JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from John 8:58.
Jesus identified Himself by “I Am” Statements. These statements open our eyes to the reality of who Jesus is, and what He can accomplish on our behalf.
In John 8:58, Jesus made an astonishing statement that stirred anger among the religious leaders who opposed Him. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am!”
Their reaction was to pick up stones to throw at Him. They recognized that Jesus was claiming to be God. But they resisted His claim, which led to the fulfillment of God’s redemption plan.
First Peter 1:20 talks about Jesus being chosen before the creation of the world to shed His precious blood on the cross.
God would use the hatred of the religious leaders to express His love for the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
This Light Reflection inspires us to acknowledge Jesus as God in the Year to Shine.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Romans 4:25.
Speaking of Jesus, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
To be justified in God’s sight is to be declared “not guilty.” Yet, the Bible tells us we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. So, how then can those who are guilty be declared innocent in God’s eyes?
The answer is the Gospel, which is the light that reveals our hope by the death and resurrection of Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, He took the weight of our sins on Himself and paid the penalty for what we deserved. He went there in our place. Trusting in His provision of grace is what makes us righteous in God’s eyes.
Abraham was a man of faith and was given the credit of righteousness. That is what happens to us who believe in God who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
This Light Reflection inspires us to believe in the good news about Jesus in the Year to Shine.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Hebrews 11:8.
“By faith, Abraham when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
If there is one word we associate with Abraham, that word would be faith. Galatians 3:6 tells us that God counted him righteous because of his faith. That is also true for those who put their faith in Jesus.
Abraham did not know his destiny, but he was in relationship with the One who was guiding his destiny. God’s promises are true and trustworthy. His provision of heaven is secure for those who love Him. We can trust God to take us to a glorious destiny someday, and we can trust Him to guide us right now on this journey through life. It is not the easiest road or the most popular road, but it is the best road for a life that is blessed by God.
This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to trust and obey the Lord in the Year of Relationship.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Genesis 15:6.
From the New Living Translation: Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.
Righteousness before God is the result of our faith in the LORD. Romans 4:23 points out something very exciting for us by Abraham’s faith.
“When God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.”
This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to get right with God by trusting in Jesus to save us from our sins in the Year of Relationship.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word of Encouragement is “Blessing.”
One definition of this word is “God’s favor.”
If we look at the life of Abraham, we see that one of the reasons that God blesses us is to make us a blessing. If we are blessed with material wealth, He wants us to be generous. If we are blessed with a job, He wants us to bless others with faithful service.
In Genesis 12:2, the LORD said to Abraham, “I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”
The ultimate blessing that comes from God is His forgiveness. Without forgiveness of sins, there would be no hope for us to be restored to God. Forgiveness is a gift of God’s grace that becomes our reality when we put our faith in Jesus Christ to forgive us.
Romans 4:7 says, “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”
Find encouragement in the blessings that come from God in the Year of Endurance.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Person of Integrity from the Bible is Abraham.
If there is one word that many people think of when Abraham’s name is mentioned, that word would be faith.
Galatians 3:6 says that Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. That is true for those who put their faith in Jesus for salvation. We are counted as righteous in God’s eyes.
What did Abraham’s faith look like? Hebrews 11:8 gives us this example. “By faith, Abraham when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
The faithfulness of Abraham to follow God’s direction inspires us to trust and obey God and to live a life of Integrity.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Person of Integrity from the Bible is Abraham.
According to James 2:23, the New Living Translation says, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. He was even called the friend of God.”
Abraham shows us how we can have a meaningful friendship with God. Walk with Him with a trusting and obedient heart. It is better to be out of our comfort zone in God’s will than to be outside of God’s will and stay in our comfort zone.
Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith, he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country.”
The faithfulness of Abraham to travel to an unknown destination inspires us to trust and obey God’s directions and to live a life of Integrity.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Exploration, today’s Reason to Believe is the birth of the nation of Israel.
The story of the Bible reveals certain events that were humanly impossible. One example is the virgin birth of Jesus. Another example would be His resurrection from the dead. Yet another example would be the birth of Israel.
In Genesis 12, the call came to Abram, who would later be called Abraham, to leave his country and his people, and go to the land that the Lord would show him. The LORD said to him, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you.” Later, God told him, “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” That statement is linked to the Gospel in Galatians 3:8, showing us that Jesus would be the ultimate fulfillment of the blessing that came through Abraham’s descendants, specifically, the nation of Israel.
Sarah, his wife, was beyond childbearing years. Yet, by God’s intervention, she became pregnant and gave birth to a son named Isaac. That was how the birth of Israel happened, which sends us the message, “what is impossible with man is possible with God.”
The birth of the nation of Israel is a reason to believe in God’s Good News.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
JOHN SHIRK – One of the benefits of living in this moment of human history is that we can look back at the Bible characters of the past who were faithful to the Lord and be motivated by their witness. This week, we examine some of faith’s heroes in Hebrews 11.
Today’s Moment Of Celebration reflects on the faith of Abraham.
Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
It was the voice of the LORD that was calling Abraham out of his comfort zone to unknown territory. One of the reassuring promises that God gave Abraham was, “I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” God delivered on His promises to Abraham.
Faith does not normally see the big picture of God’s plans, but is willing to trust God step by step, because we believe that moving forward into the unknown with God is better than staying in our comfort zone without Him.
When someone obeys God’s calling, that is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.
John Shirk
john@wjtl.com
