Every Day With The Gospel Of John: 365 Days Of Devotions And Prayers

By Beverly Roberts

An examination of your own personal story through the life of Jesus and 12 ordinary disciples He chose to journey with Him as well as those He encountered on the dusty streets of Palestine. A devotional view of the Scriptures brings light to the life of Christ and shines a glimmer of hope for the reader. Jesus invites each of us to come into His narrative and experience a relationship with Him through God the Father, Christ the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Allow the living Word of God as you read the Scriptures to transform every dark place in your life that stands in need of the Light of Christ to shine on it. We all are in need of the grace of God!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 25, 2024
• ISBN: 9781098097318

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Every Day With The Gospel Of John

365 Days Of Devotions And Prayers

Beverly Roberts

ISBN 978-1-0980-9730-1 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-0980-9731-8 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Beverly Roberts

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

Day 26

Day 27

Day 28

Day 29

Day 30

Day 31

Day 32

Day 33

Day 34

Day 35

Day 36

Day 37

Day 38

Day 39

Day 40

Day 41

Day 42

Day 43

Day 44

Day 45

Day 46

Day 47

Day 48

Day 49

Day 50

Day 51

Day 52

Day 53

Day 54

Day 55

Day 56

Day 57

Day 58

Day 59

Day 60

Day 61

Day 62

Day 63

Day 64

Day 65

Day 66

Day 67

Day 68

Day 69

Day 70

Day 71

Day 72

Day 73

Day 74

Day 75

Day 76

Day 77

Day 78

Day 79

Day 80

Day 81

Day 82

Day 83

Day 84

Day 85

Day 86

Day 87

Day 88

Day 89

Day 90

Day 91

Day 92

Day 93

Day 94

Day 95

Day 96

Day 97

Day 98

Day 99

Day 100

Day 101

Day 102

Day 103

Day 104

Day 105

Day 106

Day 107

Day 108

Day 109

Day 110

Day 111

Day 112

Day 113

Day 114

Day 115

Day 116

Day 117

Day 118

Day 119

Day 120

Day 121

Day 122

Day 123

Day 124

Day 125

Day 126

Day 127

Day 128

Day 129

Day 130

Day 131

Day 132

Day 133

Day 134

Day 135

Day 136

Day 137

Day 138

Day 139

Day 140

Day 141

Day 142

Day 143

Day 144

Day 145

Day 146

Day 147

Day 148

Day 149

Day 150

Day 151

Day 152

Day 153

Day 154

Day 155

Day 156

Day 157

Day 158

Day 159

Day 160

Day 161

Day 162

Day 163

Day 164

Day 165

Day 166

Day 167

Day 168

Day 169

Day 170

Day 171

Day 172

Day 173

Day 174

Day 175

Day 176

Day 177

Day 178

Day 179

Day 180

Day 181

Day 182

Day 183

Day 184

Day 185

Day 186

Day 187

Day 188

Day 189

Day 190

Day 191

Day 192

Day 193

Day 194

Day 195

Day 196

Day 197

Day 198

Day 199

Day 200

Day 201

Day 202

Day 203

Day 204

Day 205

Day 206

Day 207

Day 208

Day 209

Day 210

Day 211

Day 212

Day 213

Day 214

Day 215

Day 216

Day 217

Day 218

Day 219

Day 220

Day 221

Day 222

Day 223

Day 224

Day 225

Day 226

Day 227

Day 228

Day 229

Day 230

Day 231

Day 232

Day 233

Day 234

Day 235

Day 236

Day 237

Day 238

Day 239

Day 240

Day 241

Day 242

Day 243

Day 244

Day 245

Day 246

Day 247

Day 248

Day 249

Day 250

Day 251

Day 252

Day 253

Day 254

Day 255

Day 256

Day 257

Day 258

Day 259

Day 260

Day 261

Day 262

Day 263

Day 264

Day 265

Day 266

Day 267

Day 268

Day 269

Day 270

Day 271

Day 272

Day 273

Day 274

Day 275

Day 276

Day 277

Day 278

Day 279

Day 280

Day 281

Day 282

Day 283

Day 284

Day 285

Day 286

Day 287

Day 288

Day 289

Day 290

Day 291

Day 292

Day 293

Day 294

Day 295

Day 296

Day 297

Day 298

Day 299

Day 300

Day 301

Day 302

Day 303

Day 304

Day 305

Day 306

Day 307

Day 308

Day 309

Day 310

Day 311

Day 312

Day 313

Day 314

Day 315

Day 316

Day 317

Day 318

Day 319

Day 320

Day 321

Day 322

Day 323

Day 324

Day 325

Day 326

Day 327

Day 328

Day 329

Day 330

Day 331

Day 332

Day 333

Day 334

Day 335

Day 336

Day 337

Day 338

Day 339

Day 340

Day 341

Day 342

Day 343

Day 344

Day 345

Day 346

Day 347

Day 348

Day 349

Day 350

Day 351

Day 352

Day 353

Day 354

Day 355

Day 356

Day 357

