Short devotion: Fear vs Freedom John 3:16

 John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)

 We live in scary times because of all the uncertainty that we’re experiencing. We try to live our lives as normally as we can, but currently there seems to be so many setbacks that none of us can find a ‘normal’ routine. As creatures of habit, who have mostly relied upon things being stable, we find this deeply troubling and worrisome. As our worries increase, so do our fears; and as they increase, our freedom diminishes. Fear is the opposite of freedom – why? Because fear imprisons us.

 Freedom, however, is not the right to do what we want and act recklessly – that’s actually foolishness. Freedom is the God-given ability that human beings have to do the right thing at the right time, and not to do what we want just because we desire it. Sadly, so many people mistake selfishness for freedom and confuse their rights with their faith. Christ used His faith and freedom to save the world which involved sacrifice, humility, and love, so shouldn’t we as Christians be willing to show and do the same?

 God didn’t have to send Jesus into the world to become the cure for our sins, but love compelled Him.

 Jesus didn’t have to give up His life to grant us forgiveness, but our freedom required it.

 We don’t have to care for one another, but faith expects it, so we, who call ourselves ‘Christian’, should be at the forefront of doing what we can for others, not just for ourselves. If we are more concerned about our individual rights than the common good, then we need to get back to the Cross and look up at Jesus and ask ourselves this: what rights did He give up to fix our wrongs?

 Prayer: Lord Jesus, release us from fear by showing us the freedom that love provides. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

 John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to see what’s happening at the church, please visit the website at www.erinpres.org.

 Today’s image is one of John’s drawings called “Son Set.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click here: Son Set.

It Makes Me Wonder - Genesis 22:14

Genesis 22:14  “So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” (NIV)

            I like to see people enjoying their families, whether it is at church, in a park, or even on Facebook. To look at the delight and love that parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts bestow upon children of all ages are wonderful gifts and they make me happy to be in the world today. I grew up in poverty and experienced some very sad circumstances, but the best of my memories from childhood are of those times and moments of joy, happiness, and love that my parents, relatives, and siblings shared.

            I find the biblical story of Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac in Genesis 22 very difficult to embrace and comprehend. I’m thankful for the happy ending, but I’m troubled by the unquestioning devotion Abraham gives to God. It seems like uncontrolled religious fanaticism to me and I wonder how that strange and bewildering moment affected the future relationship between father and son. The fact that we don’t have many events recorded about Isaac’s later life, as compared to both Abraham and Jacob, makes me think that Isaac could have been a very subdued and introverted person due to the emotional trauma he experienced by almost being sacrificed by his dad.

            I know that the story appears to be a scriptural precursor and dramatic prophecy of Christ’s sacrificial crucifixion at Calvary, with God and Jesus filling the roles of Abraham and Isaac respectively, but even that doesn’t diminish the perplexity I feel about the original Abrahamic episode. It does, however, leave me with a healthy repugnance of religious fundamentalism of any faith on Earth, which can tragically mutate into an inhumane cruelty and even insanely justify killing other people in the name of God.

Point to ponder

How do I display my faith to my family?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, help us to receive God’s work of salvation as described in the Bible, even when some things and events really mystify us. Keep us faithful to Your ministry on Earth, but protect us from becoming over-zealous and unloving. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s Good Friday drawings called “Redeemer.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Redeemer.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. You can read the church website at www.erinpresbyterian.org. The congregation would be delighted to see you at our Sunday worship services at 11:00 AM or at any other time. J

Free Daily Devotions: No Man - Psalm 49

Psalm 49:7      No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him.

For most of his life, my father was an agnostic. He wasn’t sure if God existed and part of his stumbling block to faith was in accepting that Jesus was actually the Son of God. He was willing to concede that Christ was a deeply spiritual person and a great moral teacher. He just couldn’t grapple intellectually that Jesus was more than a mere man. In the end, however, when he was dying from cancer, he let go of this struggle and allowed Christ into his heart.

Lots of people wrestle with Christ’s divinity. Like my Dad, they’re willing to picture Christ as a religious and philosophical leader, but they doubt Christian claims that He was, is, and always will be the Holy Son of God. They believe that His crucifixion and death were final, proving that Jesus was only human after all.

But the Cross actualizes Christ’s divinity for me through the prophecy that is proclaimed in today’s verse. Hundreds of years before the Crucifixion, the sons of Korah prophetically sang: “No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him”

No man, no mere human being could redeem the life of another; but Jesus, who is both human and divine, could bring about this redemption and give the ransom for the whole world!

If anybody else had gone to the Cross at Calvary, redemption would never have occurred. Only Christ’s sacrifice could completely save humanity. Anyone else’s death would have been insignificant; any other sacrifice would have been merely superficial.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, without Your miraculous entrance into the world, we could never have truly known God. Without Your sacrificial exit on the Cross, we could never know the joy of redemption. We praise You for being fully human and fully divine. You are the Holy Son of God, the Lord of all Creation, and Only Savior of the World. Amen!

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