Getting Closer to Jesus: This is your invitation to join me in a slow, deliberate walk through the Gospel of John in 2025.

The theme of John revolves around knowing Jesus—the most noble and fruitful pursuit in all of life! To know Jesus is eternal life—the abundant life as we walk this planet and life forever in the eternal world. The goal of this devotional journey in John will be to create an unquenchable thirst and a clear path for pursuing, knowing, and enjoying Jesus in a way that transforms every aspect of our lives, making us more useful for this world and more ready for the next.

There are several reasons I believe a thorough saturation in John’s Gospel will be a worthy pursuit:

1. The Gospel of John, at the most fundamental level, is the Word of God. And the internal witness of the Bible promises us that a faithful reading and dilligent obedience of it will lead to wisdom and favor now and blessings for all eternity.
2. The Gospel of John brings to us the most sustained and compelling portrait of the exalted Christ we will ever find. Andreas Köstenberger has written that “John’s Gospel, together with the Book of Romans, may well be considered the enduring ‘twin towers’ of [our] theology.”
3. The Gospel of John was written by one who had arguably the most intimate relationship with Jesus of any human being in history. John self-identified as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” throughout his book. There is a depth of affection, friendship and intimacy in between this disciple and the Lord that is stunning—and inviting.
4. The Gospel of John, read and grasped, will be a profitable challenge. For me, John is the most difficult Gospel to get my brain around on a holistic level, though I find individual verses and passages as some of the most meaningful and beautiful in Scripture. I am looking forward to mastering it—at least attempting to do so.
5. The Gospel of John will satiate our hunger to know and follow Christ at a deeper level as well as, if not better, than any other devotional endeavor.

In what better way can we draw closer to Christ, made useful for this world and readied for the next than to give our best meditation and passionate worship to the glory of Christ that is revealed in the Gospel of John?

As the Apostle wrote in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” And we have been invited to immerse ourselves in his glory!

I am looking forward to this glorious journey—and I hope you will come with me!

Take the Next Step: If you haven’t already begun, get your favorite version of the Bible today and begin to slowly read the Gospel of John. The pacing I will use 2025 will take one to two weeks per chapter. If you are up for that, read deliberately and allow the beauty of this grand gospel to absorb into your very being.

“ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. — JOHN 17:3

Getting Closer to Jesus: More than anything, we were created for an intimate relationship with God. Now, there are undoubtedly other things that will please God and bring glory to him through our lives, but nothing is more honoring to the Creator than to walk in a close, personal, and loving relationship with him.

According to the Bible, the only way that gets expressed is by knowing Jesus: by being in an all-consuming, life-altering journey that comes from persistently hanging out with Jesus as his devotee. The Apostle John, the one who knew and loved Jesus as much as any human being ever, said this was, in itself, eternal life.

Acts 4:13 shows us the inevitable outcome of being in that kind of intimate, persistent, loving relationship: “When the Jewish council saw Peter and John’s courage and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Peter and John had simply “been with Jesus” until they looked and acted increasingly like him—they had assumed his mindset, absorbed his characteristics, and expressed his behavior. They had hung out so intensely with Jesus that they had absorbed him to the point they were now exuding him without even thinking about it. They had been transformed through that relationship and conformed to that relationship!

That is what you and I were created to experience: A relationship with Jesus whereby his life gets transmitted to us and through us so that we begin to communicate the infectious DNA of Jesus Christ.

You may not have a religious pedigree or be well-versed in theology. You may not be naturally winsome, or articulate, or even all that likeable. Your “cool factor” may be pretty much non-existent. Maybe you lack more than you have. That doesn’t matter! What you do have trumps all you don’t have: You have every possibility that Peter and John had to “be with Jesus”.

That is the greatest goal you can have—that at the end of the day, the only thing people can do with you is to take note that you have been with Jesus. They may not like you or be impressed with you, and they may wish you would just go away. But when it is all said and done, all they can do with you is to admit, “Obviously, you have been hanging out with Jesus!”

