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 Contents

He Gave The Word John 1 5

It’s WHO You Know John 2 8
I’m Loved John 3 11
What A Woman ! John 4 15
Is God Nuts ? John 5 18
That Amazing Andrew John 6 21
Dynamic Or Dynamite John 7 24
Freedom ! John 8 28
On Cloud Niner John 9 30
Kids Love Him John 10 32
Raindrops Or Teardrops? John 11 35
…LIFE death LIFE… John 12 38
Forever Happy Feet John 13 41
The Only WTL John 14 44
Garden Glory John 15 48
Steel Yourself ! John 16 52
Knowing God John 17 54
The Night John 18 56
“IT IS FINISHED” !!!!!!!!!!!! John 19 58
The Reason To Live John 20 61
All We Need Is ___ John 21 64
 Foreword
You can meet God. I mean, without dying.
First step: ya gotta listen.

I know, we can’t hook our finger in his belt

loop, shake His hand, take in a Big Game, or
whatever together. But, He talks to us all the
time in a million ways…through a baby’s eyes,
a toddler’s laugh, a teen’s energy, a graduate’s
first job, a bride’s happy tears, (a runaway
groom who came back), etc.

The Bible tells us that God created the universe

by speaking; (Genesis chapters 1-2). Finally,
21st century astrophysics tells us the same
thing, that the universe “exploded” into exis-
tence. THANK YOU, modern scientists; glad
you’re awake!

God created the universe long ago, but He’s

not loafing around. He’s re-creating;
(Ephesians 2:8-10). He does it through the
written word and the living Word.
3
Question: COULD YOU READ THE BIBLE
FIVE MINUTES A DAY ? It might be the
hardest thing you’ve ever done, simply
because it’s war out there. The enemy knows
where the power is at.

After that initial reading in God’s Word

(starting at John chapter 1), go ahead and
check out my feeble comments in this tiny
book for that chapter. 21 chapters in all.
21 days.

But, you’ll forget 95% by the next day. How

about having a notebook and pen nearby to
record those gems! Then you could write
something down each day, if only one word.
Maybe a verse that infuses or confuses you.
Maybe a prayer need. Make sure to date it.

Then watch God work. He will.

~ bob mulloy

4
 He Gave The Word
Please read John chapter 1, especially verses 1-5
and 9-14.

Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates were world class

wordsmiths. Their brilliance dazzled minds in
ancient Greece when sterling eloquence was
everything. 2000 years ago, if you were
Greek, you spoke the international language.
Nowadays, if you’re a Geek….you speak
computer languages! (sorry).

The New Testament was written in Greek.

Embrace the gospel in your heart language
and you’ll meet God. The first three verses
of chapter one introduce Christ as “the Word”
(Gk. “logos”). God’s logic!

In this chapter one, the Spirit choreographs

Jesus as eternal, divine, creator, the source of
life, the light of men, the true light, dispenser
of eternal privileges as children of God, full of
grace and truth, the Lamb of God, Rabbi,
5
Messiah (“Isa Almasih” in Arabic), Jesus of
Nazareth, son of Joseph, King of Israel, Son
of Man, and much, much more! Believers
will see videos on this for billions of years,
but for now we just get snapshots.

Verse 9. Immanuel is inclusive: eternal Jesus

has given “light” to every red-blooded human
being (pretty much everybody). The Word
incarnate has spoken to everyone’s heart.
Some respond; others don’t. All humanity
has “been given one blessing after an-
other” (vs. 16), having been made in the im-
age and likeness of this God-man. Some peo-
ple live in thanksgiving for those blessings;
others don’t.

Andrew did. He was one of the first two peo-

ple that Jesus picked out. What was his re-
sponse? “The first thing Andrew did was to
find his brother...” (verse 41). Peter was lost,
but Andrew brought him to Jesus, which
changed everything.

6
Not everyone can be President, CEO, MVP, etc.
But everyone can be wise like Andrew, putting
investments where you plan to spend eternity.
It’s Who we know personally that determines
who we become forever.

PRAYER: Lord, I’m in a war. I’ve GOT TO

WIN against the darkness. HELP!

Please don’t race through this book.

When you do this 21-day tour, you’ll find sign-

post treasures every day along the way. And,
the President of the universe will have some
surprises for you, including love, joy, peace…
things that you can’t pick up at Walmart.

Questions:
1. You got pen and paper?
2. Did you read the Word at least five min today?
3. Are you desperate for a miracle? If so, read on.

7
 It’s WHO You Know
Please read John chapter 2, especially verses 1-9.

“Indescribably delicious! This wine is so

sweeeeeeet. Who made it?” asked the wed-
ding host ‘n hostess, bride ’n groom. Nobody
had a clue, except for the servants; they knew;
verse 9.

Twenty minutes earlier, they were ordered to

bring out more wine. HELP! It already was
“out”. What to do? You can’t get new brew
from California raisins! Some of the servants
probably groaned, “I don’t know where my
next meal is coming from if I lose this job.
We need a miracle now! ”

Thankfully, Jesus was there. He spoke and…

Voila! No magic, no tricks, just the power of
God. Water morphed to wine. The servants
knew Who did it.

You don’t let a man like that walk away.

8
You follow Him because no one else in the
universe is worthy of your allegiance.
Besides, the world is scary sometimes.

Some of those servants followed Jesus to

Jerusalem, saw more miracles and believed;
(verse 23). They couldn’t deny the empirical
evidence of the God-man. The best perk: He
loved them!

Sorry to say, we anthropoids are a little out to

lunch; (with no water or wine). We innocu-
ously coast, and soon are out to sea. The
enemy of life says: if it feels good, do it.
We’re duped, and we do it. Ashes, ashes, we
all fall down.

But we’re still alive, so let’s learn together!

