Teaching devotion: Which is Easier? - Matthew 9:5

Today’s Bible readings are Isaiah 22:9-16 and Matthew 9:1-8

Matthew 9:5    Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 

Which is easier: to say, ‘I’m a Christian,’ or to actually be a Christian?

Wow! That second statement hits me right at the heart of my heart. I can say I’m a Christian all day long, but if I don’t practice what Christ preached, doesn’t that make me a hypocrite? It’s so easy to fool myself into thinking I’m a good person, doing good deeds, thinking positive thoughts and not doing anything bad, but is that just a delusion? Am I fooling myself, but not the people who know me best or the God who knows everything?

It would be very easy to point out other people who are not Christians. It would be less difficult to unlovingly label other people as outcast and strangers, hypocrites and heathens; but to honestly call myself a Christian? Is that my call to make or does Jesus do it for me?

Today has been a quiet day of self-reflection, meditation, and reconnecting with Christ. I seem to be at a spiritual crossroads where I must seriously ponder what God wants me to do with the rest of my days. I want to be totally committed to Christ, but that would involve a lot of challenges and changes. On the other hand, I want life to be easy as a church-going Christian teacher and preacher, but is that what faith is all about?

Over the years, I’ve watched Christian people of all ages fall into a religious routine that is soul-less, meaningless, and faithless. They don’t do it deliberately; it just happens day by day, week after week, year after year. They get so cozy with God and buddy with Christ that they believe everything that they say, do, or even think is okay with God and totally acceptable to Christ. That’s when it becomes easier to say, “I am a Christian,” rather than actually be one.

I don’t want to get comfy with Christ or cozy with God. I don’t want to just say “I’m a Christian,” I really want to live as one. I know it’s not going to be easy, or that the path ahead will be smooth, but I would rather walk in His ways for the rest of my days.

How about you?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, You did not promise that following You would be easy; in fact You told us to pick up our crosses and then follow You. Help all of us this day to make the right choices that please, honor, and glorify You alone. 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 or ask a question about today’s message, please send John an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest drawing. It’s called “Whale Play” and features a humpback whale surfacing on the sea. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click on the following link: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6105/6336468229_058c5a5e5d_b.jpg

Teacher Devotions: Love the Word

1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

I love the word of God as contained in the Holy Scriptures. Ever since I can remember, I have believed in its truthful teaching and eternal message. I don’t think there has ever been a time when the scriptures weren’t real to me, not even in my drunken alcoholic days. The Bible has always been God’s Holy Word and I take great joy in reading it, hearing it, and drawing strength from it.

Now please don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean that I’m a Bible Thumping, Scripture Bashing, Gospel Guru who sits on a self-righteous pedestal and guffaws at the rest of the world. I do have my arrogant and pride inflicted moments like everyone else, but basically I love God and His wisdom, as revealed to us through the Bible.

When my life was at its most self-indulgent and self-destructive, I kept going back to my Gideon’s pocketbook version of the New Testament and Psalms. Somehow the seeds of faith that my Sunday school teachers had planted in my mind and heart were never completely barren. More than thirty years later, I am in awe of what God chose to do and how He accomplished that through His words that were written thousands of years before I was born. And it’s that constant relevance of the Bible that I see enacted in people’s lives everyday that make me love God’s word even more.

So today, let us rejoice in this beautiful revelation that we call the word of God. May it always be an anchor, foundation, and basic cornerstone of our lives.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You have been revealed to humankind for thousands of years through the Holy Scriptures. Your message and ministry are still expressed, embraced, and enacted by millions of people in the world today. Thank You for such a divine, beautiful, and everlasting gift. 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, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.