JOHN 5:39-40

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

TO PONDER

What’s your ‘go-to” excuse for not sharing your faith to your friends, for not telling people about Jesus?

"I don’t know enough of the Bible to tell people about God!", "I’m not paid to share the Gospel, that’s for the pastors to do", "I wouldn’t know what to say", or maybe even "we’re Lutherans we don’t do that type of thing"… 

I was reading a book recently called “Righteous Brood” by Hugh Halter (If you’re reading this post I would encourage you to order this book from www.shopacr.com.au) where he talked about an excuse often used by good church going Christians to not go out on our mission; “We talk and pray about things, but we don’t go.”

This is what Jesus was talking about in today’s verses, He was telling the religious leaders that their religion was the very thing that was stopping them from discovering who their religion was talking about and what His mission was. The religious leaders were spending all their time at church, talking, praying and reading about God and were in fact missing Him as He had moved into the neighbourhood and was walking on mission amongst them.

So to paraphrase today’s verses, “Do we perhaps spend all our time at church making excuses why we can’t go on mission, instead of inviting our neighbours over for dinner, speaking the gospel boldly through hospitality?” …

PRAYER:  Almighty God, I repent for all my excuses and the religion I use to stop me from speaking boldly and share your grace to those around me. Amen.

Today's devotion written by Danny Brock, LifeWay Westside