On Rounds with Jesus

Tag: Faith in Action

  • Viral

    Viral

    Scripture reading: Matthew 28:16-20

    You can listen to this devotional via Spotify or YouTube.

    Viral infections are known to be highly contagious. Once an infection is established, it can spread through direct contact, through the air, on surfaces, via carriers, or even from mother to child. One infected person can transmit it to many, who in turn transmit it further. What begins with a single host can expand exponentially across communities, cities, and nations. The recent COVID-19 pandemic is a clear case in point. What started in one location quickly spread across the globe, affecting millions.

    In the digital world, “viral” content spreads in a similar way. On platforms like TikTok or YouTube, one person shares a video or post, others repost it, and networks multiply it rapidly. Algorithms amplify their reach, and soon it is everywhere.

    Virality, whether biological or digital, follows a simple pattern: contact leads to multiplication, and subsequently expansion.

    In Matthew 28:19–20, Jesus gave His disciples this charge: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” It was, in essence, a command to make the Gospel spread to the ends of the earth. Not long afterwards, empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), the Gospel began to spread rapidly. By the time we read Acts of the Apostles 17:6, critics were saying: “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.” The message spread so widely that it unsettled the Roman world. Many believers paid for it with their lives. Yet they could not remain silent. The message was too good, and everyone needed to hear it.

    The Gospel literally means “good news.” It is the message of God’s love and redemption through Jesus Christ. The Gospel announces that: Humanity was separated from God because of sin (Romans 3:23), God provided a way back through Jesus Christ, who lived perfectly, died for our sins, and rose again (1 Corinthians 15:3–4), Whoever believes in Him receives forgiveness, new life, and eternal life (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17), and this new life transforms character, relationships, and purpose (Ezekiel 36:26; Galatians 5:22–23).

    The Gospel is not merely moral advice or a religious story. It is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). It is the ultimate life-giving contagion because it strengthens, restores, and multiplies in ways nothing else can.

    If today a cure for HIV/AIDS were discovered, that news would spread instantly across the globe. The Gospel proclaims the cure for sin. It announces deliverance from eternal separation from God (John 5:24). Everybody needs to hear it. Every true Christian is called to share it.

    How to we Spread This Holy Contagion

    1. Abide in Christ

    Jesus revealed the foundation in Gospel of John 15:4–5:

    “Abide in me… Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.”

    Abiding produces fruit. Fruit carries seed. Seed multiplies life.

    Spend time in prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17), in Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16–17), and in worship. Let your relationship with Christ shape your every word and action.

    2. Live a Fruitful Life

    The fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — is listed in Galatians 5:22–23.

    Let others see Christ in your conduct before they hear Him in your words (Matthew 5:16). A transformed life is compelling evidence of a transforming Saviour.

    3. Share Your Testimony Naturally

    “You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).

    Speak about what Christ has done in your life. Share your struggles, victories, and growth. A witness simply tells what they have seen and experienced.

    4. Engage Your Networks

    Viruses often spread from an epicenter. In the early church, that center was Jerusalem (Acts 1:8). Start with your immediate circle — family, friends, colleagues, church, and online communities — and allow the message to multiply relationally.

    5. Use Every Platform Faithfully

    No avenue is insignificant. Whether through social media, small groups, writing, music, or conversation, share Scripture and encouragement (Colossians 4:6).

    6. Pray for opportunities and Open Doors

    Paul asked believers to pray “that God may open to us a door for the word” (Colossians 4:3). Ask God to prepare hearts and to make your witness fruitful.

    7. Teach and Disciple

    The command was not merely to make converts, but disciples (Matthew 28:19–20). Guide others to grow. A disciple who bears fruit becomes a multiplier (2 Timothy 2:2).

    A Sobering Reminder

    Recently, reports indicated that a popular actor, Eric Dane, died from Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In his interview on Netflix, it was painfully evident how severely the disease had taken its toll on him.

    In Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), motor neurons slowly degenerate and die. As they stop sending signals to the muscles, the body weakens, deteriorates, and eventually loses vital functions.

    Sin operates in a far deeper way. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Left untreated, it cripples and ultimately destroys.

    The Gospel proclaims the cure for sin, and it remains truly “good news” only if it reaches its hearers in time. The longer it is withheld, the more firmly sin entrenches itself. If you possessed the cure, would you keep it to yourself, or would you share it?

    Questions to Reflect On

    • If someone spent a week near me, what would they “catch”?
    • Am I abiding deeply enough for fruit to form?
    • Does my witness flow from transformation or obligation?
    • Am I intentionally using my networks to spread life?

