Daily Devotional for June 7, 2015

Colossians 1:24-25
You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God’s side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don’t walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted. There is no other Message—just this one. Every creature under heaven gets this same Message. I, Paul, am a messenger of this Message.

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.  Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.  All rights reserved.

“Did you get my message?”  This is a common question frequently asked by many of us…in many contexts… Did you receive my text? ~ Did you hear the voice mail message I left you? ~ Do you understand what I am saying to you? ~ ARE YOU LISTENING?

When it comes to the message of Jesus, we who have committed our lives to following and serving Him are to convey His teachings, sentiments, and desires for mankind to the world at large.  And as Paul points out, we often get distracted or diverted.  We are so busy making a point rather than making a difference that we fail to keep the main thing the main thing!  (How do you like how I managed to work TWO clichés into one sentence there?!)

Many people are so busy promoting their own agendas and trying to instill fear in others that they have not only distorted the Message…they have quit listening to God for themselves.  Rather than emphasize that Jesus died on the cross for ALL OF US…they would rather promote an “us vs. them” mentality – toward people of other religious beliefs, races, ethnicities, political viewpoints, sexual orientations, economic levels, and more.

Take a good hard look at Jesus…He practiced NONE of these behaviors.  He did not say to the woman at the well, “You’re unworthy to talk to Me.”  He did not look at those who were mentally ill and say, “I want nothing to do with you.”  Jesus didn’t look down on the poor and afflicted, the Samaritans, or the tax collectors.  Jesus did not choose one person or group of people over another!

If we want to be like Jesus…if we truly want to be His messengers…we have to follow His example.  We have to stop sharing gossip, propaganda, and untruths.  We have to start being kind to ALL people.  We have to quit judging others.  We must start loving every person and seeing him/her as God’s creation…worthy of that same incredible gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ which we have received. This is not the same as condoning sinful actions.  Study Jesus…you will see how He made the distinction.  We must learn to do this in our own daily living.

The Apostle Paul was exactly right…You don’t walk away from a gift like Jesus, and there is no other Message but His. Are you grounded and steady in a bond of trust, constantly tuned in and focused on Him?  Are you truly a messenger of HIS Message?  Isn’t it time you were?

©2015 Debbie Robus