#biblicalresponseseries

[31women]

John 5

Dear God, As we study John 5 this evening, we invite you into our study and our lives. We ask that you meet us where we are, whether that is in thanksgiving, or in the midst of struggle. We ask that you reveal yourself to us and allow your word to be living and active. Allow John to be life-changing and your Spirit to be life-giving. Amen

Jesus = God: “Truly, Truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing.”

The entire point of John 5 is this simple fact: Jesus is God, and God the Father shows himself through Jesus the Son. If you remember nothing else from this post remember this point- Jesus is God incarnate (human). The creator God walked in his creation. One of the reasons that we don’t experience God the same way people in the OT did is that Jesus was the ultimate manifestation of the character of God. We no longer need to be told in visions who God is- Jesus took care of that once and for all. Jesus radically changed the way Israel viewed God. Jesus proved the existence of a triune God (3 part)- God the Father, God the Son, and eventually we’ll come to God the Holy Spirit. Each of these parts are God, equal, yet different. The relationship between them represents the Church on earth now. We are all unified (not like God is, because we’re actually different people but stick with me here) in the Holy Spirit, yet we all have different roles to fill in our world. Not one of us is better than the others, though we might have jobs that seem unequal in the context of our world. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are of equal value, yet they each have a different role to fill. God the Father created, God the Son (Jesus) became human and savior, God the Spirit is the mediator who works in believers today. For this reason, we can never truly worship God unless we worship all three parts of him. To worship God without Jesus is to not worship God. We cannot pick and choose with parts of God to believe. It’s all or nothing- “whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” If you want to truly honor and obey God, look at the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus shows us who God the Father is, and as a result, who we are (or at least should be).

What is your role in the Church? What talents have you been given to further the kingdom of God? Do you see everyone’s tasks as being equal, or do you place more value on some? How will you worship God in his fullness?

Life-Giving: “Truly, truly I say to you, an hour is coming and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”

The whole reason that Jesus came to earth at all was to give you life. This is the most important thing about you- that you are alive in Christ. Yet why do I still sin? Why is there still pain if I have been pulled out of death into life? Well this verse answers that for us. “An hour is coming and is now here.” Eternal life has both arrived, and is promised later. Right now, this very second, we have eternal life that no one can take away. The power of sin over us was broken. We are the children of God. We are able to have true joy and peace. At the same time, we still live in brokenness and sin. We still deal with the consequences of sin and the deep sorrows of our world. Therefore we both live in eternity now, and wait for the coming of a new world. If we truly set our minds on eternity, everything about this world loses its glory. For example, I recently realized that I don’t need a 4.0 GPA to serve Christ. It actually won’t matter 4 years from now, much less 1,000 years from now! I am able to have an eternal mindset to think about what is really important in my life, while also waiting for the day when my value no longer has to be in my GPA and I can fully rejoice in the glory of God in a new kingdom.

How does it look to live eternally starting today? What does it mean to hope for the coming of a new kingdom? Why is life such an important topic in the Bible? How do we get true life?

The Point is Christ: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”

I often find myself wondering what the point of all this Bible reading is. I mean, do I really have to know all those old Bible stories that don’t seem to apply to me anymore? When will I ever need to cross an ocean on dry land? Yet this verse tells us the point of this book that we dedicate our lives to. The Bible doesn’t give us life. Reading the Bible will not make you a good Christian. The Bible will not give you faith. The Bible will not save your soul, or get you more grace. The Bible was never meant to be looked at, but rather looked through. If we just read the words on the page, it means nothing, but when we interpret the words on the page and allow the Holy Spirit to help us understand the words, we are shown Jesus Christ himself. The entire point of the Bible is Jesus. Every passage you ever read should connect to Christ and what he did for us. That is why the Bible was written. And I mean every verse and every page, even all the genealogies. The stories in Exodus show Christ, the psalms cry for the savior to come, the prophecies in Isaiah were fulfilled in Christ, the gospels tell about Christ’s life, the letters to the churches focus on Christ, and Revelation predicts Christ’s return. The Bible is about Jesus Christ. Without him, we have nothing. He is everything. Christ is the hero of the story of the Bible, and he is the hero of your life today. You’re not in control. You’re not the one who’s doing great things for the kingdom. Is it through Christ that we are who we are. All of our lives and all our ministries should tell the story of Jesus Christ. He is the hero of your story.

