Weekly Devotion

Considering his articulate and thorough writing, I’m surprised he never spelled out his problem. As with many lessons the Bible teaches us, the whys, whens, and hows don’t matter as much as thank you and I will.

It’s a window straight to our hearts. When impatient, we demonstrate to God and everyone else, “I’m more important than you. I come first. I know better. I trust myself more than you.”

Well, I wonder why Jesus spoke about loving others so often. One answer comes to mind: By loving others, we show the spirit of Christ within us. Forgiving others reflects the state of our hearts and the abundance of Jesus Christ in our lives.

We often make a big deal about what we like and what we don’t — but as long as the focus is on the Grace and Salvation from our Savior, and we glorify God, we shouldn’t sweat some of the details.

Every day is different. Some days, I spend more time exploring Scripture, while others, it’s all about my prayers. A common expression amongst Christians and non-Christians is to say, “I’ll pray for you.”

The immediate, “who cares” feel-good reward of pleasure overpowers any consideration of the consequences of that behavior. This includes gossip or lustful thoughts to committing violent crimes.

When I read the Bible, I must remind myself that it’s written from God’s perspective, not mine. The messages in God’s word are there for me to bear fruit to advance God’s kingdom, not my own.

We often get too religious when nothing we do, say, or think earns God’s favor. We don’t earn His love. No matter how observant and dutiful we are when, the heart of our worship isn’t centered solely on God, it’s shallow and hollow.

From our vantage point, time is either too long or too short. Time only matters to us. From God’s perspective, time is irrelevant.

Paul didn’t know it yet, but this encounter blinded him. His physical blindness was a direct message from Christ about Paul’s spiritual blindness.