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Famous or Friendly?
Listen to today’s devo!
Jesus . . . cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true.’” (John 7:28)
Expanded Passage: John 7:28-32
When I was in sixth grade, my teacher made a trip to California to visit her cousin, who was the star of the Wyatt Earp TV show. She was so proud of him! Did she think of him as a famous TV star? She may have remembered him when they played together as children. He was her family, her blood. It is difficult to honor someone when they have known the person from the beginning. It is hard to think of them as “famous.”
Jesus recognized this fact, so he defended himself and his authority. It was the truth. He truly was the Son of God, sent here to earth for a specific purpose: to die for our sins and to rise again so that we may have eternal life. The people of Jerusalem, familiar with Jesus’ earthly origins, could not see him as the famously foretold Messiah.
We have a unique opportunity today to both know Jesus personally and to recognize him as the one and only, larger-than-life Son of God of history-shaking fame. Sometimes we can struggle to see him as a personal friend, even though he wants a relationship with us. Other times, we can feel too close and neglect his identity as our Lord and Savior. Let’s lean into Jesus’ dual identity, choosing to see him as both “famous” and a personal, beloved friend.
Seek to see Jesus as both a friend and Son of God!
Jeannette Carroll is a retired Wesleyan pastor’s wife, a God-called teacher, writer, and musician. She resides in Florida.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
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By The Wesleyan Church
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Listen to today’s devo!
Jesus . . . cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true.’” (John 7:28)
Expanded Passage: John 7:28-32
When I was in sixth grade, my teacher made a trip to California to visit her cousin, who was the star of the Wyatt Earp TV show. She was so proud of him! Did she think of him as a famous TV star? She may have remembered him when they played together as children. He was her family, her blood. It is difficult to honor someone when they have known the person from the beginning. It is hard to think of them as “famous.”
Jesus recognized this fact, so he defended himself and his authority. It was the truth. He truly was the Son of God, sent here to earth for a specific purpose: to die for our sins and to rise again so that we may have eternal life. The people of Jerusalem, familiar with Jesus’ earthly origins, could not see him as the famously foretold Messiah.
We have a unique opportunity today to both know Jesus personally and to recognize him as the one and only, larger-than-life Son of God of history-shaking fame. Sometimes we can struggle to see him as a personal friend, even though he wants a relationship with us. Other times, we can feel too close and neglect his identity as our Lord and Savior. Let’s lean into Jesus’ dual identity, choosing to see him as both “famous” and a personal, beloved friend.
Seek to see Jesus as both a friend and Son of God!
Jeannette Carroll is a retired Wesleyan pastor’s wife, a God-called teacher, writer, and musician. She resides in Florida.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.