Let’s learn from the Chinese pictogram for
“crisis”. It has two components: danger and
opportunity. In the heartaches of life, the
DANGER is to wimp out or check out. Don’t
do that. Instead, use the OPPORTUNITY to
let God in.
9
“I am standing and knocking at your door. If
you hear my voice and open the door, I will
come in…” is the solid rock promise of the
King of kings; Revelation 3:20. As long as
you’re breathing, He’ll keep knocking. GOD
LOVES YOU !

Don’t track that beautiful bride and glassy-

eyed groom who welcomed all the guests
except the Guest.

Let’s follow the servants’ example. Their

crisis was not their Waterloo, because they let
Jesus do what they couldn’t do. It’s Who you
know, intimately.

Questions:
1. Who do you know and respect intimately?
2. Do you know Christ? What difference does
that make?

10
 I’m Loved
Please read John chapter 3, especially verses 1-16.

“Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god…”

We hear it ad infinitum. Some people have
so many! Hinduism has over 300 million.

Who is GOD? Where is GOD? We may

empirically seek and find, doing so with an
open heart and mind. Actually, we MUST.
But first, a reminder about gravity. A fool
denied this law all his life, until one day he
went skydiving without a parachute. Ouch.

Then there was the college professor who

worshipped daily at the idol of tolerance, sanc-
tioned witchcraft sacrifices and demonic dirt-
balls, but denied God and all absolutes.
Freshman: “Do you mean that everything is
relative and nothing is absolute?”,
Prof (screaming): “Absolutely!”
(oops)

11
I like Valentine’s Day, but it was pretty iffy
as a teen. I held my breath all day, hoping
nobody would notice. At age 14, I went to
live at a high school monastery for four years
with a hundred guys; no girls. Valentine’s
day was a non-event there; (I hope). At age
20 I began to read God’s word. In page after
page He kept saying the same thing: “I LOVE
YOU”. He backs it up objectively.

The subjective experience comes next, in the

lab of life, BELIEVING (John 3:16) and
THEN SEEING that God’s love that is
ABSOLUTELY pure, strong, wise, and
inclusive. Everybody’s invited to this party
today, tomorrow, every day that the sun
‘comes up’, and then FOREVER in God’s
family. He loves you and me, just as we are;
(sniff, sniff).

He also loves us too much to leave us as we

are since there are a few hundred things that
need tweaking in you and me; (that hurt).

12
Thankfully, He’s on call to ‘fix stuff’
whenever we’re ready to enjoy the “life” of
John 3:16 which is qualitative, not quantita-
tive. It’s astounding, even at those embryonic
first hours of Scripture reading, to hear the
Creator say “I love you. Let’s walk together”.

Have you ever noticed the narcissism of

humanity? In industry, for example, we revel
in our genius of Quality Control, as if it’s our
idea! We’re tiny specks on a golf ball. But
we are specks! At the least, we are mirror
reflections of a brilliant Creator who, for
example, made the sun, moon and “…also
made the stars”, (Genesis 1:16c) incidentally,
numbering 3,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
stars in the observable universe which
is much smaller than the UNobservable part
of the universe.

The Bible teaches that God “spoke” the

universe into existence. He did it with His
fingertips; Psalm 8:3. Creation was painless.

13
Redemption was gut-wrenching. In predictive
imagery, the prophet Isaiah’s 53rd chapter
describes the sacrificial Lamb.

That heart-wrenching, back-breaking, hercu-

lean, humongous job got done only because
the ALMIGHTY God of the Universe rolled
up His sleeves and used every ounce of
strength imaginable.

Comment:
The same God loves you. He’s all you need .

14
 What A Woman !
Please read John chapter 4, especially verses 1-15.

This woman was fearless. That sometimes

cooked her goose, but not today. She met Jesus.

Then she introduced Him to everybody else,

including her five former hubbies; verse 30.
(You thought Hollywood hobos were bad!)
None of “the twelve” disciples had that much
success their first day on the job. We don’t
even know her name. Yet.

She was notorious, and any NEWS FLASH

about her mega-morph would draw bigger
crowds than sky-high freaks at Woodstock.
But, James and John (“sons of thunder”),
Peter and the guys weren’t wallflowers either.

What was it about her that made her READY

for “living water” (verses 10-15)? She was
tired. She was also perceptive; she knew Jesus
was radically different than the religious “good
old boys”.
15
But she wanted to debate Jesus first. She lost
(we all do). For example, Muslim adherents
are logically correct in believing there is no
way almighty God would have allowed Jesus
to die on the cross. He was a good man, a
great prophet. It was Judas Iscariot who died
on the cross as a just punishment for his evil
in selling Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. We
must agree with this flawless rationale of one
billion neighbors. Our response? Mercy tri-
umphs over judgment. Jesus could have ran
from the cross, but He ran to it. He started
and finished His work in three short years.
That’s all He needed to show us how to live,
and how to die. In His death, he killed no
one, but made everyone “save-able”.

God is wise enough and strong enough to

have devised an easy alternate to dying for
thankless humanity. NO WAY I WOULD
GIVE MY SON OR DAUGHTER to die for
anybody. No way I would wash somebody’s
feet, knowing he would betray me a few hours
later.

16
God could have found an easy way, but He
chose the most convincing way: you can trust
the Person who died for you. But this is just a
premise until we receive Him as propitiator.

The woman at the well was never thirsty again;

verse 14. Jesus taught her to worship; verses
23-24. This included living to love. She also
learned to live in complete confidence, unlike
the somber Sadducees (sad, you see), who
didn’t believe God could do anything.

Jesus also taught her to worship in truth. He

became her Emancipation Proclamator, freeing
her from all human hells. She was ecstatic at
this Light in the darkness, never again to hug
half-truths or hang with downright diabolics.
(Yup, deceivers are going down, big time.
Check out Revelation 20:7-10 for the final
core.)
Question:
If you were that woman, what would you have
done?

17
 Is God Nuts?
Please read John chapter 5, especially verses 19-25.

A carpenter claims to be God over 65 times in

the 47 verses of this chapter.

