Lara Howard

Words in Red | John 11

February 2, 2026 By Lara Howard

This week’s suggested reading: John 11

This week’s question(s) to ponder: How does fear of man show up in your life? How does the fear of death affect you?

When emotions rise, purposefully pause.

I’ve always thought that John 11:6 was kinda funny. Not in a comedic way. But it’s so opposite of what I would expect to read in the second half of the verse. The verse begins with, “So, when he (Jesus) heard that Lazarus was ill…” (John 11:6a)

What would you expect to read after that first part of the sentence, especially since we just read that Jesus loved and had a personal friendship with Lazarus? Personally, I would think the next part would read something like, “he went with haste to heal him.” Or something along those lines. But instead the text reads, “he (Jesus) stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” What the what?

In my commentary on John 7, I noted, “God’s timing is not our timing. But he’s always on time.” And that remains true in John 11 (and everywhere else always). We see that Jesus doesn’t bow to the worldly pressures of time. He doesn’t react in fear or haste. Instead, he moved on the Father’s timetable.

Obviously we’re not Jesus. But he has empowered us, by his Spirit, to learn to walk more in step with the Father’s timing. And one key way I’ve learned to do that (far from perfectly), is by inserting a purposeful pause in my life, especially when my emotions may be shouting at me.

When our emotions run high, it’s easy to make quick, and sometimes foolish, decisions. That’s why a purposeful pause can help us gain God’s perspective. What is a purposeful pause? Great question. A purposeful pause is choosing not to react out of extreme emotion, instead we pause to first take that emotion to God. We spend time talking to him. We spend time reading his Word. We spend time meditating on his character and his promises. Then we ask for wisdom to know how to react in our situation.

Sometimes he may lead us to boldly speak. And sometimes he may lead us to shut our pretty little mouth. But either way, a purposeful pause can give him space to speak and us ears to hear.

Jesus did not fear man.

Jesus did not fear man. Jesus does not fear man. Jesus will never fear man. Jesus is the Son of God. He is King. And he came to earth, out of love, to rescue mankind from our own demise. He doesn’t fear man.

John 11:7-8 says, “Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ 8 The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?'”

The disciples feared man. They feared the Jews who were seeking to stone Jesus. They even thought they would die with him if they went to Judea. (see John 11:16) But Jesus did not fear man because there was nothing that man could take from him…not even his life.

Which leads me to my next point…

An earthly death cannot separate us from Christ.

We as Jesus followers desperately need to get to the place where we deeply believe this truth. I’m preaching to myself, too. We can get so comfortable here on planet Earth with our retirement plans and constant stream of activities that we forget the eternal. On the other hand, like my daddy used to say, “Some people can get so heavenly focused, they’re of no earthly good.” Some can get so focused on a future heaven, they forget that God’s kingdom has implications now.

I believe Jesus wants to stretch his followers to the place where we don’t live in fear of earthly death, in order that we’d be free to live boldly for him on this planet even if it costs us our physical lives.

This world is not our ultimate home. It’s just not. But it is the backdrop for God’s unfolding story. You and I are living in a brief moment in time on God’s eternal timeline. And he chose you and me to be on this planet right now. It’s in this world, in our brief moments here, where we’re called to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, even if that may mean the ultimate sacrifice. Lord, help us.

The stronghold of our final enemy angered Jesus.

It’s become a bit of a joke. Someone asks, “What’s your favorite Bible verse?” And the smarty pants teenager who can’t remember many verses shouts out, “Jesus wept.” I get it. It’s short and easy to remember. But I’ll be honest. Until I started writing this series, I never really sat down to truly understand this short but powerful verse. Let’s look at it in context. (I’m bolding the text I want to emphasize.)

“33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ 37 But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?’38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.” (John 11:33-38)

On first read, one might assume that Jesus was deeply moved and wept because maybe he had compassion on those mourning, or maybe he was sad that Lazarus had died. In fact, that’s what the onlooking Jews thought. (see John 11:36) But how often in the book of John have the onlooking Jews rightly understood Jesus’ intention? (I’ll answer that: rarely, if ever.)

