Several years ago, three of us in the ministry set out to write a simple devotional book for students. The goal was to defy some of the reasons people give for not reading devotional books. We decided to stick to Scripture, of course. We decided to keep each devotional short and simple. We decided that the focus of the whole book would be confined to one of the gospels, and each week would feature one passage of scripture. After writing the first book, we realized if we wrote twelve weeks of devotions for each gospel, then four gospels would comprise a year, with an extra four weeks. So ten years later, we are in the process of finishing the final Inlightened Ministries devotional book on the gospel of John. It will release as a gift to every registered attendee at this year’s Edge Conference. Here’s a preview of one devotional from the new book:
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? Nathanael asked. ‘Come and see,’ said Phillip.”
(John 1:46)
Understand this: redemption sounds too good to be true. We are a naturally skeptical people. We often ask, “What’s the catch?” As we try to bring people to Jesus, don’t get discouraged if they aren’t as enthused as you. When Phillip told Nathanael about Jesus, he had his doubts. The long-awaited Messiah finally being here sounded too-good-to-be-true. So Phillip asked him to come see for himself. We don’t have the luxury of having Jesus in the flesh, but we can still let our friends and family see Him through the change that He has made in our lives. Our greatest witness is our lives. The peace that we have; the love that we show; our compassion for one another; all these demonstrate how our God has changed us. And your changed life has the ability to be a tangible representation of Jesus to a doubting friend. Show them Jesus.
