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28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no commandment greater than these.” 32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:28-34a NIV)
Happy Monday, dear Friend! I pray you and yours are having a safe and blessed Memorial Day. We thank God for the men and women who gave their lives in the ultimate sacrifice for our country. We ask God's comfort be with those who remember the fallen during this day. We pray for peace and for those who still are in harm's way to guard our freedoms. I pray that you pray for one another; pray for yourselves.
The Reverend Mr. John Wesley was a PK. For those who don't yet know what PK stands for, it stands for Preacher's Kid. I doubt it existed when John was a kid, but I'm sure they had something very similar to it. John was in awe of his father, The Reverend Mr. Samuel Wesley. Sam was the rector at Epworth, England, and along with his wife, Susannah, were dissenters about the way their church, The Church of England was going. They had a solid family life and both John and his younger brother, Charles, were influenced enough by Dad to become pastors themselves. Their mother was a wonderful educator and had prepared them for all the rigors of the academy. John soon finished his education and received ordination in the church and served alongside his father. As he grew older, he worried about his own soul. One of the worries he had was whether he had a strong faith or not. He asked a mentor about faith and preaching. Hmm, could the two go hand-in-hand? The friend replied, "Preach faith until you have faith; and because you have faith, you will preach faith." Okay. That makes sense, right?
John's life was a very interesting and effective one. Ever the adventurer, he was hired to come to the colonies from England to work with the company starting the colony of Georgia. Wesley wanted to help evangelize the Native Americans as well as care for the souls of the colonists in this new colony. Besides the need of his soul, John had a need for his heart. He and his brother were single, and John felt a connection with the only single woman in the colony, a Miss Sophie Hopkey. John had a rival in another of the colonists and the two tried to court Miss Hopkey and when John finally pressed her to make a decision, she chose the other man. Sigh. This may have been on a Friday and on that next Sunday, which happened to be a Communion Sunday, John when serving communion, skipped over Miss Hopkey and her new man. Not a wise move, but a move by a lovesick man who didn't know better. This did not sit well with the colony company founders and owners. Wesley was fired and he returned back to England as a defeated person. The issue of faith still weighed heavily on his heart and soul.
John Wesley was invited to attend a lay-led Bible study at Aldersgate Street. This was what he wrote by his own hand:
"In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, " I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
This passage for today speaks of a teaching that Jesus shares with one of the teachers of the law who had asked Jesus which of the commandments was the most important. And the response from the teacher prompted Jesus to reply, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." Just what John Wesley needed to hear, and what you and I have wanted to hear as well. I pray that of you reading this, you have had that encounter with Jesus and know from His own voice that our faith has brought us close to the kingdom of God. To the pilgrim on a journey hearing the words that we are close to our home or whatever destination has brought us on this journey are the words we long to hear. For the man who had a profound influence on the nation of Great Britain, to hear the words that Christ had died indeed for his sins, his trust in Jesus became real as did the flame that set on fire Wesley's spirit for the work he would undertake for the rest of his life.
Hear then, dear friend, the words from this devotional that our faith in Jesus will always lead us back to where we need to be. Jesus as our Shepherd and our Guide will lead us to life and the fullness thereof. You and I are saved from the law of sin and death, and welcomed into the reign of life.
PRAYER: Awesome Father, help us feel the assurance that comes to those who seek. As Jesus directed, Father, we are seeking, knocking and asking, that the fullness of faith and the splendor of life be ours. This we pray in His name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Share your blessed assurance with those who need it!
Receive my blessings of love and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
