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He said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30 While out hiking in the mountains recently, we got a glimpse early on of our destination, which appeared to be a ridiculously long way off. At that moment, the goal seemed like it was simply too far away.…
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Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” John 18:38 I heard someone say the other day that he’d realized his first impulsive response, in almost every situation, was wrong. I had to laugh bitterly, as I’ve also found this to be true in my life. This isn’t just about my drug addiction. I’ve had to…
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For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. John 18:37 Having observed a friend sustain significant weight loss, I recently asked her how she’d done it. I’ve always struggled with my weight and I’m interested (albeit somewhat jealous) in those who’ve been…
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My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world. John 18:36 I’ve been asked a couple times lately if I thought we were in the end…
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They answered him, “If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.” John 18:30 When I worked in the ER, I would often see people for routine things that simply weren’t emergencies. This was just part of the job and usually, I didn’t say anything. Occasionally though, if…
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So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” John 18:25 Modern medicine sees addiction as a chronic disease marked by repeated episodes of sobriety and relapse. I rejected this when I learned it in my first attempt at treatment. I…
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One of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand . . . John 18:22 I grew up in a home where I was pretty sheltered from foul language. Like any kid though, once exposed, I quickly soaked up the colorful words I heard in the neighborhood. After hanging out with the neighbor kids…
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The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” John 18:17 We all have expectations, hopes, and dreams about what our future should look like. We all have plans about where we want to go, what we want to…
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So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” John 18:11 How God changes me has been a source of significant confusion and frustration. I’ve known those who’ve asked God to take away their addiction and, POOF, it was gone. That’s…
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Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. John 18:10 I’ve done a lot of terrible things following my own nature. I usually knew what I was doing was destructive, but I simply wanted wrong more than I wanted right. I may have…
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