Day 358

Day 359

Day 360

Day 361

Day 362

Day 363

Day 364

Day 365

About the Author

To my only sister, Patricia Griffin, who has been a rock for me in ways she will never know. To my daughter, RaShida Roberts, who is an educator in the public school system and a lover of books.

Introduction

The Gospel of John is one of the books of the Bible I spend a lot of time reading, ruminating over, and gleaning from its treasures. It's a Gospel message that speaks to every level of maturity in our Christian journey. From childhood to adolescence to adulthood, this Gospel gets to the heart of the kingdom agenda given to the believer in the person of Jesus Christ. The evangelist John looks at the life of Jesus from a high Christological lens.

Personally, this Gospel speaks life to every area of joy, pain, sorrow, disbelief, dissatisfaction, hope, and eternal destination known to humanity. It is for this reason I chose to spend 365 days exegetically and devotionally reading this Gospel, looking at the words chosen to write it, the people involved in the stories, and the central figure of the Gospel, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. The technique I used to tackle this humongous task was taking small bites of the Scriptures to ruminate over, listen contemplatively, and apply them to my daily ordinary life. This has been one of the most thrilling and inspiring journeys I've ever taken even more so than taking in all the beauty that surrounds me in God's creation. The Word of God is a living, breathing organism that not only demands the intellectual aptitude of the mind but also involves the blood life that pumps through the heart of the whole man, body, soul, and spirit. This devotional does not exhaust the wisdom found in the Words of Scripture in this Gospel which has more new material unlike the other three Synoptic Gospels.

Inspiration comes in many different forms. I have been inspired to write as I listened to sermons preached by my pastor Dr. Ralph Douglas Wes Sr. and read other books written by noted authors such as Dr. Robert Smith Jr.'s Doctrine that Dances. This journey has been most enjoyable and filled with many ups and downs, but nevertheless a finished product has been produced, and I truly believe that God's involvement is written on every page as I thought about each Scripture I read over and over again to glean from its truths.

My prayer is for you as a reader to think of your own personal story and examine your story through the life of Jesus and those He chose to take through life's journey with Him as well as those He encountered as He traversed the earth. He invites each of us to come into His narrative and experience a relationship with God the Father, through Jesus Christ the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit. Allow the living Word of God as you read the Scriptures to transform every dark place in your life that stands in need of the Light of Christ to shine on it. We all are in need of the grace of God!

Day 1

In the Beginning

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

—John 1:1

Every year, we start new beginnings and make resolutions to do the same things we said we would do the year before. There is One who was from the beginning with God and is God whose name is Jesus. When creation was spoken into existence, the Word was there, speaking as well. The Word spoke with God the Father. The Word knew all which was created was very good! The Word was there when the tempter deceived the woman in the garden to disobey. The Word knew what it would take to correct the problem of sin experienced in the garden. Just as the Word was there in the beginning, He is here right now with us to help with the beginning, through the middle, and at the end of life's journey.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the Incarnate Word who came down from heaven to help me on this journey called life. He knows my beginning from my end and is always present to help in those times when the darkness tries to creep in and take me down the wrong path. In the powerful name of Jesus. Amen!

