Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
MIRACLES IN 2025
John 8:39-44
They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. Joh 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Joh 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
In this portion, the Pharisees were still disputing with Jesus concerning their spiritual condition. The fact that they were descendants of Abraham seemed to them sufficient to assure them of a place in heaven. Jesus told them that they would be like Abraham if Abraham were truly their father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. Jesus continued to show them that the works they were doing were not from God and were not what Abraham would have done. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father.
However, the religious rulers became even more adamant in their excuses not to accept Jesus. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
Jesus then made it clear to them that they did not have God for their Father, because if they did, their actions would have been very different. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. He proceeded to show the basis of the truth of their lineage. They were doing the works of the devil, and since they were, it showed who their father really was, the devil himself. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
The question then was, “Who is your father?” We usually reflect the actions of the ones that we are related to, namely our earthly father. Even so, we also reflect the works of our heavenly Father by what we say and do. The Pharisees were acting just like the devil. They were lying and accusing Jesus of not being of God, when He only did those things that God had sent Him to do. They proved that they were truly of their father, the devil.
Our lesson for today is this, “Who is our father?” Are we reflecting the Lord in the way we talk and act? The Scripture states in Romans 8:29 that God’s plan for us is to be conformed to the image of Christ. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Are we living for Him, and are we acting as He would want us to in our daily lives showing that we are of His family? But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (Joh 1:12).
Bible Reading for the Year
June 18th, James 4-5
Prayer Needs
Pray for Israel at this very difficult time!!
Please pray for Dr. Joe Jordan. He is still having a lot of pain in his back and hip. He will be seeing doctors on Wednesday and Thursday.
Pray also for Jackson Broome, the grandson of the Celebrate Recovery leaders in Greenville. He has HLH, a rare life-threatening syndrome that occurs when the immune system does not function correctly. He is just 8 years old and needs our prayers.
Pray for Nadia’s mother, Anita Swain, who just found out she has lung cancer. The recent PET scan shows the nodules in her lungs haven’t increased in size or number. They have also found some cysts that they are monitoring. Pray for her healing!
Pray for Janice Murray who is having a lot of back pain.
Please pray for Vicki Dalton. She went back on chemo pills and has been feeling sick and sluggish.
Please pray for Liz Atkinson. She Is doing better since she began her physical therapy. Pray for complete healing.
Please pray for Shirley Deans. The doctor has told her that she needs a hip replacement. However, she is on cortisone shots which are helping her greatly.
Please continue to pray for Phil Corey. Phil is still having trouble with his blood pressure when having dialysis.
Please pray for the Potter’s Wheel ministry which had a fire destroy a good part of their facility. They need much help to restore what was lost.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia