What Jesus Did! 'The Importance of Jesus' Words!' — John 12:47-50

Friday, September 4, 2026

[Jesus continued,] "I will not judge those who hear me but don't obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. I don't speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say."
— John 12:47-50 NLT

Key Thought

Would you listen to a message if your life depended upon it? Would you follow the instructions carefully? Jesus makes clear that he speaks God's truth. What we do with that truth has eternal consequences and has both eternal and present-day benefits if we obey. While obedience may not be a popular concept in modern culture, Jesus reminds us that obeying his teaching is essential. God longs to save us through Jesus. He is not looking to trip us up on some fine point of Jesus' teaching that we missed. But, our hearts need to be willing to do all that Jesus says because obedience is a blessing - it protects us from some things that we should never have to face and leads us to blessings that are found only when we do things God's way. Jesus' words are important! We should listen to them as if our eternity depends on what we do with them - because it does!

Today's Prayer

Holy and loving Father, thank you for revealing your will in human words taught to us by Jesus. Open my mind to understand Jesus' teaching more completely and open my heart to accept those words more willingly as I commit to live by Jesus' words in all that I do. In his name. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

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2 Related Resources by Heartlight

Report Card Day
Article by Patrick D. Odum
What's your grade going to be? While we may be flawed, God is compassionate, loving, and forigiving, and through Jesus, he will find ways to save us!
That's Not the Way that Momma Did It
Article by Russ Lawson
Why not listen to the old story and look for something fresh and new? Sometimes we trust too much in what we've learned in the past and things we have learned from our parents rather than seeking the truth ourselves and then living it.

Illustration

Illustration of John 12:47-50 NLT — "I will not judge those who hear me but don't obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it."

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About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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