Key Thought

Today's Prayer

Almighty God, Father of all life and sustainer of the universe, you spoke into existence the things in my world. You spoke your Word through the prophets and the inspired writers of Scripture. I trust that you will one day have Jesus also call my name and I will rise up and come home to you. Please accept my thanks and praise until that day is fully realized! In Jesus' name. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

Jesus was doing these things (healing) on the Sabbath day. So the Jews began to do bad things to Jesus. But Jesus said to the Jews, "My Father never stops working. And so I work too." This made these Jews try harder to kill him. {The Jews said}, "First this man (Jesus) was breaking the law about the Sabbath day. Then he said that God is his Father! He is making himself equal with God!" But Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth. The Son can do nothing alone. The Son does only what he sees his Father doing. The Son does the same things that the Father does. The Father loves the Son, and the Father shows the Son all the things he does. {This man was healed.} But the Father will show the Son greater things than this to do. Then you will all be amazed. The Father raises dead people and gives them life. In the same way, the Son gives life to the people he wants to. Also, the Father judges no one. But the Father has given the Son power to do all the judging. God did this so that all people will respect the Son the same as they respect the Father. If a person does not respect the Son, then that person does not respect the Father. The Father is the One who sent the Son. "I tell you the truth. If a person hears what I say and believes in the One (God) who sent me, that person has life forever. That person will not be judged guilty. He has already left death and has entered into life. I tell you the truth. An {important} time is coming. That time is already here. People that are dead {in sin} will hear the voice of the Son of God. And the people that {accept the things they} hear {from the Son} will have life {forever}. Life comes from the Father (God) himself. So the Father has also allowed the Son (Jesus) to give life. And the Father has given the Son the power to judge all people. Why? Because that Son is the Son of Man. Don't be surprised at this. A time is coming when all people that are dead and in their graves will hear his voice. Then they will come out of their graves.The people that did good in this life will rise and have life forever. But the people that did evil will rise to be judged guilty. "I can do nothing alone. I judge only the way I am told. So my judgment is right. Why? Because I don't try to please myself. But I want to please the One (God) who sent me.

Related Scripture Readings

Before the world began, the Word was there. The Word was there with God. The Word was God. He was there with God in the beginning. All things were made through him (the Word). Nothing was made without him. In him there was life. That life was light (understanding, goodness) for the people of the world. The Light shines in the darkness. The darkness has not defeated the Light.

Then Jesus said, "I am the bread that gives life. The person that comes to me will never be hungry. The person that believes in me will never be thirsty. I told you before that you have seen me, and still you don't believe. The Father gives me my people. Every one of those people will come to me. I will always accept every person that comes to me. I came down from heaven to do what God wants me to do. I did not come to do what I want to do. I must not lose any person that God has given me. But I must raise up those people on the last day. This is what the One who sent me wants me to do. Every person that sees the Son and believes in him has life forever. I will raise up that person on the last day. This is what my Father wants."

Jesus answered, "You don't know about the thing God gives. And you don't know who I am that asked you for a drink. If you knew these things, you would have asked me and I would have given you living water." The woman said, "Sir, where will you get that living water? The well is very deep, and you have nothing to get water with. Are you greater than Jacob our father ? Jacob is the one that gave us this well. He drank from it himself. Also, his sons and all his animals drank water from this well." Jesus answered, "Every person that drinks this water will be thirsty again. But the person that drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. That water I give will become like a spring of water flowing inside that person. That water will bring that person life forever."