What passages can you think of that predict the 1st coming of Jesus? What passages can you think of that talk about Christ’s life? What passages can you think of that tell of Jesus’ 2nd coming? Is the Bible a collection of many stories, or the grand telling of a single one? How will you read the Bible differently with Jesus as the center of the story?

-31Women (Beth) 

[31women]

John 4

Dear God, As we begin to study John 4 this evening, we invite you into our study and our lives. We ask that you meet us where we are, whether that is in thanksgiving, or in the midst of struggle. We ask that you reveal yourself to us and allow your word to be living and active. Allow John 4 to be life-changing and your Spirit to be life-giving. Amen

Context- The most important thing about this chapter to remember is how absolutely shocking and scandalous it is. First of all, Jesus goes into Samaria, which strict Jews would not have done. Second, he asks for a drink from a samaritan who he was not supposed to speak to, much less share a cup with (that would have made him “unclean” in Jewish standards). Finally, he’s a man talking to a woman, and he has a real conversation with her that is free of judgement and pride. The Samaritans were the descendants of Jews and Gentiles, and were considered “dirty” with their mixed blood, accepted by neither group. Jews did not interact with them, and the Messiah was not coming for them… yet he was. The Jews were wrong, the Messiah did come for them, and with them, the world. 

Part 1: The Physical Spiritual Water- When Jesus offers the Samaritan woman “living water,” she (like Nicodemus) takes it a little too literally. She wants actual water that would allow her to be hydrated forever (don’t we all), but Jesus is speaking spiritually, not physically.  When Jesus offers this woman the “living water,” he is offering her life, contentment, and joy. So that leads us to ask this question- what is the living water that gives us all these things? What is our deepest longing that needs to be satisfied? What brings true joy? I know that I usually don’t answer my own questions here, but there’s a specific thing that Jesus gave us that answers all of them. Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit. Our deepest longing is to know God personally, so Jesus offers us the actual person of God living within us as “a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” We will only find life, contentment, and joy in God himself. He is the fulfillment of our spiritual thirst- the living water. 

In what ways do you see (or not see, that’s valid too) knowing God personally as your deepest longing? Do you feel the life, contentment, and joy of the Holy Spirit in your life? What does eternal life look like (not as in Heaven, as in how does it cause us to live)? What does true contentment look like? What does true joy look like? Are these things dependent on circumstances? 

Part 2: The Proclamation- When Jesus asks the Samaritan woman to call her husband, he already knew the answer to his unspoken question. She’s not married, but she has been married, and the person that she lives with currently isn’t married to her. Some say that this woman was some sort of prostitute, or just really immoral person, but other says differently. Women in that day didn’t always have a choice when it came to men. In order to survive in her context, she would have always needed to be married or at least being taken care of by a man. Her other husbands could have died (traumatic!) or divorced her and cast her to the side (hurtful). We don’t know exactly who this woman was or why she had the life that she had, but she was in need of a savior for sure. She had a less than perfect life, shunned by the Jewish community, and maybe by her own community. Yet Jesus reaches even her. He knows her and he sees her in the midst of her struggle. He gives the hopeless hope and the sorrowful joy. Then he goes further, he gives this woman life, and he proclaims himself to be Messiah to a woman that was supposed to have no value. He makes himself known to this woman in a way that he didn’t even do to his own people. He proclaims himself her savior. 

And it’s not over yet. He gives her great news- she doesn’t have to go to the Temple to worship anymore. He tells her that “true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” What does this mean for us? Let’s think about the temple in context- the temple was where God dwelled on earth, the literal connection between the spiritual and the physical, heaven and earth, God and man. The temple was everything, it was the only connection to God. Then Jesus died, and the curtain between God and man was torn from top to bottom. We became the temple. We became the place that God met man. God literally dwells within us and we are the new place of worship on earth. We carry God within us. We are the new connection to God. 

In what ways are you still lost in your sin and in your situation? How does Jesus bring life and hope into those things? How can we do that for others now that we are in Christ? What does it mean that we are the temple? How do we live our lives? How do we worship God in our own beings? How are YOU going to worship God as the new temple (think reality, think now)? 

