Joyful Ruins

John 8:31-47

Dispute over whose Children Jesus’ Opponents are

I felt this passage can truly apply to the times we live in. Nothing is new under the sun. These words applied then, 100 years later, and so on. There are always religious and non-religious people who are following, not God, but a different kind of master.

In this passage Jesus is speaking to a group of people who claimed to believe who Jesus is. He wants them to know that though they think themselves righteous due to not only believing who Jesus is, but also being Jewish (descendants of Abraham), their true Father is actually the devil. Because of that, they hear lies, desire murder, and cannot hear God.

I have to apply some of this to myself. As a child of God, I need not question my salvation and my Father is absolutely God, not the devil. However, I believe the war of my flesh against the Spirit, is very real.

This passage reminds me that though my soul belongs to Christ, I still have parts of me that listen to the devil.

I cannot stand before Jesus and say I have nothing to work on or that my thoughts are perfect. No! I, too, have a temptation to listen to the devil. We all do!

Look at this country, the lies we have listened to about “others”, be it of a different party or different race. The devil is the father of these and us believers are guilty of listening and even acting out in belief of those lies.

We are NOT children of the devil, but children of God. Let us not feed hate, lies, division, but be humble and feed our love for Christ, feed the truth of God’s word, and open our eyes to where we have believed wrongly.