What’s really interesting is that the Greek word translated “deeply moved” actually means “to snort with anger; to have indignation; to sigh with chagrin.” (see Strong’s Concordance, G1690) And the Greek word translated “greatly troubled” actually means “to stir or agitate.” (see Strong’s Concordance, G5015)

Based on the original text and the whole of this chapter, I believe anger fueled Jesus’ tears. Yes, he loved Lazarus. Yes, he had compassion on the mourners. But I believe the final enemy of mankind, a.k.a. death, angered him in that moment. And he then gave us a glimpse of his ability (and plan) to conquer it once and for all.

John 11:43-44 says, “When he (Jesus) had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’ 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.'”

Listen, death is extremely painful. I’ve walked through the death of my dad. I’ve walked through the death of a dear friend. And it deeply deeply hurts. It takes our breath away. It feels like time should stop, like everyone should pause to feel the weight of our world’s loss. And I know from Scripture, and from experience, that God tenderly, compassionately meets us in times of grief to minister comfort to us in ways that only he can.

But death is not the winner. Death does not have the final say. Jesus is greater than death. He defeated death. And one day, when he returns, the sting of death will be no more.

Disclaimer: Words in Red is a devotional blog series created for personal reflection and spiritual encouragement. All writing is original and created solely by the author, Lara Howard—AI was not used in the development of this content. All content in this series is copyrighted and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without written permission. © Think True Things

Words in Red | John 10

January 26, 2026 By Lara Howard

This week’s suggested reading: John 10

This week’s question to ponder: A few times in John 10, Jesus references the “voice” that his sheep listen to, namely his. So it caused me to pause and really ask myself, which “voices” am I listening to? Every “voice” comes with bias. Every “voice” flows from a place of belief. So now I pose the question to you, which “voices” are you listening to most? Do those voices reflect the heart of the Father? (If not, it may be time for some new voices.)

Jesus healed the blind man in John 9. Then he continued his conversation with the Pharisees in John 10. Here are my two big takeaways.

Jesus' words divide.

Once again we see Jesus’ words and actions cause great division among the people, specifically among the religious elite. They all heard the same words. They all saw the same miracles. They all witnessed the same displays of God’s love and power. Yet we see the crowd come to very different conclusions as to who Jesus was and why he came to Earth. The religious elite – those who claimed to know God best and most – called Jesus a liar and a hypocrite. Others called him “Lord.”

So why the division?

How could so many people hear and see the same things, yet come to such drastically different conclusions about the character of Jesus? Well, setting aside the sovereignty of God and the election of man (which can be deep, dark rabbit holes too big for our purposes today), the simplest explanation is the hurdle of “underlying personal bias.”

Humans hear and perceive information through the lens of underlying personal bias. It’s just how it is. It’s why even today as I type this post, those who say they follow Jesus are coming to drastically different opinions on the political and social issues of our day. Why? Well, partly because we all come to the table with underlying personal bias that can sway our perception of reality.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day thought they had everything neatly defined. They had their laws neatly defined. They had the consequences to disobedience neatly defined. They had God neatly defined, or so they thought. But like I said in my commentary on John 9, God inevitably busts out of any box we try to place him in.

So what can we learn so that we don’t make similar grave mistakes like the religious elite in Jesus’ day? When I drill it down to the very bottom, one of the biggest things I think we need to learn from the rejection of Jesus by the religious elite: humility.

To follow Jesus means being willing to say, “I don’t know.” “I made a mistake.” “I thought I understood, but I don’t think I do.” “I was wrong.” It means being willing to say, “Lord, grace me with your vision in this situation. Reveal to me the hurdle of my personal bias. Show me if I’m following a voice that conflicts with yours.”

Otherwise, pride will lead to our downfall.

Jesus gives. Evil takes.