Jesus used the pronouns “I”, “me”, and “my”

35 times, making LITERAL reference to his
deity. In addition, He makes FIGURATIVE
reference 30 times to his deity. What’s your
take on that??? I already know.

By sworn allegiance, you’re already bondserv-

ing” joyfully (Exodus 21:1-6) Jesus Christ, and
will do so forever. You hear his voice, and
gladly follow, because your ears are pierced.

Or, by indecision, religion, or indignation,

you’ve relegated His claims as God to be a
boldface liar’s deception or a bouncing
lunatic’s delusion. There’s no middle ground.

18
Verse 34. “I don’t depend on what people say
about me” said Jesus. He rejected any and all
attempts of his “fans” for a run at the
Presidency. Why? Because His purpose was
eternal, not ephemeral.

Jesus did miracles everyday, exemplified in

this chapter, instantaneously healing an inva-
lid who had suffered 38 years; verses 1-13.

Unfortunately, the religious elite of the day

were so earthly-minded they weren’t any
heavenly-good. They wanted to kill Jesus;
verse 11. Why? Because He spoke the truth
about them. The whole world had gone after
Jesus, not them.

Piety’s proponents should be glad that God

came to earth, loving everybody, raising the
dead, giving sight to the blind, freeing the
demonized, etc.

19
But most folks aren’t glad. They prefer profits
to prophets, and certainly not the Creator of
heaven and earth. He’s bad for business.
Jesus was undaunted. He is unconditionally
committed to imperfect people; John 5:24.

Put your ear to his heart, and with each beat

you’ll hear I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU,
I LOVE YOU.

Questions:
1. If you say Jesus was a great prophet
(HUMAN, not divine), how could he be a
true prophet of the true God if he accepted
worship? Wouldn’t that make him an ego-
maniac, or at least a false prophet, or liar ?
2. Jesus claimed to be God, as do many schizo-
phrenic people. If you say Jesus was a
great teacher (HUMAN, not divine), but
neither God nor a pathological liar, you must
logically conclude that Jesus is a lunatic.
Are you crazy enough to do that?

20
 That Amazing Andrew
Please read John chapter 6, especially verses 1-21.

What do you do if your brother is big Peter?

Who knows (going back a bit) what Andrew’s
reaction was as he saw Peter, from day one, and
onward. Maybe it was like the school girl who
wrote this letter to Heaven:

Dear God,
Thank you for the baby brother, but what I prayed
for was a puppy. ~ Joyce

Verses 5-13. 5000+ people needed a miracle

meal. Andrew stepped up and they all got one!

Andrew had walked with Jesus for several

months already (maybe a year?) and had seen
Him do miracles that only God can do. He was
close to Jesus.

Andrew didn’t just hang around Jesus. He

HUNG with Jesus.

21
I heard a radio DJ “grilling” a pastor recently.
The woman reporter was degrading him, as
one of his church’s teenagers had just killed
three people. The pastor’s response was:
“These are extremely difficult days for those
families and for us. We are all in shock, and
have wept and prayed much today. We have
no where to go but God. This is all we can
do, but this is also the best we can do.”

I’ve got an awesome nephew named Andrew.

God has big plans for him too… maybe one
day becoming an awesome servant of the
Savior, just like his dad.

There’s no higher calling.

Questions:
1. In your times of crisis, what do you do?
2. Do you have someone like Andrew in your
life? If not, it’s probably time to ask for one?

22
 John 6:35

“I am the bread that gives life!

No one who comes to Me

will ever be hungry.

No one who has faith in Me

will ever be thirsty.”

JESUS

23
 Dynamic Or Dynamite
Please read John chapter 7, especially verses 17-
18 and 37-39.

You get to choose. Engage in dynamic

relationship with the Lover of your soul,
Almighty God. No regrets, ever. OR,
continued slavery to the enemy of your soul,
with the only shred of purpose (per the
Scumbag) being to end well by dynamiting
somebody.

Those were the only two choices if you lived

in Palestine in 33 A.D. John chapter 7 is the
volatile drama of the Feast of Tabernacles
that year. For Jesus, it was a roller-coaster
week: rejection (by family and community),
teaching the Word, being branded as demon
possessed, being subject to murderous mobs,
seeing many come to faith, more teaching,
more rejection and danger.

24
Karl Marx was right about one thing. When
denigrating religion, he was correct in seeing
religion as opiate. Yet he failed in not seeing
that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Though he castigated artists and thinkers,
his communism in actuality simply bred a
different type of elite. In reality, society’s
hierarchy is typically and hopelessly inflated
by egotism. Such was the noxious narcissism
of “religion” in first century Palestine. They
gladly nailed their King.

Verse 17. Jesus told pretenders that they

could know God’s truth, if they would be
willing to live it. They weren’t willing. They
didn’t want Heaven’s banquet. They enjoyed
dumpster delights.

Verse 20. We get a clearer but sadder look at

those religion leaders. They couldn’t win the
debate against Jesus. So, they simply accused
Him of being a demoniac. When they saw
honest seekers believing in Him, these new
believers were labeled as deceived; verse 47.
25
When a man of integrity (Nicodemus) ap-
pealed to the due process of law, he was
mocked as lawless; verse 52.

Verse 37. “JESUS STOOD UP AND

SHOUTED: ‘If you are thirsty, come to me
and drink!’” He’s not sitting around. He’s
standing, knocking at your door.

Marx correctly criminalized religionists as

pimps and parasites. Without a dynamic
relationship with the risen Christ, all you get
is decadent dominion. It anesthetizes, at best.
At its worst, it annihilates.

Will pompous mankind someday totally

vaporize everybody, or just the aged, the
handicapped, the poor? It doesn’t have to be
that way.

The Almighty has provided Life for those

who will humbly receive. THEN you have
something priceless to share all the time with
anyone.
26
Verse 38. Jesus says: “Have faith in me, and
you will have life-giving water flowing from
deep inside you, just as the Scriptures say”.

Incredible ! This WELL will never run dry.

