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You are…
My blessing…
…my love
I’ve found you…at last
Though torrential tears
Flooded my lonely river
They carried me
To the welcome shores…
…of your open arms

Incessant rough waters
Tossed and turbulent
Smoothed my edges
Created a perfect fit
Into the sacred hollow…
…of your heart

Gales of intrinsic sorrow
Blown to steal my breath
Merely fanned the flames of faith
Inflated the sails of determination
For at journey’s end…
…there was you

My quest for your light
A brilliant beacon
Pierced the emptiness
Of night’s deep despair
Permeated the waters of destiny
Illuminated the harbour of our eternity
You are…
My blessing…
…my love

John 13:18-30

“Now Jesus was in great anguish of spirit, and he exclaimed, ‘The truth is, one of you will betray me!‘” (John 13:21, NLT).

Betrayal. We see it in movies, soap operas, the tabloids and our own lives. The stabbing feeling down inside, the confusion and anger and sadness over what is lost. Betrayal hurts deeply.

It could be a friend letting your deepest secret out of the bag or a spouse proving himself or herself to be unfaithful. Betrayal is an unfortunate but true reality in this less than perfect world we call home.  

Even Jesus was betrayed–someone completely unworthy of such treatment, a person you’d never think of turning your back on. But people are capable of doing a lot of harm–knowingly or unknowingly–especially to those who love and trust them.

Maybe Judas wasn’t that different from the average person today. He may have thought he was dedicated to Jesus, but his true feelings finally emerged to the contrary.  

Betrayal doesn’t have to be all-out rejection–it can be smaller and more subtle. Are there parts of your life that you have declared off-limits to Jesus? Do your words or actions carry hints of betrayal?

If so, it’s time to let Jesus into every part of you. He’ll give you the strength to live a life fully dedicated to Him.

“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14, ESV). 

Jesus is saying this to a woman from Samaria who has come to a well for water. He’s telling her about the gift God has for her: the gift of Himself. In spiritual terms, He promises water that will take away her thirst all together. And the perpetual spring ! of water He’s talking about is the Holy Spirit who lives in each of us who know Jesus. 

This woman had been married five times and was living with a man who was not her husband. Now, we don’t know any more details about these relationships but one thing is certain: no one could have had five marriages end without some pain and turmoil in life. 

Like the woman in today’s verses, many of us face suffering in life: broken relationships, grief, illness, job loss. It’s inevitable.  

And, sometimes, even though we know Jesus, we’re so focused on our problems that we don’t recognize the great gift God has given us–the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives who can provide peace and joy in the midst of our trials. 

Yet His presence is living in each of us who love Jesus. That spring of living water is always inside us. Jesus didn’t promise we wouldn’t face difficulty and tragedy, but He did promise to always be with us.

He promised that we would have that perpetual spring within! A spring of living water, bubbling up to provide renewal and refreshment.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. (John 1:9, ESV)

If you did nothing but read and think about John 1:1-18 for your daily time in the Bible for an entire month, you’d probably have a better grasp of who Jesus is than most people. This passage probably presents the most complete and concise description of Jesus’ nature and ministry found in the Bible.

Describing Jesus as the true light is very powerful.

Think of all that light does on this planet. Without light there’s no life. Without light nothing would grow. If there was no light, the beauty of nature would not be visible.

All these things are true of Jesus.

This Light shines on everyone. But some people choose to stay in the dark. And that’s a tragedy. Just like a mother may tell her kids to get out of the dark basement and go outside, the message of the Bible is inviting us to come into the light of Jesus.

One last thing about light: Darkness can never overpower it. Though there seems to be more darkness in the universe than light, no star was ever extinguished by the blackness.

And when you come into the light of Jesus, the darkness of sin and death will never be able to touch you again.

And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39, ESV).

Many people played a part in Jesus’ journey to the cross…

Judas–he betrayed Jesus into the hands of the Roman soldiers.

The Jewish religious leaders–they tried to convict Jesus of a crime so they could get rid of Him.

Pilate–he could’ve freed Jesus, but instead he released Barabbas, a murderer.

The Jewish people–they shouted “Crucify Him!” when Pilate asked what he should do with Jesus.

The Roman guards–they beat and whipped Jesus mercilessly before nailing Him to the cross, taunting Him the whole time.

But here’s the deal: None of these people ultimately were responsible for Jesus’ death.

Jesus chose to die. He gave His life willingly; He could easily have backed out if He’d wanted to. The characters above may have played various roles in God’s plan, but in the end, it was Jesus’ choice. He is, after all, the Son of God.

The Roman officer who saw Jesus die came to that conclusion–that Jesus was indeed the Son of God. He saw something in Jesus’ death that convinced him. He believed–and if his faith in Jesus was sincere, he went to heaven after his own death.

You know, it doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never thought much of Jesus in the past, or even if you’ve been hostile toward Him or His followers. If you believe today that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and place your faith in Him, you’re in. You get to go to heaven and live forever.

So–who do you say that Jesus is?