Then He Began To Wash The Disciples' Feet, Drying Them With The Towel He Had Around Him.

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Then He Began To Wash

The Disciples' Feet,

Drying Them With The Towel He Had Around Him.

Scripture

John 13

4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 

5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”

8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”

Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”

9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”

John 14

1“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 

2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?

3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”

5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Observation

Jesus is only a few hours from the cross. Jesus is pouring His most important teachings into His disciples before He suffers a horrifying death on the cross. This past week we have had so many people help us as we struggle with being sick with Covid 19. I am hurting so badly with this Covid 19 and Kathy too, but as bad as it is and right now and as bad as it hurts it is nothing compared to what Jesus suffered for me and for you.

Someone wrote on my blog the other day, “Covid is just a flu!” I hope the person was not trying to be sincere I hope that they were using sarcasm. Because for elderly people like Kathy and I this stuff is the worst thing we have ever experienced. If you have had a light case then praise the Lord, but don't try to tell people it is just a flu.

I passed out here at home on Sunday and passed out again at the hospital as they were taking me to my room. So because of the unexplained phenomenon of me going unconscious just sitting and doing nothing else I have had all kinds of doctors trying to figure out what was causing this to happen. They have checked me out from top to bottom and still don't have an answer.

Pastor Brian Elliott brought me home from the hospital last night. I told them that I had to get back home to my sick wife. As I was trying to write this blog I started once again to pass out and had to quickly lay on the floor for my blood pressure to stabilize.

Anyway I say all of that to let you know that we are struggling big time with this virus. It just does not want to improve.

We have had so much help from so many of you. We can't begin to adequately say “Thanks” for everything that everyone has done. Like Jesus' example of washing the disciples feet you have been an example of servanthood to us. We are so grateful.

Application

I will never forget all of the kindness that has been poured out on us. And when I hear that someone is sick with Covid I am going to be quicker to help them like so many people did for us. We learned more about being true servants through the example of so many of our friends.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help us learn lots of lessons from this illness. Show us how to serve people the way Jesus taught His disciples. We do pray for some relief and for some improvement just so we know that we are going in the right direction. I pray for for all of our friends who have done so much to help us. Bless them, Lord. Keep them safe.

Daily Bible Reading: John 12,13,14

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Would You Like To Get Well?

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Would

You Like

To Get Well?

Scripture

John 5

1 Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 

2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 

3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches.

5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 

6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?”

7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.”

8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!”

9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking!

Observation

Jesus' question to this crippled man at the pool of Bethesda got my attention this morning when He said, “Would you like to get well?” This man had been crippled for 38 years. We don't know how long he had been brought to this pool each day with the hope of somehow getting down to the water while the water was bubbling up (whatever that meant) so that he could be healed. It was probably just a superstition that the people believed, but we don't know.

I know that there are lots of us, including Kathy and I, who would quickly answer Jesus' question, “Would you like to get well?” with a quick and loud resounding, YES!

By the way, this crippled man was not healed because of his faith in Jesus, the Scriptures point out that the man didn't even know who Jesus was.

This side of Heaven I don't think that we will ever fully understand sickness and disease. We will never understand why God chose to heal this person but this other person was not healed. Some people survive a heart attack or cancer and yet others aren't so fortunate.

Faith healers or so called faith healers might blame it on a lack of a person's faith, but my friend that is just not true. One day that very same faith healer will become sick and no amount of faith is going to keep them alive because all of us are going to eventually die.

But my answer to Jesus' question, “Would you like to get well?” is YES!

And I will always pray for healing!

Application

I am not afraid to ask people to pray for us when we get sick like we find ourselves today. And I am so glad that people invite me to pray for them when they are sick.

How about you? “Would you like to get well?”

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for every person who has taken a moment of his or her time to pray for us. We are so blessed to have such great friends. We have been humbled by their generosity and kindness. They have taught us by their example about how to better minister to the sick. I know that they have made You smile. Bless them, Lord for their kindness. Repay them for their sacrifice.

I pray for others who are sick, for those who are way sicker than we are. I pray for their healing. Show us how we can minister to them. Show us how to be Your hands and Your feet.