Day 2

The Expanse of God's Creation

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

—John 1:1

When I think of the oceans and the seas, the vastness of God's nature and who He is, nothing compares to His greatness and majesty. I can fathom no words to accurately express just how wide (from east to west) or how long (from north to south) or how deep (the abyss) He is. Nothing in my finite imagination can express truly who God is, but words are all He has given us to express our gratitude for His awesome greatness and power. Gratitude is in order as I think on your goodness to me. As I live and breathe, His name is always on my lips. God's creation, beautiful and breathtaking, does not compare to the Creator. He is more than the amalgamation of all of His names. He is the Alpha and the Omega and knows our beginning from the end.

Thank You for creating all that exist, including me. Thank You for creating me in Your image, complex and all that I am. Before anything existed, You are. In the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen!

Day 3

He Came Down

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

—John 1:1

As lofty, magnificent, and transcendent as God is, He came down to live among and with His people. Those who rejected His rule and authority in antiquity would now come face-to-face with the all-powerful God through the human presence of Jesus. He would walk among His people speaking to them, eating with them, drinking with them, working with them, living with them, touching them, healing them, forgiving them, sleeping among them, and sitting with them. In every way, He would show His people how much He cared for them, even to die for them an excruciating, humiliating death on a cross. This God, who is a consuming fire and one to be feared and reverenced, would make His abode with mankind and perform miracles like they had never seen before.

God of creation, to You belong the glory, honor, and praise. No one in heaven, on earth, or beneath the earth can compare to You. Your presence is seen and felt throughout this world. In the matchless name of Jesus. Amen!

Day 4

The Life-Light

In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

—John 1:4

In Him was life and that life was the light of all mankind. As He appeared on the earth, His Light appeared also. What a glorious Light from the beginning. The Light was multifaceted and shined in every dimension and direction in the world. The Light shined through every facet of His creation—from humanity to nature, God's eternal power and His divine nature has been seen. His Light shines through all of creation. He has never been apart from that which He created. His Life-Light can shine through you as well if you believe, accept, and confess Him as Lord. Darkness cannot overcome the Light of Christ if we allow His Light to shine through us.

Light of all lights, give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Your Son Jesus Christ better. Help us to know what the hope of our calling is in Christ Jesus and to know what the glorious inheritance that we have received in Him. In the powerful transforming name of Jesus. Amen!

Day 5

Life Existence

In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

—John 1:4

Life does not exist without Him. All humanity lives because of Him. We have breath, movement, ability to think and function because of Him. All will acknowledge Him one day as Lord and as the Giver of all life. He is the Sustainer of life in this world and in the world to come. Choosing life means choosing Him and living life according to His plans and purposes. He is the One who chooses life for us so why not agree with the One who chooses life and not death for His creation.

God, our Sustainer, thank You for choosing me to carry the life-giving and life-sustaining message of Jesus Christ. I am Yours and You are mine, and nothing or no one can pluck me out of Your hands. To You I belong, body, soul, and spirit. In the precious, powerful name of Jesus. Amen!

Day 6

The Light Shining in the Darkness

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

—John 1:5

His life was and is the Light that shines in the darkness of our hearts, which cannot be extinguished. There is no other light that shines brighter than the life of Jesus Christ within us. His Light shines through those who have accepted Him as Lord and Savior, and that Light gives us life. Life and Light which the darkness is not able to dispel.

Father of life and light, for the miracles You performed through Your Son Jesus during His earthly reign, thank You. For the Light that shined so brightly and led the way to the Father, thank You. In the powerful, illuminating name of Jesus. Amen!

Day 7

A Witness to the Light

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through Him all might believe.

—John 1:6–7

We degrade life when we omit God from its plans. Central to the outcome of John the Baptist's ministry and mission was God the Father. He boldly proclaimed that He was not the Light but was a witness to the Light. John was human, like you and me, however; Jesus would testify about this witness because of the significance of his mission at this time and place in Christian history. John would be the witness to bring the message of repentance to the Jewish people. He was the forerunner of Jesus Christ and first to defy the ruling authorities in the Roman government in order to make way for the good news in a dark and lost world.

Our Father, thank You for the witness of John the Baptist and the message of repentance he brought to the world. His message of repentance rings true today as it did in antiquity. Help me freely confess my need to repent of sin to be forgiven. In the redeeming name of Jesus. Amen!

