The Most Powerful Help

 

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

—John 5:1-9

Have you ever tried to do something, but needed some help in doing it? Maybe you wanted a book from a shelf in your room that was higher than you could reach. You stretched and you stretched and you stretched. But, you still could not reach what you wanted to get down. Or, maybe you wanted to put on or take off your snakeskin boots in the wintertime. You tugged and you tugged, and then you tugged some more. But, you still could not get those boots on or off.

When faced with something we cannot do, we most likely yell, “Hey! Can you give me some help?” And, someone answers and comes to help us do whatever we wanted to do, but could not do for ourselves.

In the Bible story at the beginning of this blog post, a man wanted to be healed from some illness that prevented him from moving easily. Jewish tradition had taught hiim to believe that an angel would come and stir up the Pool of Bethesda. If he could somehow get into the pool at the moment the angel stirred up the water, he would be healed. But, he would only be healed if he was the very first person to enter the water.

As the man waits for healing, Jesus comes along. Surprisingly, Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be healed. The man explained that he had no one to help him get into the water. Then Jesus said something that totally surprised the man. Jesus said, “Get up. Pick up your mat and walk.” The Bible tells us that the man was immediately healed.

That day this man learned a very valuable lesson. And, we can learn this lesson, too. The man learned that when he really needed help, all he had to do was ask Jesus.

As we get to know more and more about Jesus, we will also learn that whenever we really need help, all we have to do is ask Jesus. His help is the most powerful, the very best help we can find.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Team Members

 

When he [Judas Iscariot] was gone, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

—John 13:31-35

Have you ever attended a sporting event like a baseball game, a basketball game, a football game, or a soccer match? Have you ever gone to the softball field to watch your own church softball team play? I understand that on the softball field you can learn a great deal about your fellow believers. You should seriously think about attending one of those games.

If you do attend a game, or even if you watch your favorite sports team on television, you can always tell the members of the team by the fact that they all wear the same uniforms. Every one of the players on the team dresses in the same clothes. You can easily identify the team members.

The next time you attend church, look around the sanctuary. Everyone in that room will have dressed in very unique clothes. And yet, almost everyone present has chosen to join the same team. That’s right. Most all of those present belong to the same team. And, the captain of that team is the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, how can we tell when we look at each other that we belong to the same team? In the Bible lesson at the beginning of this blog post, Jesus tells His disciples:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

So, Jesus, Himself, has told us that the way we will know we belong to the same team—the way we will know that we belong to Jesus—comes from the fact that we show love for one another. Showing that we love each other by kind words and kind deeds provides the mark of someone who belongs to Jesus Christ; someone whom we call a Christian, or “Christ’s-one.”

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Given by the Father

 

Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

—John 10:22-30

 

A few years ago, the church I attended at that time held a public community event on the Saturday before Palm Sunday called God’s Garden. The event provided a wide variety of activities and craft projects for families and children that emphasized the true meaning of Easter. The many opportunities to learn more about Jesus and His sacrifice on Calvary’s cruel cross, included one truly wonderful sight. Right there in the church parking lot a pen held some sheep. That’s right. We had sheep in the parking lot! The sheep reminded the families attending the event that Jesus is sometimes called the “Lamb of God.”

One of the really neat things about the sheep occurred whenever the shepherd—who brought them to the church’s parking lot in a trailer pulled by his truck—spoke to them. No matter how much noise teemed around them, whenever the shepherd spoke—even in the most quiet and gentle voice—the sheep stopped whatever they were doing. Immediately the sheep looked up, and turned toward the shepherd, so they could be sure to hear what he was saying. It was a truly amazing thing to watch.

In the Bible story at the beginning of today’s blog post, Jesus tells a crowd that has gathered, asking him to declare whether or not He is the Son of God, that they are not His sheep. He says that He has already answered their question and even done miracles to show them He is God’s Son, but they do not believe.

“You are not my sheep,” Jesus says. Then, He goes on to say, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.”

You know, dear friends, that statement of Jesus presents a wonderful truth. When we belong to Jesus, we hear what He is trying to tell us through His written Word, the Bible. And, we also hear what He is trying to tell us when He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit, in the depths of our hearts and minds.