Part 3: How in the world do we respond to that? Jesus tells us in the following verses- “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” “Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.” Jesus calls us to respond with obedience and joy. I could say so much more, but you have to find what that means in your own life. 

What does it mean to truly live in obedience to God? Do you have a desire to do that (I didn’t for most of my life, even after I became a Christian, so that’s an acceptable answer)? How can you find a desire to serve God? What does the rest of John 4 reveal about our call to witness? What is your testimony (and no drama is required, God is satisfied with your TRUE story)? How do you find joy? What does it look like to live your whole life with joy? 

“Do you not say, There are yet four months, then comes the harvest? Look I tell you, life up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” It’s happening now y’all. No need to wait for perfection or training. It’s time to start living in joy and obedience as the temple of the Lord today. 

-31Women (Beth)

[31women]

John 3

Dear God, As we study John this evening, we invite you into our study and our lives. We ask that you meet us where we are, whether that is in thanksgiving, or in the midst of struggle. We ask that you reveal yourself to us and allow your word to be living and active. Let John 3 be life-changing and your Spirit to be life-giving. Amen

Part 1: Nicodemus and the question of life- Remember how Jesus is always calling all the Jewish leaders hypocrites and ignorant? Well Nicodemus is one of those guys. He’s a teacher and leader in Jewish society, and he is supposed to have all the answers. Yet, he comes to Jesus under the cover of night and calls him Rabbi (which is significant since Jesus has exactly 0 education and doesn’t deserve the title according to Jewish standards). 

Why does Nicodemus come to Jesus during the night? Why doesn’t Jesus turn him away? What could the physical darkness of the time of day symbolize for Nicodeumus’ life? 

I think the best part of the whole interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus is the fact that Jesus doesn’t wait for him to ask a question before giving an answer. Nicodemus walks in and Jesus says “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Surprise Nicodemus, Jesus doesn’t need you to ask the question “How can I receive the kingdom of God” to know that you’re thinking it, yet Jesus shows mercy on him and explains further- “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.” What Jesus is getting at here is ownership. Who does Nicodemus live for? Who does he belong to? Himself or the Lord? If we think about earthly things as our end goal, we are born of the flesh. If we let our sin control us, we are born of the flesh. If we pray and read our bibles for our own glory, we are born of the flesh. Jesus calls Nicodemus (and us as a result) to sacrifice our old lives for something greater. He calls us to be “born again” spiritually in the new life of Christ’s sacrifice for us. If we are born of the Spirit, we belong to the Spirit and the ways of the flesh lose their hold. If we belong to the Spirit, Christ is our life. 

What does it mean that Jesus knows what we need before we ask? How does the impact our prayers? Who do you belong to? Are you born of the Spirit or of the flesh? What does it look like practically (every day living) to be born of the Spirit? 

Part 2: Jesus gives Life- Nicodemus is so stuck in thinking about God in earthly terms, that he doesn’t comprehend who Jesus really is. He calls him a teacher, but Jesus calls himself Messiah. Verse 14 says “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” This verse might seem strange, but Jesus knows his audience. Nicodemus knew this story well as a Jewish leader. Let’s go back to Numbers 21 for a minute. The Israelites are in the desert and they sin (typical start to any OT story). As punishment, the Lord sends “fiery serpents” so that whoever was bitten would die. The people remember the Lord and turn to Moses for prayer. Moses prays for mercy and the Lord answers. The Lord tells Moses to make a bronze serpent and raise it up on a pole so that whoever looks at the serpent will live. Alright back to John everyone. Do you see the connection? The people are suffering for their sins, and as the serpent was lifted up, so Jesus will be lifted up on the cross that whoever sees him may live. And Jesus doesn’t stop there- “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, the whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus is directly telling us that he is life-giving. Yet that part of the verse is not the most important part. The more important phrase comes first- For God so loved the world. The rest of the words only happen because this clause begins the sentence. Why did Jesus come? Why did we get eternal life? For God so loved the world. The foundation of the gospel and this entire book we’re reading is that God so loved the world. 

Do you doubt that God so loves the world (I do pretty often so be honest)? How do you see God’s love in the world? How do you know that God loves you (because he does individually love you, so think about it)? 

Part 3: The Response to Life- I think John the Baptist has a beautiful answer to the question “How do we respond?” He begins by making it clear that he is not the Christ. He does not depend on his own strength, but gives his life over to the power of Christ saying “He must increase and I must decrease.” Sometimes I ask God to send me to great places to do great things, but I forget that God calls me across the street to further his kingdom in a way that no one will ever notice. That ordinary calling is just as valuable as one that brings millions to Christ. Whatever life we are given, and whatever life anyone else has, we are called to be content and joyful- “Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.” True joy comes from putting Christ as the center of your life and giving up your own fame and glory. When we receive the testimony of Christ, we “set [our] seal to this, that God is true.” That seal goes right back to ownership. We are stamped with God’s Spirit and are given new life in the body of believers. And we know that this is the only Truth in the world. 

Where is God calling you to sacrifice for his kingdom? What ambitions do you need to let go of to be content in Christ alone? What does it mean to be joyful (not necessarily happy)? What does it mean that God is true? 

-31Women (Beth) 

[31women]

John 2

Dear God, As we begin to study John 2 this evening, we invite you into our study and our lives. We ask that you meet us where we are, whether that is in thanksgiving, or in the midst of struggle. We ask that you reveal yourself to us and allow your word to be living and active. Let John 1 be life-changing and your Spirit to be life-giving. Amen

Intro: The thing you should know about John 2 is this- it is the first sign (or miracle) that Jesus does. John makes it clear that Jesus lived a fairly ordinary life until this point in time. This is the first time that Jesus shows himself to be supernatural. He does this sign at a typical cultural event in the place that he lives. He goes to a wedding with his family and friends. In the second part of this chapter Jesus is again participating in a cultural event, the Passover. 

Why did Jesus choose a common celebration to preform his first sign? What does it mean that Jesus participated in these kind of events at all? What do these chapters show us about Jesus’ character? 

The Wedding at Cana (Verses 1-12): Basic overview- Jesus, his disciples, and his family go to a wedding and the wine runs out. When Jesus’ mother asks him to solve the problem, he says “My hour has not yet come,” but he still turns gallons and gallons of water to wine. The servants bring the master of the feast (think wedding planner or party host) some of the wine, the master of the feast calls the bridegroom and says “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” It is important to know here that weddings in Jesus’ were huge events involving the entire village, and lasting for several days. The presence of wine at these weddings symbolized joy and blessing. If the wedding ran out of wine, it was a great embarrassment to the family as it represented a lack of resources, so when Mary says “They’ve run out of wine!” it’s actually a concerning situation. But look at the deeper level here. What if we look at the wedding as the state of Israel and God’s chosen people? The Israelites were without wine (i.e. the joy and blessings of God). They had become spiritually barren, and Jesus was there to supernaturally change the fundamentals of what they believed, just as he changed water to a completely new substance. Furthermore, Jesus shows himself to be God in that he was both creator and provider. He created wine to provide for his beloved people’s needs. 

Is your life spiritually barren? What about our society? What does the changing of water to wine symbolize? How does this sign point to Jesus as Messiah? How does Jesus show himself to be creator and provider in your everyday life? 

Jesus Cleanses the Temple (Verses 13-22): Brief Overview: During the passover time, merchants would sell animals for sacrifices so that people who traveled a long distance would not have to bring animals with them on the journey. When Jesus sees them in the Temple, he is filled with a righteous anger (or zeal as the disciples remember it called in the OT) and drives them out of the Temple. The Jews question his authority to do so, and Jesus tells them “Destroy this Temple, and I will raise it in 3 days.” The Jews think he is speaking of the Temple building, and do not understand that he is pointing to himself as the Temple of God and foreshadowing his crucifixion/resurrection. So at first I was confused as to why it was so bad that the merchants were being helpful, but I think it points to a deep spiritual truth about sin. They may have started selling animals to be helpful, but it became something that was defiling the Temple and turning a place of God into a commercial business. That’s the way sin gets us. It starts with something small, and slowly takes over our entire lives. Yet Jesus comes in and overturns it. He is victorious over our misguided intentions. He has a righteous anger towards that is not out of hate or condemnation, but out of intense love and protectiveness for us as God’s temples now that we have the Holy Spirit living within us. The Temple was a place of worship that connected God and humans before the ultimate sacrifice of Christ. Once Christ gave us his grace, he tore down the wall between God and humans forever. In that moment, we had a direct connection to God. We became the Temples. 

