Saturday Reading: John 5 39-44
Key Verse: John 5 44
44 How can you believe, you who receive honour from one another and do not seek the honour that comes from God only?
Key Verse: John 5 44
44 How can you believe, you who receive honour from one another and do not seek the honour that comes from God only?
Devotion:
I am amazed at how often the Jews are held up as an example of people who try to make their own way to heaven. This is not a dig at the Jewish people, rather an eye-opener for anyone who thinks in a similar way. Basically, just because you go to church or have a bible or even read it, does not mean that you will get to heaven. In the same way, just because I read a book about recycling everything, it does not make me green!
I am amazed at how often the Jews are held up as an example of people who try to make their own way to heaven. This is not a dig at the Jewish people, rather an eye-opener for anyone who thinks in a similar way. Basically, just because you go to church or have a bible or even read it, does not mean that you will get to heaven. In the same way, just because I read a book about recycling everything, it does not make me green!
To take the example about being green a step further. Just because I separate my paper, glass and plastic from the other rubbish, it does not make me worthy of being called a “recycler”. I have to go that one step further and make sure that each of the items that I have identified as “recyclable” gets to go to the right place. It would not do me much good by separating everything and then putting all of them out for a single lorry to come along and collect them all into the same bin!
Just because I read my bible, it does not mean that I believe it. I have a whole lot better chance at understanding God's Word by reading it... but there are many scholars who may know the bible better than I do, but refuse to believe it! Jesus was talking with the Jews and encouraging them to think about what they were reading. At school I could never learn anything parrot-fashion and simply spill it all out again for a test, I had to try and understand things and apply them before I would remember things – probably why it took me so long to do any learning! But that is what God wants us to do – to read His Word and understand it. To then apply it in our lives in the way that it is written and not how we think fit. The truth is there! We just have to read it and understand it and apply it! Getting help from others to discuss and meditate over Gods Word helps us all...
Points to Ponder:
Do you find learning easy?
Do you apply God's Word in your life?
Do you find learning easy?
Do you apply God's Word in your life?