On Rounds with Jesus

Tag: Christian devotional

  • Comeback

    Comeback

    Scripture reading: Luke 15:11-32

    We all love a good comeback story. My favourite is the unforgettable 2017 Barcelona–PSG clash, known as the famous Remontada. After losing the first leg 4–0, Barcelona needed nothing short of a miracle. And a miracle they delivered — scoring three goals in the final seven minutes to win 6–1 and progress to the quarter-finals. It was the perfect reminder that it’s not over until it’s over.

    In medicine, I’ve also seen patients defy the odds, fighting back from dire prognoses and rising stronger. Those moments inspire awe.

    But no comeback story surpasses the parable of the Prodigal Son, because it is our story. A young man, broken and empty after squandering everything, “came to himself” and returned home. Instead of rejection, he was met by his father’s open arms. This is the clearest portrait of God in all of Scripture: a Father who waits for us, ready to welcome repentant hearts. How touching!

    The greatest comeback you will ever make is the one where you return to God. Recognise your mess. Take the first step home. And what a glorious homecoming it will be when you make that comeback. The entire host of Heaven will rejoice!

    Reflections

    • No defeat is final until you stop trying.
    • God’s grace gives us more than a second chance — it gives us a new beginning.
    • Our worst mess can become the stage for God’s greatest mercy.
    • Heaven celebrates every comeback story of repentance.
    • Your comeback is not just for you — it inspires others to return as well.

    Prayer

    Father of mercy, thank You for being the God of comebacks. Thank You that no matter how far I wander, Your arms remain open to receive me. Forgive me for the times I have squandered Your blessings and chosen my own way. Like the prodigal, I come back to You — broken, but hopeful in Your grace. Restore me, Lord, and let my life be a testimony of Your unfailing love. May I never forget that Heaven rejoices over every sinner who repents. Help me to extend the same mercy to others, that they too may find their way home. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  • Are you ready?

    Are you ready?

    Scripture reading: Matthew 24:36-44

    On the morning of Wednesday, August 6, a Ghanaian Z-9 Air Force helicopter took off from Accra toward Obuasi. Among the eight on board were Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Samuel Sarpong (vice-chair of the ruling party), Muniru Mohammed (top national security adviser), and others. None of them could have anticipated that their journey would end in a deadly crash.

    Life can change in a heartbeat. Scripture reminds us that this is also how the return of Christ will be. In today’s passage, Jesus speaks of His second coming, likening it to the days of Noah when people were going about their daily lives until the flood came unexpectedly.

    “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming… Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

    Just as no one knows when disaster might strike, no one knows the day or hour of Christ’s return. The call is clear: live ready.

    Reflection

    1. What does “being ready” for Christ’s return look like in your daily life?
    2. Are there habits or attitudes you would change if you knew Jesus was coming tomorrow?
    3. How can you cultivate a lifestyle of watchfulness and prayer?
    4. Are you clinging to temporary things or eternal ones?
    5. Who around you still needs to hear the message of salvation before it’s too late?

    Let us pray


    Lord, teach me to number my days and live in readiness for Your return. Help me not to be distracted by the fleeting pleasures of this world, but to be found faithful and watchful when You come. Amen.

  • Stuck

    Stuck

    Scripture reading: John 5:1-15, NKJV

    Sometimes in difficult deliveries, a baby’s head is born, but the shoulders become lodged behind the mother’s pubic bone. It’s an obstetric emergency called shoulder dystocia. In that moment, every second matters. The longer the baby stays stuck, the worse the outcome. It can feel like hell – frantic, helpless, and desperate.

    Being stuck is never easy.

    In John 5, we read about a man who had been “stuck” for thirty-eight years — lying beside a pool said to have healing powers, but he could never make it in. Every time the water stirred, someone else got there first. He had no one to help him.

    Then one day, Jesus shows up and asks him, “Do you want to be healed?” Instead of a clear yes, the man gives excuses.

    Maybe you know what that’s like. Perhaps you’ve been stuck in sin, in sickness, in cycles of frustration and mediocrity. Maybe, like the man, your mind has grown weary, your hope paralysed. But today, grace stands before you and asks, “Do you want to be made whole?”

    Then comes the call: “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately, the man was healed.

    Friend, it’s your turn. Grace is here – for your healing, your salvation, your breakthrough. All it takes is surrender. Lay down your excuses. Hand over your helplessness. He is sufficient – He is all the help you need.

    And just like in that delivery room, the first thing to do when a baby is stuck… is to call for help. Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus — a very present help in time of need.