Questions:
1. Have you chosen life over death?
2. Have you tasted the living water? Is it good
enough to share with someone else? Let’s
do it !

27
 Freedom !
Please read John chapter 8, especially verses 32-36.

Jesus was homeless, in the sense of not having

a permanent address in this passing world.
Verse 1. Everyone went to his home, but
Jesus went to the mountains.

But Jesus was “at home” with his Father all the
time. That’s the source of freedom. NOT
religion, but relationship with the living God.

Jesus lived in that dynamic liberty, despite any

and all challenges. The truth frees.

To the degree that we neglect Life, we may be

Mardi Gras party animals par exuberance, but
will remain wallflowers and clueless forever.

Verse 32. The big IF. We must hold to His

teaching, but that’s IMPOSSIBLE if He’s not
holding us. If He’s not living in us, by His
Spirit, no way He can work through us.
28
That’s why, back in John 1:12, we’re invited
to “receive” Jesus personally. Anybody can
“believe”, something even demons can do,
according to James 2:19. They can ‘believe’
and dynamite at the same time!

That’s why, back in John 3:3, Jesus said “I tell

you for certain that YOU MUST BE BORN
FROM ABOVE BEFORE YOU CAN SEE
THE KINGDOM OF GOD.” If we’re not “born
from above” how could we ever “hold” onto
something from above? We’d keep dropping it.

Many people “believed” when it was convenient,

when free food was abundant. But, it looks like
many had build their house on the sand;
(Matthew 7: 24-29).

Questions:
1. What does freedom mean to you?
2. Do you have freedom in Christ? How could
you say that?

29
 On Cloud Niner
Please read John chapter 9, especially verses 35-41.

The light of the body is the eye. For that

reason, some people didn’t know that this
guy was the former blind man: they’d never
been able to look into his eyes!

Having dual blindness (body and soul) is

reversible, by Jesus.

But it’s tough, even for God, if you’re

religious. He healed the man whose eyes
were blind, but couldn’t heal the men whose
heart was hard. Jesus said, “ When your
eyes are bad, everything is dark. If the light
inside you is dark, you surely are in dark ”
Matt. 6:23.

Verse 24. The temple leaders were lucid.

They said, “We KNOW that Jesus is a sinner”.

30
Let’s call this ’former’ blind man “On Cloud
Niner” because he probably yelled out “I can
see… I can see”, when Jesus opened his eyes,
then promptly hijacked the nearest Naboo
Starfighter and went on the highest joyride in
history. (light hyperbole).

Verse 25. In the second interrogation session,

when the bosses were still lounging in their
legalities, “Niner” spelled it out: “All I know
is that I used to be blind, but now I can see!”

We need to be like Niner. We don’t need

much to be forever safe: we just need to see.
We need to move to Light Street.

Question:

“Niner” got a miracle. Did you get yours?

Jesus said: “Heaven and earth will pass away,

but my words will never pass away.”

We’ve got to stay in the book.

31
 Kids Love Him
Please read John chapter 10, especially verses 1-11.

When truckers are in trouble (lost, famished,

falling asleep at the wheel) but are ‘saved’
just in time, they transmit “That’s a big 10:4.”

John 10:4 is bigger. It comes with Eternity

Warranty. But, it’s useless, UNLESS we
confess that we are homeless, hopeless, and
helpless. We’re lost sheep, blind, deaf, and
dumb, harassed by enemies on every side,
especially “inside.” It’s really bad when some-
body yells to you saying “Hi, FRUITCAKE”,
and you answer “Lo, NUTMEG.” (sorry)

We’re collective wackos, mired and marooned

in mediocrity, light-years from where we
wanna be, and desperate for miraculous
metamorphosis because we know nothing else
will work. No problem; 2 Corinthians 5:17.

32
When we begin to see our sin and run to the
Shepherd, we live. “When he has led out all of
his sheep, he walks in front of them…” (verse
4). If all hell breaks loose, so what! We’re
adopted by the Almighty.

The eristic rationalist mocks only himself

when he epithets “there is no God”, but a fool
is worse. A fool incarnates “NO, God.”

Don’t do that. Jesus is the Shepherd. All we

have to do is follow.

Seven-year-old Josh asked his public school

teacher: “What’s the most famous thing in the
Bible?” She answered “Psalm 23” and read it
to them. They liked it, and voted to memorize
it, so she gave them 6 days for those 6 verses.

Josh was really pumped to do this, but it was

a struggle. He couldn’t memorize! It was
totally frustrating! He could barely get half-
way through it.

33
A week later the kids got their chance. Some
opted out; most got it verbatim.

Josh was hopping with excitement! (Got the

picture?) He was literally JUMPING for joy!
When it was his turn, he ran to the micro-
phone and proudly proclaimed, “The Lord is
my Shepherd, and that’s all I need to know.”

We gotta learn from children. And follow

them following Him.

Questions:
1. Can you hear the Shepherd’s voice in John
chapter 10? Did you make a notation?
2. Are you experiencing any dark valleys
now? Maybe it’s time to read Psalm 23.
It’s got a great ending!

34
 Raindrops Or Teardrops?
Please read John ch. 11, especially verses 32-35.

The heart of God is the source of rain. What

we don’t know is how many raindrops are:
1. intentional (because He likes greenery,
and watching boys make mud-pies); or
2. emotional (because He loves you and
me, and hurts when we do).
I ran out of tears at age 14. Saying ‘bye’ to
family, and ‘hi’ to 104 guys in a monastery
dorm was tough, even though it was my
choice; I wanted to be a Catholic priest.

Home was 22 miles away, but seemed like a

million. My folks and siblings brought a
“care-package” every Sunday. It was so good
to see them, (plus the chocolate chips).

I fought the tears as we waved goodbyes, but

once that little VW was down the road the
dams would burst walking through the dimlit
hallway and up to 3rd floor.
35
When you love people, you want to be WITH
them. Jesus left the splendor of Heaven for
you and me. Then He made friends all over
the place, including Lazarus, who died young.
Jesus’ reaction? Verse 35. Jesus wept. The
shortest verse has the longest history.

Jesus was/is a real man. Gutsy and gracious,

strong and steady. Just like us! (Ha, ha.)

Jesus wept because of His greatness, not be-

cause of any weakness. The bystanders said:
“See how much he loved Lazarus”; verse 36.

At this point, our Arab friends, whether

Christian or Muslim, should shout
“ALLAHU AKBAR” meaning “God is
great”. How and why? Because the true God
loves all the time. His home, Heaven, is full
of love all the time. And ANYONE can get
in, providing your heart is full of love, some-
thing that you get from Jesus. ALLAHU
AKBAR because He is full of holiness,
power, wisdom; and love for the unlovely.
36
GOD IS SO GREAT-FULL! Jesus probably
wept many times on earth. He also modeled
grace all the time, for example, praying from
the cross that God would forgive the mockers
and mercenaries. Stephen, a deacon, followed
in Jesus steps, per Acts 7:60. God is great!

Your god is too small if all he can do is inflict

pain and poison on your enemies. That kind
of god is not worthy of our eternal allegiance,
is he? Is that kind of god really God?

Life begins with “agape”, the unconditional

commitment to imperfect people; then it
grows in grace (verses 35, 36), power (verses
43, 44), and wisdom (verse 45).

Questions:
1. What does “Jesus wept” mean to you?
2. Jesus says “If you live by the sword, you will
die by the sword.” Please love while you can.
3. 1 John 1:6-10 should be required reading for
all suicide bombers. It might bring light
before it’s too late.

37
 ...LIFE death LIFE…
Pls read John ch. 12, especially verses 24-33.

Imagine a sub sandwich a million miles long.

That’s life. Cut it in half and put an inch of
limburger cheese or something else that’s gross
in the middle. That’s death. Now close it up.
That’s life again, as a timeline, though timeless
forever.

“Death” is so negligible, with nearly no signifi-

cance other than a signpost or a stepping-stone.

We often can’t smell past our nose, and even

“long-noses” can be short-sighted! We think,
for example, that death is the end. That’s
REALLY DUMB. Think about it. If anything,
death has value because it is NOT an end. It’s
a bridge. A one-second swinging door, two
seconds into your immortality.

Verse 24. Enroll in college-course Farming 101.

38
Or learn from Jesus: “I tell you for certain that
a grain of wheat that falls on the ground will
never be more than one grain unless it dies.
But if it dies, it will produce lots of wheat.”

Exhibit A.B.C. (Assassination, Brutalization,

Corruption) is “good Friday”. Not just any-
body died that day. SOMEBODY died.

Figuratively also, God’s children must die to

pet philosophies and arrogant ambitions:
WHATEVER diminishes grace or dilutes
truth. Why? God’s plan for us is higher than
anything on earth, and higher than anything
above the earth; Jeremiah 29:11-13.

Besides, a thousand years from now, nobody

will be asking “What’s new in New York, hot
in Hollywood, cool in Colorado!” People will
be asking “What’s the KING of Kings going
to do next? What new universes will the
Carpenter of Nazareth make next?”

That’s all that’s going to matter!

39
The Muscle Man of all time and space be-
came the Savior of our race, embracing infi-
nite pain as our scapegoat:

“Christ was truly God. But he did not try to

remain equal with God. Instead he gave up
everything and became a slave, when he became
like one of us. Christ was humble. He obeyed God
and even died on a cross. Then God gave Christ
the highest place and honored his name above all
others. So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow
down, those in heaven, on earth, and under the
earth. And to the glory of God the Father everyone
will openly agree, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord!’ ”
(Philippians 2:5-11)

Questions:
1. Spiritually speaking, are there areas in your
life that are not dead yet, but they should be?
2. Spiritually-physically speaking, when it’s
time to die, all you have to do is die, if you’re
ready. You may “have God”, but does He
“have you”. 1 John 5:11-13.

40
 Forever Happy Feet
Please read John chapter 13, especially verses 1-17.

The 12 disciples had no clue what Jesus was

going to do. I’ve been to a few “foot-washing
services” that were announced and planned in
advance. I guess nobody wanted to wash
somebody’s toenails that hadn’t been cleaned
since kindergarten, or strip socks that could
stand on their own.

Verse 1-9. Those 24 feet were light-years from

being sterilized. They must have stunk
seriously. Jesus’ love wasn’t warm fuzzies;
it was washing footsies! His “upper room”
goal was to wash hearts; verses 1,8,10,17,20.

Contrast with Judas Iscariot whose goal was

‘gold’; verse 2,18b, 21-30. His feet got washed,
and he joined the ‘Last Supper’, but…

Jesus prioritized internal cleansing, not mere

external washing: “You know these things, and
God will bless, if you DO them.”; verse 17.
41
Verse 30. Moments later, Iscariot left, “It was
already night” in more ways than one. It was
darker than he imagined. He had befriended
(?) Jesus for three years. In the next three
hours, he would lead hell’s horde (John 18:2)
for INSTANT CASH. By sunrise, Iscariot
would ‘see the light’, repent, and return the
money. Too late (Matt. 27:1-5). Maybe he
wondered if Jesus was his only true friend.

For half a century, Nelson Mandela has mar-

velously represented so much that is good and
true of South Africa. He’s the quintessential
ambassador of that land. In the same way,
Jesus taught about love, from a heart of love;
and loved. He perfectly represented the
magnanimous Majesty of heaven and earth.
Jesus is the quintessential ambassador of all
time and space.

Don’t try to change your life. An old man

grouched “I will come to church after I get
straightened out”. Sure enough, he died that
day and was in church the next day.
42
Let God change you. It starts with regenera-
tion, being born again; John 3:3; 1 Peter
1:23-25. It requires receiving the Word of
God; John 1:12-14; 29; 1 John 5:11-13.

Questions:
1. When is the last time your boss, principal,
pastor, or parent washed your feet?
2 When is the last time you washed anybody’s
feet? Want to make a difference?