Daily Bible Reading: John 5,6

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And Anyone Who Believes In God's Son Has Eternal Life

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And Anyone

Who Believes In God's Son

Has Eternal Life

Scripture

John 3

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. KJV

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. NIV

36 And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.”

Observation

Jesus' command to you and His command to me is simple, “Come follow me”. Do you believe that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died a criminal's death on a cross, was buried and on the third day came back to life again and will one day soon come back to this earth to reign forever? Do you believe?

If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ it was God Himself who opened up your heart to spiritual things and gave you the ability or the capacity to believe. It is only God who saves. Eternal life is a gift. We can't earn it. We can't be good enough to obtain it. Only God saves!

I am so glad that at 19 years of age God opened up my heart and I placed my faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation.

Has there been a time in your life when you asked Jesus Christ to come into your life and forgive you of your sins?

Application

I will always be ready to share with someone else how Jesus changed my life.

How about you? Has Jesus changed your life?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for bringing someone into my life who shared with me the Good News about Jesus. I am so glad that You have allowed me to become one of Your children. I am blessed. You have given me eternal life and I know that I will live forever with You. It was nothing that I did to deserve it. I realize that I am a sinner who deserves to go to Hell, but because of Your mercy and Your grace You have given me salvation even though I don't deserve it.

I pray for any person who may read this blog today who has still not trusted You for his or her salvation. I pray that You open up their heart and I pray for their salvation.

Daily Bible Reading: John 2,3,4

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By His Divine Power, God Has Given Us Everything We Need For Living A Godly Life.

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By His Divine Power,

God Has Given Us Everything We Need

For Living A Godly Life.

Scripture

2 Peter 1

3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Observation

Just a quick Covid 19 update on the Williams' household … Kathy just told me that she is feeling better than she was yesterday. I got sick with a persistent cough and low grade temperature yesterday, actually during the night on Tuesday night. I hurt all over, but I am doing okay. As long as it doesn't get worse I think we will get through this! Thanks for all your prayers and your expressions of love for us. We are humbled by your response to our situation.

2 Peter 1:3 takes away any excuse that we may want to give for our choosing to live an ungodly life. God has given us everything we need for living a godly life so there is no excuse.

You and I have a Bible that is full of thousands of God's great and precious promises. But those promises do us no good if that Bible of ours doesn't get opened and doesn't get read.

Do you want to live a godly life? Do you want to live in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father? If you do and you are really serious about changing the direction of your life then make the decision to read God's Word every day.

Remember: By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.

Application

God has given me everything I need for living a godly life. Every day I plan to read God's Word and I plan to hold on tightly to everyone of God's precious and great promises.

How about you? I hope you are taking the time to read God's Word on a daily basis. If you need a Bible reading plan just private message me and I will send you a link to a site that will give you all kinds of options. I know that you can do it!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for leaving Heaven and coming down to this earth as Jesus Christ to die in my place. You have provided me with everything that I need to live a godly life so I know that I have no excuse. Help me to walk in a way that pleases You today.

I pray for those who are sick. I pray for their healing. You are Mighty God, nothing is too hard for You. Thank You for all of the friends that You have given us. Thank You for their love and concern for us. We are so blessed and so fortunate to have them as our friends.

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Peter 1,2,3; John 1

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Give All Your Worries And Cares To God, For He Cares About You.

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Give

All Your Worries And Cares To God,

For He Cares About You.

Scripture

1 Peter 5

7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.

Observation

To be perfectly honest with you, during the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep 1 Peter 5:7 was not the verse that came to my mind. Even though that verse is one of my memory verses and the Holy Spirit could have brought it to my mind and my heart, He didn't. The verses that did come to me in the middle of the night and I prayed them back to the Lord were these two verses found in Philippians 4:6-7 (I share them often so hopefully you have these two verses memorized too!)

Philippians 4:6-7

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 

7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

As you probably already know, because I posted it last night, my wife, Kathy, tested positive for Covid 19. I posted it quickly after we got the bad news for two reasons:

1. We wanted everyone to pray for us.

2. I wanted you to know it just in case you were in close proximity to us over this past week and you start to have a temperature or develop a cough or have any other Covid related symptoms you would hopefully get tested quickly.

Psalm 55:22

22 Cast your cares on the Lord
    and he will sustain you;
he will never let
    the righteous be shaken.

Isaiah 26:3

You will keep in perfect peace
    all who trust in you,
    all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Application

I know that the Lord is going to walk with us through this storm.

