November 5 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading:

John 8:31-59

³¹Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
³²And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
³³They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
³⁴Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
³⁵And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
³⁶If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
³⁷I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
³⁸I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
³⁹They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
⁴⁰But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
⁴¹Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
⁴²Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
⁴³Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
⁴⁴Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
⁴⁵And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
⁴⁶Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
⁴⁷He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
⁴⁸Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?
⁴⁹Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me.
⁵⁰And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
⁵¹Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
⁵²Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.
⁵³Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
⁵⁴Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
⁵⁵Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.
⁵⁶Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
⁵⁷Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
⁵⁸Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
⁵⁹Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Devotional:

Everyone is in a family. Even if the family is broken or all other members deceased, each person who ever lived belongs to some family tree.

In the spiritual realm everyone is in a family, too. Had there been no fall, all men of all periods of time would have been in the family of God. But since the fall mankind has been by nature of the family of Satan. 'Children of wrath' is the way the Apostle Paul describes them (Ephesians 2:3).

This is horrible to contemplate, yet it was a truth taught by the Lord himself: 'If God were your father, ye would love me ... Ye are of your father the devil' (John 8:42,44).

Quickly we must remind ourselves that in His grace God adopted a people for His family. Not only this, but He has made a promise to His people that includes their children in His plan.

Thank You, Father, for adopting us into Your family! Thank You for sending the only Son who was really Yours without need of adoption to die for us so that we, too, could be Your sons and daughters.

Some of us have adopted children into our family. Have we explained to them that we, also, are adopted? Do they see the grace and love of the heavenly Father who has adopted us and through whom this earthly family can be united in ties even stronger than blood?