43
 The Only Way, Truth, and Life
Please read John chapter 14, especially verses 1-6.

“Don’t be worried!” Verse 1.

“Don’t worry, be happy” floats from the inter-

com after Southwest Air flights touch the
tarmac. It’s giddy enough to spawn smiles,
despite hearing it a silly sillion times. Some
folks love it and would be dancing in the aisle
except that you got 100 people jockeying for a
leg to stand on (in a space for 50 people) while
grabbing stuff from the overhead department
without bonding to garlicky chubby checker
who’s already leaning on you. The other 100
folks sitting calmly are wondering how dumb
we are, as if tons of people can run out before
the door opens. I won’t tell you which group I
stood with. (oops.)

Then you’re LATE to work and your headhunt-

ing boss says “I need you for lunch!” What to
do? Hide in the bathroom ‘til quitting time?
44
No. Just pig out on limburger, breathe on the
guy, and you’re good to go.

My ball and chain is worry. My God is not

tiny, but my trust sometimes is.

“Modern society” can be mostly scary. A

young boy was asked in Sunday School
“What do you want to be when you grow up”?
He answered: “Alive”! That’s us. We have
earned PhDs in Paranoia.

It shouldn’t be that way. The Owner of the sky

has a 24-7-52 forever banquet for us, with
everything we need; Psalm 23:1; Romans 8:
28-39; Phil. 4:19.

Believers are already adopted IN the family,

and Jesus is not ashamed to call us His breth-
ren; Hebrews 2:11-18. We belong to His
magnificent, magnanimous, safe and secure
inner circle; we can’t lose. John 14: 2.

45
You’re tooling down the road. You’ve got to
know where you’re headed and how to get
there! Ignorance is not bliss when you’re lost.

Ignorance is not bliss when a deranged guy

puts a gun to your head and sneers “Are you a
Christian?” Ignorance is not bliss when a
demonized terrorist pulls out a grenade at
30,000 feet, saying he’s ready to die and
asking if you are. Are you IN, or not?

I was a walking corpse ‘til age 20. Then the

Almighty reached way down into a bottom-
less pit, found me, and asked “You want the
free gift of salvation now or never?” I said
“HELLO! NOW PLEASE.” He said “you
got it.” Beginning of story.

Nobody’s perfect. So how do we get into a

perfect Heaven without messing it up? We
receive Mr. Clean, JESUS, into our life. Then,
when it’s time to live, you do! And when it’s
time to die, all you have to do is die.

46
Verse 6. Love and light, purity and peace,
strength and salvation…it’s all there in Jesus,
“the way, the truth, and the life.” All we have
to do is COME AND GET IT.

Questions:
1. Buddhism says “This is the way.” Jesus says
“I am the way.” Your choice?
2. Jesus says “I’m the truth.” He’s not lying.
Can you trust Him now?
3. Jesus says “I’m the life.” Are you ready for
real life! If so, pray in Jesus name!

47
 Garden Glory
Please read John chapter 15, especially verses 1-5.

A garden is a signature. In this chapter, “vine”

and “branches” are mentioned 9 times each, as
is “love”. Of course!

Verse 1. IS GOD A SUCCESS? I mean, as

a wise, strong, and loving grower of people?

Jesus had twelve followers, but lost one. God

has over 6.6 billion “human plants” at the
moment, but many have chosen the 666 mark
rather than the 777 message; (Rev. 13:11-
18).Some “plants” prefer total darkness. For
example, “the fool has said in his heart, ‘NO,
God’ ”.

Others LOVE THE LIGHT and are free to

be! To be who they’ve been created to be.
To grow! To live fully! (2 Cor. 5:17; John
15:1,2,3,5,7,8,16; John 8:31-36; Psalm 1.)

48
I recently visited the home of a brain surgeon.
He couldn’t find mine so he said I’d qualify to
run for President, which intrigued me as I had
just looked at my watch (or was it my calen-
dar) and it said February 4, 2008, one of the
Super Tuesdays. Brainless and clueless, I was
now ready for Big Politics and the Big Desk
wherever they work, or not.

Actually, the surgeon was gone for the week,

so I had the run of his square-block Heritage
Tour mansion and yard. Strolling through his
Tropical Forest complete with waterfalls, I
came upon a quote from a renowned statesman
and empiricist:
"God Almighty first planted a garden...
and a man shall ever see
that when ages grow to civility and elegancy,
men come to build stately sooner
than to garden finely ,
as if gardening were the greater perfection.”

(Sir Frances Bacon, 1625)

49
In other words, any engineer can build a sky-
scraper, mall, coliseum, etc. You deal with
predictable physics, inanimate steel, concrete,
etc. It takes a lot more to grow graceful but
fragile flowers that can flourish in the midst
of pantheonic challenges, both animate and
inanimate.

To create the universe, the Garden of Eden,

mankind, etc. was easy-peasy for God. He
just spoke; Genesis 1-2.

Verse 3. When you accept Jesus into your life

“You are already clean...” That’s positional
sanctification; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal.3:24. That’s
the best “position” to be in! (Ephesians chap-
ters 1-3).

Jesus ‘took me in’ when I was 20. I’m

pushing 60 now, but there are still big weeds
in my life. For one thing (the main thing), I
don’t love very well. He’s working on that:
progressive sanctification; 1 John 1:7-9; and
Romans 8:28-30.
50
I got a long ways to go and grow so I might
need to live to be a hundred. I’m worried
about feeling “out of place” in God’s home.
Despite unending Gardener-love, we often
lust. We wine and dine at the devil’s deli,
enamored with his tricks and treats, idols and
icons, oooohing and aaaahing at the exquisite
table settings, totally unaware that the dinner
music is a death march. We’re like Edmund
in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe;
the candy was excellent, but the cost was
excruciating.

Verses 4, 5. Thankfully, love is stronger than

hate, and any candle will always disperse
darkness.