How about you? Do you have that kind of confidence?

Isaiah 43:1-3 Personalized

1b … O 'Eddy and Kathy', the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.

2 When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
    you will not be burned up;
    the flames will not consume you.

3 For I am the Lord, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You know better than anyone else that these have been several rough days for us and I know that more difficult days may lie ahead. No matter what we go through, no matter how rough it gets, we know that You will be right beside us. We are going to lean on You. We are going to trust You and depend on You because we know that You are our Good Good Father. Nothing touches my life and nothing touches Kathy's life without Your permission. So we know that You have allowed this for some reason. And we know that our job is to trust You through this storm.

I pray for Your protection on all of our friends. Keep them safe, Lord. Keep them healthy. We pray for our friends who are also dealing with this virus. Give them strength today, Lord. Help them to improve.

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Peter 1,2,3,4,5

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Are Any Of You Sick? You Should Call For The Elders Of The Church To Come And Pray Over You

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Are Any Of You Sick?

You Should Call For The Elders Of The Church

To Come And Pray Over You

Scripture

James 5

13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.

14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 

15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!

18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

Observation

A little over nine years ago a friend named Matt Cochran and a fairly large group of men from our church came into the ICU at St. Joseph Hospital Main they circled around my bed and anointed me with oil and prayed for me. I was in a coma so I only know about this because I was told later.

My surgeon, I found out later had already told his nurse practioner that he did not think that I would not survive after the 14 hour surgery. He had actually told Kathy though something a little more optimistic, he told Kathy that I had less than a 5% chance to survive the ride from the operating room up to intensive care.

But that very night after those men came in and prayed for me I finally began to show some improvement. Coincidence? Not on your life – Kathy and I know better and I hope you know better too!

My pastor, and very special friend Dr. Waylon B. Moore was not able to be with those men that came that night, but he came the next morning. Kathy shared with him that the men had prayed and anointed me with oil the night before, but Kathy said that he prayed for me and also anointed me with oil!

This past week I was asked by a patient if I would anoint him with oil and pray for him and I gladly did. As I prayed for him and anointed him all the memories of my month long hospital stay and all the stories, like the faith of those men and the faith of a lot of others came flooding back to my mind and made me smile. I am only here today because people (a whole lot of them) prayed for me.

I did ask this patient if he knew why we anoint with oil and pray for people and he really didn't know why so I shared this passage in James 5 with him.

Application

I believe in prayer! I know that it is the most important thing that I can do for someone is to pray for them. I know that it is the most important thing that I can do for you!

How about you? Who are you praying for?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to keep my focus on those around me and not on myself. When I pray for someone help me to always pray in faith. Don't let me pray to impress people. Give me compassion for the people that I meet and as I pray for them help me to feel what they are going through.

I pray right now for those who are sick. I pray for healing. Give them strength! Encourage them today.

Daily Bible Reading: James 1,2,3,4,5

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And Let Us Run With Endurance The Race God Has Set Before Us.

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And Let Us Run

With Endurance

The Race God Has Set Before Us.

Scripture

Hebrews 12

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.

Jude 1

24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. 

25 All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.

Observation

The Christian life is not a wind sprint, it is no simple stroll in the park, it is a grueling marathon. Hebrews 11 has quite a long list of witnesses who are watching us run this race!

The secret to finishing this race and finishing it well is to keep our eyes on Jesus – He is the One who invited us to enter the race! He is the Champion.

He is at the finish line waiting for us and He is encouraging us to finish well!

Isaiah 40

29 He gives power to the weak
    and strength to the powerless.

30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
    and young men will fall in exhaustion.

31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.

Matthew 11:28-30

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Galatians 6:9

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Application

I am in the race to win it. I will keep my eyes on Jesus! I will finish well!

How about you? Have you entered the race? Are you tired? Are you weary? Are you about to give up? Don't do it … get your eyes back on Jesus!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, all glory to You, You are able to keep me from falling away and will bring me with great joy into Your glorious presence without a single fault. And All glory to Him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. Jude 24:25 personalized.

I pray for my friends who are suffering with Covid 19. I pray for healing. I pray for protection for those in our church. Give our leadership wisdom. Help them to do the right thing.

Daily Bible Reading: Hebrews 12,13; Jude

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