Beyond Belief

Scripture – John 8:31-38: To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word. I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) So, some of the Jews (Pharisees?) believed Him. That’s not the same as believing in Him. At the same time, they’re showing an openness to His word we’ve not seen before. The next step, then, toward true discipleship is to “hold to my teaching.” That means I am called to live as His disciple – putting His teaching into practice. That’s how I keep discovering for myself more and more of His truth. I often think I’m too busy to do that. However, the result is freedom on many levels. A specific one for me is freedom from a written list of rules. Instead, I simply look to live as a follower of Christ. It’s a little of that “WWJD” business. Or as I once heard a speaker expand on that, a better question is: What would Jesus have us do?

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) I will keep my identity in and with Christ on the front burner today. As I go through the day and encounter various people, I will act as a disciple should act.

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Please help me do that today, Lord. You know how quickly I can forget. Remind me often of who I am in you.