trying to find out who healed the blind man, and were interrogating him. He wasn't very smart. He didn't know very much. He didn't even know who Jesus was. I love his response. All he knew was that I was once blind, but know I see.
I was once lost, but now I am found. I didn't know who Jesus was, but now I do. Go tell your story.
APPLICATION:
You may not know as much as these religious leaders or speak as well as some. You may not know everything about the Bible or just feel unqualified, but that didn't stop this blind man from talking about what Christ had done for him. You have a story to tell about what Christ has done in your life. And then also, what are you saying about Christ away from church, or what are you not saying? As the country preacher once put it, "As long as there is a tongue in this old preacher, it's going to wag about Jesus."
Thank you for being a part of THE 40 Day Challenge. Thanks for reading, and you have a blessed day!
In Christ, Jeff
NAME: Jeff Herrold
WHEN YOU GOT SAVED: When I was 5 yrs old, with my mother
FAVORITE BOOK IN BIBLE: Love the gospels, seeing how Jesus lived
FAVORITE BIBLE CHARACTER: Apostle Paul, unbelievable Christian "Follow me as I follow Christ"
FAMILY: Holly-wife, Bella-daughter 4yrs old, Riley-son 2yrs old, new baby due May 20
OCCUPATION: Farmer
AREA OF MINISTRY AT CHURCH: King's Kids, 4th-6th grade Sunday School, Children's Church, Deacon