Devotionals

15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.

Avoid, Turn, and Go. Three words we can take to heart today as we conclude this devotion. We are called to avoid things which would pull us away from the heart and kingdom of God in the world. In the Bible, the word “repent” means literally, “turn around.” To turn means to acknowledge honestly where we have erred and to turn around and go the other direction. Repentance is not an apology, it is turning. Then there is Go. What are you waiting for? Why are you sitting here? Go, get on the road. Faith is learned here, but practiced on the road as we journey. We ask God to empower us to walk the ancient, wise path of obedience. Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above! Amen. 

Bonus Devotion: This week our devotional concludes with words from the Hymn “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” which was written 1757 by Robert Robinson. Robinson was an orphan, and grew up in a street gang. One day, he and his friends were heckling a pastor giving a revival sermon, but the words stuck with him. He converted to Christianity, and immediately became a passionate and self-taught pastor. He wrote the words to Come Thou Fount to accompany a pentecost sermon, but he struggled with the church and his own personal doubts. Eventually, he left the church and ministry entirely, until one day he was riding in a stagecoach decades later and a young woman began humming “Come Thou Fount.” His comment upon hearing it is recorded as being, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.” Her response to him was to quote his own words back to him, “The streams of mercy are still flowing,” she said. This chance encounter, years after he had left faith behind, began him on the course back to God. The courses of life are long, sometimes we feel far from God, other times very close, but God never leaves us to walk that journey alone!

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said tom, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22Philip went and told Andrew, then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

I wonder what Philip and Andrew thought about these Greeks who wanted to see Jesus, perhaps judging them based on appearances? Was Jesus a curiosity to them? Had they heard about his ministry? Remember, this passage comes immediately after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem when many were celebrating the festival and Jesus’ arrival. It is likely that these Greeks were Gentiles, though scripture does not tell us, but they came to worship. In a similar way, it’s easy for us to forget that there were people, not of Jewish descent, who worshiped the living God during the time of Jesus’ ministry. This was an interesting situation developing: here was a group of non-Jews wanting to speak with Jesus at a Jewish Feast. It’s also not entirely clear why they wanted to speak with Jesus, but based upon Jesus’ answer  in the next verse, I think it’s safe to say that they wanted to chat with Him about spiritual matters. I would hope that we, as followers of Jesus, would be open to anyone and everyone who wanted to talk about Jesus – even if their point of view is radically different than our own.

Jesus answered the, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

What an odd response. Remember, up to this point, Jesus had consistently told people that “his hour had not yet come.” But here, he says that “his hour has come.” As readers, we should understand this as a reference to the time of his atoning death on the cross that Jesus knew was quickly approaching. And it is interesting the way in which Jesus speaks about the “hour” of his approaching death on the cross. He connects the hour of his death to being glorified. His humiliation in death is immediately followed by his glorious exaltation. Jesus is glorified in and through his death. If you’ve grown up around the church, you probably don’t think twice about associating Jesus’ death on the cross with him being glorified, but aren’t those things contradictory? Where else in life do we associate death as being a good thing? Normally, we think of sadness, despair, grief, and heartache as being associated with death. But that’s not the case with Jesus. Have you ever considered the true nature of these two seemingly opposing things and what it truly means for us as believers?

“Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies it bears much fruit.”

Now, in a very Jesus way, He used an analogy that the disciples could understand. After all, they were an agrarian society and very familiar with plants giving off seeds so new plants could grow. This illustration that Jesus used was fairly straightforward. He’s referring to the fact that his death is atonement for the sins of his people; His death is what gives the Christian eternal life. And notice that Jesus used present, active language. He’s not hopeful his death will produce fruit by saving the lost - He knows it will! How should this knowledge impact your life and your actions?

“Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in the world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

While at first glance this statement may seem difficult to fully grasp, I believe Jesus is asking you and me a simple question: What do we value most? If you love and value yourself, your possessions, friends, and family more than your love for God in Christ, you might miss eternity with Jesus. That’s what Jesus is referring to when he talks about loving your life. Frankly, what Jesus is saying is countercultural because we’re constantly being encouraged to think about ourselves. There are whole industries dedicated to self-help, self-love, and self-care. Individualism is one of the great guiding principles of our American society. But that’s not what Jesus calls his followers to. He calls his followers to serve their Lord above themselves and in doing so, honor God. Where are you in the spectrum of loving yourself versus loving God? What might need to change to get this relationship in the right order?

“Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it.”

This passage comes towards the end of the Sermon on the Mount. As Jesus is speaking to the crowd and his disciples, he knew what it meant to choose God over the world and thus used this analogy about wide and narrow gates. Jesus says that there are many on the path to destruction, i.e., the wide gate, but few find the path to life, i.e., the narrow gate. What this means is that the right way to walk will often contradict what most of the world is pursuing. And frankly, we want to be like our neighbors and our culture because it is easier. But this passage is similar to John’s passage about what type of choices you make in your life. The path of following Jesus is a hard, difficult road. Jesus himself says that we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33) and that we will be opposed and persecuted by the world because the world hated Jesus first (John 15:18-25). Paul writes that anyone who seeks to live a godly life will be persecuted (II Timothy 3:12-13). If you’re on the Path to Life, your life will sometimes be really hard, really painful. But in those moments of pain, the grace of God will sustain us and remind us of our destination.

“For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Think about all that Jesus taught us in these passages this week and then think about your choices in life. Choices have consequences so choose wisely.

4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 

Yesterday was Reformation Sunday. What does that mean? The word “reform” derived from Latin to mean ‘to renew or shape again.’ The German monk Martin Luther originally intended to renew the Catholic Church by getting rid of perceived corruption such as the payment of ‘indulgences’ (certificates that people could buy to gain forgiveness of their sins or those of dead relatives. Luther believed that people were saved by faith alone and that salvation was a free gift of God, not something that could be purchased. He was trying to follow the advice that Paul gave to Timothy in this letter; to correct, rebuke and encourage. However, his actions were aimed at the entire church, not just one person; the church did not agree with him, and the “Protestant Reformation” began.

3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 

The church of the early 18th century rejected Martin Luther’s proposed corrections. This is reminiscent of the pharisees response to Jesus’ teaching. They suited their own desires and continued to cling to the power that their position had given them.  And many people chose to listen to them, as for some reason it suited them better. Maybe because it was known and therefore more comfortable. They knew what they had to do; it was all laid out for them in the Law. Perhaps others - false teachers- told them what they wanted to hear. Do you think this still happens today? Do it make you feel better when a public figure says something that agrees with your own stance? Social media algorithms bank on that, regardless of your position. They feed you more information just like it, all the while focusing their ads on things you have shown interest in.

5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

Just what are the duties of your ministry? The definition of ministry is, “active, humble service to God and to other people.” This has applications not only in religion but also in government, and some governments use the term “ministry” instead of “department.” Do you know what your “ministry” requires? The Bible tells us in several places what is required.  In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind… and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39). The prophet Micah says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

4 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. 2 Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

This is a biblical prophecy of hope, restoration, and ultimate global peace. God has shown us his path, which started with the choosing of the people of Israel as the ones to bring His blessing to the world. The message was then sent out to all peoples, nations and tribes, per Jesus’ command. It has come to us, and it is up to us to continue to spread this message, the good news of the Gospels. It is our ‘ministry’ to be Jesus Christ’s representatives in the world through our words and our example. What are you doing to fulfill the duties of your ‘ministry’?

3 He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

4 Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.

There will be a day when God judges all people and all nations. All disputes between nations will be settled. People will melt down their swords and turn them into plowshares (i.e., farming equipment: implements of building for good not for destruction). Can you imagine a time with no more war? Everyone will live in peace, free from want. That is promised to us. The Lord Almighty has spoken.

5 All the nations may walk in the name of their gods,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.

What does it look like to “walk in the name of your God”? It is meant to allow God to shape your daily behavior, allegiance and moral standards. It is a statement of practical lifestyle, not just formal worship. It places your life, security and identity in God alone. 

It seems to say that other nations may still honor their own gods and live by their own standards, but the verses just preceding this one says that there will be no more war. What does that mean to you? Did that thinking apply only in the time of Micah? Or will it still be the case in the future? Will there ever be a time in which all people and nations follow the same God that we follow now? What does our God desire?