In John 10:10-11 we read Jesus’ words, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Steal. Kill. Destroy. That’s the work of evil. Evil cares not for the soul of man. Evil tries to take what isn’t its to take. Evil tries to kill what threatens its sense of power. Evil tries to destroy any reflection of God. Evil takes.

But Jesus gives. He gives life to the dead. He gives hope to the desperate. He gives healing to the sick. He gives forgiveness to the broken. He gives peace in the chaos. He gave himself on a cross as a sacrifice for you and for me. Jesus gives.

As we look on the landscape of today, evil still steals, kills, and destroys. And Jesus still sacrificially gives, powerfully leads, and radically loves. But do you know how Jesus does that today in this very broken world? Through the hands and feet of those who follow him. May it be so.

Disclaimer: Words in Red is a devotional blog series created for personal reflection and spiritual encouragement. All writing is original and created solely by the author, Lara Howard—AI was not used in the development of this content. All content in this series is copyrighted and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without written permission. © Think True Things

Words in Red | John 9

January 19, 2026 By Lara Howard

This week’s suggested reading: John 9

This week’s question to ponder: This week we’re going to use our imaginations. There are a number of “characters” in John 9: the blind man, his parents, the Jewish leaders, and Jesus’ disciples. If you had to insert yourself into this story, based upon where your faith is right now, who do you think you would be, and why? This is meant to spark internal reflection and lead to times of personal prayer with our good God.

We cannot assume we know the why behind all suffering.

Humans love to draw really straight lines of explanation when we see suffering around us. We like to define the why. Maybe it’s because we’re insecure. Maybe it’s because we’re proud. Maybe it’s because we’re judgmental. Whatever the motive, we like it. “As he (Jesus) passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?'” (John 9:1-2)

Jesus’ response shows us that the why isn’t that simple. “Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.'” (John 9:3-5)

Yes, sinful choices lead to consequences. It’s the nature of being a human in this world. And every parent knows this all too well. If I say to my child – because I love my child and I don’t want him to get hurt – “Don’t touch the stove. It’s hot. It will burn you.” But then my child chooses to touch the stove anyway. My child will get burned. It’s the consequence to touching the hot stove. Straight line of explanation.

But if we flip the scenario around, just because we see a burn on Johnny’s hand doesn’t necessarily mean that Johnny sinned. There could be a wide range of explanations as to how he got what looks like a burn on his hand. And based upon Jesus’ response, we learn that sometimes suffering is a pathway for God to show his strength, grace, and power in and through us.

There’s a famous poem called “The Thorn” by Christian poet Martha Snell Nicholson that completely obliterated what I thought I knew about suffering when I first read it years ago. It still overwhelms me even today. Ms. Nicholson suffered decades of debilitating pain from a number of diseases that rendered her an invalid. Yet listen to her explanation of her unimaginable earthly pain.

I stood a mendicant of God before His royal throne And begged him for one priceless gift, which I could call my own. I took the gift from out His hand, but as I would depart I cried, “But Lord this is a thorn and it has pierced my heart. This is a strange, a hurtful gift, which Thou hast given me.” He said, “My child, I give good gifts and gave My best to thee.” I took it home and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore, As long years passed I learned at last to love it more and more. I learned He never gives a thorn without this added grace, He takes the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face.

"The Thorn" by Martha Snell Nicholson

[Woah]

We can’t assume we know why someone suffers. Yes, there are times we suffer simply because of our stupid choices. I can call them “stupid choices” because I’ve made so many of them over the years. But regardless of the why behind our suffering, we have a God who can take our suffering and reveal himself – his love, his power, and his peace – to us through our suffering in ways this world cannot explain. Sometimes that means a miraculous healing visible for all to see. And sometimes that means a powerful, intimate sustaining of our body and soul in the midst of suffering that this world could never fully explain or take away.

Fear of man can cripple our testimony.