    Let’s pray

    Lord Jesus, I come to You just as I am — tired, stuck, and hopeless.
    Like the man by the pool, I’ve waited, I’ve watched, and I’ve withered. Too long I have depended on others or on my own strength. Too long I’ve believed that healing was for someone else, that breakthrough had passed me by.

    But today, You stand before me. You ask, “Do you want to be made whole?” Yes, Lord. I do.

    I surrender my excuses. Lift me from this place of paralysis — in my heart, in my mind, in my spirit.

    Speak Your word again: “Rise up and walk.” I receive Your grace — grace to walk, grace to believe, grace to become all You created me to be.

    Thank you for Your salvation, Your healing and Your deliverance, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

    Reflections

    1. Stuck. Not anymore.

    Just like the man by the pool who had been immobilized for 38 years, we too can feel trapped in sin, sickness, or stagnation. But Jesus meets us in our helplessness, offering healing and hope. When He speaks, even long-standing situations can shift in an instant.

    2. Excuses versus obedience

    The man had reasons for remaining where he was, but none of them could save him. It wasn’t until he responded to Jesus’ command to “Rise and walk” that he experienced healing. Likewise, we must choose faith over excuses and respond when grace calls.

  • Ankwanoma

    Ankwanoma

    Scripture reading: Luke 7:11-17

    Death is such a painful thing. In this week’s scripture reading, we witness the heartbreaking scene of a burial procession, the only son of a widow being carried to his grave. You can feel the weight of it.

    Then came news of Daddy Lumba’s passing this weekend, the beloved Ghanaian highlife legend, who died on the morning of Saturday, July 26, after a short illness. The same morning, I was grappling with my own ‘personal’ loss. Life is so short. Indeed, how brief and fleeting it is.

    Jesus sees the mourning crowd and is deeply moved. He approaches, touches the coffin, and the dead young man rises.

    Death scorches. And there are things we may never understand, like why we lose someone despite doing everything possible to prevent it. Or why the ones who go are those we feel didn’t deserve it — too young, too kind, too full of promise. Yet even though death feels mysterious and final, it is not the end.

    It may feel like the end, stirring deep grief and sharp stabs of guilt, but as Jesus shows us today, it isn’t. There is more. There must be. Jesus Himself had to die, but He rose again. And He promises the same for all who believe:

    “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25)

    This life isn’t all there is.

    Still, we must make every moment count. Grieve, yes. Count the losses. But don’t stay down too long. Rise. Shake off the dust. Go after the next win. Because, like Charles Kwadwo Fosu (Daddy Lumba) once sang, a time will come when each of us will have to ‘fly’ away. Like the bird…

    Ankwanoma

    Mede me kra abɔ afɔreɛ o
    Mereyɛ nea mɛtumie
    Me mmerɛ so a, na mekorɔ o
    Ankwanoma, anoma ei, boo, na anoma ei
    Mm, Ankwanoma ei
    Me mmerɛ so a, na mekorɔ o

    Translation

    Lonely bird
    I have laid down my life as an offering,
    Doing all I can while I can.
    And when my time comes, I will go.
    Lonely bird, bird ei, dear birdie,
    Mm… lonely bird,
    When my time comes, I will go.

    Until then, we press on.

    “As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent us. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4)

    Let’s pray

    Lord Jesus,
    You are the Resurrection and the Life.
    You looked upon a grieving mother and brought her son back to life.
    You entered into our sorrow, and You overcame it.

    Today, we bring before You the ache of our losses —
    The people we’ve loved and had to let go,
    The dreams that died too soon,
    The questions we still carry in our hearts.

    Yet in the midst of pain, we declare our hope:
    Death is not the end.
    Because You rose, we too shall rise.
    Because You live, we can face tomorrow — with courage, with peace, with purpose.

    Lord, breathe new strength into our weary souls.
    Help us live with meaning —
    To love deeply, to give generously,
    To rise from our grief and walk boldly in our calling.

    Teach us to number our days and make each one count.
    Let our lives be offerings poured out in service to You.
    May we press on, even through the tears,
    Knowing that a time will come when we too will take flight —
    Not into emptiness, but into eternal joy with You.

    Until then, we will live fully,
    Love deeply,
    And walk faithfully in the light You’ve given us.

    Amen.

    Reflection

    Grief whispers that death is final, that everything beautiful is now buried and gone. But Jesus shows us otherwise. He steps into funeral processions and rewrites stories. He doesn’t just comfort the grieving, He conquers the grave.

    Loss hurts. It confuses. It breaks. But it does not win.

    Because Jesus rose, there is hope beyond the grave. Because He lives, we can face even the darkest days with the confidence that this — this pain, this ending, this goodbye — is not the end.