What sin in your life has corrupted your ability to worship God well? How does the act of overturning tables in the Temple relate to the process of dealing with sin in our hearts? How does Jesus show himself as Messiah in these verses? What does it mean that we are Temples? How does it change the way we see ourselves and the world? 

Why did he do all this? (Verses 11, 22, and 23-25): Let’s take a step back and evaluate- in all of these sections, Jesus never tells the common person who he is. He speaks in metaphors and doesn’t even tell the bridegroom of the wedding feast that he created the wine. Why? Read the verses- “And his disciples believed in him.” “his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture.” Jesus didn’t do these things to show himself as Messiah to the whole wide world, he was doing it for the growth in faith of those close to him. Peter wasn’t always courageous, and John wasn’t always wise. These were the early days where they barely know who Jesus was and didn’t have any idea what was to come. There were just following a stranger around. Jesus was building their faith and preparing them for the work they were to do. The rest of the people believed in what he was doing based on his signs, but Jesus needed his disciples to believe in who he was. When we study the scriptures, we are not building a good Christian vocabulary or looking for empty feelings of comfort, we read the Bible to discover who God is. 

What does it mean to not just know what Jesus did, but who he is? How does Jesus reveal himself as Messiah to his disciples? How do we apply his words to our lives knowing that we are Jesus’ disciples now too? 

-31Women (Beth) 

[31women]

John 1 (Biblical Response Series)

#1 Piece of advice before diving into scripture: PRAY 

Dear God, As we begin to study John this evening, we invite you into our study and our lives. We ask that you meet us where we are, whether that is in thanksgiving, or in the midst of struggle. We ask that you reveal yourself to us and allow your word to be living and active. Let John 1 be life-changing and your Spirit to be life-giving. Amen

Since we’re reading John 1, I think it’s necessary to give a little background (It’ll be short, stick with me!). John (the writer of this book) was one of the 12 disciples throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry. John began as a disciple of John the Baptist, but followed Jesus when John the Baptist declared Jesus as the “Lamb of God” (see John 1:35). John (not the baptist, the disciple and author) is commonly referred to as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” throughout the new testament. He is the author of several books in the New Testament including John, 1-3 John, and Revelation. The gospel of John is believed to have been written around 70-80 AD, which is much later than the other gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke), and a long time after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (which is believed to have been around 36 AD). For all of these reasons, the book of John is a different type of writing than the other gospels. Although he uses facts, John’s purpose is not to present a historical account of Jesus’ ministry, but to declare who Jesus is for the growth of evangelism and discipleship within the jewish and gentile communities. The gospel of John is more reflective and more spiritual than the other gospels.

Knowing this basic information helps us to understand John 1 as a prologue where John declares who Jesus is, and why he is writing his account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

John 1:1-18 “In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The first thing that John does here is establish Jesus as God. He makes it clear that God the father and Jesus the son are one and that Jesus was part of the creation story in Genesis 1. This foundation of Jesus as divine is essential to the book of John, because it proves that Jesus had the power and authority to die for our sins.

Think about the importance of Jesus as divine: How does that impact the way you think about Jesus and his ministry?

“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” I love this verse because of how out-of-place it seems. John goes straight from Jesus as creator, to Jesus as savior. I like to think that John was so overwhelmed by the glory of Jesus as the saving light of the world, that he couldn’t wait for anymore of an intro to announce to the world that Jesus Christ is the savior and had overcome death itself to bring us life.

Think about the imagery here: How does John’s description of light and darkness help us to understand who Jesus is at a deeper level? How does it apply to your personal circumstances?

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the father, full of grace and truth…. For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” Since John already declared Jesus as God, he must now declare Jesus as human. The incarnation (becoming human) of Jesus is also essential to the gospel message. The only reason that Jesus could die for our sins is that he was the only person to be both man and God. He had authority from his divinity and temptations from his humanity. The word “dwelt” here literally means “to pitch his tent with.” That meaning holds so much depth for me. Knowing that Christ pitched his tent here on earth to struggle and suffer is incredible. God doesn’t ask us to suffer for him without taking on those very struggles for himself. He doesn’t let us suffer alone. He not only is aware of our trials, but suffers with us. I often fall into thinking of God as some big force somewhere in a galaxy far away that expects me to be perfect, but still somehow has the audacity to say he loves me. However, I have come to know God as a God who doesn’t just tolerate me, but actually delights in me. He wants to pitch his tent where I am and walk with me through my doubts, questions, and temper tantrums. He doesn’t just love me in spite of my faults, but understands my gifts, fault, and everything in between. He is a present God.