Fear of man can creep up in nearly all of us at times. It often shows itself when we go along with something that we don’t actually agree with. Maybe we stay silent instead of speaking up. Maybe we lie or reframe a scenario. But at it’s root, fear of man means we’re afraid of being rejected or harmed by someone, or some group, that we admire, value, or honor, so instead we modify our words or actions in efforts to avoid the rejection.

Back in the John 9 text we read, 18 “The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ 20 His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.’ 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’)” (John 9:18-23)

The blind man’s parents feared the Jews’ reaction. So they deflected. The didn’t testify to what Jesus had done. Instead, in fear, they punted the question to their son to answer. And personally, I think they probably missed a blessing.

One day years ago when I was working out at the gym, an old worship song from my playlist came through my headphones. The song talked about how God adopts us into his family and calls us his child. It had me all undone right there on the treadmill to the point that I felt that God wanted me to encourage someone right there in the gym with this concept of his fatherly love for them.

I proceeded to have an internal debate, “Surely that’s not what God said. I’m sure everyone here is fine. Chill, Lara.” Then I walked into the women’s only area to lift some weights and saw a woman with the word heavenly embroidered on her sweatpants across her bum. “Lord, you’re kidding me, right? You want me to tell heavenly bottoms?” So with slight internal resistance, I started walking towards her…and then I quickly chickened out. “She’s going to think I’m crazy, Lord. I don’t want her to feel weird.” I proceeded to walk right passed her…and I immediately felt deflated.

I went into the locker room to change clothes and continued with my internal battle of feeling terrible for staying silent. “Lord, if you give me another chance I’ll tell her,” I silently prayed. And would you believe, as I turned the corner, the only woman standing in the locker room was heavenly bottoms looking at a flyer on the mirror?! So I said, “Hey, this may sound strange, but I think I’m supposed to tell you how much God loves you. He sees you. He knows you. He is your father. And he hasn’t forgotten you.” Her eyes welled up with tears as she choked out a quiet thank you.

Believe me. I don’t tell you that story to pat myself on the back. I tell you because there have been many many times that I’ve stayed silent out of fear when I know God is leading me to speak out. Many times. But one thing I have learned the older I get, when I allow the fear of man to keep me silent, I miss a blessing. How do I know? Because when I do testify to the love and power of God, in spite of any fear of man, God always meets me there.

Get ready. Buckle up. God will bust open the box we try to put him in.

“They (the Jews) said to him (the blind man), ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ 27 He answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’ 28 And they reviled him, saying, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ 30 The man answered, ‘Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’ 34 They answered him, ‘You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?’ And they cast him out.” (John 9:26-34)

We like to think we have God all figured out. We like to think we can define him so that he fits perfectly in our box. But God’s thoughts aren’t our thoughts. His ways aren’t our ways. We’re literally living in a moment of time on an eternal continuum that the God of the universe is outside of. There’s never been a moment that he hasn’t existed. There will never be a moment that he won’t exist. Yet in an effort to understand him, and possibly try to control him, we take the things he reveals about himself and try to neatly stuff him in our box of understanding. Until one day he busts it wide open.

The Jews of the time thought they had God neatly defined. They had their laws. They had their traditions. They had their understanding. Yet the coming of Jesus completely busted that box wide open. And sadly, many rejected him because Jesus didn’t fit in their box. Or maybe they didn’t want him to fit.

God gave us his Word as a guide. He sent his Son to save us. He puts his Spirit within us to lead and convict.

But he cannot be fully defined. Because he’s God.

In the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, there’s a scene where Mr. Beaver explains the character of God, depicted as Aslan the lion, to Susan.

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion,” said Mr. Beaver.
“Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion…”
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Our God may not be able to be fully defined. He definitely cannot be controlled. He will bust out of every earthly box we try to fit him in. But he’s good. He’s love. And he can be trusted, even when we don’t fully understand what’s up ahead.

Words in Red | John 8

January 12, 2026 By Lara Howard

This week’s suggested reading: John 8

This week’s question to ponder: Think of a time when you personally deserved judgment, but you received grace. Then ask yourself, how might I show grace to someone who “deserves” judgment?

