Our Daily Walk with Christ Devotional - February 23, 2024
"So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read." —Luke 4:16
According to Jewish historians, there is little known about the city of Nazareth in Biblical times where Jesus grew up and lived with Mary, Joseph, and his siblings. Joseph is identified as having a trade as a carpenter, so we have evidence that the working class resided in Nazareth. Yet there was an overall disdain for the city as evidenced by Nathanael's question to Philip. "And Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see' " (John 1:46).
"Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects Him who sent me." —Luke 10:16
Historically, Jesus was rejected by the Pharisees, Sadducees, and those who were afraid of being excommunicated from the synagogue. Although the Jewish leaders possessed knowledge of Isaiah's prophecies they expected the Messiah to arrive as a king with much pomp and circumstance—a ceremony of grandeur and overthrow the Roman government ending their oppression. When Jesus proclaimed that He was sent from God, the leaders knew His family's social history of residing in Nazareth and they scoffed.
"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." —Matthew 11:29-30
"And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him" (Matthew 5:1). From studying Matthew 5, we find that Jesus had a strong following because of His loving, meek, and gentle demeanor. His teachings focused on God's love and the spiritual characteristics of love and obedience to God instead of the harsh and endless rules developed by the Jewish leaders who did not abide by their human-made laws.
"In those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God. When daylight came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated as apostles…" —Luke 6:12-13
Reflecting on Jesus' choice of disciples, we may wonder why He chose men like John and James who were called Sons of Thunder, Matthew was a thief who used his job to oppress the poor, Judas was a disloyal thief, Peter was arrogant and could not control his tongue, and Thomas was a doubter, but all had selfish hearts. They frequently argued about who would be the greatest in the kingdom on earth that they believed Jesus would reign over.
Jesus always relied on Divine wisdom from God, His Father. Using devout patience and perseverance eleven of Jesus' twelve apostles were spiritually transformed into His Character. "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word…Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition [Judas Iscariot], that the Scripture might be fulfilled. …" (John 17:6, 12).
"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. 'Follow me,' he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him." —Matthew 9:9
Matthew's response to Jesus' invitation to follow him and enter into a life of discipleship [serving God and serving others] provides the spiritual blueprint for all believers who decide to follow Christ. The sequence of events for becoming a Christian is demonstrated in this one Scripture, love, faith, surrender, and obedience are required for us to unquestionably follow Christ.
- Jesus initially pursues us. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). The Holy Spirit touches our hearts to accept Jesus as our personal Savior. Do you recall the events that led to you accepting Christ? Whether in a church service, someone witnessing, or in the comfort of your home, the innate faith in your heart propelled you to make the decision, Yes, I am giving my heart to Jesus.
- Every person who comes to Jesus begins and stays on an equal status—as a sinner saved by grace. Although our backgrounds differ, God is no respecter of person. To prevent us from thinking that our many years as a Christian, educational degrees, or Biblical knowledge elevate us above other believers, we are reminded, "What then? Are we any better? Not at all. As it is written: 'There is none righteous, no, not one…" (Romans 3:9-10).
- From Christ's invitation to follow Him, love is the catalyst that produces the only acceptable response—to faithfully surrender in obedience. Some may ask, How can I love Jesus, if I never knew about Him? The Apostle Paul answers their question, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Every human being is born with the spiritual attribute to love Christ as described by the Apostle Paul. God has also given humanity faith, "…God has given each of us a measure of faith" (Romans 12:3).
- We also notice there was no dialogue between Jesus and Matthew after Jesus spoke the words, "Follow me." Matthew along with the other disciples eagerly followed Jesus into an unknown path. But from the moment they were chosen, the twelve held onto a personal agenda deep within their hearts that lasted until Jesus' Ascension to heaven. "So when they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' " (Acts 1:6).
- What is our true agenda? Our worship and lifestyles reveal if we are committed to live an obedient, surrendered life to God. To follow Jesus requires much faith in His love and saving grace. Like Matthew, our actions, "Matthew got up and followed Him" demonstrate our desire to follow Jesus without questioning where we are going. We also agree to pray the prayer of surrender daily and give up our will and plans for God's will and plans for our lives.
Reflection: Are we willing to say yes to traveling on God's Chosen Path for our earthly journey?
"And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." —Philippians 2:8
Although I have been a Christian most of my life when I reflected on this Scripture of Christ's obedience, the Holy Spirit opened my understanding of the sacrificial life required to follow Christ. The prophet Isaiah tells us, "The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back" (Isaiah 50:5).
"I have decided to follow Jesus, No turning back, No turning back!" When we rededicate ourselves to follow and obey Christ, our Savior, and King, the Holy Spirit empowers us to let go of our inherited tendencies, learned behaviors, and the worldviews that block us from turning our eyes upon Jesus.
With a made-up mind, zeal, and the determination to live righteously, we are fueled by Christ's Divine strength. It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to live righteously. Like Matthew, we will immediately respond with a level of commitment, love, faith, surrender, obedience, and loyalty that we never imagined possible.
Lord God, we consecrate our minds, bodies, and souls to You. We desire to follow You in our earthly journey and ask for the anointing, presence, and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In Jesus' Righteous Name, we pray. Amen.
© 2024 Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions and Woman, You Are Loved by God
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