You see, it’s very simple. We who belong to Jesus—who love Him as our Savior and Lord—need to listen to His voice, follow Him, and do exactly what He asks us to do in His written Word.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Breakfast Meeting

 

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

—John 21:1-19

Do you like to eat breakfast? I really like to eat breakfast. In fact, I truly believe that breakfast is absolutely the best meal of the day. Nothing compares to some scrambled eggs, hot toast, crisp bacon, all topped off with some rich slices of French toast covered with powdered sugar and lots of rich, creamery butter. Yummy! Yum! Yum! Yum! Breakfast—what a wonderful meal!

The Bible story contained in the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post describes a very special breakfast. It tells about a time, a few weeks after the first Easter, when the disciples decided to try to get back to normal after the amazing events of Holy Week. They decided to go fishing.

Now many of the disciples did not fish for recreation. Their careers—prior to leaving everything to follow Jesus—involved serious, commercial fishing. So, they naturally gravitated to fishing when they didn’t know what else to do.

Once they began to fish, an event occurred that repeated a fishing adventure that some of them had experienced a bit more than three years earlier. As they fished, suddenly they began to catch so many fish that their boat began to sink. A few of disciples, I’m quite certain, remembered a fishing trip where Jesus had told them to put down their nets on the other side of the boat. That time they also caught so many fish the boat began to sink.

Just then, they were jolted out of remembering that other fishing trip when they spotted someone standing on the shore. As they got closer, they realized it was Jesus. He had risen from the dead on that first Easter morning. Since that day, He had appeared to them and spoken with them at least twice before. And, here He was again.

Do you know what Jesus said to the disciples? “Come have breakfast,” He said. Then Jesus served them bread and fish.

After breakfast, Jesus and Peter began to talk. Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”

Now, you may wonder why three times. If you think back to the hours just after the Jewish leaders arrested Jesus, Peter had drawn close to where they had set up their interrogation of Jesus. Someone accused Peter of being one of Jesus’ followers and Peter denied it three times. This fulfilled a prophesy that Jesus had given to Peter that before the rooster crowed in the early morning light, Peter would deny Jesus three times. Several weeks later, here’s Jesus asking Peter three times if Peter loves Him.

You may also find it interesting to know that, while we only have one word “love” in the English language, Koine Greek, the language of the New Testament, has four words that in the English language are all translated “love”: agape—God-breathed, unconditional love; phileo—brotherly or familial love, friendship; storge—affection; and eros—passionate (sexual) love with sensual desire and longing. In the Koine Greek language of the New Testament, each of these four words has a very significant difference in the kind of love it intends to describe, compared to our one word for “love” in the English language. In the actual text of the New Testament, only the Koine Greek words agape and phileo appear.

The first time Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, Jesus uses a form of the word agape, or God-breathed love. In other words: “Peter, do you have in your heart the love for me that only God can give you, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit?” Peter responds using a form of the word phileo. In other words: “Lord, you know that I have brotherly love for you.”

The second time Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, Jesus again uses a form of the word agape, or God-breathed love. And again, Peter responds using a form of the word phileo.

The third time Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, Jesus uses a form of the word phileo, just as Peter has used. It’s as if Jesus decides to meet Peter at the place where Peter finds himself.

Although Peter could not honestly declare—at least at this point in his Christian spiritual formation—that he loved Jesus with the God-breathed agape love that Jesus sought, each time Peter did respond emphatically that he loved Jesus in the best way that he currently felt he could. And, each time Jesus asked Peter to “feed my sheep.” Jesus was telling Peter that by serving others in Jesus’ flock of followers, this was how Peter could show Jesus he loved Him.

So, let’s remember this lesson: we can show God we love Him by doing our best to do what He wants us to do. We call this “obedience.” We show our love for Jesus by becoming more and more obedient to His will and to His written Word.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Time to Believe

 

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

—John 20:19-31

One Sunday morning during the morning worship service, when I was about seven-years-old, the pastor of my home church in Bradford, Pennsylvania, called all the children down to the front of the church. We all scampered down the sloping aisles and gathered around him just in front of the altar rail.

“I want to tell you a secret this morning, if you promise not to tell anyone that I told you. Does that sound okay to you? Secrets are kind of fun. We’ll just pretend that all these people sitting here in the congregation can’t hear me talking to you.

