Joshua 6:1–14; Romans 13:1–7; Matthew 26:26–35
I am troubled by this question: How often do we deny Christ? In our Reading from Matthew, we learn of Peter’s denial but in reading between the lines we learn that Peter, and according to John that he and another disciple, had followed Jesus when he was taken away, while the other apostles had fled, fearing for their own safety—a different kind of denial.
Now if we have not made certain that our neighbor knows Jesus, have we not, by omission, denied Christ? For Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” It would seem that the same would apply when we see someone on the corner and we do not offer assistance or food. A similar scenario would be if we do not try to make sure that the children in the projects have adequate food or school needs met. In these cases we have behaved like the other disciples.
We should go to all extremes to make sure that we are serving Christ, our true King, as we obey and respect those God has instituted in the governments of the earth.
Prayer: Precious Lord, send your Spirit to instill in us the desire to do all that we can to serve you by serving our brothers and sisters who are in need. Amen.
Today’s devotion was written by Ron Hamm, Pastor at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Blythewood, SC.