What Jesus Did

[About Jesus, John the Baptizer said,] "He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less."

—John 3:30 NLT

Key Thought
Want to be great? Want to do something great? Want to be great for God? Want to be a blessing for others in Jesus' name? Then live so that others will know more of Jesus and less of you. That was the theme of John the Baptizer's life!

Today's Prayer
Father, I know the path to true greatness, but I have trouble following it. Please give me the...

 

[John the Baptizer said,] "You yourselves know how plainly I told you, 'I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.' It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the bridegroom's friend is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success."

—John 3:28-29 NLT

Key Thought
What a beautiful image. The friend of the bridegroom finds his joy in seeing the bride come to her groom. Imagine if we all lived with the...

 

A debate broke out between John's disciples and a certain Jew over ceremonial cleansing. So John's disciples came to him and said, "Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River, the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us." John replied, "No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven."

—John 3:25-27 NLT

Key Thought
One of the most important questions you will ever answer is this...

 

Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people. At this time John the Baptist was baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there was plenty of water there; and people kept coming to him for baptism. (This was before John was thrown into prison.)

—John 3:22-24 NLT

Key Thought
Jesus' disciples and John the Baptist practiced baptism — immersion of repentant folks who were preparing themselves for...

 

[Jesus said,] "All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants."

—John 3:20-21 NLT

Key Thought
A life dedicated to God comes to his light. A person living this kind of life doesn't fear judgment or rejection or truth. Any tendency and temptation toward falsehood, dishonesty, sinfulness, greed, ... can be overcome through God's grace...

 

[Jesus said,] "And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil."

—John 3:19 NLT

Key Thought
Some folks don't just reject Jesus; they hate God, Christianity, religion, Christians, and anything that smacks of wholesome living. Evil is real and controls the lives of those who give it safe harbor. Evil recoils from truth. Too often, some people end up rejecting the truth of God...

 

[Jesus said,] "There is no judgment against anyone who believes in [God's Son]. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son."

—John 3:18 NLT

Key Thought
"There is no judgment" is used in this verse in the sense of "there is no condemnation" (Romans 8:1-2). As Christians, we don't fear a judgment against us because we live trusting God's love for us, and that love casts out all fear (cf. 1 John...

 

[Jesus said,] "God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him."

—John 3:17 NLT

Key Thought
The world stands under the shadow of destruction. Were it not for God's love for us in Jesus, we would face that same end. God, however, is the Creator, the Life-Giver, and the Joy-Bringer. The goal of his holiness is not destruction, but redemption. The goal of his righteousness is not anger, but salvation. Jesus came to our world, a world...

 

[Jesus said,] "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

—John 3:16 NLT

Key Thought
God loves us! That is the triumphant message of the Bible. That is the greatest message we will ever receive. Thankfully, however, this is not just a message in words. God wanted us to know his love for us, so he demonstrated that love at great personal cost. God loves us! We know that because...

 

[Jesus said,] "And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life."

—John 3:14-15 NLT

Key Thought
The Greek word for "lifted up" usually means "exalted" in the rest of the New Testament. In a way, it also means that in the Gospel of John. However, when Jesus speaks of the cross, "lifted up" refers to his crucifixion. For Jesus to be exalted to the...