+ nline with Jesus -

A Bible Reading and Meditation guide

 (In case you missed them, the last two  readings follow this one )

Prayer;

+ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Lord, open my eyes that I may see wonderful things out of your word. Amen.

Today's Reading:

Andrew brings 'a Rock' to Jesus

John 1.40 - 42

40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called "Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).

Meditation for the Day

There is not much recorded about Andrew other than this account of his bringing his brother to Christ at the beginning of their journey with Him; but He is therefore responsible for much in terms of the powerful ministry Peter went on to have in the early Church. Of Andrew the saying in Proverbs 11.30 is very true; 'He who brings home souls is wise' - in bringing Peter to Jesus, in one sense, we need know no more about him - he is the prototype for all soul-bringers.

Jesus looks at Peter, and sees in him a quality that He knew He could build on - faithfulness, leadership and commitment must have all been written across Peter's face; and Jesus names him Cephas, the Aramaic word for rock, of which the Greek equivalent is Petros (where English gets its word 'petrified' from ) , knowing that this man, despite His later denial of Jesus, will ultimately carry His heart to the crowds in Jerusalem at Pentecost.

Prayer;

  • Allow God to empower you by His Spirit to make the most of every opportunity to bring people closer to Jesus through your life and words.

Lord Jesus Christ, Thank you for those who through their faithfulness to you have affected my life enough to bring me to you. May I be ready to pass on that hope to others, so that You may receive the full harvest of Your cross. In Your Name. Amen.

If you have any questions about today's reading, please send me them on colin@cce.uk.net

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Yesterday's reading

John’s Disciples

John 1.35 - 39

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"    37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning round, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?"        They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39 "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

Meditation for the Day

John once more highlights to his disciples the person of Jesus, and declares again that He is the sacrifice who will carry on His back the sins of the whole world. On the strength of this insight, the two disciples detach themselves from John, and follow the Messiah.

We know from verse 40, that one of these two was Andrew, brother of Simon Peter; the other may be John the Apostle himself, not named out of modesty as he does not wish to use his own name in his own writing. But this is only surmise.

Jesus calls them to 'come' and they follow; there is no suggestion of John the Baptist deterring them, for he knows his mission is fulfilled with the appearance of Jesus. It is as important in God's purposes to know when something is at an end, as to know when to begin.

Prayer;

  • Jesus calls us to follow Him; is there anything you need to move on from, or put an end to , in order to grow closer to Him ?

Lord Jesus Christ, You have called me to follow, and I respond to Your call. I surrender to You everything which will hold me back, choosing to be with You rather than holding on to the past. By Your grace, help me to not look back, having set my hand to the plough with You. In Your Name. Amen.

Reading from Two Days Ago;

The Message of John the Baptist

John 1.24 - 34

24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptise if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 "I baptise with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.29 The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

            32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

Meditation for the Day

John is questioned about his reasons for baptising with water; he says that he is doing it as a way of recognising the Lamb of God when he comes for baptism, for the Holy Spirit would fall upon Him, in a way described elsewhere by other gospel writers. ( See Luke 3.21) God had simply told John to baptise people for the forgiveness of sins, so that through this means, God could highlight to His servant, John, the anointed one, Jesus. In a sense, baptism, symbolic washings, were nothing new for Jews, and John's campaign at the Jordan was one stage in a long tradition of local revivals. But this is so different, because John knows that he is looking for one person who will stand out from all others coming down into the river - he is watching for the power and presence of God to reveal who is the Messiah. In the same way, we need to be listening to God to see Christ revealed constantly in new ways in our own lives and the lives of others.

Prayer;

  • Ask God to open your eyes constantly to see Christ anew in every circumstance, so that the Holy Spirit can continue His work in you today.

Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit revealed You to John's eyes in the Jordan. Come and reveal Yourself again in my life today, that Your glory may be seen reflected in my life. In Your Name. Amen.

 If you have any questions about any of the readings, please send me them on colin@cce.uk.net

Bible passages © New International Version ; Prayers and Meditations © Colin Symes 2007

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