Make that your goal today. And then start hanging with Jesus. Pure and simple—that is eternal life!

You were made for that! The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:29, “From the beginning God decided that those who came to Him should become like His Son.” That is God’s inexorable plan: to make you like Jesus! He is orchestrating everything in your life right now for that purpose—circumstances, disappointments, temptations, opportunities, blessings. At this very moment, God is leveraging heaven’s resources to conform your character to Christ’s. That ought to give you confidence. As A.W. Tozer noted,

When I understand that everything happening to me is to make me more Christlike, it resolves a great deal of anxiety.

So your journey into Christlikeness is not all up to you! God is rearranging heaven and moving earth to give you the opportunity to be with Jesus—and to become like Jesus.

Yet divine transformation needs human collaboration. In a way, being with Jesus is on you! It is not just a mindset or a good intention. It is an intentional posture. As much as anything, to get intentional with your growth toward Christlikeness will require of you the daily practice of being with Jesus.

I would simply suggest that each day—and throughout the day—you literally invite Jesus to join you in what is in front of you. Literally ask Jesus, “How would you handle this situation? What do you think about this opportunity? What should I do about this challenge? How would you respond to this person?” Just practice being with Jesus in the ordinary moments of your daily life.

To get practical with this, think about it this way: If you were to literally spend time with Jesus, what three attributes, attitudes, and or actions would you witness in him? Here is what I think Jesus would be doing on any one of his ordinary days:

1. Jesus would be unbendingly truthful yet incredibly gracious with people.
2. Jesus would serve people—especially those we would consider the least worthy of his service.
3. Jesus, even when he was treated unfairly, would never retaliate; he would only offer love and grace in return.

Gracious, serving, forgiving—there are thousands of descriptives I could come up with—you too. So take a moment and write down the first three qualities of Jesus that come to your mind. Then your assignment this week will be to intentionally hang out with Jesus, consciously and consistently doing those three things you wrote down that you believe Jesus would do. Give that your best shot, and most likely, you will look a little more like Christ by this time next week!

And maybe people will take note that you have been with Jesus.

Take the Next Step: There are several spiritual disciplines that are obvious and essential to being with and becoming like Jesus: Consistent quiet times, Bible reading, Scripture memory, prayer, and church attendance. I can’t encourage you enough to commit to those spiritual routines! One of the things I will be doing in 2025—and I would like to invite you to join me—is to slowly and intentionally read through the writings of the Apostle John, the one who knew and loved Jesus as much as anyone. So, start with me on January 1 in the Gospel of John, and let the journey toward Christlikeness begin.

SYNOPSIS: There’s no greater practice for going deep with God than through the daily practice of Bible study—reading, meditating, journaling, memorizing, and praying the Scriptures — and doing it in community with other believers. That spiritual practice will contribute to your growth as a believer and your entrance into the deep things of God like nothing else. It’s as simple as that. Here’s what regularly reading and applying God’s Word will do for you: mature your faith, morph you into greater Christlikeness, deepen your knowledge of God, insulate your life from sin, enlarge your Kingdom effectiveness, increase your spiritual power, develop life skills for the daily challenges you face, and allow you to live in the blessing zone of God’s favor. I hope you’ll join me in daily reading “The One Year Chronological Bible” in 2022 as we “go deep” with God .

Go Deep// 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Let’s go deep with God this year! When I was growing up in a small Southern Oregon town, the kids in my neighborhood would regularly gather in the street in front of my house. There we would play some of the best football games on the planet—even better than even the Super Bowl! Street football—skinned knees, bruised elbows, bragging rights (at least for that day), and tons of fun! Man, there was nothing like it!

The favorite play called in the huddle, was, of course, “go deep! Forget about short-yardage running plays or screen passes, we wanted the glory, paydirt, “tud!”, our name for a touchdown So just about every play was “go deep!” I’m telling you, that’s the way football at every level ought to be played.

