John 3:22-36\u00a0<\/b>–\u00a0After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.\u00a023\u00a0Now John\u00a0also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.\u00a024\u00a0(This was before John was put in prison.)\u00a025\u00a0An argument developed between some of John\u2019s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing.\u00a026\u00a0They came to John and said to him, \u201cRabbi,\u00a0that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan\u2014the one you testified\u00a0about\u2014look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.\u201d\u00a0 27\u00a0To this John replied, \u201cA person can receive only what is given them from heaven.\u00a028\u00a0You yourselves can testify that I said, \u2018I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.\u2019\u00a029\u00a0The bride belongs to the bridegroom.\u00a0The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom\u2019s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.\u00a030\u00a0He must become greater; I must become less.\u201d\u00a0 31\u00a0The one who comes from above\u00a0is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth.\u00a0The one who comes from heaven is above all.\u00a032\u00a0He testifies to what he has seen and heard,\u00a0but no one accepts his testimony.\u00a033\u00a0Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful.\u00a034\u00a0For the one whom God has sent\u00a0speaks the words of God, for God\u00a0gives the Spirit\u00a0without limit. 35\u00a0The\u00a0Father loves the Son\u00a0and has placed everything in his hands.\u00a036\u00a0Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,\u00a0but\u00a0whoever rejects the Son will not see life,\u00a0for God\u2019s wrath\u00a0remains\u00a0on them.<\/i><\/p>\n
After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.\u00a023\u00a0Now John\u00a0also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.\u00a024\u00a0(This was before John was put in prison.)\u00a0<\/i>Jesus went to Judean countryside and baptized people.\u00a0\u00a0John was nearby and also baptizing people.\u00a0\u00a0John was at Aenon because there was plenty of water there as the name states, as the verse states and because people were coming there in response to his ministry.\u00a0\u00a0People can often over analyze everything.\u00a0\u00a0They want to make symbols and types out of everything and look for hidden meanings.\u00a0\u00a0Now, of course the Bible is filled with such yet not everything needs a cryptic meaning to be found out.\u00a0\u00a0For example what does \u201cJesus wept<\/i>\u201d (John 11:35<\/b>) mean?\u00a0\u00a0Best understanding is that \u201cJesus wept.<\/i>\u201d<\/p>\n
Pastor John Courson in his Application Commentary tells the story of how Chuck Smith determined that the church (Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa) would be in Costa Mesa. \u201cIn the early 1970\u2019s, Calvary Chapel was located in the middle of nowhere – smack in the center of huge bean field.\u00a0\u00a0In the ensuing years, not only did the church explode numerically, but the Costa Mesa area grew to the point that Calvary Chapel is now sitting on some very valuable real estate.\u00a0\u00a0Chuck has often been asked if he had received a vision, a word of prophecy, or a special sign to pastor the little church in the sticks.\u00a0\u00a0And he just laughed as he replied, \u201cI took the church in Costa Mesa because I like to surf and it was the closest available church to the beach!\u201d<\/p>\n
Family and Friends, sometimes we need to wait for a special sign, but not usually.\u00a0\u00a0We know the Word of God and we have the Spirit of God within.\u00a0\u00a0If God brings us to it, God will see us through it.\u00a0\u00a0Trust the written Word of God and trust the Spirit of God within.\u00a0\u00a0We trust that God is fully sovereign and fully powerful enough to give us our path and guide us to it and through it.\u00a0\u00a0Unless there is a definite stop from the Lord, do what God has placed in your heart and has given you the ability to do.\u00a0\u00a0God will and does guide our steps. Trust you Maker and your Guide.<\/p>\n
Do you have confidence in God who keeps you to keep you? (Jude 1:24<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Do you believe God who said that He will place Himself within you to teach and guide that He will do what He has promised. (John 14:15-21, 26, 16:13<\/b>) Be convinced that the Holy Spirit is within and teaching and leading.\u00a0\u00a0He will convict us if we set on a wayward path. (John 16:8<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0So we should know this, God has not destined us to be reformed, but reborn.\u00a0\u00a0Not to stop doing evil by our own effort but by having yielded to God and become a new creation in Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:17<\/b>) Our transformation involves our will but it is by His calling and His will.\u00a0\u00a0It is by His plan and power that we have become reborn and that power is by His will through Jesus. (1 John 5:11-12<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0So, having the Spirit of God within, by loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, by having Him as the treasure of our lives, we trust the Lord who first loved us. (Mark 12:30<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0He changes our hearts. (Ezekiel 36:26, Psalm 51:10<\/b>) So we trust the work God has done and continues to do in us.\u00a0\u00a0We trust the power of God upon our lives that God has ordained.\u00a0\u00a0And in trusting God, we know that lovers of God can do anything they desire to do because God is the one who has made our hearts new.\u00a0\u00a0How is that?\u00a0\u00a0When we truly love God we want to obey God and so we are free to walk out our freedom in Christ. (Philippians 2:12, John 8:36<\/b>) If we should err, isn\u2019t the blood of Jesus powerful enough to cover our sincere errors?\u00a0\u00a0Won\u2019t He forgive us? (1 John 1:9<\/b>) We do not sin on purpose to test the grace of God. (Matthew 4:7, Romans 6:1-2<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Instead, we desire to never sin, but to always please our beloved God. (John 14:15<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0We seek to raise His name that all may look upon it and be healed. (Psalm 86:11-13<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0So dear Brothers and Sisters, love God with all that we are, with a heart to please Him and know that, with that in mind, with that our sincere intent, we can do what our heart\u2019s desire.\u00a0\u00a0When we err in such a way, God will forgive.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We are free, free indeed. (John 8:36<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Enjoy what Jesus died to give to us.\u00a0\u00a0We eternally have the freedom He gave by the love of God.\u00a0\u00a0Be free.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t fear.\u00a0\u00a0God is faithful.\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!<\/p>\n
Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/p>\n
Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear\u00a0me.<\/p>\n
Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has\u00a0shown you, Oh man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; and what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of you, but\u00a0to do justly, to love\u00a0mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.<\/p>\n
Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
John 3:22-36\u00a0–\u00a0After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.\u00a023\u00a0Now John\u00a0also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized.\u00a024\u00a0(This was before John was put in prison.)\u00a025\u00a0An argument developed between some of John\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[129,705,100,2188,101,94,1874,1871,17,10],"class_list":["post-2711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-corinthians","tag-ezekiel","tag-john","tag-jude","tag-matthew","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-philippians","tag-psalm","tag-romans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2711"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2712,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2711\/revisions\/2712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}