Friday, March 27, 2026

Opening Scripture

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. John 3:19-21

Opening Prayer

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way! Let us do His good will; He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil He doth richly repay. Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, but is blest if we trust and obey. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet, or we’ll walk by His side in the way. What He says we will do, where He sends, we will go, never fear, only trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

John 15:26-16:15

“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.”

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.”

“I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away.”

“Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

Reflection  

Jesus warned His disciples about the coming opposition and persecution, so they would be prepared when it happened. Expecting hatred, suffering, excommunication – even death – would help them stay strong in the face of it.

And when Jesus ascended, the Spirit of Truth descended to empower Jesus’ disciples and confirm all that the Lord had said. The Advocate powerfully supports believers in their mission and dynamically testifies to the Person and work of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the One who convicts the world of guilt with regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment.

The Book of Acts describes how Jesus’ ominous prediction began to be fulfilled. First with Stephen’s murder (Acts 7:59-60), then the persecution of all the believers in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1). Soon, Saul began his torment of those who “belonged to the Way” (Acts 9:1-2). Later, King Herod Agrippa I executed James and arrested Peter and “some who belonged to the church” (Acts 12:1-3).

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that God’s people have been persecuted and mistreated throughout history. Even before Jesus came to establish the New Covenant, men and women of faith trusted God in the face of suffering.

“There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated – the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:35-40).

We are citizens of God’s kingdom, together with this great cloud of witnesses!

“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11 selected).

The world hates committed followers of Jesus because the world hates Jesus. And hatred of Jesus is hatred of God Almighty. The world loves darkness because their deeds are evil, and Jesus’ disciples are a reminder of the True Light that has come into the world.

“The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Proverbs 4:18-19).

Flourishing Habit

Intentional Discipleship

It’s natural to want to retreat and withdraw in the face of hostility and opposition, but that’s not an option. Jesus said, “The Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father will testify about me, and you also must testify.”

Remember: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).

The Advocate – the Spirit of Truth – will guide us into all truth!

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:7-10).

May the Spirit of Truth empower each of us to be “salt” and “light.” When we choose to be a “living sacrifice” – holy, acceptable, and pleasing to God – not conforming to the world, but being transformed on The Jesus Way, we hope others will “see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven.”

In Practicing the Way, John Mark Comer quotes Mortimer Arias’ statement: “The kingdom is God’s new order… Because the new order of God is a threat to any established order, the arrival of the kingdom, forcing its way through the old order, produces a more intense reaction. It attracts and repels at the same time.”

How will you let your light shine today?

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!