A Familiar Story

What is your attitude towards the Gospel? Has your familiarity with it made you complacent towards it?

A Familiar Story

This week's devotions are written by my son, Bryant Forshee, Lead Student Pastor for Cross Church, Springdale, AR campus.

- Pastor Danny

"For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

(John 3:16, CSB)

I want to share with you a movie plot. It might be familiar to some, but even if you know the answer, I ask you to read through the whole thing:

Woody, a cowboy doll, is the favorite toy of a boy named Andy until a flashy new space ranger, Buzz Lightyear, arrives and unintentionally threatens Woody's status. After a series of mishaps, Woody and Buzz find themselves lost and must work together to escape the clutches of a destructive neighbor, Sid. Through their adventure, they become friends and ultimately reunite with Andy, realizing that being there for their kid is what truly matters.

Now, if you do not know this movie, this is one of the greatest Pixar movies created. Some people say this is one of the greatest movies ever, this plot belongs to the movie, Toy Story. Now, here comes the kicker: Did you read through the whole thing, or did you skip the rest because you knew the answer and you didn't care to read the rest of one of the greatest movie plots ever? Did you skip the rest because you knew it was a movie plot and you saw Woody? Did you stop at Buzz Lightyear because you thought it might be Toy Story but you just wanted to make sure? Or did you read all the way through because you were asked to or because you wanted to see what Toy Story movie it was?

Why tell you about one of the greatest Pixar movies around? Well, when things get familiar, we can get lackadaisical or casual with a story that at one time was AMAZING and so enthralling to talk about. Here is my fear for us as followers of Jesus: we get familiar with the story of Jesus Christ, the Gospel, and we treat it like the plot of Toy Story.

What is the Gospel? What is the story of Jesus Christ? The true, life-changing story of Jesus Christ is that God put on flesh, came to this earth, and lived a perfect life. He died on the cross for the sins of mankind and rose again on the third day, triumphant over sin and death. Because of this sacrifice and resurrection, mankind can have a relationship with God, and Jesus will come back one day! Some of you are so familiar with this truth that you could have probably written it better or are thinking about parts that I left out.

Here is my challenge for us today and for the rest of our lives: Never get over the Gospel! Never get over the truth of John 3:16. Never get over, or Toy Story-ize, the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. May we be followers of Jesus such that every time we hear the Gospel, we fall more in love with Jesus. May we be followers of Jesus that tell ourselves the Gospel every day to remind us of how amazing God is and how we need Him every second of our day!

What is your attitude towards the Gospel? Is it like Toy Story, or is it the Greatest News you have ever heard in your life. I would beg you to make the mental shift to the second option and confess it before God if the Gospel is Option One: Toy Story, a common story that you tune out when you start to hear about it.

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Podcast of the Week

A Church in Revival, with Pastor Levi Skipper

Pastor Danny welcomes to the show Levi Skipper, Lead Pastor of Sagemont Church in Houston, TX. Pastor Levi shares his testimony, his No Sweat Evangelism strategy, and more.

Listen on your preferred platform: