Author: Jimmy Gunn

The Details

Re:Verse passage – John 21:1-14 (day seven)

One of my favorite classes in college was a hermeneutics course taught by a man named Dr. Bell. During each class, he would help us go through various scriptures, teaching us to find the answers to the details of what we read. Often, our searches led to more questions and more searches throughout the entirety of the Bible. It made reading the Bible in this light an adventure each time we opened it to read. Have you ever paid attention to the seemingly “unnecessary” details of Scripture as you read?

In John’s account of seeing Jesus again in chapter 21, we encounter many details that seem small and insignificant at first. He includes the number of fish caught in the net, (reminding us of another miraculous catch Jesus guided them to). He includes that Jesus cooked breakfast over a charcoal fire (reminding us of another charcoal fire from a few nights prior). John includes that Peter put on his coat to jump into the water to get to Jesus. He writes that seven disciples were present that day, but only names five of them. These details point us to deeper truths in the Word.

Some of the details may simply be in there to provide info on eyewitness accounts, and some may point us to bigger truths that God wants us to know. We may not know why God included some details, but we can rest assured that God doesn’t waste words. No detail was insignificant or unnecessary.

Are there any details that you are missing when you read?

Who Do You Say I Am?

Re:Verse passage – John 18:33-40 (day five)

“Jesus answered, ‘Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?’” John 18:34

During this exchange between Jesus and Pilate, you can sense the indifference with which Pilate asks Jesus his questions. Pilate simply wanted to know if an insurrection was brewing and if he should be concerned about anything. Jesus knew that. The answers that Jesus gave drew Pilate in and gives us a clearer picture of the heart of Pilate. Jesus wanted to know what Pilate really thought. Pilate’s answers to Jesus’ questions reveal how little he was thinking of Jesus and how much he was thinking of the wrong things.

Jesus asked a similar question to His disciples in Matthew 16:13-20, and got a vastly different answer. Peter’s heart for the truth was revealed at that moment and helps us further understand what Jesus was talking about when He told Pilate that “everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” At some point, we are all asked that question. Who do you say Jesus is? Do you only know what the world says or know Him secondhandedly? Who do you say, of your own accord, who Jesus is?

Nothing Apart From Him

Re:Verse passage – John 18:15-18, 25-27 (day five)

Peter learned the hard way where His source of strength and power came from. We often think of Peter being an intense, loyal, bold man. After all, Peter was a man that cast out demons. Someone who had said he would follow Jesus anywhere and do anything for Him. A man who was outspoken about how much he loved Jesus. Someone that spoke up in truth and first recognized Jesus as the Christ. On the other hand, we can say that Peter was disloyal, brash, and fearful. He was the one with the quick temper. The one that acted in rashness to cut a man’s ear off. The one to deny Jesus three times, even though he had been warned that it would happen.

The night that Peter denied Jesus showed Peter just how dependent on Jesus he was. He learned that apart from Jesus, he was weak and fearful. He was not strong. He was not loyal. He was not brave. But that is not what defined Peter forever. Soon, Peter would receive restoration and hope from Jesus that would rouse him to be the intense, bold, and loyal man that Jesus knew Him to be. Yes, it was humbling and hard to learn the way he did. But He learned that his strength, power, and everything else came from Jesus. And there is nothing better than to know that.

Apart from Jesus, we are nothing compared to what Jesus knows us to be. Aren’t you grateful for His restoration and hope in spite of your daily failings? Aren’t you grateful that He makes you better?

Justice

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 4:12-19 (day five)

“So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.” v. 19

We all want justice, right? Or, maybe we just want revenge for when we are wronged. We all, typically, would like people to get what they deserve if they have done wrong in this world. There have been times when I have been wronged by someone or someone I love has been wronged, and I have wished for justice. There are times, though, that justice seems to be missed. Maybe it is when a criminal gets to go home because of a technicality. Maybe it is that the wicked seem to get richer or to not have anything happen to them after they have been known to be wicked in their actions. Maybe it is simply putting up with incessant insults or criticism for your faith.

Peter’s reminder, here, is for us to simply let God take care of all that. Our job is to continue to do good. We should never need revenge or worry about the justice part because God is a God of justice. He is going to take care of all of that. So, let us continue to do good while trusting that God is going to take care of us and take care of the judgement.

The Author of It All

Re:Verse passage – 1 Peter 1:18-25 (day seven)

“For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” 1 Peter 1:25

I take an enormous amount of comfort in the thought and knowledge that God had everything figured out before the foundation of the world. God knew that there was going to be a problem with His creation, so He had a plan to restore it from the very beginning through Jesus Christ. He is the Author of all life and everything that has and will ever happen.

The incredible thing about knowing that God is the Author of all life, is that it causes us to trust Him more. We can be okay with the details of today, tomorrow, next week, next year, and for the years to come because we know that the Author has already figured everything out for the rest of time. Our faith and hope are bound in Him because He wrote the whole Story.

Speak to the Lord

ReVerse passage – Job 9:32-35 (day five)

“Then I could speak to him without fear,
but I cannot do that in my own strength.”

In the midst of Job’s suffering and lamenting, he understood the chasm that separated him from God. This chapter of Job incredibly points out our need for Jesus and the importance of why He would come. Without Jesus, there is fear of judgment and fear of getting what we deserve. But with Jesus, there is freedom to trust and believe in the grace, love, and compassion of the Father. Without Jesus, there is a chasm between us and God. But with Jesus, He bridged the chasm for us and we get to have a relationship with Him. Because Jesus took our punishment, we have the privilege and honor of speaking directly with the Creator of all things, and that should cause us to stop and be thankful all the more. We are able to speak to the Lord, the Most High, without fear of death and punishment because of Jesus. I am so grateful for Him. Aren’t you?

More Than Patches

Re:Verse passage – Luke 5:33-39 (day four)

“No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment;”

This text begs us ask ourselves if we are standing in the way of receiving the full grace and forgiveness that God offers through Jesus. Often times, we assess our lives – have I gone to church at least once this month (yes)? Have I tithed a little bit (yes, some)? Have I served somewhere for any amount of time (yep) – by the number of boxes that we can check off. Then, the boxes we check off can trick us into thinking, “I must be in good standing with God right now. Phew.” However, if we miss a box, we might passively ask God to help us do better in the future and to forgive us for not checking that box off. Many of us have probably been stuck in that cycle at some point in our lives, or still are.

But that’s not what Jesus wants. That’s not how God wants us to live. A legalistic approach to following God will get us nowhere. Jesus came bringing new garments that are more incredible and glorious than we can ever imagine and offered for us to be clothed in those garments. But, there are still those of us asking if we can just cut a little patch from the robe that Jesus offers. We might think we don’t want or need the whole thing. But Jesus didn’t come to hand out patches. He came to clothe us and to offer us the life and salvation that only He brings. He came to make all things new, including us, if we will let Him clothe us with His garments. So, stop patching your old garment and trade it in for Jesus’ grace-filled one!

A Legacy of…

Re:Verse passage – James 3:13-18 (day four)

And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. vs 18

I often remind the kids at the church that sin is whenever we do things our way instead of God’s way. It is as simple as that. God’s way is perfect and good, and our way leads to destruction. You can see this contrast in most everything we do from the way we prioritize our life, to the way we parent, to the way we view our politics. The list could go on and on. The world constantly tells us to go one way and God tells us to go another way. As followers of Christ, we will often find ourselves at odds with what the world tells us is the way to go.

Here in James 3, we find another example of the world’s way of things (sin) and God’s way of things (perfect). There is wisdom from above and wisdom from below and James describes the end result of both of them. Again, we have contrasting views of wisdom from God (above) and the world (below). Wisdom from God is perfect and good, leading to a legacy (or harvest) of righteousness, while wisdom from the world leads to destruction.

So, where does your wisdom come from? Do you seek the Lord or the world in your thoughts and deeds? What harvest or legacy does your wisdom leave?

“Got Wisdom?”

Re:Verse passage – 2 Chronicles 1:1-13 (day five)

Many of you might remember an ad campaign that ran over twenty years ago with two simple words, “Got milk?” It was a simple, yet memorable phrase that was seemingly etched into so many commercials, newspaper and magazine ads, and billboards all across the nation. Even as a young kid, I remember watching those commercials thinking that I needed to drink milk every time that I saw an ad for it!

The premise behind the TV commercials was simple: the people selling the milk wanted you to think that you needed milk, and that having it was the only way to make whatever situation you were in, a better one. Milk-needy people in the commercials would search and search until they found a source of milk, only to find that the source of the milk was empty. Then, a voiceover and big letters on the screen would ask, “Got milk?”

When I read 2 Chronicles 1:1-13, I am reminded of the “Got milk” ad campaign. I can just imagine Solomon coming to the realization that he was severely lacking in wisdom to lead the kingdom of Israel. But Solomon knew where the source of wisdom was. He knew that God was the only source for an infinite amount of wisdom, and so he asked for more. Do you lack wisdom? Where do you search for wisdom and when was the last time you asked for more of it?

– Jimmy Gunn

Are You Ready?

Re:Verse passage – Mark 2:13-17 (day seven)

Mark 2:14 – “And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.”

I often think about the willingness of the disciples to drop everything they had and everything they were doing to follow Jesus. Jesus simply says, “Follow me,” and the scriptures inform us of the ready hearts of the people Jesus called. There is no hesitation. The Bible does not indicate that there was any internal debating going on with the disciples. Levi (Matthew) simply rose up from his table and went after Jesus. He even jumped in with both feet by inviting his friends and colleagues to come and listen to Jesus while they ate a meal together.

These verses always make me take an inventory of my relationship with Christ. Am I ready to follow Him more closely, if need be? Am I ready to have the Gospel conversations with the people that He has placed in my life? Am I willing to get uncomfortable to do what He is calling me to do? Am I ready to stand before the Lord today and say, “Nothing stopped me from wholeheartedly following you!”

Is the Lord calling you to follow Him more closely today? Is He pressing on your heart if you are ready to do what He has laid before you?