April 1: John 8:21-30

Key Verse: John 8:21
Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

Devotion:
What is the first thing you thought about when you read this sentence from Jesus? The first thing which struck me was the words “and you will die in your sin!” And yet, the people around Him did not hear that but rather heard “Where I go, you cannot come!” I suppose we will all get slightly different things from the passages we read, but my reaction to getting this reading through our church group yesterday was “how did they miss the point!”

Jesus did re-iterate these words to them and they got upset with Him for daring to pull them up on the things they were doing. According to them, they were following the teachings of Abraham and Moses as written down thousands of years before this; but in their hearts they knew they did take short cuts and do things wrong all the time. This is why they got upset – because Christ pulled them up on the sins they were committing.

Non of us like to get pulled up on the things we are doing wrong! I was mildly amused at people complaining about how some police forces are coming down too hard on them for not staying at home. Their real problem is they are not listening to the advice from the government and even the doctors! They did not like the fact they were pulled up on things they were doing wrong. As a person who is struggling with all this and trying to keep clear of people to ensure I do not become infected as my body continues to heal, I fully support some police getting upset and pulling people up!

We really do need to listen to all the words Jesus tried to teach us whilst He was on earth in human form. Those were the times when He was most vulnerable and yet He listened to every word from God. It is God alone who know what is happening and the rest of us continue to guess our way through life. The more we listen to Him, the closer we get to the truth and the way...

Points to Ponder:
How often do you get upset with people for pointing out your mistakes?

How often do you get upset with God for pointing out your mistakes?