“[Jesus said] ‘Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.’ The Jews answered Him, ‘Are we not right in saying that You are a Samaritan and have a demon?’ Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon, but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me. Yet I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks it, and He is the Judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My Word, he will never see death.'” John 8:48-51
Devotional Thought For The Day
What would you have said to Jesus if He challenged many of the beliefs and practices that you hold most dear? What if He told you to sell everything and give to the poor? What if He told you to love Him more than anyone else, even your dearest family? What if He told you to deny yourself, to take up your cross, and to follow Him no matter what happened – to love Him more than you love yourself? What if He told you that if only you keep His Word you will never see death? What if He told you to aim at perfection, never to compromise, and that when you fell short to repent and believe that He has taken away the guilt and punishment of all your sins? Would you have come to the conclusion that Jesus was unrealistic, way too idealistic, a perfectionist, and possibly demon possessed? Would you have accused Him of insanity? Would you cast these accusations directly into His face and challenge Him?
Before considering ourselves innocent of all these things and assuming that we could never think or say such things, we might want to consider the many times we have considered a teaching of Jesus and balked at it. We might want to consider things that we currently think, believe, and do that are contrary to the teaching of Jesus – and our attitude about what He instructs. We might want to think about our loyalties and the pull they have on us away from faithfulness and fulfillment of Jesus’ Word in our lives. What are we saying comparatively, about our own sanity and that of Jesus, when we conclude that it is better for us to live our own way rather than following His Word? Perhaps we are not so evil as to blatantly attribute demonic characteristics to God, but if our ways are better than His, then His must be wrong and evil. We should think very carefully about what our variances from and disagreements with the Word of Jesus reveal about the nature of our own hearts and what we really think of God.
This is the wickedness and incorrigibility of our sinful flesh, that which we have all inherited ultimately from Adam and Eve. This conflict of sin, unbelief, and misbelief, is a most basic argument: is God right, and good, or is God wrong and evil? Each time we face temptation, each time we opt between what we want and what God’s Word teaches, each time we debate the truthfulness and sanity of God’s Word, it is this same basic argument – and Jesus, Who is with us always, is right there with us, always a part of that argument. Our decisions and behaviors clearly assert what judgment we have come to about Jesus and His Word. And all too often, in many different ways, we reveal what is really in our hearts – the same judgment as the many hearers of Jesus came to, that He is the one who has a problem.
So the need for God’s constant grace, mercy, and forgiveness – and thank God that unlike our judgments, He opts for the goodness of love and continues patiently to woo us back to Himself. That is His Word as well, the Word of Jesus, calling us to understand, acknowledge, and repent of our innate sinfulness, and to receive His gracious love, His forgiveness and mercy, His promise that if we keep this Word we will never see death – and this is the most important Word for us to keep, through simple faith and trust in Jesus. Hopefully none of us concludes that this great Word of God’s gracious love is demonic or insane; to do so, in view of the reality of our sin and rebellion, truly would be insane. This is the first step in keeping Jesus’ Word, and once we have taken this step and received His gracious forgiveness and salvation, we understand the logic and sanity of receiving and keeping all of His Word – and this becomes our orientation, direction, and commitment. May our Lord Jesus grant such grace and blessing to us all!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for understanding the insanity of our sin, and for Your gracious commitment of love for us that moves You to lead us gently and patiently back into the sanity and healing of Your Word. Help us so to grasp and keep Your love so that through repentance and faith we grow in the wisdom and goodness of keeping all of Your Word. Amen.