“Here’s the secret: this is the most believable time in your life. That’s right. This is the most believable time in your life. The ages that all you children have reached, right now, places you at a time in your life when you are the most likely to believe than you will ever be as you grow older. You see, the older you get, the less you will be willing to believe.”

I remember wondering exactly what point the pastor was making. But, do you know what? I’ve learned that he was right. That period of time when I was a child was the most believable time in my life. As I have grown older, I have learned over and over again that I just can’t trust what other people say. That’s part of the reason that I have become so passionate about seeking out first sources for my information.

Whenever someone, anyone, tells you something, you should ask yourself whether or not that information comes from a “first source.” Often you will discover that you are making quite a few decisions based on second-hand information. Sometimes, information comes to you third-hand, or even tenth-hand. You owe it to yourself, and everyone else, to rely only on information from first sources.

One of the first sources I have learned to trust implicitly rests in God’s written Word, the Bible. I especially find myself drawn to the first-hand accounts of real events recorded in Scripture. The passage at the beginning of this blog post contains one of those first-hand accounts. The Apostle John has written down for us the account of Jesus following His crucifixion.

This Bible passage describes one of Jesus’ disciples, a man named Thomas, who has become famous down through history as a man who was not willing to believe without seeing for himself. After Jesus rose from the grave on Easter morning, Jesus had appeared to the disciples, but for some reason, Thomas was not present. When the other disciples told Thomas that Jesus had appeared to them, Thomas said that he wasn’t going to believe it unless he saw the nail prints in Jesus’ hands and the place in Jesus’ side where the spear of the Roman soldier had pierced Him.

When Jesus appeared to the disciples again, Thomas was present and he got to see exactly those things that he needed to see in order to believe. However, Jesus responded by saying: “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.”

So, if you happen to have children or grandchildren in your life, I want you to promise me that you will strongly encourage them to fully enjoy this “childhood” part of their lives. Tell them to enjoy the fact that, at least for right now, believing is quite easy for them.

And, for your own part, as well as for the sake of your children or grandchildren, never lose sight of the fact that believing what Jesus tells us is true is one of the most important lessons we can learn.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Priority Plan

 

At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will drive out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

—Luke 13:31-35

Do you realize that God has a priority plan for your life? You may think that you’re not a very important person. But, I assure you that to God you have an importance beyond your ability to measure. God loves you with His everlasting love. And, He has a plan for your life that can take priority over every other intervening thought, word, or deed. Still not convinced? Let me illustrate this truth for you:

Have you ever visited a farm? On the farm that you visited did they have chickens? Chickens lead fascinating lives. At some farms, the chickens spend all day in the barnyard walking back and forth, pecking at the ground to pick up kernels of feed. At other farms, the chickens live in wire cages where the farmer brings their food and water to them.

Mother chickens especially lead very fascinating lives. If a mother hen has young chicks, it seems as if she spends most of her time walking around in a circle trying to keep her chicks nearby. She wants to make certain those chicks stay close, so that she can protect them against any harm that might come to them.

Once in a while there will be one or two chicks that just seem to delight in keeping away from their mother hen. Try as she might to gather them to herself, those chicks keep running in the opposite direction.

In the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, Jesus talks about hens gathering their chickens. He says that He has longed to gather those He loves together like a hen gathers her chicks. But, He says, those He loves were not willing to be gathered under the protection of His loving arms.

Sometimes people today are like those chicks that keep running away. Jesus desires to draw all men and women and boys and girls to Himself. But sometimes, people just seem to keep running away from the protection Jesus wants to provide for them, in order to keep them safe from all of the bad things in the world.

The lesson for us is that we can consciously and purposefully give our lives to Jesus. When we do that, He has promised to always be with us. He will keep us safe in the hollow of His Mighty Hand.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Absolute Truth

 

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.

—John 20:1-8

“I was just so surprised!” Have you every heard someone say that: “I was just so surprised”? People usually say words like that when something happens that catches them totally unprepared.

The Bible story recorded in the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post explains that very early on a Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb where the friends of Jesus had buried him late Friday afternoon. She went expecting to have a few quiet moments at the graveside of Jesus. Imagine her surprise when she discovered that the big stone that the Roman government had rolled in front of the entrance to the tomb had moved aside and the tomb was empty! Right away, she ran off to find Peter and John and tell them that someone had moved Jesus’ body.

