Surrender: A devotional on desperation, humility, and giving over

 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." — John 17:20-21 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Your prayer for all believers who would come to know you through the message of your disciples was that we would be one. The unity you pictured and prayed for was the same unity that you have with the Father, that we would be one in you and you would be one in us. Together, all believers would be one in Christ and one in the Father. The result of all believers being one in you and the Father would be so that the world may believe that the Father has sent you. Your prayer to the Father continued, "that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them as you have loved me." When a world sees believers in complet...

 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” — John 11:43-44 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, This is the Gospel! Bringing you to people who are presently dead, seeing you call them to life and out of their tomb, and then empowering the community around them to remove the grave clothes they are wearing and setting them free. Lord, before I go help others with their grave clothes, I have to wonder, "Are there any grave clothes still wrapped around me?" Am I wearing the remains of an old dead life that is no more? Am I free to come out, be unwrapped, and walk unencumbered in new life? If there are any remnants that still cling to me, would you—and those around me—unwrap me and set me free so I can do that for others? Lord, so many people around me are still dead in their gra...

 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” — John 9:39 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, One commentator wrote of this verse, "Those who are conscious of their blindness and grieved on account of it may be relieved; while those who are content with the light they have lose even that." Lord, may I be increasingly conscious of where I am blind. I want to see! Where I am blind to my own faults, may I see and be healed. Where I am blind to how I impact others negatively, may I see and be made whole. Where I am blind to my own sin, may I see and be forgiven. Lord, may I be grieved of my own spiritual blindness. As you point out the areas where I am blind, may I surrender those areas to you rather than fight against them. As you lovingly reveal to me how I have blindly hurt or hindered others, may I be broken for it and ask you to heal me and care for those I have hurt. And as you gently shine l...

 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” — John 20:19-23 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, It's Sunday night. There are reports from Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John, that the tomb is empty and that you have been seen alive. But here are the disciples reacting to fear by locking themselves inside, afraid that the Jewish leaders are coming for them next. In the midst of their fear, you show up and announce, "Peace be with you!" Showing your hands a...

 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. — John 12:46  Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, You are the Light of the World. You came into this world as a light to illuminate our lives and to shine upon our path back to the Father. In you there is no darkness. Because where there is your light, all darkness has to flee. Although we live in a world that has been overcome by darkness, your light has come into this world and the darkness has not overcome you! As I believe in you, I no longer stay in that darkness. Even when all I feel is darkness, your light is with me. Darkness no longer has a hold on me as long as I am in your light. Your light is more powerful than any darkness I'll encounter. Your light is brighter than even the noon day sun. And in your light, I am free from this darkness. Gracious Lord Jesus, today I choose to walk out of the darkness and into Your glorious light. I choose to rest in the illumi...

 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” — John 7:37-38 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, There's a spiritual thirst every human possesses. For some, we seek to slake our thirst. For others, they seek to suppress their thirst. Your word to any who will listen is that only you will fully satisfy our thirst. Anyone who is thirsty and comes to you will drink deeply. You said to the Samaritan woman (John 4:14) that whoever drinks the water you give them will never thirst again. In fact, we would become our own springs of water! Whoever believes in you will have rivers of living water flowing from within them—the Holy Spirit. And this spring of water welling up inside of us will well up to eternal life. Lord, there are times when I become dry and thirsty again. Those times typically come ...

 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. — John 4:49-50 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, This morning I received a message from a missionary friend of ours in Cologne, Germany. He had a dream about us and rarely remembers his dreams, so he figured this one was significant. And it was. Very relevant and deeply significant. I am amazed at the lengths you will go to share and confirm your word. You are speaking to my friend 5,000 miles away to help me take you at your word right here. The royal official didn't need multiple confirmations. He took you at your word the moment you spoke it. In fact, his son was healed at the exact time at which you said, "Your son will live." (vs. 53). Thank you for your patience with me and for giving me confirmation for the word you have already spoken. However, help me become one who hears your word, takes it, believes i...

 It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon. “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!” “Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. — John 19:14-15 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, The Jews outright rejected their Messiah. They demanded you be taken away from them and be crucified. They did not want to see you, much less receive you. They called for your execution. To the One who offered eternal life they demanded immediate death. They rejected their king and chose a tyrant. Lord, isn't that how it is in my life? In areas of my heart where I reject your kingly rule, I choose instead the tyranny of sin. Sin demands more from me and imprisons all of me. When I close my heart to you, I am standing among the Jews shouting, "Take him away!" When the Spirit of God shines light upon the sin in my heart, He says, "Here is...