I want to go deep this year in God, don’t you? I don’t want to splash around in the shallows or wade around in the wimpy water near the shore, I want to get into the depths of God like never before. Do you want to join me?

If you do, then I know of no greater practice for going deep with God than through the daily practice of Bible study—reading, meditating, journaling, memorizing, and praying the Scriptures. That spiritual practice will contribute to your growth as a believer and your entrance into the deep things of God like nothing else. It’s as simple as that. Here’s what regularly reading and ruthlessly obeying God’s Word will do for you:

• Mature your faith
• Morph you into greater Christlikeness
• Deepen your knowledge of God
• Insulate your life from sin
• Enlarge your Kingdom effectiveness
• Increase your spiritual power
• Develop life skills for the daily challenges you face
• Allow you to live in the blessing zone of God’s favor

I hope you’ll join me in 2022 as we “go deep” in God through the daily reading of his Word. To help us along the way, I invite you to sign up for the free creative Bible reading plan called the “The One Year® Chronological Bible” (once you download it, go to the Bible Reading Plans and make sure to select The One Year® Chronological Bible). Or, you can purchase a hard or electronic copy of your preferred Bible version from your favorite bookseller. Of course, you can choose your own Bible reading plan, but no matter what you do, choose to read God’s Word in 2022 and, if at all possible, read it with others.

By the way, there is no greater act of faith, obedience and yes, even worship, than to devote yourself to “rightly dividing the Word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

Let’s go deep in God’s Word this year!

SYNOPSIS: I know of no greater practice for going deep with God than through the daily practice of Bible study—reading, meditating, journaling, memorizing and praying the Scriptures. That spiritual practice will contribute to your growth as a believer and your entrance into the deep things of God like nothing else. It’s as simple as that. Here’s what regularly reading and ruthlessly obeying God’s Word will do for you: mature in your faith, morph into greater Christlikeness, deepen your knowledge of God, insulate your life from sin, enlarge your Kingdom effectiveness, increase your spiritual power, develop life skills for the daily challenges you face, and live in the blessing zone of God’s favor. I hope you’ll join me in 2021 as we “go deep” in God through the daily reading of his Word.

Go Deep// 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Let’s go deep with God this year! When I was growing up in a small Southern Oregon town, the kids in my neighborhood would regularly gather in the street in front of my house. There we would play some of the best football games on the planet—even better than even the Super Bowl! Street football—skinned knees, bruised elbows, bragging rights (at least for that day) and tons of fun! Man, there was nothing like it!

The favorite play called in the huddle, was, of course, “go deep!” Forget about short yardage running plays or screen passes, we wanted the glory, paydirt, “tud!”, our name for a touchdown So just about every play was “go deep!” I’m telling you, that’s the way football at every level ought to be played.

I want to go deep this year in God, don’t you? I don’t want to splash around in the shallows or wade around in the wimpy water near the shore, I want to get into the depths of God like never before. Do you want to join me?

If you do, then I know of no greater practice for going deep with God than through the daily practice of Bible study—reading, meditating, journaling, memorizing and praying the Scriptures. That spiritual practice will contribute to your growth as a believer and your entrance into the deep things of God like nothing else. It’s as simple as that. Here’s what regularly reading and ruthlessly obeying God’s Word will do for you:

• Mature in your faith
• Morph into greater Christlikeness
• Deepen your knowledge of God
• Insulate your life from sin
• Enlarge your Kingdom effectiveness
• Increase your spiritual power
• Develop life skills for the daily challenges you face
• Live in the blessing zone of God’s favor

I hope you’ll join me in 2021 as we “go deep” in God through the daily reading of his Word. To help us along the way, I have provided a creative reading plan called the “One Year Bible. You can purchase a hard or electronic copy of your preferred Bible version on Amazon, or you can download a free app of the same for your smartphone on YouVersion (once you download it, go to the Bible Reading Plans and make sure to select The One Year Bible plan) or use an existing Bible to follow the reading schedule on the Portland Christian Center webpage, which is also a printable PDF.