Upon hearing her news, Peter and John ran to the tomb to see for themselves. They, too, were quite surprised, but in a different way than Mary. You see, Jesus had told them several times that He was going to die and then rise from the dead three days later. As much as Peter and John might have liked to believe what Jesus said, they just couldn’t quite accept the fact that what He said was what was going to happen. So, their surprise was as much about accepting the truth of Jesus’ previously spoken words, as it was surprise that the tomb was empty.

The lesson for all of us is we can believe that whatever Jesus says is absolutely the truth. The Bible gives us many words that Jesus said while He was here on earth. Every word Jesus said is absolutely true. That means that when we read something Jesus said, we can count on the fact that Jesus tells us the absolute truth.

The tomb is empty! It is empty because Jesus said it would be empty. It is empty because after dying for us on the cross and bearing the penalty for our sins, Jesus rose from the grave. He rose just exactly like He said He would.

“The Lord is risen! He is risen, indeed!” Those are not merely the words that we recite to each other on Easter Sunday morning. Those words represent the absolute truth that the God of all creation has sent His precious Son, Jesus, to be the sacrifice for our sins—a sacrifice that we could not possibly make for ourselves. As a result, the curse of Adam’s sin has been broken forever. And, all the more, God has chosen us, before the foundation of the earth, to belong to Himself. He has chosen us!

Not only has God chosen us, He has redeemed us with the blood of His one and only Son. And, if that is not enough, God has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within the very core of our beings. The Spirit takes the four modalities of our human existence—heart, soul, mind, and strength—and supercharges them for service to God and service to our fellow human beings.

When we read something in God’s written Word, the Bible, we can count on the reality that those words are absolutely, irrefutably true. We can follow those words and do what God commands with absolute certainty. Isn’t that a wonderful way to live? Indeed, it is!

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Obeying Jesus

 

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

—Luke 5:1-11

Have you ever gone fishing? Maybe you are currently an ardent fisherman or fisherwoman. Or, maybe you remember going fishing when you were a child. Perhaps your dad or grandpa or one of your uncles, or maybe even your mom and her sisters, your aunts, took you fishing. Fishing can be a really interesting experience.

Sometimes you set your alarm clock so you can get up really early in the morning. Maybe it is still dark outside. You load the car with all the fishing poles and fishing tackle. Maybe you have that special bait box filled with a little bit of dirt and those wonderfully juicy earthworms that the fish like so well.

Then you drive off to the place where you will spend your day fishing. Maybe you get into a boat and row out into the middle of a lake. Or, maybe you just stand along the shore of a lake, or a stream, or a river. You take one of those juicy worms and very carefully put it on your hook. Then you cast your line out into the water and hope for that exciting tug on your line that lets you know a fish has taken the bait.

In Jesus’ time, the fishermen often used large nets. Very early in the morning, even before sunrise, they would row out in their boats onto the Sea of Galilee—also known as the Lake of Gennesaret—and cast their nets over the side. The fish would swim in and fill the nets. The fishermen would hoist the nets full of fish into their boats. Then, they would row for shore.

In the passage of Scripture at the beginning of this blog post, the Apostle Luke records an occasion when the fishermen had been fishing all night, but hadn’t caught any fish. Jesus had been standing on the shore speaking to a crowd of people. As the people pressed in around Him, Jesus asked if the fishermen would give him a ride out a ways from shore, so He could continue speaking to the people. The fishermen complied.

Once He finished speaking, Jesus made an amazing request of them. He asked the fishermen to row out into deep water and lower their nets to catch fish. This request was all the more amazing because it came from a carpenter. Jesus, you may remember, had grown up learning how to be a carpenter from his earthly father, Joseph. So, here was a carpenter telling the fishermen how to catch fish.

On the face of it, Jesus’ request was absurd. Every fisherman on the Sea of Galilee knew that you did not catch fish in deep water. And, every fisherman on the Sea of Galilee knew that you did not catch fish in the middle of the day. To catch fish, you had to begin fishing while it was still dark, just before dawn, and you had to fish in relatively shallow water. But, here was Jesus telling the fishermen to sail out to deep water in the middle of the day, let down their nets, and prepare to catch fish.

