Join us sundays at 8:00 & 10:30 AM

May 26, 2020 - Join Pastor John for a Daily Devotional

May 26, 2020 by Rev. John Hartman

“PhD Faith”

Does it really matter to you if Christianity is true? Or, what really matters is that you believe in “something” that brings out the best in you, -- your daily horoscope, your innate ability to problem-solve, or your own human potential for greatness. According to a Gallup Poll, around 72% of all Americans deny that there is any such thing as absolute truth, and 53% of church volunteers say there is no such thing as absolute truth. Each little prescription bottle has an expiration date on it. In other words, it has a shelf life, after which the promises on that label are no longer true. I am afraid that many see Christianity as nothing more than an out-of-date bottle of medicine. There was a time when the Bible’s prescriptions for life, obedience to God, reliance on prayer, generosity of time and resources, concern for the poor, regular attendance in worship and Sunday School, love for our neighbor, -- were good medicine for people, but today we feel like we don’t need that kind of strong medicine. And so, we toss it out, and we replace it with something that tastes a lot easier going down. I have to confess that I don’t see an expiration date anywhere in the Bible. Jesus says in John 8:31-32, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” We believe that God’s word is true and that it guides our life and faith. We anchor our beliefs in the life-giving word of the holy scriptures which teach us how to have a mind for Christ.

This month and next is the time that many young people were supposed to be celebrating their graduation on college campuses all across the country. Unfortunately, they have either been postponed, or cancelled altogether. However, it does not take away all of their academic accomplishments in using their minds for study and inquiry in all of their coursework. At the age of 12, Jesus stunned those legal scribes and scholars in the temple with his brilliance. Ever wonder where Jesus was for the first 29 years of his life? He was studying. Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your mind.” One Bible translation of Jesus’ command is, “and with all your intelligence.” And Jesus doesn’t just suggest, but he commands us as his followers to use our minds as well. What would it be like if in every situation, your immediate, default response was that of a mind of Jesus Christ? The proof of our faith is not our status, but our life in Christ. The power of Christianity is not a creed, but our character.

Friends, may we possess a mind of Christ in all that we think, say, and do. May we continue to be “curious” in how God is at work in our lives, the world, and in the middle of all of this COVID-19 stuff. May we desire a PhD in faith formation, -- not to show off how smart we are, or as a desire to be champions of Bible Trivia, but in order to live out lives of obedient devotion to Jesus Christ, transformed by the grace of God’s spirit, convicted in his word, and recipients of a new life in Him.