Of course, you can choose your own Bible reading plan, but no matter what you do, choose to read God’s Word in 2021. By the way, there is no greater act of faith, obedience and yes, even worship, than to devote yourself to “rightly dividing the Word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

Finally, I am also inviting you to join me in memorizing scripture this year. I have selected fifty-two verses for us to commit to memory—one for each week of the year. And I will post a devotional blog for each verse on every Monday this year. Check it out at www.raynoah.com.

Let’s go deep in God’s Word this year!

I am dedicating myself in 2017 to 365 days of ThanksLiving. And one of the tools I’m adopting to get me there is a Bible Reading program along with a devotional blog in which I will post daily expressions of gratitude for what I have read that day in God’s Word. Yep, with God’s help, 365 of them!  I hope you’ll join me.

Going Deep // Focus: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

When I was growing up in a small Southern Oregon town, the kids on my block would regularly gather in the street in front of my house. There we would play some of the best football games on the planet—better than even the Super Bowl! Street football—skinned knees, bruised elbows, bragging rights (at least for that day) and tons of fun! Man, there was nothing like it!

The favorite play called in the huddle, was, of course, “go deep!” Forget about short yardage running plays or screen passes, we wanted the glory, paydirt, “tud!” — our name for a touchdown So just about every play was “go deep!” I’m telling you, that’s the way football at every level ought to be played.

I want to go deep this year in God, don’t you? I don’t want to splash around in the shallows or wade around in the wimpy water near the shore, I want to get into the depths of God like never before. Do you want to join me?

If you do, then I know of no greater practice for going deep with God than through the daily practice of Bible study—reading, meditating, journaling, and praying the Scriptures. That spiritual practice will contribute to your growth as a believer and your entrance into the deep things of God like nothing else. It’s as simple as that.

If you want to mature in your faith, morph into greater Christlikeness, deepen your knowledge of God, insulate your life from sin, enlarge your Kingdom effectiveness, increase your spiritual power, develop life skills for the daily challenges you face, and live in the blessing zone of God’s favor, you’ve got to be in God’s Holy Word on a regular, if not daily, basis.

I hope that you will join me in 2017 as we “go deep” in God through the daily reading of his Word. To help us along the way, I have provided a reading plan that was developed by the 18th century Scottish preacher Robert Murray M’Cheyne that will take us through the Old Testament once and twice through the New Testament and Psalms this year.

And just a note about the content of my raynoah.com blog over the next 12 months: The brief devotional postings will on the theme of ThanksLiving. From every reading in the first 365 entries of the Old Testament part of M’Cheyne’s plan, I will declare something for which I am thankful. I hope you will join me in this year of ThanksLiving—either coming up with your own reasons for gratitude or simply entering into mine, since they are universal blessings for all who follow Christ.

Finally, let me just assure you that there is no greater act of faith, obedience and yes, even worship, than to devote yourself to “rightly dividing the Word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

Someone once quipped that the Bible is simple our Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. That’s true. And that’s why, today and every day, you should stand upon the Word of God, the B. I. B. L. E.

Read: Psalm 119 // Focus: Psalm 119:24>

“Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors.”

As you read through all 174 verses of Psalm 119—the longest chapter in the Bible—you will notice the repetition of the phrase, “according to”. In fact, it is found twenty times—once every eight or nine verses. Obviously, it is an important phrase to the writer, since he repeats it so often.

But what is of particular import is that the phrase is describing the one whose life is lived “according to” the Word of God. And to the one who so orders their life, the rest of the psalm is mostly a detail of the various benefits that follow. And of all those wonderful benefits, perhaps the greatest is that these holy statutes serve as a personal counselor—a Divine Guidance System, if you will.

