Mile Markers: 40 Intimate Journeys with Jesus

by Donald E. Demaray

Overview

Imagine walking down a dusty road with Jesus. He begins to make unusual statements. "I am the Bread of Life." "I am the Light of the World." "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." As soon as Jesus says, "I am. . . ," you perk up and take notice of what comes next—what part of His person is He revealing now? You ponder them. What does He mean?

Taking the position of a mentor to a young couple, Adam and Megan, Dr. Demaray guides you through Jesus' "I am" statements about himself. In each one, Jesus reveals another facet of His person.

Slip on your sandals and walk into a new level of intimacy with Jesus in Mile Markers: 40 Intimate Journeys with Jesus.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781934233306
Publisher:	Evangel Publishing House
Publication date:	02/28/2013
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Donald E. Demaray is Emeritus Professor of Preaching at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He has also taught spiritual formation at Asbury Theological Seminary for over 20 years. Other books include Proclaiming the Truth and A Robust Ministry.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER: DAY 1

Day 1

Bread for the journey

In John 6:1-14 the Apostle John tells us this astonishing story:

Jesus crossed the Sea called Galilee, sometimes known as the Sea of Tiberias. A very large crowd walked around the lake to where Jesus and the disciples had tied up their boat. They followed Him because they had seen Him heal many people who suffered from all kinds of illnesses.

Jesus, needing to rest, went to the hills with His disciples and sat down. He looked at all the people coming toward him, and then said to Philip, "How can we get bread to feed all these people?" He asked this question to test Philip, because He already knew how to handle the challenge.

Philip's reply revealed the puzzle in his mind: "Eight months' wages earned by a worker would not buy all these people even a little bit of bread."

Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said a young fellow in the crowd had brought his lunch: two loaves of bread made out of barley, and two fish. "But," exclaimed Andrew, "what good would such a small lunch do in this situation?"

The disciples looked at Jesus in wonder when He told them to invite everyone to sit down on the lush green grass. Counting the men only, there were about 5,000 people there!

Now Jesus picked up the loaves, gave thanks to His Father for them, and then had the disciples pass the pieces of the barley bread to the people. He did the same thing with the portions of fish.

Would you believe everyone ate as much as they wanted! In fact, after all had eaten and were satisfied, Jesus asked the disciples to collect the food left over. "We do not want to waste food," He said.

The disciples followed Jesus' instructions, and filled twelve baskets.

When the people saw what Jesus had done, they exclaimed, "A prophet has come to our world!"

Dear Adam and Megan:

I grew up during America's Great Depression. At that time, my dad was teaching at a Christian college. I recall that one year his contract called for a salary of $500.00, but the college could not even pay that over the twelve months. My father preached on weekends to supplement his income for a growing family, and did a lot of his own carpentry and repair work in our house. Sometimes we had only nickels, dimes and quarters, but we never went without a meal.

More than once, our compassionate neighbors, the Johnstons, left a sack of food on our doorstep. They had served as missionaries in Africa, but evidently inherited some money. They never grew tired of sharing. The Johnstons even gave us their used car when they got a new one.

Our neighbors' bold generosity demonstrates what is truly remarkable about the feeding of the 5,000—Jesus' initiative in providing the food. That's the story of God's non-stop love for His children, made so clear over and over again in the Bible.

God's people found food along the roads (Isaiah 49:9); they did not hunger or thirst (49:10). The first verse of Isaiah 55 vibrates with the cry of the hungering heart: "…every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price" (RSV).

Psalm 111:5 assures us that God will provide food for those who fear Him, while in 37:25 an old man recalls that, during the course of his long life, he never once saw God's people begging for bread. All through the Bible God promises His children adequate food, from the first chapter of Genesis (v. 30), through the manna in the wilderness story (Exodus 16), into the Gospels (e.g., Luke 6:21) and beyond.

We all know the story of manna in the desert. How would the children of Israel get food in such a desolate place? The people, just days out of Egypt, were complaining: "We could have had all the food we wanted back in Egypt," they grumbled. The Lord promised Moses He would drop bread from heaven; that it would, in fact, "rain" down. Each day the people would gather the heavenly bread, the gift of God. They could not store the bread, however; they must get it fresh daily.

Friends, I have noticed, and you have, too, that God provides bread for our souls, as well as our bodies; that it comes in adequate supply, and that He provides fresh bread daily. That bread sustains and invigorates us, inspires and motivates us to do God's assignments. But unlike the manna, the barley loaves, and fish that lasted only for a time, we have Jesus' promise that if we feast on Him, the bread of life, we will be satisfied forever!

Sincerely and with deep appreciation for God's provision,

Don

PS: For further nourishment, read Henry Nouwen's Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith (Harper, 1997).

Table of Contents

Foreword 1

Preface — "Beginnings" 3

Acknowledgments 7

The Road Ahead 9

Mile Marker One — "I am the bread of life" 13

Day 1 Bread for the journey — John 6:1-14 15

Day 2 The bread that lasts — John 6:26-34 19

Day 3 "I am the life-giving bread" — John 6:35-40 23

Day 4 "I am the life-giving bread" (part two) — John 6:41-51 27

Day 5 "My words are spirit and life" — John 6:53-56, 60-65 31

Day 6 Hang in there! — John 6:66-71 35

Mile Marker Two — "I am the light of the world" 39

Day 7 Light for the road — John 8:12-20 41

Day 8 Walking in light and freedom — John 8:31-38 45

Day 9 You can be sure of the truth — John 8:39-59 49

Day 10 Light and deliverance — John 9:1-7 53

Day 11 Walking with patience — John 9:8-25 57

Day 12 The simplicity of light and truth — John 9:26-41 63

Mile Marker Three — "I am the good shepherd" 67

Day 13 Shepherding the sheep — John 10:1-5 69

Day 14 Voices — John 10:6-10 73

Day 15 The good shepherd — John 10:11-15 77

Day 16 Sacrifice — John 10:16-18 81

Day 17 For or against? — John 10:19-21 83

Mile Marker Four — "I am the resurrection and the life" 85

Day 18 A crisis along the way — John 11:11-15 87

Day 19 Balancing Mary and Martha — John 11:17-27 89

Day 20 Facing the reality of death—and life! — John 11:28-37 93

Day 21 "Let him go" — John 11:38-44 97

Day 22 The way of the Cross — John 11:45-53 101

Day 23 Angry people — John 11:54-57 105

Mile Marker Five — "I am the way, the truth and the life" 109

Day 24 The greatest blessing — John 14:1 111

Day 25 On the way home — John 14:2-3 115

Day 26 The way, the truth and the life — John 14:4-7 117

Day 27 Philip and Jesus — John 14:8-11 121

Day 28 "Even greater works!" — John 14:12-14 125

Mile Marker Six — "I am the true vine" 127

Day 29 Life in the vineyard — John 15:1-3 129

Day 30 Stay attached to the vine — John 15:4-5 131

Day 31 The pruning process — John 15:6-8 135

Day 32 Love, the original blessing — John 15:9-10 139

Day 33 Joy! — John 15:11 141

Day 34 Love and friendship — John 15:12-17 145

Mile Marker Seven — "I am the Son of God" 147

Day 35 Jesus at the Feast of Lights — John 10:22-42 149

Day 36 A careful look at Jesus — John 10:31-33 151

Day 37 "I am the Son of God" — John 10:34-36 153

Day 38 God with and within us! — John 10:37-39 155

Day 39 Back to where it all began — John 10:39-40 159

Day 40 The attractive life — John 10:41-42 161