John 5:24 – Verse of the Day 8/1/14

Have you ever noticed how tempting it is to break rules? Try telling a young child not to do something and see what they do! Sometimes we follow the rule but completely miss the point, like if a sign says there is no photography at an event and instead of taking pictures we shoot a video on our phone. In these and countless other ways, we hate rules and laws and when we do follow them we have a tendency to miss the point.

This verse comes from a passage where the Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus completely missed the point of the Sabbath law. Jesus told them that he was the Lord of the Sabbath, and the purpose of the Law was to rest and honor Him. Anyone who believed him would also hear his word and trust Him. They followed their human-made Sabbath rules but missed the purpose of the Sabbath in the first place:  to rest and worship the one true God and look forward to eternal life.

Does your faith in Jesus lead you to believe God’s Word? Are you grateful for the promise that those who have faith in Jesus receive both the forgiveness of sin and eternal life? Spend some time thanking God for these gifts, and reflecting on ways in which He might be calling you to respond out of gratitude by listening more faithfully to the teaching of the Bible.