Why do you worship Jesus? (devotion)

Somewhere between three and four Tuesday morning, Bill woke up in pain. In eighteen years of marriage, I’ve never seen him in that kind of agony. It only took about twenty minutes before I said we needed to go to the ER. The fact that he agreed with me made the situation scarier. It normally takes an act of congress to convince my husband to go to the doctor. All the way there, he micromanaged my driving. “Go faster. Pass that car,” he said between moans. He knew relief was at the hospital. And it was. We had to wait through admissions and some tests, but they did come with medication. After about two and a half hours of pain, Bill started to feel relief. It turned out he was passing a kidney stone. They doctor sent us home with prescriptions and advice to drink lots of water.


While we were waiting at the ER, Bill said, “How did people do this hundreds of years ago?” His statement got me thinking. It’s no wonder people crowded around Jesus looking for healing. I hated seeing Bill pace, sit, and pace again unable to find any respite from his pain, but I knew the doctors could fix it. What if there were no doctors and no medicine? I would have been desperate to find a cure for my husband. I would have torn up the roof and lowered him at the feet of Jesus. I wouldn’t have done that because I believed He was the Living God—my Savior. I would have done that because I wanted Him to do something for me.

When Jesus was crucified, only a handful of people were with Him. After He ascended, one hundred and twenty followers waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Where were all the people blessed by Jesus’s miracles? Where were the five thousand He fed? Where were all the people Jesus healed? Once they felt He couldn’t do for them anymore, they went away. Many people have this attitude. They view God as a Daddy Warbucks in the sky, someone who gives them whatever they need. When He fails to do so, they no longer believe.

Even Mary and Martha were guilty of this when Lazarus died. They were angry Jesus had not come and healed their brother. (John 11) These two had been with Him, listened to His teachings, and still didn’t get it. He wanted the people gathered there to believe He was their savior. In verses 25 and 26 he says, “Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. 26 Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” Jesus was talking about eternal life and the people were still thinking about what He could do for them on this earth. For example, in verse 37 it states, “But some said, ‘This man healed a blind man. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?’”

Why do you worship Jesus? As a Christ follower, your belief should be based on recognizing Him as a Holy God, Merciful Savior and not on what He can do for you.