Pastor’s Weekly Devotional

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

Jesus said to him, “I am the way,the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:5-6)

Jesus makes a bold claim in response to Thomas’ question. The question demonstrates what everyone is asking. The question may not be asked with the exact words of Thomas, but the question reflects the deep longing of each individual. All of us have a God-sized hole in our soul that only God the Father can fill. 

We have tried to fill the God-sized hole with worldly pleasures, other religions, and even with others. Let’s face it: there is no substitute that can satisfy the deep longing of the human soul. 

Jesus is the Way to a personal relationship with God the Father. He is the Truth about God the Father. He is the Giver of eternal life. Only a life submitted to Christ and the purposes of God can bring peace and hope to the restless soul. 

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Saint Augustine 

Pastor Samuel

Genesis 1:27-28  (http://biblehub.com/genesis/1-27.htm)
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

The purpose of the family is to reflect the purpose of God in the world. What is the purpose of God in the world? The purpose of God is to save the lost and disciple the saved. The purpose of the family is to make disciples of one another. It’s not only the responsibility of the church but of parents.

Today’s verses reminds us that family serves as a picture of missions. When raising our family, we should keep the perspective of missions. Missions do not start in another country or even in our community, it begins with a focus on discipling our family.

As we are following the command of procreation, let’s not forget the value and responsibility of training our children and honoring our covenantal commitment to our spouse. Fulfilling the Great Commission begins with our first priority, marriage and family.

Although we have needs met through marriage and family, the purpose runs deeper. Marriage and family are missional mechanisms through which the character of God is reflected as a witness to others and our family becomes the primary focus of discipleship and training. They are even channels for our sanctification and spiritual growth. When someone asks you why you have a family and why you married your spouse, bring it
 back to the purpose God originated.

Pastor Samuel

John 14:3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
 
The Scriptures are peppered with an overall theme of the second coming of Christ. This week’s verse brings awakening to the present and hope for the future.
The second coming brings awakening to the fact of how we live. Are we living in light of the second coming? Are we serving Christ and others? Are we loving others with our words and actions? Are we sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ? The more we focus on the promise of Christ’s return, the more we yield to the motivation of the Holy Spirit to live in obedience.
The second coming of Christ also gives us hope for the future. When Christ returns, He will make all things new. When Christ descended the first time, He died for our sins and was raised for our justification. The first coming dealt with paying the penalty for sin and the second coming deals with the removal of sin’s presence.
I heard a story of a small town who got news that their town would eventually be flooded out of existence due to the construction of a hydroelectric dam. The town was falling apart between the announcement and until the day when it was flooded. One asked a resident, “Why aren’t the residents keeping this town up?” The resident replied, “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no work in the present.”
 
Pastor Samuel