Do you know how those fishermen responded to Jesus’ suggestion? You might think that they laughed at Him, maybe even mocked Him. You might think that they would refuse to allow a carpenter to tell them, professional fishermen, how to catch fish. But very wisely, they did exactly what Jesus told them to do. And, do you know what happened? They caught the biggest catch of fish any of them had ever seen.

You see, when we do what Jesus tells us to do, amazing things will happen. That is a lesson worth learning. When we obey what Jesus tells us in His written Word, the Bible, amazing things can happen in our lives.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Reacting to Words

 

All spoke well of him [Jesus] and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’” “I tell you the truth,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

—Luke 4:22-30

In the last blog post, I suggested that “The words we say have great power.” I gave the illustration of telling someone how happy he or she looked and how that would probably make the person feel very good about himself or herself. It really is true that the words we say have great power.

In the Scripture passage at the beginning of today’s blog post, the Apostle Luke describes how the people in Jesus’ hometown reacted when He spoke words of truth that they did not want to hear. When He began to speak, the people thought of Jesus as the carpenter’s son that they knew so well. To them, He was not an educated man. He had no right to give them direction. He had no authority over them. He did not likely even have anything of value to which they should listen. In fact, the more they listened to Jesus, the more angry they became.

Do you know what they did to Jesus? They chased Him out of the synagogue, down the street, and out to the edge of town. Can you imagine that? These people did not want to hear the truth that Jesus was telling them. So, instead of confronting the truth, they tried to get rid of the person telling them the truth.

Do you see what happened in this case? Jesus’ words had great power. He spoke the truth and the harsh reality of that truth caused the people hearing Jesus’ words to drive Him out of town. It is important for us to understand that even today, or maybe I should say, “especially today,” these words that Jesus preached have great power.

In fact, truth always has great power. We must constantly be on our guard for anyone who wants to suppress the truth. Whenever we encounter someone—or a group of someones—who wants to suppress the truth, we must take notice and remain very wary. No one who has pure motives ever wants to suppress the truth. Particularly, we must not follow anyone who wants to hide the truth. Instead, we must follow Jesus. His words are truth, and they have great power.

As we grow closer to God through our daily walk with Him, and as we learn more and more about our magnificent Savior, we are going to come to understand that His words can have great power in our own lives. Jesus’ words can be released to empower our service to the Kingdom of God through the enabling of the Holy Spirit. The truth of Jesus’ words can literally set us free from sin, death, and Satan.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Words Have Great Power

 

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

—Luke 4:14-21

The words we say to each other have great power. If I met you walking along a hallway at work and I say to you: “You look very happy today.” Those words will probably make you feel good about yourself. If I say to you: “I really appreciated the stand you took in the meeting this morning. You made several really important observations.” Those words will most likely give you a good feeling inside, as well. Words have great power.

Likewise, if I speak to you in a harsh tone. Or, if I say something to you that has a biting sting to it. Or, when I speak to you, if I accuse you of bad behavior. You will likely not feel very good about yourself. And, you will likely feel very bad about me. Words have great power.

The Scripture text at the beginning of this blog post tells the story of the time when Jesus preached in the synagogue of his home town and used very powerful words. Jesus chose to read a passage of Scripture to the congregation that outlined the ministry He would have. He told them that He had come to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, the recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, and to declare the year of the Lord’s favor.

These words that Jesus preached had great power that day in the synagogue. We must remember that to His fellow townspeople, Jesus was just the son of a carpenter. He wasn’t anyone special. Imagine their surprise to hear such words from someone those folks thought of as just another ordinary person from their town. Jesus’ words shocked and amazed them. The people were overwhelmed by the power of His words. And, the exciting thing is that Jesus’ words still have great power today.

As we grow closer to God, and as we learn more and more about Jesus, we will come to understand that His words can have great power in our own lives, too. The truth of Jesus words can literally set us free from the power of sin, death, and Satan.

That’s why it’s important to spend time each day reading our Bibles. The more we read Jesus’ words, the more the Holy Spirit will plant those words deep into our hearts and minds. The more that Jesus’ words live in our hearts and minds, the more that what He has to say will guide us along the pathway of our lives. The more we respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the more the words we say can help, heal, encourage, and strengthen those who hear what we say. Words have great power.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Purposeful Living

 

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

—John 2:1-11

Have you ever watched a person build something? Maybe you’ve watched someone in your neighborhood remodel part of a house. Or, maybe you’ve seen construction workers building a new house, or working on a new office building around the corner from where you live.

