{"id":2836,"date":"2021-08-12T08:41:03","date_gmt":"2021-08-12T16:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2836"},"modified":"2021-08-12T08:41:03","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T16:41:03","slug":"devotion-john-652-71-believe-and-keep-believing-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2836","title":{"rendered":"Devotion John 6:52-71 Believe And Keep Believing Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

John 6:52-71\u00a0<\/b>–\u00a0<\/sup><\/b><\/span>Then the Jews\u00a0began\u00a0to argue with one another, saying, \u201cHow can this man give us His flesh to eat?\u201d\u00a053\u00a0So Jesus said to them,\u00a0\u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of\u00a0the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.\u00a054\u00a0The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will\u00a0raise him up on the last day.\u00a055\u00a0For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.\u00a056\u00a0The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood\u00a0remains in Me, and I in him.\u00a057\u00a0Just as the\u00a0living Father\u00a0sent Me, and I live because of the Father, the one who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.\u00a058\u00a0This is the bread that\u00a0came down out of heaven, not as\u00a0the fathers ate and died; the one who eats this bread\u00a0will live forever.\u201d \u00a0These things He said\u00a0in the synagogue as He taught\u00a0in Capernaum.\u00a0 60\u00a0So then many of His\u00a0disciples, when they heard\u00a0this, said, \u201cThis statement is\u00a0very\u00a0unpleasant; who can listen to it?\u201d\u00a061\u00a0But Jesus,\u00a0aware that His disciples were complaining about this, said to them,\u00a0\u201cIs this\u00a0offensive to you?\u00a062\u00a0What\u00a0then if you see\u00a0the Son of Man\u00a0ascending to where He was before?\u00a063\u00a0It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh provides no benefit;\u00a0the words that I have spoken to you are spirit, and are life.\u00a064\u00a0But there are\u00a0some of you who do not believe.\u201d\u00a0For Jesus\u00a0knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and\u00a0who it was who would\u00a0betray Him.\u00a065\u00a0And He was saying,\u00a0\u201cFor this reason I have\u00a0told you that no one can come to Me unless\u00a0it has been granted him from the Father.\u201d\u00a0 As a result of this many of His\u00a0disciples\u00a0left, and would no longer walk with Him.\u00a067\u00a0So Jesus said to\u00a0the twelve,\u00a0\u201cYou do not want to leave also, do you?\u201d\u00a068\u00a0Simon Peter answered Him, \u201cLord, to whom shall we go? You have\u00a0words of eternal life.\u00a069\u00a0And we have\u00a0already\u00a0believed and have come to know that You are\u00a0the Holy One of God.\u201d\u00a070\u00a0Jesus answered them,\u00a0\u201cDid I Myself not choose you,\u00a0the twelve? And\u00a0yet\u00a0one of you is\u00a0a devil.\u201d\u00a071\u00a0Now He meant Judas\u00a0the son\u00a0of Simon Iscariot; for he,\u00a0one of\u00a0the twelve,\u00a0was going to betray Him.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cSo Jesus said to\u00a0the twelve,\u00a0\u201cYou do not want to leave also, do you?\u201d\u00a068\u00a0Simon Peter answered Him, \u201cLord, to whom shall we go? You have\u00a0words of eternal life.\u00a069\u00a0And we have\u00a0already\u00a0believed and have come to know that You are\u00a0the Holy One of God.\u201d\u00a0<\/i>\u00a0I have loved these verses from the first time I read them.\u00a0\u00a0Yes, yes, yes!\u00a0\u00a0Simon Peter said what was in my heart.\u00a0\u00a0I was horrified at the question posed to the twelve asking if they also wanted to leave and stop following Him.\u00a0\u00a0What?\u00a0\u00a0Now that I have been saved from eternal death would I leave?\u00a0\u00a0No! Leave to what?\u00a0\u00a0To the shame of my past life of doing what I knew in my heart was wrong?\u00a0\u00a0To return to not knowing my beautiful Savior and Lord?\u00a0\u00a0No, no no!\u00a0\u00a0Horror upon horror.\u00a0\u00a0From depending on God to lead me to trying again to do the job myself?\u00a0\u00a0Oh no, unless I am kicked out I\u2019m not going anywhere.\u00a0\u00a0And I know I won\u2019t get kicked out of the relationship with the Lord.\u00a0\u00a0He doesn\u2019t break His promises. (John 6:37<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0No, I\u2019m staying with Him.\u00a0\u00a0I know I\u2019ve got it good!\u00a0\u00a0Peter and the rest knew that Jesus was the promised Savior who had come from the Father.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus has made it possible for me to be enlightened to the wisdom and knowledge of God, to taste the heavenly gift and to have the sweet, gentle and eternally persevering Holy Spirit to come within my heart.\u00a0\u00a0I have been made able to taste the esoteric knowledge that the Spirit gives and have witnessed the power of the Almighty. (Hebrews 6:4-5<\/b>) I have the best of everything and should I leave to return to abject wretchedness?\u00a0\u00a0No, I will not, not by my will and I know, not by God\u2019s will!\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!<\/p>\n

