Let There Be LightSample

Day 12 – Anthea Francis
(Calvary East London)

John Chapter 12
Title: Your Invitation Still Stands

Scripture: John 12:26

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

Thought:
We have just crossed the halfway mark in our reading of the book of John, and the tension keeps mounting. The miracle of Lazarus’ resurrection raised the religious leaders’ levels of intolerance toward Jesus.

Catching my attention is the large amount of characters we observe near Jesus. Consider their reasons for being there:

• Lazarus, who had just experienced the resurrecting power of Jesus;
• Mary enjoying His presence;
• Martha serving;
• The disciples - including Judas Iscariot and his selfish motives;
• Those hiding their faith;
• The religious leaders planning to remove Him;
• The curious crowd and the ignorant crowd.

In verse 26, we read, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be…” This is a great reminder that all people (whoever) are invited to serve and follow Jesus no matter whether:

• We’ve seen miracles or not;
• We’ve had selfish motives in our faith or not;
• We’ve previously denied Jesus in some way or not;
• We’ve had a bad attitude toward the intersections of Jesus in our lives or not;
• We’ve struggled to declare Him publicly or not.
• We are all invited to follow Jesus, no matter what our journey has been to date.
  
  Application:
  In our lives, Jesus is always in the room, waiting for us to draw near to Him. This encourages us that there is always an invitation to draw near to Jesus, and this invitation includes you. James 4:8 promises: ‘Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…’ The following chapters in John will show Jesus making this possible for us. Keep drawing near to Him, and keep reading!
  
  Prayer:
  Lord, thank You for Your unwavering invitation to serve and follow You. Help us to respond wholeheartedly, no matter our past or present circumstances. Draw us closer to You, and may our lives be a testament to Your grace and love. Amen.