Daily Devotions: The Joy of Jesus - 1 John 3:13

Ecclesiastes 1:3           What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?

1 John 3:13                  Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

Being a Christian in today’s world, even in the Church, is not easy. There are so many voices telling us that our faith is outdated, our beliefs have no relevance, and our devotion to Christ is deluded. The world wants to walk its own way and do its own thing; it does not need to be hampered by honesty, obstructed by obedience, or kept back by Christianity. The followers of Christ have had their moment in the sun; now it’s time for 21^st century people to make their mark and joyfully jettison Jesus.

Make no mistake about this: the world hates Christianity because our faith confronts evil and challenges sinful choices. The Gospels constantly tell us that we live to please God, whereas the world constantly demands that we live to please ourselves. In the world’s eyes, preachers are party-poopers and disciples are demonized. The Bible is a cosmic joke book and the scriptures are not sacred anymore. The world, the flesh, and the devil have infiltrated the Church, so that we are no longer People of the Book or Servants of the Kingdom. We have become citizens of the world and demi-gods of our own making.

Jesus told us that this would happen. In His parable of the sheep and the goats, He warned His followers of the Judgment to come. And with regard to the End Times, Christ told His people of a terrifying moment when two people would be together; one would be taken into glory and the other left behind. If we dismiss this as being irrelevant or put it to the back of our minds, we will never be ready for when that awful time comes. We will be left behind.

Christianity is a hard faith to follow. It takes a great deal of perseverance and discipline, as well as a whole lot of devotion and dedication. When we get it right, we live an abundant life and center our choices on God. When we get it wrong, we merely exist and doom our souls to destruction.

That’s why we need Christ as our Savior. We don’t need to hide from Him because we can confess our mistakes, re-direct our ways, and receive His grace. The joy of Jesus is this: while we were yet sinners and enemies of God, He died for us so that we might be forgiven and restored to God’s everlasting love.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, we are sometimes tempted to capitulate and give up on the basics of our faith. The world constantly pressurizes us into conforming to its ways. Give us the strength to persevere in the face of cultural adversity, and grant us the courage to remain faithful to Your ways and words. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s drawing is John’s latest picture called “Boston Bound.” It is a crayon drawing of the Boston skyline from the Bay area. If you would like to view a larger version, please visit the following link:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6143/5948796658_990048bfef_b.jpg

4 Minute Devotions: Shaky Ground

Religulous the movie paints a picture of Christians being weak minded and simple. Bible stories often excite us as children, but when we become adults we realize that there’s more to the story than meets the eye. The wise man who built his house upon the rock deserves a second look.

Podcast version here

Matthew 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

It was one of the first kids’ choruses that I ever learned as a child: The wise man built his house upon the rock. I can remember learning all of the actions and eagerly anticipating the end when all of the Sunday school kids were allowed to make an almighty noise as the foolish man’s house came tumbling down. It was a great way to teach one of Christ’s most popular stories and I still occasionally teach it to the children in our church.

I thought I knew the story really well, but when I looked at the passage as an adult, I realized there was more to meet the eye. Jesus is talking about obedience, not faith. He is not talking about believing in Him, He’s telling people to do what He says. That’s a big difference and it’s something that a lot of people have difficulty with.

In these turbulent days, when the institutionalized church is trying to become more culturally acceptable and universally palatable, our denominations are losing their foundations. Instead of following Christ and fulfilling His words, we are more into pursuing the world and validating our own opinions. We seek to be liked by the world, instead of being faithful to Christ. We diminish our beliefs in order to be accepted. We no longer have a sure foundation; we’re standing on shaky ground and will end up collapsing in a heap of our own undoing.

The parable, which we tend to set aside as a good children’s story, is one of those “in your face” moments that Jesus often uses to challenge us. The message is quite clear: we either walk His talk or we can say goodbye to God’s Kingdom. I don’t know about you, but rather than listen to the voices of modern, multi-cultural, progressive, one world universalists, I would rather hear the clear and truthful voice of Christ across the centuries. It might seem outdated and paltry to some people, but it’s eternal and priceless to me.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, when the world says, “Jump!” Christians don’t ask “how high?” When You say, “Follow Me,” we reply “Yes, Lord.” Keep us from capitulating and casting aside our allegiance to You. Help us to accept and apply Your words, even although it may cost us popularity, privileges, and profits. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.