Day 309: John 5:26 - 6:71

The last part of chapter 5 is such a vivid picture of today's "Christian" society. They spend so much of their lives trying to develop new theologies and new "Biblical" concepts that they ignore the point of the entire Bible. The Bible was not simply a book written for us so that we might come up with new ideas and opportunities to fight with each other. God blessed us with His Word so that we would take it out into the world and preach it to every living creature. It seems to me that there are two general attitudes towards God's Word. The first is one of over-the-top religion in which nobody is brave enough to take the Gospel into the world because, after all, there's sin out there and if we get close to it, it might rub off on us and send us straight to hell. The other attitude is one of complete irresponsibility. Christians with this attitude live their lives using "grace" as an excuse to live like the world and chalk it all up to making people in the world feel comfortable so they're more likely to listen to what we have to say. What Jesus is saying in the last part of chapter 5 is that people waste way too much of their lives focusing on themselves and their own ideas of what true Christianity is when they don't even realize that it's that very attitude of selfish pride that will end up sending them to hell along with everyone that they failed to minister to. True Christianity and Godliness is not about what I can get out of it, it's about giving every single piece of ourselves away, and in doing so, we will find ourselves closer to God than we could've ever imagined possible.

- Father, help me to follow Your Word more closely not simply by reading it and studying it, but by living it every single day. Help me to not miss out on what You're saying to me because I'm to focussed on myself and my own agenda. Our agendas mean nothing without You. Give me the passion required to go out into the world and be a light that will guide each and every person I meet closer to You. -