July 21, 2022

The Almost Daily will be on Summer Vacation until August 8th. But fear not! You will receive a devotional each Monday through Friday from the excellent Mockingbird Devotional entitled Daily Grace. Enjoy! - Paul Walker

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

I have been to Baton Rouge, and if you asked me if I flew there, I would say yes. But technically, that is not true. I did not, with my best efforts, fly to Baton Rouge. I could try. I could flap my arms as hard as I could. I could get out on the runway at the Charlottesville airport, sprint my fastest, beat my arms in the air, and leap off the ground for all I’m worth. And for all that effort, I would still be at the Charlottesville airport, out of breath, and a yard or two from where I took off, unless, that is, the authorities had already escorted me off the premises.

Of course, I did not fly to Baton Rouge. The airplane on which I sat, while doing absolutely nothing, flew to Baton Rouge. In terms of the kingdom of God, flapping your arms with your best effort gets you nowhere. Jesus is the plane who flies you there. All you do is sit back and do nothing, and simply believe that He will do it.

Jesus tells us the kingdom of God is seen not through the law, or our best efforts, but simply by belief. Believing in Him. That’s all. If the law had been our ticket, we would have punched it long ago. If moral elbow grease was what was required, then we would have gotten ’er done by now. Ironically, the one thing required—belief—can be the hardest thing for us to accept.

Give us faith and trust in you, Heavenly Father. Make our striving to cease and our joy in what you have done for us in your Son increase. Amen.

[Paul Walker, Daily Grace - Mockingbird Devotional Vol. 2]