Questions:

1. Who is your gardener? Why?

2. Jesus says he’s the True Vine. Are you in?

51
 Steel Yourself. Trouble Is Ahead !
Please read John ch 16, verses 1-4; 33.

God’s kids get sneak previews! Unlike us,

He is eternal, seeing past, present, and future
at the same time. He gives us glimpses so we
can plan ahead. What’s your plan?
“Word on the street” says your billionaire
uncle is gonna get decapitulated, decapsized,
and even discumbumberated at 5 a.m. tomor-
row. You panic ‘cause your name is not in his
Will, ‘cause he deleted it when you refused to
buy him 10 cheeseburgers at ten pm ten years
ago. What to do tonight? Plan A and B: GET
20 BURGERS ALREADY buzz over, butter
him up, blurt out apologies, say “I lub
you” (not “lube”), bounce on his bed affection-
ately (not his lap), coo a little, have beneficent
pens and benignant witnesses standing by, get
your name on that paper. Oh, don’t forget to
leave before the other bozos arrive at five.

52
Verse 2. Around 33 A.D., Jesus said : “The
time will come when people will kill you and
think they are doing God a Favor.” . Contrary
to the platitudes of neophyte historians and
narcissistic theologians, the human race is
NOT moving ahead. Modern men are not any
“better” than cave men.

Trouble is ahead if you love God more than

gold. You may only see bread and water. Get
ready. Let’s steel ourselves now, so we don’t
bend or break when the first wind blows in.

Yet, God has called us to peace. When you

choose Him, you’re never alone, hopeless, or
helpless. In verse 33 we read the rock solid
promise of Jesus: “I have told you this, so that
you might have peace in your hearts because of
me. While you are in the world, you will have
to suffer. But cheer up! I have defeated the
world.”

God is bigger than any problem. Why not remind

someone about that today?

53
 Knowing God
Please read John ch. 17, especially verses 1-3.

Are You IN ? Card sharks, before dealing, ask

“Who’s in?” We all like the “inside” track,
being a member of the cool “inner circle”,
“in touch”, etc. LOCATION is everything.

You know where you’ve been (IN a rat-race).

When you trust IN Christ alone, his Spirit
begins to live IN you. Moment by moment,
day after day, his Spirit IN you affirms that
you’re not alone, and that you have a place IN
Heaven forever. To be in Christ is to belong.

Verse 3. At the last supper, Jesus prayed

“Eternal life is to know You, the only true God,
and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent.”

NINE TIMES in John 17 the word “know”

shows up. It’s a personal relationship. It’s
Who you know, personally.

54
When you have Jesus, life is no longer a dress
rehearsal; it’s Opening Night every day and
night! No regrets and no mediocrity living and
walking with the King of Kings; (John 10:10).
And when it’s time to die, all you have to do is
die. No regrets.

Questions:
1. Has Jesus introduced you to the Father?
2. Have you taken time to get to know Him?

55
 The Night
Pls read John chapter 18, especially verses 1-11.

Vs. 1 “When Jesus had finished praying…”,

he left. He knew this would be the darkest
night of eternity. No one else had a clue.

No human stuck with Jesus in the garden of

Gethsemane. God had to send an angel. Jesus
was sweating bullets and “was in great pain,
and prayed so sincerely that his sweat fell to
the ground like drops of blood”; (Luke 22:44).

Verse 18. “It was cold” in more ways than

one, because “it was night” (13:30) in more
ways than one.

Beginning around 9 a.m. the next day, Jesus

would experience the vilest darkness of death,
absorbing eternal punishment for the sin of all
mankind. Those hours on the cross SEEMED
LIKE AN ETERNITY because they were!

56
Yet, nobody killed Jesus. He laid down his
life willingly. (John 10:17) He was dead three
days. Then HE ROSE AGAIN. You can’t
keep God down!

I know our future! “At the name of Jesus

every one will bow down, those in heaven, on
earth, and under the earth…” (Phil. 2:10).

Your knees (all two of them), mine (a couple

more), and those of all humanity WILL bow.
Your tongue, mine, and that of all humanity
WILL confess in worship and reverence that
the carpenter of Nazareth is the creator of all.

Questions:
1. Why did Jesus agree to die in our place?
2. How should we respond?

57
 “IT IS FINISHED”
Please read John ch. 19, especially verses 28-30.

The Lamb of God did it all. He finished the

job of redemption “once and for all”;
(Hebrews 9:12; 10:2; 10:10); (Heb. 10:14).
We can’t add a thing. It’s finished.

You spit in God’s face when you think you

could somehow merit even a millisecond of
time or a millimeter of space in Heaven.

In reality, WHAT CAN WE DO that is void

of personal ambition that would be a perfect
fit in Heaven’s trophy case? Hmmm. Ask
me next week. If I don’t get back to you, the
answer is ‘nothing’.

For many years, a “Bible woman” in India

had been sharing the gospel with a wealthy
pearl-diver named Anup. The concept of
eternal salvation based on God’s “grace
alone” was inconceivable to him.

58
Then tragedy struck. His only son Prasad
made an unusually deep dive to retrieve a large
pearl oyster. He succeeded, but the pressure
was too much. He died the next day.

Anup was heartbroken and gained some

comfort from seeing the Bible woman at the
funeral. Though he didn’t share her ‘foreign’
religion, he respected her. Two weeks later,
she visited Anup’s home, at which time he of-
fered her the pearl that cost the life of dear
Prasad. She answered carefully, agreeing to
accept it on one condition. She said: Thank
you so much. I deeply appreciate this gift,
knowing that it cost the life of your son. Also,
I want
to do my part to pay for it. Here’s two cents.
I’ll bring you more money when I can.”

Anup was perplexed at first, and then furious.

He yelled at her. “What? That’s ridiculous.
Get out of house!” How dare she suggest that
her feeble efforts or all the money in the world
59
The Bible woman then explained that “good
works”, similarly, were disallowed by God.
He HOME is open to all, but we must come at
his invitation, on his conditions. Jesus already
paid the price in full. In fact, our deeds are
repugnant “filthy rags” to God; (Isaiah 64:6;
Romans 3:11-18).

