Tag: John 15:13
BibleTrek 2026–911 Faith Responders
Week 1–Day 1 Dear fellow First Responders and disciples of Jesus,
Welcome to 2026! I have worked as a pastor for nearly forty years and have worked with many first responders during that time. I began my ministry at Glad Tidings (now Good News) church in Omaha, Nebraska where I worked initially part time visiting the sick in hospitals and homes. I was invited by the Chaplain of Good News jail and prison ministry, Morris Jackson, to do a weekly class in the Douglas County Correction Center. This involved weekly entrance into the jail and spending time there with inmates who had volunteered to attend the life learning program of the ministry. I got to know them and their corrections officers and learn how to cooperate with our Lord to help those incarcerated.
During my time as a pastor, I often visited the incarcerated, helped those returning from jail to reintegrate into society, and ministered to first responders who were a part of our church family. In Owensboro, Kentucky, where I pastored for 14 years, a local police officer invited me to interview with the police chief to become a volunteer chaplain for the city police. I enjoyed doing that for over ten years along with pastoring a church. I would take time to regularly ride along with officers and experience their world. I would be on call for difficult situations like suicides or hostage cases. I regularly visited the county jail and helped recruit a full time Good News chaplain who organized weekly services for the over seven hundred inmates. I became friends with the jailer and many of the corrections officers.
For the past eight years I have served as a chaplain and firefighter with the Rock Creek Fire Department in Jefferson County, Kansas. The men and women that I am serving with and have served with are dedicated, hard-working, and willing servants of those that are hurting and in need. They choose to volunteer and place themselves in harms way as they help others. They experience physical dangers and sometimes emotional and spiritual threats that they need to process and overcome. They deserve our thanks as well as our prayers, encouragement and support.
I am dedicating this year to write devotions for those who serve as first responders. These devotions are meant to help all believers to more fully cooperate with our Lord Jesus, the ultimate example of God’s loving response to sinful man’s deepest need. “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12-13 My desire is to see all first responders become ‘faith responders’, willingly answering those ‘911’ calls of those in need following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In His Service, Chaplain John Morse
The message of the cross
Scripture reading for November 21: 1st Corinthians 1-6
To educated people, Christ and the cross seems to be a foolish idea. It doesn’t make sense to the natural mind trained to trust senses, self, and science. It is not logical or even believable to many who have college degrees and have embraced modern secular humanism. To these people, religion is fine, but the cross is offensive! They are strong enough to handle life by themselves. But God chose the foolish things of this world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong! (1st Corinthians 1:27)
The message of the cross is a message of God’s wrath against sin. God has decreed that the soul that sins must die. (Romans 6:23) Jesus Christ took the wages of man’s sin upon Himself and was beaten, mocked, spit upon, ridiculed, and crucified as a common criminal. Isaiah says that we considered Him “stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4) The punishment that we deserved fell upon Him and by His stripes we are healed! (Isaiah 53:5) God’s wrath was directed against His own Son, that we might be free from that wrath! (2nd Corinthians 5:21)
The message of the cross tells of God’s love for us who are made in His image. God Himself being willing to send His only Son to earth to die in our place tells the greatest love story ever told! “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) He demonstrated His love for us in that Christ died for us while we were yet sinners! (Romans 5:8) God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on Him would not perish, but have eternal life! (John 3:16)
The message of the cross demands repentance and faith. We must turn from our self-centered ways and look to Jesus Christ for salvation and forgiveness of sin. This message is the power of God for salvation to those who will believe! (Romans 1:16-17) “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, Who has become for us Wisdom from God–that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1st Corinthians 1:30)
We must be humble to receive this message of the cross. It is foolishness to those who claim worldly wisdom. It is weakness to those who think themselves strong. It is an offense to our intellect and strength, but it is God’s wisdom for the humble! Oh how I love the cross and the One who gave His life for me!