What a comfort! The counsel that comes to us when we live “according to” God’s Word lifts us far above our limited, shortsighted, earth-bound perspective and provides a heavenly view of life as we journey through it. The Word of God becomes, as Timothy Dwight described, “a window in this prison-world through which we may look into eternity.” It is, as Henry Ward Beecher wrote, “God’s chart for you to steer by, to keep you from the bottom of the sea, and to show you where the harbour is, and how to reach it without running on rocks and bars.”

That’s why we must invest the first and best part of our day (Psalm 119:147) to reading, studying, meditating and applying God’s Word. Psalm 119:130 reminds us that “the unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” As you can see, not to give full devotion and highest place to the Word of the Lord would be nothing less than foolish.

If you have chosen to read God’s Word each day, whether through this blog or in some other form, I congratulate you. There is no better investment. Psalm 119:89 says the Word of the Lord is eternal—nothing else in this world can lay claim to that distinction—so while all else around you is being shaken, because you have delighted in his laws, you won’t be!

As Psalm 119:165 promises, “Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.” That’s what you get when you follow your Divine Guidance System.

If you are a leader—in your home, or at school, in your business, in the community or at the church—live for God’s smile, and you will be a great and enduring leader. At least God will think so, and he is really the only one who ultimately counts.

Read: Psalm 109 // Focus: Psalm 109:28

Can you imagine what it’s like being the president? At any given time, about half the country admires you and thinks you are doing a decent job while the other half can’t wait for you to just go away. And that’s on a good day! It is often much worse than that for the person in the Oval Office. Think about it—it is not uncommon for a sitting president to have sixty to seventy percent of the citizens treat him as if he were Satan’s spawn.

It is hard to imagine why anyone would want that job. And yet, every four years, a herd of politicians line up for their chance to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. That can only means one of two things: They are either crazy or they are called. (Actually, there are several other motives we could talk about—but we’ll save that for another time.)

I’m not sure who said it, but there were right: it’s lonely at the top. Leadership at any level is a tough job. In fact, it is not only tough, it can be a lonely, sometimes thankless, even downright painful job. It certainly was for King David.

David is another man whose leadership we tend to romanticize. But if we were able to catch David in a brutally honest moment, I think he would tell us just how unromantic his job was. If we just go by what he says in the psalms, David lived with persistent criticism for a goodly portion of his reign. It might even seem from reading these psalms, which in a way, was nothing more than David’s spiritual journal, that he was a little paranoid. But that was only because people were out to get him.

I think what made David a great leader was how he endured under the pressure. It wasn’t just his amazing victories, his ever-expanding kingdom, his winsome personality or his musical skill, it was his dogged determination to please God. David took his cues from the Chief Justice of the Universe rather than what would make him a more popular leader at the moment.

As you read the entirety of Psalm 109, you will notice yet again that David bookends (verses 1-2 and 30-31) this detailed account of his detractors vicious accusations with his dependence on God:

O God, whom I praise, don’t stand silent and aloof while the wicked slander me and tell lies about me.

But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone. For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them.

Above all, David wanted God’s blessing more than anything—high approval ratings, more power, a larger palace. He simply lived for God’s smile, and that’s what made him great, that’s what fueled his endurance under pressure, that’s what enabled him to run strong and finish well.

If you are a leader—in your home, or at school, in your business, in the community or at the church—live for God’s smile, and you, too, will be a great and enduring leader. At least God will think so, and he is really the only one who ultimately counts.

“ “Enduring setbacks while maintaining the ability to show others the way to go forward is a true test of leadership.” —NITIN NOHRIA

Overview: Observing Lent is designed to help you participate with more knowledge, greater awareness and deeper love of Jesus during this season of the year that leads to Easter. To be sure, Lent does nothing to make you more loveable to God, it is simply a time for you to discover or rediscover the realities of God’s love for you, to partake more passionately in Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, and to grow in gratitude for the incredible gift given to you through Christ’s sacrifice. Maybe you grew up observing Lent, but need to get back in touch with the meaning behind it. Maybe you’ve heard of Lent, but have no idea what it is. Maybe you’re new to Christianity or are still trying to figure out who Jesus is and why his death and resurrection matters today. Whatever the case, Lent can be a transforming experience of getting to know, love and walk more intimately with Jesus as never before

When: Lent is the 40 days leading up to Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 18th and ending on Easter Sunday, April 5th.

