John 6:60-70

Be Still: Lord, I thank you for this moment in your presence. Would you open my eyes to more of who you are, my ears to hear all that you want to say and my heart to the truths you want to reveal. Amen

Read: John 6:60-70 

This is a hard teaching. (v 60) 

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. (v 66)

Encounter: I remember choosing my postgraduate dissertation topic and being so excited to pull it together. After time, some of the sections became difficult to draft. I remember avoiding sessions with my allocated supervisor because I wanted to be able to go to him once I had something worth showing. One day I went to him, embarrassed that I was stuck, and remember him saying, 'Do you know that I’m here to help you?' 

In that moment I realised that I had completely missed that I hadn't been allocated someone to show my best work to, but someone to whom I could show the worst: someone to whom I could ask questions, who could give me fresh perspective and insight, who had been in my exact shoes before and knew my exact feelings. 

In today’s passage we learn that some individuals really struggled with Jesus’ teachings because the content seemed too hard to grasp. Many stopped following Jesus because of it. There are moments in our lives where following Jesus seems difficult. There are times where we’re called to forgive someone who has deeply hurt us or be generous in seasons of hardship. At that point, we may be tempted to turn from Jesus’ teaching because his words confront our deepest parts. My encouragement would be not to run away from him -- but towards him.

Not following Jesus’ teaching sometimes seems easier but it leads to missing out on the deeper relationship and purpose he has for us.

Apply: What are the things that can help you stay faithful to following Jesus when life becomes hard? Who are the people that you can lean on when obedience to God’s word feels challenging? 

Devote: Lord, would you help me to turn to you and not away from you when your word feels difficult to follow.