Daily Devotional, Nov 9, 2023 Disappearing Messages

"Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near; Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,and to our God, for he will freely pardon." Isaiah 55:6-7

Disappearing messages is a popular feature of most messaging apps. It makes messages including videos and photos disappear after a given time, or self-destruct as soon as it is viewed by the recipient. It is popular because it provides another layer of privacy for the message sender. However it may signify distrust, lack of veracity, and insincerity of both parties to the conversation

Like the disappearing messages, the Lord’s words can also vanish from our hearts when we become too stubborn to hear, understand, and live the lessons of the gospel. In the Parable of the Sower, our Savior Himself lectured about the four types of people that receive the Good News of salvation. The first type He likened to path soil where seeds of truth were not able to germinate as birds took them away:

"When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path." Matthew 13:19

When our hearts are hardened, the seeds of the Good News of peace and salvation cannot penetrate our minds and hearts, because like hard soil, our hearts are not receptive to Jesus’ truth. While we may listen to His words during Sunday Worship, or when we hear or read them in passing, it does not have a lasting effect on our lives since we are not interested in pursuing a deeper understanding due to blindness to our worldly pursuits. The Apostle Paul aptly explains this in his second letter to the Corinthians:

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." 
2 Corinthians 4:3-4

Examine yourself — when dealing with your problems, challenges, and even in your everyday life, does the word of the Lord echo in your ear? Or do you hear more of the discouraging remarks and negative thoughts sown by Satan himself as he whispers these lies to you?

Could it also be possible that you lack knowledge about the Lord’s promises and the truth of His mercy, goodness, and redemption because you have not spent enough time studying it?

That your day to day life is preoccupied with worldly cares hence you do not have enough energy and resolve to nurture a relationship with the Lord?

Or maybe you are guilty about the life you are living or the sins you have committed in the past, that you deem yourself unworthy of his saving grace? Whatever your reasons are for not seeking His word, know that living by it is the only way to save yourself. James, the brother of Jesus, underscored this truth:

"Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:21)

Unlike the disappearing messages of today, the messages found in the bible are everlasting, reliable, useful, and undoubtedly genuine words coming from the one true God:

"It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all." 
(1 Timothy 1:15)

And while disappearing messages can be used for unwholesome things like gossiping, rumor mongering, spreading lies, and even immorality, the Word of God can never be twisted to be an instrument of evil. Rather, it is only used to pursue righteousness for all:

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Let us open our hearts to the Word of God, build our lives upon it, and share it to others so that they too can enjoy eternal life with Christ Jesus.

Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Matthew 13:1-23 to dig deeper on today’s topic.

Reflection Question: Is your heart receptive to God’s words? How can you make it more receptive so that you could sustain a lifestyle that pleases God?

Conversation with the Lord:  Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing me to seek you and receive assurance from your words and promises. Help me to trust you more so that I can start reaping the benefits of living a life in your presence. Amen.