What does it mean that God’s grace is unlimited (“grace upon grace”)? What does grace mean (don’t just give me the automatic answer, what does it actually mean)? How does God see us through the grace of Christ? How does that change us and our view of the world/God/etc.? 

John 1:19-34 After declaring who God the Father and Jesus Christ are, John goes on to focus on who we are. “I Am the voice of the one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord as the prophet Isaiah said.” When John the Baptist speaks these words, he is speaking on two different playing fields. He is both telling the people what his identity is, while also fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy to reveal who Jesus is. When John says these words, the people understand that he is calling Jesus the Messiah. 

Our Identity: Who are we? What does it mean to be a voice crying in the wilderness to prepare for the coming of the Lord? Can this still be who we are many years later? 

Do not miss the heaviness of John’s invocation of the Old Testament prophecy. The Jewish people had been waiting for the promised Messiah since Genesis 3. Imagine you were waiting for someone for thousands of years, and then all of a sudden, some weirdo from the middle of the desert says he’s right around the corner. How would you feel? John the Baptist goes on to use even more Old Testament symbolism to declare Jesus as Messiah by saying “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” By calling him the sacrificial lamb, John the Baptist is referring to the practice of sacrificing a perfect lamb to God as redemption for the sins of the people. Jesus fulfills this practice by not sinning, and by sacrificing himself up to death for the sins of the people. John the Baptist knows exactly who Jesus is, and understands the weight of what he came to do. 

Jesus’ Identity as Messiah: What does it mean that Jesus is the Messiah? How is that represented in the declaration “Lamb of God?” Why is it important that all those Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in the person of Jesus? 

John 1:35-51 This passage tells of the first disciples of Jesus Christ. 

Why is the calling of the disciples important? What does it mean for us? How does Jesus reveal his power and divinity through these circumstances? 

Continue to meditate on God’s characteristic as a present God this week. What does that mean for your life? What does it mean that God actually delights in knowing and saving you?

-31Women (Beth) 

I hope they won’t all be this long- Sorry guys! 

[31women]

A Biblical Response  (introducing a devotional series)

We’ve been getting A TON of questions recently about the desire for devotionals and bible studies.... and I think it’s fantastic. The fact that people actually want to be in Scripture on a daily basis is wonderful! Here’s the thing- I’ve read some devotional books and found them (especially those written for women) to be deeply unsatisfying. They often aren’t all that focused on the Bible, but more on specific topics like body image, dating, general life advice, etc. Speaking as a Christian Blogger, I can understand the temptation to get so caught up in dealing with symptoms of problems, that I forget to put Christ as the true cornerstone of the point. Either that or the author starts using parenting or marriage as an illustration and you’re like “ok this no longer applies to my life bye.” The major problem (at least for me), is the inability to leave some questions unanswered and admit weakness. None of us, not even the ones who are giving you advice, have the secret to pretty Christianity. 

Studying scripture should challenge us just as much as it comforts us. Reading the Bible doesn’t always make us feel better, but it leads us to seek for a deeper understanding of who God and who we are. In addition, it should cause change in our lives in the way we think about God, perceive society, and interact with others. 

Because I just read through John, and because John is probably my favorite book of the Bible to discuss, I would love to help fulfill some of the desire for a devotional and a catalyst for studying scripture in more depth. I wish I could write something every day, but I also have to go to college at the moment, so once a week is the best I can do. I invite all of you to to dust of those Bibles and read one chapter of John a week with me. On Monday evening I will share a post including a little context of the chapter to help with basic understanding, an attribute of God that is evident in the chapter to meditate on for the next week, and some real life application questions that can get you thinking and a discussion going. Please feel free to comment on the posts and share your thoughts as well. 

Remember that this series is not meant to replace time spent in individual prayer and in the Word, but can be a place to get you thinking. Any questions you have can be spent here to 31Women or to me personally (@bethyelaine) if you want more of a conversation. 

I’m so excited! Get out John 1 for Monday. 

-31Women (Beth)