Traveling Through the Promise

A Journeying through the Gospel of John and the Epistles of Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephesians.

By: Dr. Tim W Gould.

Registered With The Library Of Congress © 2024

All Rights Reserved

ISBN:

American Standard Version, ASV. It is public domain the copyright expired in 1957 and is public content.

Cover Art By: Javier Herrera

Acknowledgements

This work was hardly planned or anticipated when it began. What started as a simple desire to share God's Word with co-workers has evolved into the work we have here. As I sit down to write this, I find myself constantly thinking of the many names that have inspired, coached, influenced, and aided me. Of course, the biggest praise and honor go to our wonderful Heavenly Father, the source of making all things possible.

I do want to acknowledge a few others as well: My lovely wife, Myrt, has put up with my stories, theories, ideas, jokes, and even the occasional boo-boo for over 18 years. What man can ever succeed without the constant love of his life partner? Love ya, Tink!

Bobby Greene was a huge part of this project since he was the one who first and continually prodded me to publish our daily devotionals for others. Folks, if this work blesses you, thank him most of all. Without him and his encouragement, this work would have never seen the light of day.

Also, I want to thank the other co-workers who have encouraged me in this project: John Go Boncan, Marko Solis, Mike Ferris, and Mike Martin, to name just a few.

Special heartfelt love and gratitude go to Carlos and Martha Llanes from my job. They held to the courage of their convictions and took the bold step of proclaiming us a Faith-Based company. That step of faith opened the doors for the continued distribution of the devotionals contained in this work.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge the many people who have influenced me over the years: Rick Owen, Pastor of Pathway Church in Burleson, TX; Aaron Summers, Pastor of First Baptist Church in Crowley, TX; David Guzik with his wonderful commentaries.

There are many more, but I digress so that we can all begin our journey together.

Introduction

It started July 11, 2023 at 0803am. I sent an email to a couple of co-workers, Bobby Greene and Mike Ferris. It went something like this:

Subject: Prayer?

When you all get in and settled, why don’t we find a quiet place to have a little prayer to start the day?

Thoughts?

Respectfully,

Tim W. Gould

V.P. Compliance

Spartan Carrier Group LLC

In less than a minute, Bobby walked into my office, Bible in hand, and a big smile on his face. I wasn't expecting him so soon—I thought I’d get a reply to my email first. But there he was, grinning. "Well, you said the word 'prayer,' and I am ALL IN!" he declared.

I wasn’t quite ready, being in the middle of something, but I asked him to give me two minutes. Soon after, I scooped up my things, and as we passed Mike’s office right next to mine, he jumped up and joined us. John Go Boncan overheard what we were up to and jumped in too, and together, we all headed to the conference room in our front lobby area.

The four of us sat down together. All three were newcomers to our company. The conference room was new to us all, as we had just moved in 

from across the hall where our company, Spartan Carrier Group, was formed two years earlier. With our Grand Opening just a few days away, all of us at the table, leaders of this new venture, had the same prayer on our minds... HELP us, LORD! That day, we opened our hearts to the Father in prayer, asking Him to guide our company, to take the wheel and direct us as leaders, and to use us and this company for His will. We confessed our weaknesses, and our desire to let Him be in control. God’s presence was palpable that day. Since then, God has answered our prayers many times over.

It also sparked something new. The next day, other colleagues joined our prayer meeting. As word spread, more and more people started to join, including the owners, Carlos and Martha. Things changed in our small company that day. Since July 11, 2023, we haven’t started a workday without that prayer meeting. Our small company has become a small company church, started and sustained by God.

Having a background in theology, I had been sending out a chapter of scripture every morning via email to our employees for a few years. I chose a book of the Bible and systematically copied and pasted a chapter in order into a company email. My heart was simply to offer everyone a little Word to start their day.

After the prayer meetings began, I started adding small commentaries or clarifications to the verses I sent, thinking it might help our colleagues, many of whom were seekers and young believers, to better understand God’s Word. Our company was growing, and I thought this would aid them in their walk and discovery. This book is a compilation of those emails I sent to my coworkers. Encouraged by Bobby Greene, John Go Boncan, Marko Solis, and others in my company, they suggested finding a way to share these morning devotionals with more people. At first, I dismissed the idea, never seeing myself as qualified for such ‘high work’. But the encouragement continued until one day I felt the Holy Spirit telling me, 

"They are not saying this to promote you, but to bless others." That realization hit me hard, so I decided to humble myself and began compiling the emails.

I truly hope this work touches, encourages, corrects, inspires, and helps all who read it grow. The best part of this work isn't the commentary, but the Word of God. Open your hearts to that, and I have no doubt the journey you will take will change your life, both naturally and eternally.

– Tim

** Note to the Reader: I will from time to time add comments and helps within the Scripture itself. My comments will be in [bold, italicized and in brackets] to help you distinguish between God’s Holy Word and my own.

I will also, from time-to-time underline scripture verses to emphasis points and subject matter.

GOSPEL OF JOHN

Chapter 1

Have you ever noticed how complicated life can become? It seems the more we invent items to simplify our lives, the more complicated they get. Mankind has a real talent for complicating things. Thankfully, God noticed this too. Even in the Old Testament, He sought to simplify His relationship with mankind by giving Moses 10 straightforward commandments for Israel to follow. Yet, humanity expanded these into hundreds of rules just to adhere to the original ten.

Jesus then simplified those ten commandments into two, but since His time, hundreds if not thousands of rules have been attached to those two. We just can’t seem to stop complicating things! Mankind always feels the need to add their "moral" definitions to "assist" God. Somehow, I don’t think God needs our help.

The Gospel of John was written to help simplify as well. Composed 40 to 60 years after the crucifixion, it was a time when schisms were already forming in the church regarding who Jesus was. Was He real? An angel? Merely a man? With Gnosticism growing—a belief that all "matter" is evil and only "spirit" is divine—John wanted his Gospel to clearly assert the actuality of Jesus and His deity. John writes simply and clearly; each statement is pointed and direct. It says what it means. When read with an uncomplicated mind, this Gospel reveals truths we might never have realized before.

[ASV] The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, [Jesus] and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

[Interesting when we read the first verses of Genisis!] 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light [Jesus] shines in the darkness [the world], and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. [John the Baptist was the LAST Old Testament Prophet] 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world [Jesus], and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own [Israel, or the Jews, the promised people], but his own did not receive him.[Israel as a nation rejected Jesus and sent him to the cross] 12 Yet to all who did receive him [Individuals, Jews, Greek, whomever], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent [we are not Christian because we are American, or Israel, or white or black or because of our culture, or parents], nor of human decision [it is not even by our own intellectual choice that we become Christian] or a husband's will, but born of God. [God chooses and calls us to repentance. Therefore, none of us can BRAG it was by our wisdom that we saw the light. God reveals the light of truth in us for us to respond to Him.]

The Word Made Flesh

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. [ Jesus] We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, "This is the one I spoke about when I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' ") 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; [awareness of sin] grace and truth [salvation from sin] came through Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist Denies Being the Messiah

18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. 19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Messiah." 21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." 22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' "

24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John Testifies About Jesus

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

32 Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy  Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God's Chosen One."

John’s Disciples Follow Jesus

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"

37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are you staying?"

39 "Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).

Jesus Calls Phillip and Nathanael

43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." 44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote--Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." 46 "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.