We continued in the devotional, “31 Days in the Gospel of John” looking at these insights:

• Jesus, lifted up. In John 12:32, we find Jesus talking to the crowd and He tells them, “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (NLT). The Greek word for ‘lifted up’ means to be exalted. My commentary then shares this, “In John, the Cross was not a place of shame and disgrace for Jesus, but the place where Jesus’ true glory was shown.” While society viewed death by a cross as shameful, Jesus knew the Cross was where and how His glory would be displayed for the world to come to know Him. The Cross became a place of honor and the place where Jesus restores our honor as well. “But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high” (Psalm 3:3, NLT). The author words it beautifully: “He [Jesus] knew unless He be lifted up, He would never be The Lifter.” (page 68) We may not hear an audible voice from heaven, but God is speaking into our lives through His Word. Do we hear Him? Do we heed Him? Friends, listen for Him because His Words are life and He longs to lift each of our heads.

• Jesus, Servant. In John 13:3-17, we find the familiar story of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. The reading this time brought some new thoughts. Jesus – the Logos – The Word. He still washes us today. “He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s Word” (Ephesians 5:26, NLT).
• Jesus, Way Truth Life. In John 14:6, Jesus states this about Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” Philip not fully understanding yet, asked Jesus to show them the Father, to which Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am?” (verse 9). As I read this verse, I realized the depth to which Jesus wants us to know Him. He invites us to know Him and in knowing Him, we get to know His Father. Our Father. The study asks … Do we live courageously? Do we live every day as though our lives are anchored in Him? The questions brought this reminder from another Scripture: “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” (Hebrews 6:19, NLT). As we stay anchored to the Truth, our souls stay anchored in hope.
• Jesus, Promise Maker. In John 14:15-28, we find Jesus promising us the advocate of the Holy Spirit who lives within us and will be with us forever. When life is a battle, we can hold onto the promises in God’s Word. Through these many promises, the peace of God moves into our hearts and lives to restrain these hostile forces and offer comfort in place of conflict.
• Jesus, True Vine. We closed the week with  John 15:1-17. Here we find Jesus talking about the Vine and pruning. I love gardening but am terrible at pruning. This is probably why the word “pruning” never has had a positive connotation in my mind. I prune but then hope I haven’t killed the plant totally. But I saw pruning through the filter of these verses and it suddenly had very positive meaning. My observations today:  God only prunes those who are already bearing fruit; Pruning –> more fruit –> glory to the Father; Pruning will lead to joy. “The Vinedresser is never nearer the branches than when he is pruning them.” (David Jeremiah) How good is that! The enemy wants you to believe this pruning will be the death of you. The truth is … it will be the life of you! It will bring forth fruit, much fruit and to the Father’s glory! What area do you feel God’s pruning shears at work in your life?  Remember – He is near you in this process!

Jesus.
Lifted up.
Servant.
Way Truth Life.
Promise Maker.
True Vine.

Jesus.

The other posts in this series are: Jesus – The Light, The Lamb & The Living Water – HERE.
Jesus – The Son, The Bread, The Teacher – HERE.
Jesus – Freedom Fighter, Healer Friend – HERE.

Today I am joining … Trekking Thru the Week and #RaRaLInkup and Grace Full Tuesday and Tell His Story .