Tag: following Jesus devotion

Sunday Shorts – Our Own Rules

church devotions, Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

Ordy 22BsMark 7:8 “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” (NIV)

One of the biggest things that Jesus had to contend with was the fact that some contemporary religious groups had made up their own rules and regulations about applying their faith rather than following the simple commands of God. Take the Pharisees, for instance. They had taken God’s laws about working on the Sabbath to an absurd degree so that if you had a false tooth and kept it in your mouth during the Sabbath, you were actually carrying something which was vehemently prohibited and considered to be a blasphemous breaking of God’s command. Rules like that enabled the Pharisees to consider themselves spiritually superior as they fanatically followed them; everyone else was imperfect and sinful, unworthy of God’s blessing.

When Jesus appeared, He questioned these absurdities and exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. This is why He said they were more into following and idolizing their own rules rather than humbly applying God’s commands. And the more that Jesus pointed this out, the more religious enemies He encountered. Christ was upsetting their rigid religious hold over the people by setting them free with loving commands and compassionate teaching.

Thank goodness we’re not like those absurd Pharisees, right? Wrong!

When Christians become hateful and harass others who are different, marginalized, or foreigners, they are following their own traditions rather than Jesus. When pastors preach about crushing or killing their political enemies, they are making up their own faith and have departed from Christ’s compassionate teaching. When church members support lying leaders and excuse their false statements, they have let go of the commands of God and are supporting the Father of all lies. And when Christian people embrace false conspiracies and pass on wrong untruthful messages or memes, they are worshiping absurd and dangerous ideas for which they will be judged by Jesus for their careless words and sinful statements. Being a Christian does not excuse us from being held responsible; being followers of Jesus does not pardon our prejudice. When we let go of the commands of God and hold on to human traditions, we are putting our souls in jeopardy from which only confession and repentance will be the remedy.

Point to ponder: Am I guilty of following false ways? If so, am I willing to repent?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, sometimes we think that You approve of everything we believe, say, or do. We want You to do our bidding or agree with our understanding. Reveal to us our sinful ways and help us to regrasp and apply the simple commands of loving God and one another. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sunday Shorts – Choices

church devotions, Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

Ordy 21BsJohn 6:66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

It was the lowest point in Christ’s itinerant ministry. For three years, He had traveled up and down Galilee, gathering a great number of disciples and followers through His preaching, teaching, and healing. But now things were becoming gravely serious because He was meddling in people’s lives. Jesus was also notorious to some of the authorities, and His preaching kept hitting raw nerves. On this particular occasion, Christ called His followers’ faith into question, suggesting that some among them did not believe in His ministry and mission. And what was the outcome? The scripture states it very plainly: ‘Many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.’

Christ continues to have a way of doing that same thing to Christians in our time, too. He still confronts us today, questioning our choices, demanding firm allegiance, and challenging our ways. We all want hope in our lives and a loving Savior, but we sometimes find it difficult to accept the belief baggage and lifestyle lessons that come along with our Christian faith. And for some folks, like those in today’s scripture (John 6:60-66), this is too hard to accept and apply, so they also sadly drift away from Jesus and His Church.

The good thing about this incident is that not all of the disciples abandoned Him. It was left to that good old boy, Peter, to encourage Jesus for a change. When His Savior asks the Twelve, “Will you also go away?”, the Big Fisherman gives the sweetest answer to Christ’s ears. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

Our faith journey isn’t easy and sometimes we will be discouraged or deceitful, sinful or faithless, but we shouldn’t despair. Instead, we should look at how Christianity ends. We do have a wonderful Savior and the promise of everlasting life. We have the opportunity to serve Jesus and to joyfully enter into His loving presence forever. We may feel like going away at times, but His healing words will keep drawing us back to Him to receive forgiveness and acceptance, guidance and grace. And when all is said and done, isn’t that why we placed our faith in Christ in the first place?

Point to ponder: How difficult is following Jesus for me? How can Christ help me overcome this?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we were once lost souls, whose lives had no real meaning or purpose. In Your mysterious way, You drew us towards You and helped us to give our hearts to You. Sometimes, being a Christian is very difficult and we don’t always get it right. We thank You for Your patience, forgiveness, and grace. Without them, we would perish from the Earth and have no hope. With them, we will delight in Your love forever, for You have the words of eternal life. In Your Holy Name, we gratefully pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.