It’s fun to watch people build things. Every time we pass the location where construction is going on, we can see something new happening. It is kind of exciting and lots of fun to watch a new building being built.

It’s fun to watch people build things in factories, too. Maybe you’ve visited a factory and watched the workers build something. It’s fun to watch how they start out with very little and add more and more pieces until whatever they are building takes shape.

Out in Appleton, Wisconsin there is a company called Pierce Manufacturing Company. Do you know what they make at that factory? They make fire engines and fire trucks.

When you were a youngster, did you have a fascination with fire engines and fire trucks? Most kids love to visit their local fire house. By the way, do you know what the difference is between a “fire engine” and a “fire truck”? A fire engine carries hose and pumps water. A fire truck carries ladders and tools. Each type of fire apparatus serves a specific purpose.

When you watch a fire engine being built, it is quite a neat experience. You watch them start with a heavy metal frame, add the water tank, and then build all the metal compartments. You can see them place the diesel engine on the frame and mount the pump. Every part of the fire engine goes in a specific place on the vehicle and serves a particular purpose.

When they are almost finished building the fire engine, what do you suppose is one of the last things they do? They paint it. And, what color do you suppose almost every fire engine gets painted? That’s right. They paint it red. Long ago someone decided that the color “red” represented the color of flames and helps warn people of danger. The people who choose to paint the fire engine red do so for a purpose.

The Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post from the Gospel of John tells the story of Jesus attending a wedding at Cana. This is a really interesting story where Jesus performs an amazing miracle: He turns ordinary water into wine. Jesus did this miracle for a purpose. He acted deliberately.

God wants us to do things on purpose. In fact, there are a number of purposeful things God wants us to do every day. He wants us to spend time reading the Bible because it’s the way He chooses to communicate with us. Likewise, He wants us to communicate with Him by talking to Him in prayer.

God also wants us, purposefully, to always tell the truth. He wants us to purposefully verify information we receive from first sources. When someone tells us something—even when that person is an authority figure—we need to verify that what we’re being told is the truth and contains the full and complete details of the particular situation.

God wants us to show His agape love to others. God wants us to treat other people with kindness. He wants us to extend His mercy and grace to everyone who crosses our pathway. He wants us to give generously of our time, talent, and treasure. And, God wants us to become keenly aware of the leading of His Holy Spirit in our daily lives.

Many years ago, I first heard the following poem by Helen Kromer during a performance of the musical drama For Heaven’s Sake ¹ at my beloved Alma Mater, Houghton University. It sums up well what it means to live life on purpose:

A drop in the bucket is only a drop,
A minor and moist detail;
For a drop can’t change the color or taste
Of a ten-quart watering pail.

But if the drop has the color of love
And the taste of tears divine,
One drop, dropped into the vessel of life,
Can turn the water to wine.

You see, as we learn more about God, He wants us to come to understand that He wants all of us to live every aspect of our daily lives with purpose.

 

______________________

1 Kromer, Helen (lyrics) and Silver, Frederick (music). For Heaven’s Sake. Boston: Baker Plays, 1961 and 1963. Please note that, in each case, whenever a citation of any Copyrighted material is made within a post on this blog, such a citation is made strictly for Educational Fair Use illustration purposes only. All Rights Reserved by the original Copyright Holder.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Showing Love

 

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

—Matthew 25:31-40

“Love” can sometimes seem like a hard thing to talk about. If I cup my hands together and hold them up high, I could tell you that I am holding some “love” in my hands. But, because you can’t see “love” the same way you can see one of your most prized possessions, you can’t really tell whether I have “love” in my hands or not.

But, do you know what? We actually can see “love” every day. That’s right. Every single day, each one of us sees examples of “love.”

Last night, or early this morning, when we finished our bath or shower and grabbed a nice soft towel to dry off with, did we realize, when someone washed that towel and placed it there for us to use, that was an example of “love”?

This morning, when someone made a nice breakfast for us, did we realize that was an example of “love?” Even if we did these things for ourselves, they were acts of “love.”