Anup instantly understood. He was awestruck

as this great love of God. He humbly opened
his heart to Christ, and received the gift of
eternal salvation; (Romans 6:23). Needless to
say, he became an empathetic evangelist,
passing out “free gifts” to whomever would
humbly receive from the true and living God.

Questions:
1. Do you think your ‘good works’ can measure
up to what Christ did? Do you have enough?
2. Will they guarantee your place in heaven?
What if you’re wrong?

60
 The Reason To Live
Please read John ch. 20, especially vss 18-31.

When you form a franchise, start a school,

whatever, you choose reputable board
members. Jesus didn’t. He chose “white trash.”

Verse 1. Mary Magdalene was the first

and foremost eyewitness of His resurrection.
She had ZERO CREDIBILITY for at least
three reasons.
1. She was formerly possessed by 7 demonic
“guides”. It’s hard to imagine how gro-
tesque that was.
2. Mary was an outsider, born in Magdala, the
Timbuktu of those days.
3. Israel then was dominated by religion’s
“good old boys” whose claim to fame was
killing Jesus. (You wouldn’t want ANY of
those guys on your bowling team.)
According to their mantra, women were
akin to dogs.

61
The “new” Mary Magdalene was a walking
miracle, irrefutably evidencing the power and
love of the true God. She knew that Jesus is
THE REASON TO LIVE.
The Owner of earth and sky has big plans for
us:
Not darkness, but delight.
Not gloom, but gladness.
Not fear, but faith.
Not lust, but love.
Not envy, but enjoyment.
Not hatred, but holiness.
Not strife, but salvation.
Not pain, panic, paralysis, plans, propositions,
purposes, pursuits, possessions, but PEACE.
God knows we’re afraid. Someone counted
the “DON’T BE AFRAID” verses in the
Bible. 365 in all! We need His peace with
each sunrise, because we never know what it
will bring. It might hurt.

62
After that first Easter morning, Jesus’ favorite
sermonette was “peace.” He was keeping it
simple. (He didn’t want to be confused with
Casper the friendly ghost.) John chapter 20
records three times when Jesus said “Peace be
to you”; verses 18, 19, 26. In reality, He may
have said it over 100 times that day, as He
went from one friend to another. His message
is the same today.

Questions:
1. Are you like the guys, or like Mary
Magdalene?
2. God says “don’t be afraid.” Why not put
your hand in His right now? Your Father’s
eyes have nothing but joy, peace and love for
YOU. Look up. You’ll see!

63
 All We Need Is …
Please read John chapter 21, especially verses
1-6 and 15-19.

Chapter 21 shows how sweet GOD is. He

fixed a humongous breakfast better than any
China Buffet or Ponderosa on the planet. But
He also let the fishermen add their catch,
which was actually his; verse 3. I have a
feeling that they all pigged out.

Verses 15-22. Then Jesus gave Peter the test

of his life. He asked Peter for a pledge of
allegiance based on relationship. Nothing
else. Jesus asked the same question three
times, and Peter answered correctly three
times. (Maybe this was intended to be
cathartic, erasing Peter’s three denials a few
days earlier.) Though Peter became a little
‘testy’ (verse 17), he ultimately was glad for
the attention. There was no turning back after
that day. He got the assurance that he needed.

64
All we need is assurance that God loves us.
Not a rinky-dink idol made of steal-able pure
gold that any thug could throw in his bag and
pawn for fifty bucks a block away. Not a fig-
ment of imagination. Not an impersonal, out-to-
lunch lord of luscious luminescence.
Dynamic friendship with the Son of God is at
once the most humbling and honored experi-
ence of life. All you need is Him.
A carpenter and his son Jimmy made a sailboat.
Jimmy kept it in a basin, using an electric fan to
send it in all directions. One day he took it to
the river, never imagining what would happen.

The wind instantly blew it away. Jimmy wept

for days. About six months later he was walking
with his dad and saw his boat in a display win-
dow. They went in and argued with the shop-
keeper that it was Jimmy’s, but the man was
adamant, saying it was for sale, not giveaway.
Jimmy went home determined to work as hard
as he could to buy it back.

65
After an eternity of weeks Jimmy returned,
not knowing if it would still be there or not. It
was! He went in and bought it back. Walking
home, he held it close to his heart, and whis-
pered: “For 4 reasons you shouldn’t run away
anymore:
First, I made you.
Second, I bought you back.
Third, I love you.
Fourth, I want you in our family forever. It
will be fun. Please stay.”

Jimmy held the boat to his heart and walked

on. If little boats could talk, it would have
said: “I love you too”.

Questions:
1. Like Peter, we need to come back to God.
Are you ready?
2. How could God use me to bring someone
else back to Him today?

66
 When the storms come,
and your friends leave,
and your money leaves,
and your health leaves,
all you have to remember
is that
JESUS
ROSE
FROM
THE
DEAD.

“Because I live, you will live.”

JESUS (John 14:19b)

67
 The Author
Robert John Mulloy is a follower of God.

He serves in Asia with his winsome wife Mary Emily,

his dazzling daughter Amy Christine, and his sweet son
Greg Carver.

Bob left home at age 14 to live in a monastery high

school for four years with hopes of becoming a Catholic
priest. At age 20, his life was forever changed by read-
ing the New Testament and being converted to Christ.

His favorite N.T. book (can you guess?) is the gospel

written by John the apostle. Bob believes that under-
standing the THREE CENTRAL WORDS of John 19:30
“…everything is done…” spells the difference between
life and death.

Feel free to check out Bob and Mary’s website

(www.thegutsyGod.com) to learn more about their life,
and access other devotional materials.

Scripture Usage
All Scripture portions in this book are from
the Youth Bible Global Edition of
the Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Bible translation, used with permission from
the American Bible Society (ABS) 2004.

68