A devotional I got by email

[Veta Bowers]

No Turning Back



Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.”
John 6:68




We entered the haunted house with great anticipation. As we stepped into the gloomy, dark elevator, a foreboding voice boomed, “There’s no turning back!” Suddenly, our five-year-old cried out, “I want to turn back! I want to turn back!” He was petrified. Having no understanding of the fun to come, he panicked. All he knew was that he would rather be waiting in the tediously long line we had just left than trapped in that room with no way out.

When facing the unknown, we may be tempted to retreat, quit, or refuse to move forward. We may be tempted to panic and doubt God’s wisdom. The disciples had many of the same feelings when Jesus began to explain the depth of commitment required to follow him in John 6. Many simply dropped away. Jesus asked his closest friends if they, too, were going to leave. Peter made an amazing statement. Knowing that Jesus was God incarnate and that leaving him would mean living a life of lies and pretense, Peter said that there was no other option but to continue following Jesus. Peter may have been unsettled or frightened by the words of Jesus, but he knew the truth when he encountered it, and he chose to stick it out. His choice proved difficult, but brought the ultimate rewards of abundant life on earth and eternal life with Jesus.

One woman who had been a Christian for five years said to me with frustration, “Things were a lot less complicated before I became a believer.” These words are undeniably true. Believing in Jesus is challenging. It calls us to make hard choices and can cause relationship conflicts. Following Jesus requires that we discipline our thoughts and our words. We must struggle with our sin everyday. This can be very difficult alone, but together we can encourage each other and assure one another that our God is faithful and true. Peter wisely said, “To whom would we go?” When we meet Jesus we’re in the company of many others. Once we have met Jesus, we know for certain that there is no turning back.

Jesus demands that we choose him over every other enticing option because he loves us. He knows that everything else is just entertainment, not life to its fullest. Following Jesus is no ride at an entertainment park. This real life is with a real God who really loves us.

[Veta Bowers]

What does 'spiritual growth' mean?

Spiritual growth is a lot like physical growth. To stay healthy and grow physically, we must eat the right foods, exercise, and get plenty of rest. You’ve heard that since you were a child. According to Scripture, especially passages like Ephesians 4:14-15, growing spiritually involves the same formula.

Christians must eat the right 'spiritual food': God’s Word. Yet many Christians try to survive on spiritual 'fast food.' That is, they watch Christian shows on TV, read Christian magazines, and listen to Christian music, while cutting the Bible out of their diet. But nothing builds the body—the body of Christ—like the Bible. Everything else is supplementary.

Exercise is another body builder. Christians exercise through resisting temptation, enduring trials, serving others, and telling others about their faith. Temptation and problems test our character; serving others stretches our faith; telling people about Christ strengthens our love for him.

Christians rest through worship. Our world has a tendency to pull us in different directions like a rubber band stretched to the limit. We need sleep, rest, and times of vacation to get our physical batteries recharged. In the same way, we need worship to keep us spiritually renewed.

Spiritual growth takes time—a lifetime! This means growing in a relationship, not just changing our behavior. Growing a strong Christian life means learning how to love Jesus more each day, staying close to him, and getting to know him better.

[Veta]

Mind Maze

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.
Colossians 2:8-9



After a fifteen-year gap, I found myself talking once again with my cousin at a family funeral. During our discussion a decade-and-a-half ago, I was encouraged that perhaps this man was close to faith in Jesus Christ. At least he was seeking and asking some very difficult questions. But now, middle-aged, he was asking the very same questions as before and displaying the same supposed agony over the questions of God’s existence, his love, our purpose, death, and eternity. I sadly realized that my cousin was trapped in an intellectual maze: in love with his mind, not the Lord.

Intellectualism can be addictive. Always searching for the answer but never committing to a solution, ever hopeful that some new insight might emerge if we linger in thought just a little longer. The solution to this flawed attitude is the fact that Jesus has accomplished victory over every possible problem that we could encounter because of sin. Jesus is the beginning of all wisdom and the source of all life. Those who would rather keep looking for a better way to live miss the greatest satisfaction of all—the satisfaction of knowing God.

Paul calls us to stand firm in our faith; “But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true . . .” (2 Timothy 3:14). The greatest mystery we will ever encounter is the truth of God’s love for his creation—including us. He loved us enough to become man and then chose to live in us. There is nothing more profound than the incomparable love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. There is nothing more challenging, noble, or intellectually stimulating than to follow Christ as his disciple.

[Veta Bowers]

God's Chosen People

As you read the Old Testament, you may wonder, Why did God select the people of Israel as his chosen people? That’s a good question, and one that’s not easy to answer.

First, God singled out a man named Abram (later Abraham) from the ancient city of Ur and promised to bless him and his descendants (). But there was a condition attached: Abram had to remain faithful to God. Even though he had numerous lapses, Abram kept his end of the bargain. And God was true to his word, making Abram’s descendants into the nation of Israel.

Second, God set the stage for his Son, the Messiah, who would be ushered into the world many centuries later. Because God chose to have his Son born of a woman, he needed to provide an appropriate backdrop for the woman and her ancestry. He chose the people of Israel, the descendants of Abraham.

Third, it has been suggested that the people of Israel were the perfect 'display case' for God’s mercy and patient love. They were stubborn, rebellious, unfaithful—just like many believers today. No one would have blamed God for giving up on them and starting over with a new nation. But God kept his word to Abraham and never abandoned Abraham’s descendants. Although he punished them, scolded them, and sent them into exile, he never forgot them or his promise.

Many people today see the existence of the Jews as a powerful argument for the existence of God. In spite of overwhelming opposition throughout history, they are still here, while most of their enemies (at least from Old Testament times) are long gone. How else could they have survived, except for the protection of a powerful, loving God who refused to give up on them?

The people of Israel are not the only members of God’s special covenant group. Now, all who follow Christ are God’s chosen people as well. That includes you, right?