Christian Reflection and Prayer

By Rev. Wayne Palmer

Lenten Devotion-... When the Christ appears, no one will know
where He comes from" (John 7:27b). John 7:25-32.

Some of the Jerusalem folks think Jesus is paranoid. Others
won't even consider whether He might be the promised Messiah.
Why? Because He is from Nazareth, and no one is supposed to
know where the Messiah comes from. The funny thing is this:
they don't know. Jesus only grew up in Nazareth; He was born
in Bethlehem. But Jesus is the eternal Son of God who came
down from heaven and was born in Bethlehem to save us. Using
their little knowledge, they are content to write Jesus off and live
in the darkness of their thinking.

Being content with a little knowledge is dangerous. Consider
those who are content to know Jesus was born at Christmas
and died on a cross, but that's all they care to know. They don't
know that He lived and died to save them from God's wrath and
rose again to give them eternal life.

We live in a time where people believe-and try hard to persuade
us to believe-that reality is what we think it is. And what may be
true for you isn't necessarily true for me. Once I am satisfied with
my sense of reality I don't have to dig any deeper.

Being content with a little knowledge is not just a dangerous
thing-it's deadly! Each of us is a sinner who needs God's
salvation through Jesus Christ. He is the only Savior, the only
way we can escape God's eternal wrath and live forever in heaven.
This Lent God calls us to keep digging deeper and see the whole
story of Jesus' suffering and death for our salvation.

THE PRAYER:

Lord, forgive my being content with a shallow knowledge of My
Savior. Open my mind to want to learn more. In Jesus' Name.
Amen.