Day 8

A Lesser Light Bears Witness to a Greater Light

He Himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

—John 1:8–9

John the Baptist wasn't a false light, but he would be the one to witness and testify about the true Light that was to come. How can one testify about what they have not seen or heard? John had not physically seen or heard the Light, but He recognized the true Light when He came into the world. We are not specifically told in Scripture of all John's interactions with his relative Jesus, but we do know they interacted as we read their story. It was in the womb of His mother, Elizabeth, where John the Baptist would first encounter Jesus, the Greater Light. Many would be drawn to John before Jesus would come in demonstration of His public ministry. John being driven to the wilderness to become the lesser light is no doubt due to Herod's reign and Old Testament prophecy. The threat of a new king rising and taking over the Roman government must have loomed in the heart and mind of King Herod, but one greater had arrived. I imagine this fear festering and growing in Herod's heart and mind almost to the point of insanity and He tried to kill the child before He had an opportunity to bring life and light to all. John became lesser so Jesus could become the Greater Light in His humanity as well as in His divinity.

Father, our prayer today is that You would transform the hearts of humanity to rise to the level of greatness that You intended for us as believers. May we look to the Greater Light, found only in Jesus Christ, as our salvation and hope for a better humanity carved out of justice, honesty, and integrity beginning with those you have called by your name. In the powerful, strong, and perfect name of Jesus. Amen!

Day 9

Justice Given: Justice Received

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

—John 1:9

The True Light came into the world to give light to everyone. As many as received the gift of Light He brought to the world, He gave the right to become children, sons and daughters of the most high God. Not children of natural birth but children who have received and been born of Him. The Light came into the world, and we beheld His glory full of grace and truth. He fought for us to become His sons and daughters in faith despite a world surrounded by darkness. He fought not with swords and a physical army marching with Him. He fought with a divine power in his humanity and divinity to conquer every enemy that opposed His reign and rule. We fight for the right to practice our religious freedoms in a world that denies us the right to speak truth to power. When children are gone and become adults, we fight for the right to live again as parents of an empty nest. When health is failing, we fight. When jobs run out, we fight. When paychecks are not enough to meet the needs of the month, we fight. When marriages are broken, we fight. When dreams have been disappointed, we fight. When the one we wanted got away, we fight. We fight to live again! We lift our heads and walk tall, and we live knowing who we are and whose we are. We live for Him, through Him, and to Him. We do not quit! We fight to live again! Triumphantly in Christ Jesus! We receive the justice Jesus brought to our world.

Heavenly Father, thank you for justice given to us the day You decided to step out of eternity into time and space and created a perfect place for human beings to live with You. Justice was given on that day. Help us to receive the justice that has already been given to us through Your Son Jesus Christ. In the powerful, peaceful name of Jesus. Amen!

Day 10

Distorted Identification

He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.

—John 1:10

Before there was the beginning, He existed. Jesus was in the world. He stepped out of eternity into space and time at the beginning when there was nothing. He created all things. All things were made by Him. Mistaken identity takes place all over the world. Many others had come proclaiming themselves to be the Messiah, yet when the true Messiah appeared, they were not able to recognize Him though every sign that had been prophesied about Him had been fulfilled. Life can become distorted when we try to follow everything and everyone else saying, This is the real deal. Christ was and is the person He claimed to be and continues to change hearts and transforms lives. What a sense of sadness presented in this Scripture. The very people Jesus's mission came to reach did not receive Him. What a dangerous place to find yourself! Outside of the family of God is the place where darkness resides, and life is without purpose and meaning. Recognizing Him as Creator of everything that exists is the place to begin. When I acknowledge His sovereignty over all of life and admit I am a sinner in need of His loving hand of mercy and grace, and confess with my mouth He is who He says He is, He hears my cry for mercy. Acknowledging Him as Supreme Lord of all is a safe place to be. His heart yearns for His creation to know Him.

Omnipotent Father, You are sovereign over this world. Thank You for sending Jesus to be the Sacrificial Lamb to take away the sin of the world. His death on the cross is redemptive. He is who He says He is, Savior of the world. In the powerful name of Jesus. Amen!

