John Shirk

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Redemption, today’s Freedom Phrase is based on First John 4:16.

“And
so, we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in
love lives in God and God in them.”

The
reason why we have the capacity to love God and other people is because God
loved us first. If we want to know what the true nature of love is, we can look
to Jesus who demonstrated God’s love for us in this way: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us. The worthy Savior gave His life for unworthy sinners.
He loved us in our worst moments, not just our best.

His
example can help us to love our children in the midst of their temper tantrums,
to offer hospitality to someone who cannot return the favor, and to overcome
hatred with love.

Through Jesus, we are set free to love people as God loves us.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Redemption, today’s Freedom Phrase is based on First John 2, verses 1 and 2.

“My
dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody
does sin, we have an advocate with the Father-Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for
the sins of the whole world.”

Jesus
took our sins upon Himself when He went to the cross. That makes a big
difference in the courtyard of God.  The
devil is our accuser. He is quick to pounce on our lawless deeds and pick apart
our flaws and failures before God. But those who trust in Jesus for forgiveness
have a strong defender. He is able to state the case for our innocence on His
merit, not ours. When we trust in Jesus to save us, we become aligned to Him,
and His righteousness is applied to our account before God.

Through Jesus, we are set free from the accusations of the enemy. 

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Redemption, today’s Freedom Phrase is based on Psalm 107, verses 1 and 2.

“Give
thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed
of the LORD tell their story-those he redeemed from the hand of the foe.”

Those who
are redeemed of the LORD have a story to tell of God’s power to free us from
the chains of darkness and bring us into His wonderful light. 

God
continues to work through testimonies today that tell of His amazing grace to
set the captives free.

Through Jesus, we are set free to share our story of God’s transforming love.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Wisdom from the Red Letters is found in John 12:49 and 50.

Jesus
said, “For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father, who sent me
commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to
eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

When
using words, Jesus was following His Heavenly Father’s directions. In this way,
He sent a message to the world from the Father’s heart, and it was a message
that offered eternal life to all who would embrace His message.

There
is a Biblical standard for how we use our words. Ephesians 4:15 instructs us to
“speak the truth in love.” If we have that commitment to the Biblical standard,
we will learn to reflect the heart of God with the words that we say.

The words of Jesus inspire us to trust the words of Jesus and to build our lives on them in the Year of Redemption.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Redemption, today’s Freedom Phrase is based on John 15:13 and 14.

Jesus
told His disciples, “Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one’s life
for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer
call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.
Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my
Father I have made known to you.”

Jesus
demonstrates His genuine friendship with His people in several ways. He died
for us. He paid the ultimate sacrifice to bring us forgiveness and new life in
Him.

He also
confides in His followers what the Kingdom of God is like.   His
teachings help us to better understand what matters to God. As we do life with
Him, He speaks to us in His Word, and hears our prayers with His caring heart.

Through Jesus, we are set free to enjoy His genuine friendship and to experience His unfailing love.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Wisdom from the Red Letters is found in Mark 1:38.

Jesus
was praying in a solitary place early in the morning. Simon and his companions
were looking for Jesus. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking
for you.”

Jesus
replied, “Let us go somewhere else-to the nearby villages-so I can preach there
also. That is why I have come.”

Sometimes,
people have a plan for our schedule, which might not match God’s plan for our
schedule. Jesus was in that situation. Simon and his companions had one idea
for Jesus that day, but His Heavenly Father had other plans. Jesus was in tune
with the Father’s plan, because He had spent time with Him and heard from Him
that morning. The prayer time of Jesus highlights a significant way to gain
clarity of God’s purposes for us. Spend time with Him in prayer.

The words of Jesus inspire us to start each day having a conversation with God in the Year of Redemption.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Wisdom from the Red Letters is found in Luke 5:10.

Jesus
said to Simon Peter, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.”

Peter
was a fisherman by trade, but one night he was coming up empty until Jesus told
him to put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch. The net was
so full of fish that it began to break.

Peter
was humbled by this event. He said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
Whatever was happening in Peter’s spirit, he was seeing a big difference
between his own unworthiness and the holiness of Jesus. But the words of Jesus
were reassuring to Peter. Jesus was not there to condemn him, but rather, to
love him and give him a purpose that would bring many people to faith. At
Pentecost, after hearing Peter preaching, 3,000 people were added to the church
through conversion to Christ.

The words of Jesus inspire us to trust in His plan for our lives and to follow Him in the Year of Redemption.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Wisdom from the Red Letters in the Bible is found in Matthew 11:18 and 19.

Jesus made a comparison between Himself and John the Baptist in this way: “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and ‘sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.”

You are
probably familiar with caricatures. They are pictures of people that exaggerate
distinct features of someone’s face. In a spiritual sense, critics exaggerated
the positive qualities of Jesus and John to try to make them look extreme and
ridiculous. But as Jesus pointed out, “Wisdom is proved right by her
actions.” 

Jesus
and John did not carry out their ministries in the same way, but they were
definitely on the same team. John came to prepare the way for Jesus, and Jesus is
the way for us to have eternal life with Him.

The words of Jesus inspire us to embrace the wisdom of God’s plan to save us from sin in the Year of Redemption.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Wisdom from the Red Letters is found in John 15:8.

Jesus
told His followers: “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit,
showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

This is
a good focus point for 2019, to glorify God with a fruitful witness for Jesus.

The key
to being successful in this endeavor is to stay connected to Jesus. He said in
John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in
you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

With
Jesus, we have a strong and vibrant testimony. Without Him, we are helpless.

The words of Jesus inspire us to stay close to Jesus and bear fruit for God’s glory in the Year of Redemption.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Freedom Phrase is based on Philippians 3:13 and 14.

The
Apostle Paul wrote, “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have
taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining
toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God
has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Paul
had baggage from his past. He had persecuted followers of Jesus. He had done
much harm to the early church. But that was not the end of his story. He
converted to following Christ, and his sins were no longer held against him.
When we follow Jesus, our past does not have to define us, because His
forgiveness frees us from the guilt of our past.

Through Jesus, we are set free to move forward in God’s plan with a clear conscience.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com