Author: Nathaniel Colt

Read about It

Read: John 1:32–34

Before Jesus was named as Messiah at the Jordan River, God had been speaking to John. He had spent years getting to know God. John knew what God loved and hated. He knew the good and faithful God that He is. God had told John about the coming Messiah. Because of this, John could boldly tell others, or testify, about Jesus’ identity before the people. John made this moment simple for those people there to understand. John also confirmed the truth from his heart. In case the people didn’t get it before, he told them directly. Jesus was the Messiah, the Chosen One!

The longer and more seriously we follow Jesus, the better we’ll know Him and His truth. When you spend time with a friend, you know more about who they are. You know what they like and dislike, their great qualities, and their true heart. If someone were to ask you about your friend, you could tell them directly and truthfully who they are. The same is true with Jesus. When we spend time with Him in prayer, reading the Bible, and being with others who are following Him, we can give testimony to who He is. Our testimony is part of our purpose to bring others to Jesus!

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Read: John 1:29–31

John the Baptist knew his purpose. He worked for years to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. Yet, for most of that time, he did not see who he was preparing for. John had preached and baptized people in water. People were repenting of their sin. John had prepared the people and himself so well. Because of this, everyone was ready for the great reveal of Jesus! John’s preparation led people to Jesus.

Think of preparing a cake. You need to have all the right ingredients in the right amounts. You must have the right tools. You have to bake the cake for the perfect amount of time. Sometimes, putting in all that work is a long process, but it is worth it in the end when we have a delicious piece of a sugary, sweet dessert! God’s purpose for our life can work in the same way. We prepare, we work hard, and we plan. We listen to God’s voice. We read the Bible. We serve, give, and tell others about Jesus. We creatively use our talents and gifts for Him. All this preparation can lead to one sweet result—Jesus can be revealed to the world!

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Read: John 1:19–24

The word purpose means the reason something exists. God has a purpose for each one of us. John the Baptist was confident in his purpose in God’s kingdom. He knew exactly what he was born to do. He baptized people in the Jordan River and surrounding areas. He told people to get their hearts ready for God’s kingdom.

In the same way, John knew who he was not. The priests and temple assistants asked him. John boldly and clearly told them he was not the Messiah, Elijah, or the prophet they were looking for. Instead, he let them know his purpose. John’s purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus.

We all have a purpose too. Each of us must do our job so that Jesus’ mission can be completed. God is the one who lets us know our purpose when we seek after Him. When we know who God is, we know who we are. Each of us has a unique purpose. But God also calls each of us to one purpose that’s like John’s—to point people to Jesus.

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Read: John 1:24–28

Pharisees came to the Jordan River to question John. “What right do you have to baptize?” they asked. However, John was confident in his purpose. He did not argue or try to prove his authority. He simply told them his job and immediately pointed them to Someone greater than him. That was Jesus. John took the attention away from himself. Instead, he put the attention on Jesus!

God has a purpose for each of us in His work. But, our highest purpose is this—we need to point people to Jesus. Whether it is singing on a stage, preaching a message of hope, creating a work of art, running a race, being a good friend, or doing chores, all these things have one purpose. We do them for God’s glory! We do them to bring attention to how good He is! When people have questions, we can answer confidently as John did. We can turn people’s eyes from us to the Savior of the world!

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Read: Luke 5:10–11

Simon Peter and his friends knew about catching fish. They had boats and nets. They knew how to sail on the sea. Then Jesus came and gave their lives new meaning and purpose. Jesus knew that Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John could be fishers of men. What does that mean? Because Jesus changed their life, their new job was to “catch” people and tell them how wonderful Jesus is! For Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, this miracle moment was just the beginning of their mission. They left everything to follow Jesus! In the same way their lives had been changed, they now could tell others who needed to hear about Jesus.

Jesus can give your life a new, different meaning. Jesus helps us to start thinking differently. We get to see how good He is. We can start to understand how much He loves us. Our life becomes a journey with Jesus! This good news is for us, our friends, our family, and our neighbors. Now is the time to share this good news to make a difference in others. Let’s leave the old behind and get on a new mission for Jesus!

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Read: Luke 5:7–10

A miracle happened! Simon Peter did what Jesus asked. Then, the huge catch of fish weighed his boat down so much that it almost sank. This was a huge reason to rejoice. Simon Peter fell on his knees before Jesus. Simon called himself a sinful man. He also realized how amazing Jesus was. Simon Peter’s life had changed in an instant because of Jesus.

There are lots of blessings, or good things, we will receive in this life. However, none of them will ever compare to following Jesus. What the world has to offer us may seem great. It could make us very happy for a short time. But, if we follow Jesus like Simon Peter did, we will see God’s miracles at work in our life. Following Jesus is the greatest life because He is always with us and He is always there to help us.

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Read: Luke 5:4–6

Simon Peter had already made himself available to Jesus. But, Jesus had even more in store for Simon Peter. The night before, Simon Peter, his brother Andrew, and his friends James and John did not catch one fish. (We know that Peter’s brother Andrew was there from other places in the Gospels like Mark 2:16.) Not a single one! This meant that they would not get any money for their families from selling fish. After a long night with no fish, the last thing they wanted to do was to go back and try again. Yet Simon Peter did what Jesus asked. This encounter with Jesus made Simon Peter want to try one more time. Because Simon Peter chose to say yes to Jesus, he got the biggest catch of fish in his life!

Sometimes what Jesus wants us to do doesn’t make sense to us or is a challenge. You may feel a nudge to talk about Jesus to someone you don’t know. You may have a thought to pray for someone who has hurt you. You may have an idea to raise money for missionaries or may even feel a call to be a missionary to a country far away. Jesus wants us to say yes. When we do, we know that God will use our yes to reach more people for Jesus than we can imagine. Our yes to Jesus’ call in things great and small makes the biggest difference of all.

Read about It

Read: Luke 5:1–3

Simon Peter was doing his job as a fisherman. Scrubbing and cleaning nets was hard work! But then, he had an encounter that changed everything. Jesus told Simon Peter to push his boat into the water so that others could hear His teaching. Simon Peter could have said no because he was too busy. There were many other important things that this hard-working fisherman had to do. Instead, he made his boat and his heart available for Jesus.

There are always many things we can be doing. Homework, chores, and practices fill our daily routine. Most of these things we need to do are necessary and good! When Jesus speaks to our heart, we must be willing to put down our nets like Simon Peter did and make our life available for what Jesus wants from us. Making a difference starts with being available. Like Simon Peter, we let Jesus use what we have to do great things