 "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." — John 17:22-23 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, You desire for your church—all who believe in your name—to be one, to be in complete unity. When your church is living in that unity, the world notices, the world believes that the Father sent You, and the world knows that the Father loves them. To empower your church to live in that unity, you have given us the glory that the Father gave you. What is that glory? It's not glory as the world defines it. It is the glory of your presence, the glory of your Spirit, the glory of your power. Your glory is the shining radiance of your presence evident within your church. As one commentator wrote, "Where there is a sense of God's glory, unity is much easier. Lesser things...

 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” — John 13:7 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, As you began washing the disciples' feet, you made this statement—a statement that is pretty much a response to every confusing moment in life! When the events around me make no sense, I do not realize what you are doing, but later I will understand. When life goes illogically and inexplicably sideways, I do not realize what you are doing, but later I will understand. When the pressure upon me becomes more intense that I can bear, I do not realize what you are doing, but later I will understand. It's not hard to look backward and reflect on those past moments that made no sense, sent sideways, or were full of pressure. At the time, I did not realize what you were doing. Now, maybe I understand. You were forming something in me that did not yet exist. You were increasing something in me that I needed in greater measure. Patience. Resili...

"Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life." — John 12:25 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, This statement perplexes me. One would think we are to love this life we have been given. I equate "loving my life" with being grateful for this life, for finding joy every day in this life, for approaching every day with thankfulness. But You make a startling claim that if I love my life, I will lose it. And that if I actually hate my life in this world, I'll have eternal life. It seems that the clarifying words are "life in this world." This life is not  my home. I am a pilgrim and a sojourner waiting for my true home. Philippians 3:20 says that my citizenship is in Heaven. This world and this life is not my home. 1 John 2:15 says, "Do not love the world or anything in the world." That includes this life. This world and this life within it will pass away. If my li...

 "Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him." — John 7:18 Dear Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, When I speak on my own—from my own knowledge, my own wisdom, my own intellect—Your word says I'm doing so to gain personal glory. Personal glory has to do with how I appear to other people, whether they are pleased with me, my standing with others. But You say that he who seeks the glory of the One who sent him—that is, God—is a man of truth. Seeking the glory of God before I speak marks me as a man of truth. Seeking the glory of God before I speak means ensuring every word that leaves my mouth glorifies my Lord. Lord Jesus, how many times have I uttered false or empty words just to elicit praise from others? How many times have I said prideful words in order to appear stronger or bigger than I really am? How many times have I spoken words that rob...

 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” — John 6:12 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, I am really thankful you said these words. If God is a God who doesn't waste things, then I can be confident He doesn't waste my pain. He doesn't waste my moments of failure. He doesn't waste my heartbreak. He doesn't waste my tears. "Let nothing be wasted" means that God doesn't disregard me and won't waste my life. Gather the pieces that are left over.  On days when I feel like there are a lot of broken pieces of me, I am deeply comforted to know that God doesn't sweep away my broken pieces into the trash can and move on. Jesus, you said "Gather the pieces that left over." Would you gather me up into Your hands today? Would you take the broken pieces of me and hold them carefully in Your hands and remind me they aren't going to be left on the ground...

 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." — John 1:14 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, As you made yourself human and took on flesh, coming to this earth and making it your "tabernacle," you came full of grace and truth . Of all the qualities and characteristics John could have highlighted, he chose these two: grace and truth. Importantly, he wrote grace  first, followed by truth . Grace is getting what we do not deserve. We, as fallen humanity, did not deserve you. For we weren't just stuck in our sin, we were firmly entrenched in it. You came from the Father and brought undeserved favor—grace—to all of humanity. Lord, you came to this world and you came full of truth. In you there is no falsehood or deceit. You are entirely true. You came in truth, bringing Truth to a world stuck in the Lie. The Lie that we have believed was p...

 "Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” — John 20:21-23 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, An encounter with You, the Risen Lord, brings peace, purpose, and power. As you greeted the disciples, you said, "Peace be with you!" You bring peace in your encounter with me. John 16:33 says that in this world, I will have trouble but in you, I have peace. An encounter with You brings purpose. You said to the disciples, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." I am sent. When I encounter you, I receive your mission and I am sent on your mission. John 17:18 says, "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." An encounter with You brings Holy Spirit power. You breathed on the disciples and said, "Receive...

 "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." — John 17:15-18 Gracious Lord Jesus, my friend and my King, Your prayer wasn't to move us from the world. We are, it seems, stuck in this world. But you are more intentional than that. You didn't leave us just to be stuck in this world. You first prayed for our protection from the evil one while we live in this world. The Father's protection over us keeps us from the harm and destruction of the evil one. Nothing that comes to us hasn't first passed through Your loving hands. Second, you remind us that though we are in the world, we are not of it. We are citizens of Heaven (Phil. 3:20). This world is not our home. Third, you prayed that we would be sanctified (set apart) by your truth. Your Word is tr...