Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, February 17, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Jesus was pointing to God. The people were astonished at his teaching and wondered exactly how he’d become so articulate and learned (apparently they’d known him as a kid). And they wanted to know if he was for real—if he was really speaking the truth of God. Jesus gave them a pretty simple answer: If I’m preaching for my own glory, I’m not from God. If I’m pointing to God with everything I do and say, well, then I’m from God. It ain’t rocket science.
When my more biblically conservative friends challenge me by saying, “You can’t just pick and choose what parts of the Bible are literally true, because how do you know what’s true and what’s not?” I have a similarly simple answer. If it shows love of God and neighbor, if it’s committed to the flourishing of all creation, then it’s of God. If it causes harm to anyone (i.e. by justifying slavery or the oppression of women or the murder of LGBTQ+ folk or the destruction of nature) then, nope, not from God. They still may not agree, and that’s fine. It’s just what works for me.
How can I tell whether something in my life is from God or not?