When we attended church this last weekend, and we sat down in a freshly dusted pew or chair, or walked along the hall with a nice clean floor, the fact that one of our church’s staff members, or maybe a volunteer, had carefully cleaned the church so we could worship there, that was an example of “love.”

Everywhere we look, we can see examples of people’s “love” for us. Every act of kindness, every carefully prepared meal, every single thing anyone does for us that helps us, these acts all show us “love.”

Likewise, if we have an opportunity to do something for someone and decide not to do it, that decision keeps us from showing “love.” When someone asks us to do something and we decide not to do it, in that moment at least, we decide not to show “love.”

Now in many cases, it may seem that showing “love” is really hard. But, all we have to do to show “love” is to do whatever another person asks us to do. So, showing “love” really isn’t that hard at all.

God has shown His love for us, by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be our Savior. God expects us to show Him our love, by obediently giving our “love” to others. When we say a kind word to someone, we show them our love and God’s agape love, too. When we help someone, we show them our love and God’s agape love. When we gladly do what someone asks us to do, we show them our love and God’s agape love.

So, the lesson for today is that God expects us to show Him our love, by showing His agape love to others. Now, let’s go out into this new day and do so.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Importance of Prayer

 

Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

—James 5:13-18

I am fairly certain that every one of us knows at least a little bit about “praying.” We all tend to think of prayer in terms of a quick shout toward heaven whenever we get into a jam. We shouldn’t feel badly about that. God certainly understands that sometimes we only seem to want to talk to Him when we’re in some kind of trouble.

But, the truth is that prayer forms an important foundation for our daily walk of obedience with God. He wants us to learn what He expects by reading our Bible. He also wants to listen to what we have to say through prayer. And, in the quietness of time spent communing with Him, He will often give us a sense of the path He wants us to take for that day.

Whenever we take time to pray, the Holy Spirit—who dwells within the hearts and minds of everyone who believes that God has given us the gift of salvation from our sins through His precious Son, Jesus—nudges us forward in our walk with God. The Holy Spirit lays out the pathway of Christian spiritual formation before us. He encourages us to follow that pathway. He empowers us to move ever forward, in a walk that leads to holiness. The Holy Spirit uses our times of prayer to teach us the way of trust and faith in the God who loves us with His unfailing, undying love.

If we were fortunate enough to be raised in a Christian home, we likely learned about prayer when we were quite young. For most of our young lives, our moms and dads, or grandmas and grandpas, or our uncles and aunts, taught us about prayer. We watched these dear ones pray. We heard the content of their prayers. We observed the importance that they placed on the role that prayer played in their lives.

When it was time for meals, we were taught to bow our heads and thank God that He had provided the food that we were about to eat. When it was time to go to sleep at night, our moms and dads tucked us into our beds and took time to pray with us, or to listen as we prayed.

In our bedtime prayers we probably thanked God for the day He had given us. We probably thanked God for our moms, our dads, our brothers and sisters, and our grandparents. Maybe we even thanked God for our uncles, aunts, and cousins. We probably asked God to keep us safe through the night. Then, there may have been some other special requests that our moms and dads helped us include in our prayer.

As we grew older, we learned that prayer is a very, very important part of our relationship with God. It’s our opportunity to talk with Him and tell Him what’s on our minds. It’s a time when we can tell Him our deepest feelings. It’s a time when we can tell Him the things that make us worry, or anxious, or feel sad. It’s a time when we can tell Him the things that make us happy or feel joyful. It’s a time when we can express to God the deepest needs that we have in our minds and hearts.

When we pray, it’s a time for us to tell God how much He means to us, how much we love Him, how grateful we are for His Son, Jesus, and how very much we appreciate the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And, most of all, it’s a time when we can ask Him to help us do the things that the Bible tells us He wants us to do.

Even if you did not grow up in a Christ-honoring home and came to know Jesus after you had grown, you certainly have learned—and continue to learn—the enormous value of prayer.

So, what I want us to remember about our time together this day, through this blog post, is that prayer must always remain a very, very important part of our relationship with God. He uses prayer in a very powerful way in our lives. Okay?

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A New-Creation Gathering

 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

—2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Have you ever wondered why we go to church each weekend? If I were to ask each one of you why you will be in church this weekend, most of you would probably answer, “Because it’s just what I do.”

