Chester ARP Devotional Podcast

The crowd who ate their full when Jesus fed the 5,000 wanted more food to fill their bellies again. They didn't understand or want to move deeper with Jesus. They were fully satisfied with having their material needs met. We must dive deeper in our relationship with Christ.

Jesus showed up in the midst of the storm when the disciples were catching a breather over night. He comforted them and demonstrated his power to save them. He'll do the same for you.

Jesus did the impossible when he fed the 5,000 on the banks of the Sea of Tiberias. The call on those folks was to trust him with their lives after he proved his trustworthiness with the miracle of feeding them all. He calls us to do the same.

Jesus told the Jewish leaders that he had more witnesses than they could imagine to prove his identity as God's Son. When seriously considred, the reality of Christ being the Savior of the World is unmistakable. Do you beleive that?

Jesus clearly stated that he is the Son of God and the one who possesses the authroty of God to grant eternal life to the fiathful and to judge the wicked. He was not confused. And, he is worthy of our faith.

The Jewish leaders missed the work of God in the life of the invalid who walked by the Pool at Bethesda. Why? Because they were focused on their own laws and the minor violations of them. They failed to see the point of God's Law and therefore failed to see Jesus's work.

Jesus healed the official's son to demonstrate his ability to heal and fulfill his promises. When Jesus says that he gives new life to those who follow him, he means it. This sign proves it. Faith is our natural response to Jesus's healing power.

Jesus said that his food is to do the will of his Father in heaven. Doing his will sustained Jesus, and it does the same for us. We testify to his glory.

Jesus told the woman at the well that she had access to God through regardless of her sinful lifestyle. She was not allowed to remain in that lifestyle, but it did not disqualify her from access to God through Christ. Her worship, and ours, is a matter of the heart.

Jesus offers access to God for all people. Whereas the Old Testament religion limited access to God by design, Jesus opened it up to any and all who would come to him in faith. This blessed hope is ours eternally.

John the Baptist exalted Jesus in every way that he could. We are to do the same.

God sent His Son into the world to save them from their unbelief and the rewards that follow unbeleif. He didn't come to condemn; rather, we condemn ourselves in our unbelief. There is hope in trusting Jesus, for our eternal life is guaranteed in him.

We should be thankful that we are born agian in Christ if we are Christians and pray for others to be born again so they can expereince life with Christ as well.

Jesus came to give access to God, and we have it through faith in him. Let us not take it for granted.

Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding at Cana. It demonstrated his power and ability as well as the fact that the kingdom God brings joy and freshenss in his grace.

Jesus called his first 5 disciples with the same commands -- Come and Follow me. This means that our call as followers of Jesus is to come and experience life with him as we follow him wherever he goes. We will see him do amazing things if we keep our eyes of faith open.

John the Baptist shows us the proper posture before the presence of Christ. He recognized the supremacy and superiority of Jesus and testified to it to the Lord. We are called to do the same thing.

John the Baptist had a special function in the ministry of Jesus. He was the forerunner. He prepared the way for Jesus. Like him, we are called to testify to the glory and life of Jesus.

Jesus was present that the beginning of creation with the Father and the Son. He took on flesh and dwelled among his people to reveal grace and truth to them. He shines his light into all the world.

We come to the conclusion of the stories of Jeroboam and Rehoboam and we have much to learn. We know that God never gives up on his people. He has the power to save them. We always have the repsonsiblity of faith, repentance, and obedience to him.

God's command doesn't change regardless of whether or not we want it to. It is always the same and should alsways be obeyed.

The Old Testament prophets appeared in dramatic ways in order to prove that their message was from God. We don't see the same drama in the modern era because Christ has come and his Word is preserved and ministrered to us in His grace.

King Jeroboam wanted to disconnect the ancient Israelites under his rule from their ancestry, their religion, and their culture. He was afraid that if they reconnected to their God and to their past, they'd turn away from him and back to their God. Sound familiar?

Jeroboam became a rival king to King Rehoboam after Solomon died in ancient Israel. But, who is Jeroboam since he is not listed as one of Solomon's sons? He was a noble who received the kingdom of Israel by the will of God. Israel rebelled and dove deeper into idolatry under his leadership.

There are consequneces for rebelling against God's will for His people. All of Israel, except Judah and Benjamin, rebelled against the rigthful king over them and went their own way. They suffered grave consequnces as a result. We will too if we do the same thing.