Day 11

Faith that Makes the Right Choice

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

—John 1:11–12

Although they did not believe, as many as did believe, He gave the right (privilege) to become sons and daughters of the most high God. What a privilege to be chosen by God before knowing Him. He knew there would be those who would choose to follow as well as those who would not follow Him. His unconditional love gave everyone the opportunity to choose Him. When we choose Him, we choose His nature, goodness, and His love and become part of His family here on earth. When we choose the ghetto Jewish brother from Nazareth, we choose His way of justice, righteousness, and abundance. We choose to believe Him and all He came to make right in a world that chose an oppressive, imprisoned way of life in mind and body. Believing in His name is the entrance into the family. Becoming sons and daughters means getting to know Him and the life He lived through communing with Him and the Father through His Word. Growing in age is not synonymous to growing in faith. Faith increases with the Author of faith, God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son. C. S. Lewis said, And yet faith is as sublime as it is simple, as potent as it is plain.

Heavenly Father, we choose to follow You. By faith, we receive You as Lord and Savior. For the right to become children of God, through Jesus Christ, we give You thanks. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen!

Day 12

Dwelling with the Father

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

—John 1:14

Understanding our relationship with the Father begins at the beginning in Creation. That He would wrap Himself in flesh and live among us and reveal Himself to us is more than our finite minds can understand. He is clouded in mystery. We see His glory in all His creation and the words He has made known to us. We experience His life as we live daily in and through Him. The Word became flesh and was tempted in all ways as we are, yet He was without sin. We are confronted by His words as fleshly creatures and are humbled in heart as we think of our Lord and Savior wrapping Himself in flesh and thinking compassionately and lovingly about us and making His dwelling with us in space and time. He is perfect, we are imperfect and weak in this body of flesh, yet He is willing to dwell with us and never leaves us helpless. We are able to drop off the old man in all its selfishness and take on the new creation in Christ Jesus as Galatians 2:20 says, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet it's not I but Christ who lives within.

Heavenly Father, we are humbled when we think of Your goodness to us. We bow our heads and hearts in submission to Your will as we grow in the grace and knowledge of who You are in our lives. In the perfect, powerful name of Jesus, amen!

Day 13

Beholding His Glory

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

—John 1:14

Even in His humanity, Jesus's divinity was shown. We beheld His glory, born of a virgin. The Seed incorruptible, spotless, and without sin. This is the glory of God born into the world full of grace and truth. Ready to redeem and reconcile the world to Himself . His glory has been manifested through all of creation. We cannot escape the omniscience of God the Father. He is everywhere, in all places at the same time, and aware of all that happens. Nothing and no one escapes His watchful eye. The psalmist says it like this, "The earth is the Lord 's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for He founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. The modern-day hymnist says, This is our Father's world." We are not able to take in all the breadth, width, length, nor depth of what God has created. And to think, God the Father has shared His glory with us in the person of Jesus Christ. We scarcely can take in all that He has made manifest to us as His children. We are amazed and wonder as little children why the sky is blue and why the ocean is so big and where did Grandma and Grandpa go? We wonder, but deep in our hearts, we experience the grand glory of who our Creator is and who He has called us to be in Him.

Glorious Father, we give You thanks for the world which You created and for Jesus who came to represent You in the earth. In the matchless miraculous name of Jesus, amen!

Day 14

Grace and Truth

Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

—John 1:14c

Jesus's fellowship was with the Father before He came to live and dwell with us here on the earth. It was a fellowship that was intimate and full (complete) in and of itself. Full of grace (the love and unmerited favor/goodness of the Father) and truth (not lies/the opposite of deceit). This is our desired relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. One characterized by grace and truth. We want earthly relationships that are loving, kind, compassionate, forgiving, and full of grace. We want honest, incorruptible relationships like that of the Father and the Son. Truth that gets to the bare bone yet grace that tempers and softens what truth has and must say especially in our attempts as proclaimers, witnesses, and encouragers of God's good news to a world full of darkness. May we in our daily walk be impassioned to love the unforgivable and the vilest of whom Jesus died to redeem. God can raise the gutter-most to the uttermost and help them live lives in the most prominent of places they could have ever imagined. The grace of God reaches places of honor and dignity as well as places of poverty and lack to bring a holy pride in who they've become because of where