\u201cJesus answered them,\u00a0\u201cDid I Myself not choose you,\u00a0the twelve? And\u00a0yet\u00a0one of you is\u00a0a devil.\u201d\u00a071\u00a0Now He meant Judas\u00a0the son\u00a0of Simon Iscariot; for he,\u00a0one of\u00a0the twelve,\u00a0was going to betray Him.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Jesus said to the twelve in\u00a0John 15:16<\/b>\u00a0that the Apostles did not choose Jesus but Jesus choose them.\u00a0\u00a0They all had an equal chance to succeed.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus did not choose Judas as some kind of cruel chicanery to him.\u00a0\u00a0He did not choose Judas only to yank salvation from him.\u00a0\u00a0Anyone who knows and loves the Lord knows that is not the nature of our Lord.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Looking to\u00a0John Chapter 13<\/b>, Jesus was fully aware that Judas was to betray Him, yet Jesus was still treating Jesus as He was treating the others.\u00a0\u00a0Judas was eating meals with Him and the rest of the Apostles even though Jesus knew that Judas had already determined he was going to betray Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0That night after everyone had eaten, Judas also had his feet washed by Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0Let us remember that Jesus humbled Himself to feed Judas and to wash His feet even though He knew Judas was about to betray Him.\u00a0\u00a0So we see the difference of how foreknowledge adds to the conversation of predestination.\u00a0\u00a0To know the future and plan accordingly does not mean to make a person suffer for what one would never have done.\u00a0\u00a0Rather it is to plan because of fore-knowledge.\u00a0\u00a0If we know that there is great road to travel upon for an upcoming journey, but we also know that the road has been washed away, then we plan accordingly.<\/p>\n

God is good to the evil and to the good, He sends blessings to both. (Matthew 5:44-48<\/b>) So Jesus died for everyone in the world (John 3:16<\/b>) and He does not want anyone to perish. (2 Peter 3:9<\/b>) God loves us all including the ones who have believed and come to Him to obey and follow, and the ones who will later come, and also the ones who will never come.\u00a0\u00a0Till the day they die God loves even those who will perish.\u00a0\u00a0He loves us though He knows us, though He knows everyone. (John 2:24<\/b>) Why, because He is who He is.\u00a0\u00a0We know that God is love. (1 John 4:8<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Since He is love we know that a description of love is a description of who He is\u00a0\u201cLove\u00a0is patient, love is kind, it\u00a0is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not\u00a0arrogant.<\/span>\u00a05\u00a0It does not act disgracefully, it\u00a0does not seek its own\u00a0benefit; it is not provoked,\u00a0does not keep an account of a wrong\u00a0suffered,<\/span>\u00a06\u00a0it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but\u00a0rejoices with the truth;<\/span>\u00a07\u00a0it\u00a0keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8\u00a0Love never fails.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(1 Corinthians 13:4-8a<\/b>)\u00a0<\/i>These help us to understand who and what God is.\u00a0\u00a0The fruit of the Holy Spirit God give us further insight \u201c<\/span>love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,\u00a023\u00a0gentleness,\u00a0and self-control.\u201d<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0(Galatians 5:22-23<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0These things are what we know comes in eternal abundance from Him to us.\u00a0\u00a0And let us not worry our stumbles are too much for Him to bear because we know that He will always help us up and encourage us to keep going.\u00a0\u00a0And that is, knowing the greatness of our God and Savior, what we should keep doing.\u00a0\u00a0In His grace and love, let\u2019s keep going, keep serving Him.\u00a0\u00a0How grand it is!\u00a0\u00a0Leave Jesus?\u00a0\u00a0What foolishness.\u00a0\u00a0Glory and praise to God who keeps us!\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!<\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/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.<\/i><\/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.<\/i><\/p>\n

Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0–\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.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John 6:52-71\u00a0–\u00a0Then the Jews\u00a0began\u00a0to argue with one another, saying, \u201cHow can this man give us His flesh to eat?\u201d\u00a053\u00a0So Jesus said to them,\u00a0\u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of\u00a0the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.\u00a054\u00a0The one who eats My flesh and drinks My…<\/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":[129,1969,104,100,2510,2525,90,17],"class_list":["post-2836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-corinthians","tag-galatians","tag-hebrews","tag-john","tag-mathew","tag-micah-numbers","tag-peter","tag-psalm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2836","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=2836"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2836\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2837,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2836\/revisions\/2837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}