What: The term, Lent, simply has come to refer to the period or season leading up to Easter.

How: Traditionally, Christian have used this period to heighten their experience with Jesus through definite and increased times for prayer, through intentional and specific acts of devotion and through planned acts of self-denial for a definite period within or for all of Lent.

I would encourage you to prayerfully consider observing Lent through one or more of the aforementioned methods (strategic prayer, fasting, and or giving up some personal comfort in order to devote yourself to the Lord) and by specifically engaging in our daily Lenten Bible Reading and Devotional Plan in the Gospel of John.

Outcome: Again, observing Lent will not make you more lovable to God. Ritual without relationship only leads to dead religiosity. But if done with a desire to grow closer to Jesus, you will enter into a more knowledgeable and intimate walk with the Lord, and if for no other reason, that will make your effort, well, worth the effort.

Being With Jesus:
John 20:31

These things are written so that you may believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing you may have life in His name.

The holidays are over, the New Year is here, and I want to invite you into a 2015 Bible reading plan in the writings of the Apostle John that I am praying and believing will be nothing less than life-altering for you and me.  We will begin with the Gospel of John, using this reading schedule: 2015 Bible Reading Plan.

The theme of John’s Gospel revolves around knowing Jesus—the most noble and fruitful pursuit in all of life!  To know Jesus is eternal life—the abundant life as we walk this planet and life forever in the eternal world.  The goal of this devotional journey in John will be to create an unquenchable thirst and a clear path for pursuing, knowing and enjoying Jesus in a way that transforms every aspect of our lives, making us more useful for this world and more ready for the next.

There are several reasons I believe a thorough saturation in John’s Gospel will be a worthy pursuit:

1) The Gospel of John, at the most fundamental level, is the Word of God. And the internal witness of the Bible promises us that a faithful reading and diligent obedience of it will lead to wisdom and Divine favor now and ceaseless blessings for all eternity.

2) The Gospel of John brings to us the most sustained and compelling portrait of the exalted Christ we will ever find. Andreas Köstenberger has written that “John’s Gospel, together with the Book of Romans, may well be considered the enduring ‘twin towers’ of [our] theology.”

3) The Gospel of John was written by one who, arguably, had the most intimate relationship with Jesus of any human being in history. John self-identified as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” throughout his book. There is a depth of affection, friendship and intimacy between this disciple and his Lord that is both stunning and inviting.

4) The Gospel of John, read and grasped, will be a profitable challenge. For me, John is the most difficult Gospel to get my brain around on a holistic level, though I find individual verses and passage as some of the most meaningful and beautiful in Scripture. I am looking forward to mastering it—at least attempting to do so.

5) The Gospel of John will satiate our hunger to know and follow Christ at a deeper level as well as, if not better, than any other devotional endeavor.

In what better way can we be drawn closer to Christ, made useful for this world and readied for the next than to give our best meditation and passionate worship to the glory of Christ that is revealed the Gospel of John? As the Apostle wrote in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” And we have been invited to immerse ourselves in his glory!

I am looking forward to this glorious journey—and I hope you will come with me!

“I know of no greater spiritual discipline than Bible study—reading, meditating, journaling, praying the Scriptures—that will contribute to your health and growth as a believer. It’s as simple as that. If you want to mature in your faith, morph into greater Christlikeness, deepen your knowledge of God, insulate your life from sin, prepare you for eternity, enlarge your Kingdom effectiveness, increase your spiritual power, develop life skills for the daily challenges you face, and in general, live in the blessing zone of God’s favor, you’ve got to be in God’s Holy Word on a regular, if not daily, basis.” (Ray Noah)