Maybe your mom or dad started bringing you to church when you were a little child. Or, maybe you discovered church as a teenager, or as a college student, or even as a mid-life adult. Whatever circumstances started you connecting with church, you’re still attending.

This weekend, if you look out over the group of people in the sanctuary of your church, you might wonder: “Why are they all here today?” I mean, look at them. You will see some young people. You will see some students in middle school or high school. You will see some college students. You will see some young adults. You will see some adults in the middle portion of their lives. And, you will see some older people. You will see a whole room full of people who, for some reason, decided to come together for worship.

Thinking about why we come to church cuts right to the heart of what our church and our worship are both all about. It gets right to the very most basic truth of all that the Bible has to say. It sets aside all of the frills and fancy stuff, and deals with the complete and unadorned truth.

And, do you know what that truth is? The whole reason why every one you see has gathered in worship, the whole reason why we even have churches, is that: “Jesus loves us, this we know, for the Bible tells us so!”

That simple truth is what drives the whole of the Christian faith. Our response to this simple, yet very important, truth is why we gather for worship.

The fact is that, in the Garden of Eden, Adam broke the relationship he had with God by disobeying God’s one commandment. As a result, the curse of that sin has fallen on all of us, down through the ages, right to this present day.

But, the wonderful part of the story is that God—in His mercy, love, and grace, through the sacrifice of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, on the cross of Calvary—has paid the penalty for our sin and restored us to fellowship with Him. This wonderful love of Jesus has brought us back into fellowship with God, both now and for all eternity.

So, when we gather to worship God, we do so as a people who have been given a magnificent gift—the gift of new life through Jesus Christ. And, that is truly a reason to celebrate—to worship—the One who has given us this great gift.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

We Gather Together

 

Those who accepted his [Peter’s] message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

—Acts 2:41-47

Are you one of those individuals who especially has fun when you meet with your friends? Oh, it’s okay to do things by yourself. Sometimes, it’s truly enjoyable just to be by yourself and do what you want to do without anyone else being around. But, I am willing to suggest that the most fun you have takes place when you gather with other people and you all undertake an activity together. There is something energizing to listen to what other people say, to observe what they do, to laugh together, to see the world through the eyes of your friends. Even someone like me, a dedicated introvert with very poor social skills, who often feels extremely uncomfortable in social gatherings, experiences some vicarious positive vibrations on those rare occasions when I participate in some activity with my friends.

When we do get together with other people, we also notice how much more fun it is when we engage in some activity that involves all of those present at the same time. It may be sort of fun to be in a room with our friends where each person is doing his or her own thing. But, the really fun times occur when all of the people present gather around and do something that includes every, single person. There is a bonding that takes place. A shared experience produces a sense of oneness that generally cannot be achieved in any other way.

There is just something about being together, doing the same thing, at the same time, for the same purpose, that brings a great deal of joy and excitement. All of our differences seem to take a backseat when we participate in a shared activity.

In the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, found in the Acts 2:41-47, the Bible tells us that the early church was just like the situation I’ve been describing. There is no doubt that each one of the early Christians set aside time to be alone with the Lord for prayer and meditation. During those times alone, each Christian was able to concentrate on what God was doing in his or her life, and express praise and thanksgiving to God in prayer for who He is and for what He has done for that one.

But, the really exciting times came when the Christians would all gather together. As a group of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Christians had a special bond with each other that made their times together exciting, spiritually electric, and very fulfilling.

The Bible teaches us that this is exactly what God intends for His people. He intends for them to have the greatest sense of joy, the greatest effectiveness in doing His work, and the greatest expression of His Power within them, when they gather together and devote themselves to a single purpose.

That is really what the Sunday worship service at our churches should be all about. We experience the excitement of God’s Presence in our midst. And, we want to have the joy of the fellowship that we can have with each other. Each one of us is a part of this gathering at our churches. The fact that each of us is present for worship helps everyone else experience the kind of joy that God wants all of us to experience when we gather together to worship Him.

The next time we consider substituting some other activity for our time of worshipping God together, let’s remember that when we do so, we affect ourselves and we affect our brothers and sisters in Christ. We belong together. We should revere the time that God has given us to gather in His presence for worship, praise, and prayer. Above all else, we should value the relationships formed during this special time.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}