October 3: Luke 9:51-56
Key Verse: Luke 9:53
but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem.
Devotion:
There are going to be times when you are going to find opposition to what you are doing simply because you are doing something different to what they want or expect of you. I worded that carefully because we will find opposition to worshipping God from both outside your church and maybe even to within your church!
People may well object because we are going to church instead of going shopping with them or going to the beach with them; that is what we come to expect as Christians since we have seen this throughout history. But what we may not expect is how some people will object to us worshipping God simply because we dare to do something different to what they want!
God has always encouraged us to worship Him in whatever way we feel is right because He then knows that worship is coming from the heart and not just being performed because that is what the rules say should happen. God does not want a troupe of automatons who perform the same thing day after day or week after week without feeling a sense of love and even pride for worshipping Him with a full heart!
The disciples met opposition from the Samaritans because they were going to Jerusalem! Jesus rebuked them for thinking He should pour fire down on them for such a thought… God has given us free choice to do what we please. If people choose not to worship Him, they have chosen not to accept His will in their lives and that is their choice to make, not ours. We should show them we have made a choice for ourselves too.
Points to Ponder:
Do you struggle with opposition to your worshipping God?
Will you allow them to see you have made your own choice?