Daily Devotional For Saturday, June 21, 2025
Your weekend is here. Yeah! We are looking at what it means to follow Jesus. Those who really do not want to follow the Lord, will read His Word and ask this type of question that begins this way: “Did God really say . .?” Such questions are asked for the sole purpose of twisting the Lord’s words. Now why do we ask this? Remember the Garden of Eden? When the serpent came to tempt Adam and Eve, he posed this question to them this way in Genesis 3:1, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”’ (NASB).
In posing the question this way, the devil planted a seed in each of their minds to question God’s love, judgment and care and more specifically, to feel they were in the position to question God and His Word. The reason sin entered the world is that Adam and Eve elevated their own personal opinion to be higher than God and His Word. Any time we twist God’s Word, we have gone into very dangerous territory. Whether we believe it or not, hell is real and eternal torment is forever to those who reject Christ.
People today say they do not believe in hell, but they use this word in their every language to express both joy and anger. According to Jesus, hell is real and it is more than a word to use in a sentence to express one’s feelings. Many people, even those who call themselves “Christians,” have no fear of the Lord. They water down the truth to make it acceptable to reach generations who have walked away from church. Because of this, they doom these people to hell as well as those today who see the Christian faith as antiquated.
Jesus said this in John 11:25-26, “I am the Resurrection and the Life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, (26) and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (NASB). Jesus said this in John 14:6, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (NASB). These words of Jesus are exclusive. Either they are the truth or a lie. There is no middle ground here. Jesus' words here are an encouragement to me, but to others, it is, “Did God really say that?” And if you affirm He did, they will twist them to suit their own comfort level.
If more so-called “Christians” really believed in hell and Judgment Day, it would radically change their lives to follow Jesus more intentionally. As genuine followers of Christ, we are encouraged by the hope and promise of Heaven but also compelled to obey Christ due to the horrors and the reality of hell. If more Christians really believed their good friend's goodness was not enough and accepted the horrors of an eternal hell for their friends, maybe they would be more intentional to follow Jesus to be “fishers of men and women.”
I think the main reason most “Christians” and “Baptists” are not willing to follow Jesus to be “fishers of men” is because they love their own view and image of God rather than the image presented in Scripture. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling” (NASB). We have watered Jesus down to our friend, our buddy, and our pal. Listen to me: He is God. He is Lord. He is not your buddy or your pal like your friends at work or in your neighborhood or church. He is not on the same level as them. He is on a level no one will ever reach here or in heaven. Do you believe Jesus’ words? Are you following Jesus as He says in Scripture?
Assignment: When you talk to your lost friends and the topic of the Bible or God comes up, and they let you know they question God and His Word, and they are remaking God in their own image, how do you respond? Do you let it slide? Do you share Scripture with them? Do you just say nothing because the relationship is more important to you than their eternal destiny? Then you will experience the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:33. Where in your life is the proof that you are a “fisher of men and women?” Where are you making disciples as Jesus did when He was here?
Scripture To Meditate On: Matthew 8:12, “And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, time is of the essence. Your Word says we are like a mist, here today and gone tomorrow. Lord, every day people die and go to hell, especially those we call “good people.” Lord, I want to be a “fisher of men” for You. I want to live with the urgency of the reality of the horrors of hell. Please forgive me when I forget or ignore this reality. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly