ZPCBlog

Editor's note

About the author: Troy Franks has attended ZPC for 13 years. He is active in ZPC Men and the ZPC Softball Team. His family members include: wife Regina, kids – Paige (21), Bryce (19), Caroline (16), and Wil (13). The Franks reside in Carmel.

About this post: This blog post is part of a series of daily devotionals for Holy Week. To sign up to receive text notification of these posts, text zpc devo to 39970. We welcome your comments and questions each day.

Today's scripture: Isaiah 56

In our society, it is easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to others, and social media clearly fuels the practice of creating the image you want others to have of you. A byproduct of all this is the undeniable practice of judging others. I wonder what Jesus' Facebook page would consist of? How would he use it to convey what was happening in his life, and what he truly wanted others to be aware of and focused on to improve their relationship with him? One thing is for certain, he would not block anyone from hearing his message. Would he “like” what you are presenting or clearly use his unique understanding of you to keep things real? Would he care about where you are, the type of haircut you have, the clothes you wear, the car you drive, the house you own, who your friends are, and how much is in your bank account?

We are called to live according to God’s word and be focused on the opinion of the One. That is a very different message than what our world wants us to believe. But is this really anything new? I can recall as a young adult a lesson my father taught me about being self-focused and judgmental. When I was in high school and college, I worked very hard to be able to buy myself things that my parents could not afford to buy me. A nice car, designer clothes, and name brand shoes. As I was talking negative about what some of the kids I grew up with were doing, my dad clearly reminded me that in God’s eyes, I was not better than anyone else because of what I had bought for myself. He was quick to remind me that it is who we are and how we serve God that matters.

The message in this passage is clear in that God does not hold one group of followers above another group of followers. We are not special because we worship at ZPC, and we should accept that God’s kingdom is for all those who believe and are faithfully obedient. We are to seek and share God’s promise with those beyond our current community. We are called to make others understand that we are all equals in God’s eyes. We are all sinners in need of the saving grace offered through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He has risen, and he will be coming again! Maybe we should post that on Instagram every day!

Prayer

Lord, help us keep sight of what really matters as we fight the world’s message to be self-serving and do what makes us happy. Let our actions be an example to our family and those we encounter along our path. Keep us humble and faithful as we receive your blessings and deal with life’s challenges.

Amen

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