John 8 begins with a section of Scripture that wasn’t in John’s original manuscript. John 7:53-8:11 started showing up in the manuscripts closer to the 4th and 5th centuries. Why? Most likely this section was a story about Jesus that got passed down through oral tradition, eventually added to the written manuscripts. That said, it’s a powerful display of Jesus’ grace and truth. So let’s dig in.

Beware. God's law is love.

Picture the scene. Jesus is teaching in the temple when the religious leaders bring a woman, who was “caught in the very act of committing adultery,” to the center of the room. They make her stand there in front of everyone as they ask Jesus if they should stone her like the law of Moses commanded. “This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him.” (John 8:6)

But Jesus doesn’t answer their question. He doesn’t say, “Yes, you should stone her. That’s what the law says, so let’s do it.” Instead, he bends down and writes something in the dirt. Then they keep questioning him until he replies, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7b)

He then bends down and writes in the dirt again. We don’t know what he wrote but it must have been something pretty powerful. Then they go away, leaving Jesus and the woman. Jesus asks her, “‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.'” (John 8:10-11)

Lemme tell you. Humans love to be right. We looooooove to be right. We all love a good “I told you so” moment, even if we keep it inside ourselves. It just feels good to our pride. And these religious leaders loved to be right. They essentially held up the law and pointed, “See! Shame on her! According to the law she deserves to die!”

But remember, Jesus didn’t come to condemn. (See the post for John 3) We’re already condemned apart from Jesus because we can’t possibly obey God’s holy law perfectly. We just can’t. So we’re already condemned before a holy God – me, you, our neighbors, our pastors, this woman, the Pharisees, and everyone else who has ever lived on the planet. That’s why we need an intervention.

Jesus came to fulfill the law, not destroy it. He came to redeem us from the consequences of our sins. He literally came on a rescue mission for mankind. The law reveals our sin. Jesus came to pay the price for our sin by dying in our place. It’s miraculous. So when we use “the law” as a means to shame others or prove ourselves right, we’re truly missing the point.

“13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.” (Galatians 5:13-15)

People like to hold up laws and shout, “See! She’s wrong! Now kill her!” People especially like it if they feel it’s justified by God. But if you and I call ourselves Jesus followers, we must take this as a warning. We must be careful that we do not hold up the letter of the law in efforts to condemn another, while missing the purpose and spirit of the law. Because the spirit of God’s law is love.

It's possible to deceive ourselves into thinking we know God, when we don't.

The remainder of chapter 8 details a conversation between Jesus and the Jews in the temple. And bottom line, many could not see Jesus for who he was. They claimed to be God’s children, evidenced by their fervor to uphold the law and all of the religious things they did. Yet Jesus exposed what was actually happening in their hearts.

“Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God, and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.'” Ouch.

Jesus boldly addressed those who claimed to be children of God yet didn’t believe Jesus’ words. And in this text, Jesus goes so far as to say that their father was actually the devil, the father of lies. This had to have been highly highly offensive to their religiosity.

Here’s the thing. The “father of lies” still works in the world today. He still deceives and leads astray. The bible describes him as a “lion seeking whom he can devour” with lies. (See 1 Peter 5:8) And just because we say we follow Jesus, doesn’t make us immune to his lies. In fact, it may even make us more of a target.

That’s why it’s vital that we spend time with Jesus. It’s vital that we sit with his words and look closely at his actions. It’s vital that we prayerfully sift our thinking through the teachings of Christ to see if (and when) we too are believing lies. Because the warning remains: we as humans can be deceived into thinking we know God when we don’t. And y’all, that’s truly sobering.

In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says, “21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Just because we do a bunch of things “in his name” doesn’t mean we know him. Just because people that lead us do a bunch of things “in his name” doesn’t mean they know him. The invitation from Jesus is simple: believe in Me and you will be saved. And the fruit that will grow in our lives from believing in him is love.