What Jesus Did

[### the Baptizer said to his disciples,] "[Jesus] has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true."

—John 3:31-33 NLT

Key Thought​

When we truly believe that Jesus has come from God to show us God's love, then an...

 

[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...

 

[### the Baptizer said to his disciples,] "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 [Jesus'] 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...

 

A debate broke out between ###'s disciples and a certain Jew over ceremonial cleansing. So ###'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. [1] And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us."

### replied, "No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven."

[1] See the note in yesterday's What Jesus Did devotional.

—John 3:25-27 NLT

Key...​

 

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 [1] — immersing repentant folks who were preparing...

 

[Concluding his talk with Nicodemus, 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 sinfulness — whether it is falsehood...

 

[Continuing his talk with Nicodemus, 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​

We may tend to put non-Christians in different categories:
those who are actively involved in evil and the "bad sins,"
those who actively reject and oppose Jesus, and
those who passively reject Jesus but live "good lives."
While there is definitely...

 

[Continuing his talk with Nicodemus, 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." [1] 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...

 

[Continuing his talk with Nicodemus, 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 in the shadow of destruction. Were it not for God's love for us in Jesus, we would face the same end as the world. God, however, is the Creator, the Life-Giver, and the Joy-Bringer. The goal of his holiness is not our destruction, but our redemption. The goal of his righteousness is not anger...

 

[Continuing his talk with Nicodemus, 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 message is not just words. God wanted us to know his love for us, so he demonstrated that love at great personal cost.

God...