GOoD Life Pre-Cepts: KeviJ
True discipleship isn’t based on understanding everything; it’s rooted in trusting the One who speaks. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. While it’s now celebrated as one of the most powerful messages in history, at the time the speech was delivered, it offended many. So, in the crowd, many believed in the vision Martin Luther King Jr had; others were challenged by it, and some who benefited from the social dysfunction going on didn’t want it to end. Many walked away offended as proof that truth often wounds before it heals. It frequently confronts before it comforts. It disturbs before it delivers and stretches before it settles.
“Does this offend you?”
“Then what if you were to see the Son Of Man ascending where He was before?”
~John 6:61-62
Genuine faith endures when the message becomes challenging.
The True and False Disciples are on trial here.
Like Jesus, Dr. King stood before a crowd with a message that divided the room. His message shifted after He’d fed the multitude from giving physical bread to providing “eternal life” or “living bread.” It was no secret that Jesus spoke before of having come down from heaven. His disciples would see Him ascend to where He was before! But just like in the situation of Martin Luther King, there was a mixed crowd. Some were on board with His vision, while others were so disturbed they began to grumble.
In all essence, this was a hard message. He was asking people to eat His flesh and drink His blood to have eternal life. This time, not only were the religious leaders offended, but even some of His own disciples grumbled. Jesus confronts them, although in a different way from how He did the Jews, knowing that all who came to Him had not been drawn to Him from God. You see, those whom God had drawn to Him, He was bound to raise up in the last day; this meant they would not leave Him. Don’t be discouraged by who walked away—God has preserved what you have left. To the natural mind, spiritual truth will always be foolish.
In the Kingdom of God, faith isn’t built on how easy the message is to digest; nothing truly worth having is ever easy. Faith isn’t just tested in fire; it’s also tested in offense. Faith is, after all, the substance of things we hope for, the evidence of the things we don’t see. Whenever we choose to lean into brutal truths as opposed to rejecting them, we open ourselves to greater revelation. It is said that people reject things they don’t understand. Let offense become your mirror, not your exit, to reveal the condition of our hearts and ask those heart—probing questions so that we can let Jesus reveal more to us.
In an age of cancel culture, we flee anything that confronts us. Our culture values comfort, clarity, and quick results. The moment something challenges our views or stretches our understanding, the temptation is to cancel, disconnect, or deconstruct. But the Kingdom of God is built on a solid and firm foundation. It’s like building a home; although we prefer our homes to be built in six months or less, building a solid foundation may mean stretching beyond our comfort zone in understanding. Faith rarely offers “easy answers” but always eternal ones. We must allow faith to take its perfect form through perseverance, even in the face of challenging teachings. Choosing not to shrink back, we must press forward continually, not because it’s easy, but because it’s eternal.
In our lifetimes, we all encounter scripture that confronts us. Whenever God’s truth challenges our pride, traditions, or understanding, the real question is this: Will we stay and let truth reshape us—or walk away unchanged? Just as not all worship is true worship, who worships in Spirit and in Truth.. not all disciples are truly surrendered. Jesus gives us the crux of it all: “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh will never profit anything.” We don’t need to assume this is about making sense of flesh; we need to know what feeds our souls. Staying power in faith will always require surrender. It means trusting that Jesus is the Bread we truly need. Even when his words cut like a surgeon, they are precise & painful, yet life-giving.
Time of Reflection:
** Not understanding isn’t failure—it’s often an invitation to deeper dependence.
** Spiritual offense might be the door to personal transformation. Before the transformation happens, the offense often knocks.
Heart Probing Question:
Where have I turned away, not because the truth wasn’t real—but because it made me uncomfortable?
References:
John 6:61-62
John 6: 44-66
1 Cor 2:14
Heb 11:1
Heb 10:38- 39
Heb 12:2
Phil 3:13-14
Luke 8:13 Matt 13:20-21
John 4:24
Jam 1:2-4
Chronological Bible Placement per Thomas Nelson Chronological Study Bible
Closing Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for loving me enough to challenge me. Forgive me for times when I’ve allowed my ignorance to lead the way, causing me to reject your beautiful and wonderful truths that came to shape me into the image of Your Son Jesus, because they made me uncomfortable. Help me continue to remain even when it’s hard, and listen when it’s stretching, and grow through what I don’t fully understand. Teach me to trust that Your Spirit has come to give me life, even if my flesh resists. Amen
