Devotion: John 5:39-40
What keeps you from believing that Christ is the true Messiah? Or putting your whole faith in Him? It is hard to think that He came to take our sins away freely. We look at our lives and see how we are, how sinful we are, and think He could not have done that for me.
Other people may look at Christians, or the church and remember a time when they were hurt by Christians, and think, there isn’t really a God, or that Christianity is a sham. They see church leaders who have done sinful things. they see abuse from the very people who proclaim Christ in their lives.
Jesus directly confronts the religious Jews who were opposing Him, who were unwilling to come to Him for eternal life (5:40). He asks them rhetorically later, (5:44), “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God?”
Do we seek things from this earth instead of from God? We put all of our time and effort into things here and now, and very little effort into things of God, which is also here and now. It comes from pride. Pride is the root of most sins. Pride makes us think we know best, or we can do better for ourselves than some far off God. Pride kept the Jews from seeing Jesus as the Messiah. It works on us as well.
Jesus asks, are you really studying the scriptures? They, like us, use certain scriptures to prove us right. Do you study scripture to increase your humility, or your pride? Is studying scripture leading you to love God more? Read the bible and see it for what it is, Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. God’s Word for us to live and learn, so that we can not only go to heaven, but bring heaven here on earth for all to see. God bless. Read, study and let the Holy Spirit reveal its true purpose for your life. Pastor David