    Let us pray

    Lord Jesus,
    Abide in me as I abide in You.
    Let Your life take root so deeply that fruit becomes inevitable.

    Make my love visible.
    Make my peace steady.
    Make my witness natural.
    Make my life a channel of Your transforming power.

    Help me share the Gospel through words, actions, and presence,
    so that Your life spreads, multiplies, and bears eternal fruit.

    Amen.

  • Inertia

    Inertia

    Scripture reading: Luke 9:57–62

    You can listen to this devotional via Spotify or YouTube:

    In physics, inertia is the tendency of an object to resist change, to stay at rest or keep moving in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force. Spiritually, inertia looks like knowing what God asks of us, yet remaining unmoved. We believe, but delay. We agree, but do not act. Faith stalls when comfort becomes stronger than conviction.

    Jesus confronts spiritual inertia directly in this week’s reading. In Luke 9, several people express willingness to follow Him, but always with delay. One wants to first bury his father. Another wants to say goodbye at home. None of these requests sounds sinful per se, yet Jesus responds with striking urgency: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

    Their problem was not refusal, but hesitation. They felt the pull of comfort, tradition, and unfinished business. Like many of us, they intended to follow, but not immediately.

    Spiritual inertia often disguises itself as responsibility or timing. We tell ourselves we will obey once things settle down, once we feel ready, once life is less demanding. But Jesus calls for movement now. The kingdom advances through responsive hearts, not postponed ones.

    God’s grace is the force that breaks inertia. His Spirit empowers us to move, but obedience must meet that grace. When we respond, even imperfectly, momentum begins, and God’s power carries us forward. Like a parked car on a hill, it takes effort to start pushing it, but once it moves, even a gentle push keeps it rolling. Obedience works the same way. The first step is often the hardest. Yet that step invites God’s power to carry us forward.

    This year, your charge is to move – take that first step in faith!

    Reflection

    • Where have you grown comfortable instead of obedient?
    • What instruction from God have you delayed acting on?
    • What one small step can you take today to break spiritual inertia?

    Do not wait for perfect motivation. Act on present obedience.

    Prayer

    Lord, I confess the places where I have grown still when You called me to move. Break every spiritual inertia in my heart. Give me courage to obey promptly and faith to trust You with the outcome. Let Your Spirit be the force that moves me from intention to action. Amen.

    Closing Thought

    Faith that moves, even slowly, pleases God more than faith that only agrees. Today, choose movement. Even a step matters.

  • Going the extra mile

    Going the extra mile

    Scripture reading: Matthew 5:38-42

    When a client recalls a great experience in the hospital, it usually does not entail receiving the most sophisticated treatment or procedures. Most often, it’s about that doctor who took an extra minute to listen, or that nurse who went beyond duty to reassure them. The memory is usually about the “extra mile” — the gentle, unexpected brush of kindness.

    “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.” (Matthew 5:41)

    In Jesus’ time, under Roman law, soldiers could compel ordinary people to carry their burdens for one mile. This was burdensome, humiliating, and deeply resented by the Jewish people. Yet Jesus flips this around: instead of resisting or doing the bare minimum, He teaches His followers to voluntarily exceed expectations — to surprise even the oppressor with generosity.

    Reflections

    • Radical Love in Action – True love doesn’t only do what is required; it goes beyond duty into grace.
    • Breaking the Cycle of Resentment – Rather than retaliating, Jesus calls us to disarm hostility with kindness.
    • Living Differently – As children of God, we are called to stand out from the world in humility and service.
    • Inner Freedom – By choosing to go further willingly, we master our response instead of remaining victims of compulsion.

    Application Today

    • At Work – Don’t just do the minimum your boss expects—add value willingly.
    • In Relationships – Extend forgiveness, patience, and kindness even when others may not “deserve” it.
    • In Service – Help people beyond what they ask, showing Christ’s love in practical ways.

    Let’s pray

    Heavenly Father, thank You for the example of Jesus, who showed us what it means to love beyond duty and serve with joy. Too often, we stop at the bare minimum, giving only what is required. Lord, teach us to walk the second mile — in our work, in our homes, and in every relationship.

    Help us to turn burdens into opportunities, insults into kindness, and demands into chances to reveal Your grace. Fill our hearts with the freedom that comes from choosing love over resentment.

    May every “extra step” we take reflect Your generous love and draw others closer to You. Strengthen us to live differently, to shine Your light in a world that desperately needs it.

    In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.