LIVE LIKE JESUS THROUGH HIS POWER! And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. —Luke 6:33-36 Jesus said… “If you do good…

KEEP FISHING! And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. —Luke 5:4-6  “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” —Luke 5:10             How many times had they thrown out their nets out the night before?  They had thrown the nets out, let them settle for a while and then pulled them in— empty. …

THE SHEPHERDS HEARD…THEY WENT… THEY SAW… THEY BELIEVED… AND THEY TOLD OTHERS WHAT THEY HEARD AND SAW! When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the…

NOT SHAKEN, BUT STEADFAST, TRUSTING OUR LORD Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.  They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. —Psalm 112:6-7             It is a fact… “the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever.”  You… who have trusted Jesus… “will be remembered forever!”  You and I need not be in “fear of bad news.”  Why do we need not fear “bad news?”  It is because our “hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord!”             If, as a follower of Jesus, you are fearful, then your heart is not being steadfast on the Lord. …

TRUST THE POWER OF GOD OVER THE POWER OF PEOPLE ACTING WICKEDLY! The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”  When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”  Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed…

THOSE OF THE TRUTH ARE GUIDED BY GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. —-John 16:13-14 I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word… —John 17:20  Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice. 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” —John 18:37-38             Those who…

LOVINGLY AND OBEDIENTLY SERVE HIS PEOPLE When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know…

BE MULTIPLIED THROUGH ME FOR YOUR GLORY! Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”  The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” —John 11:7-8 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. —John 12:24             One grain of wheat still growing on the stalk is just one grain of wheat.  Put plant that grain of wheat as a seed and it will be multiplied greatly.  This can be seen in…

HAVE A PROPER PERSPECTIVE As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. —John 9:1-3 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.  We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. Never since the world began has it…

A DISCIPLE OF JESUS WILL OBEY WHAT HE SAYS So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” —John 8:32  Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” —John 8:47  Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death. —John 8:51 But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel. —Psalm 106:13             How do we know…