On Rounds with Jesus

Tag: Jesus

  • Sensitisation

    Sensitisation

    Scripture reading: Matthew 5:27-30

    You can listen to this devotional via Spotify or YouTube.

    For today’s rounds, we return to the familiar field of obstetrics, reflecting on rhesus sensitisation.

    A rhesus-negative mother may feel completely well after exposure to her fetus’s rhesus-positive blood. There is no fever. No pain. No outward sign that anything lasting has occurred. Yet quietly, within her immune system, something permanent has taken place: memory has formed.

    The next exposure will not be silent. It will be swift. Forceful. Harmful. The consequences may unfold as recurrent miscarriages, fetal anaemia, hydrops fetalis, intrauterine fetal demise, or hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. To prevent this, pregnant women are screened for their Rhesus status. If a mother is Rh-negative and the baby may be Rh-positive, she receives anti-RhD immunoglobulin to stop sensitisation before it begins.

    In today’s passage, Jesus reshapes our understanding of sin. It is not merely the outward act that matters; it begins in the realm of desire.

    Small exposures can carry far-reaching effects.

    In Song of Solomon 2:15, Scripture urges: “Catch the little foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines…” Not wolves. Not storms. Not raging fires. Little foxes.

    Vineyards are rarely destroyed overnight. Damage usually comes slowly, through small breaches, repeated nibbles, subtle erosion over time. So, it is with the soul. The first compromise seldom feels catastrophic. The first indulgence rarely feels fatal. The first step away hardly feels distant. But something forms inside: memory.

    From there, progression is familiar. James 1:14–15 describes it plainly: desire is conceived, conception gives birth to sin, and sin matures into death. It begins quietly, internally, almost invisibly. No one sets out intending to ruin their integrity, marriage, or ministry. The path often begins with exposure that is entertained rather than resisted.

    The enemy seldom presents the outcome. He offers only the first step. Just look. Just try. Just once. Just this small compromise.

    Yet repeated exposure reshapes the heart. In immunology, sensitisation makes the immune system more reactive. Spiritually, repeated compromise often produces the opposite effect — dullness. Hebrews 3:13 cautions us not to be hardened through sin’s deceitfulness. Sin deceives because it hides its destination. It whispers that nothing has changed. But over time, what once convicted now entertains. What once disturbed now feels normal. What once shocked barely registers.

    As 1 Timothy 4:2 describes, the conscience can become seared. Wrong remains wrong, but sensitivity fades.

    Prevention is better than cure. Once Rh sensitization occurs, it cannot be reversed. Management becomes complicated. Risks increase. Spiritually, the stakes are even higher. Small patterns form strongholds. Private indulgences shape public outcomes. Tiny permissions grow into entrenched habits. No one drifts into holiness. Drift moves in the other direction.

    But here the analogy reaches its limit, and grace begins. In medicine, sensitisation is permanent. In Christ, renewal is possible. 1 John 1:9 reminds us that if we confess our sins, He forgives and cleanses.

    Let us pray

    Lord Jesus,
    Guard my heart from seemingly innocuous exposures that could eventually turn it away from You.

    Help me catch the little foxes before they spoil the vine.

    Holy Spirit, soften my hardened heart. Convict where numbness has grown and renew where drift has occurred. Do not let what is wrong become normal in me. Renew my sensitivity to Your voice.

    Amen.

    On today’s rounds, the lesson was not only about antibodies, it was about attention.

    What you repeatedly tolerate, you eventually normalize.
    What you normalize, you eventually defend.
    And what you defend, you eventually become.

    Stay vigilant. Stay sensitive. Stay surrendered.

  • Reborn

    Reborn

    Scripture reading: John 3:1-8, Galatians 5:19-23

    You can listen to this devotional via Spotify or YouTube.

    At conception, special cells carrying half of the genetic information from each parent fuse in a process called fertilization. This marks the beginning of a nine-month journey that culminates in the birth of a baby. At birth, that child already carries inherited features that will gradually find expression in the way they look, speak, and even behave. Genes make this possible. They shape how the body looks and how it functions.

    Sometimes, however, the genes a person inherits may also predispose them to disease. In the past, there was very little that could be done about genetic conditions such as sickle cell disease, where red blood cells become abnormally shaped under stress, leading to pain and complications. Today, advances in medical science offer new hope. Through gene-editing technology, it is now possible to modify a patient’s own blood stem cells to produce high levels of fetal haemoglobin, preventing red blood cells from sickling. By restoring healthy oxygen flow, this innovation offers the possibility of a one-time, transformative treatment without the need for donor transplants.

    Spiritually speaking, humanity also carries an inherited condition. By default, we are sinful. It is our nature, something we are born into. When Jesus said, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” He was revealing that entry into God’s righteous domain is not possible while we remain in our natural state. We require a complete inner renewal – a spiritual re-engineering.

    This renewal comes through faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross. We are not called to return physically to the womb, as Nicodemus imagined, but to experience a new birth, one that transforms our very nature.

    When we believe, God places His Spirit within us. From that moment, a hidden work begins, much like the unseen development of a child in the womb. Quietly and gradually, the Spirit reshapes us into the likeness of Christ. This process takes time. And its outcome becomes visible in what Scripture calls the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

    Just as a mother does not consciously assemble the organs of her growing baby, spiritual fruit is not produced by sheer human effort. The mother’s role is to nurture the environment, to eat well, avoid harmful substances, and attend regular care. Likewise, our role is not to manufacture transformation, but to cooperate with it.

    Spiritual growth comes through yielding to the Holy Spirit, through daily surrender, prayer, Scripture, and sensitivity to His leading. As we align our hearts with God’s will, He works within us, shaping our character from the inside out. Yet we must remain willing participants. Though the work is God’s, we can resist or hinder it through sin, neglect, or indifference.

    Ask any pregnant woman – carrying new life is not always comfortable. There are cravings that are not necessarily healthy, sacrifices to be made and moments of strain. But in the end, the joy of new life makes the journey worthwhile. So it is with spiritual growth.

    As we trust God’s Spirit to work in us, both to will and to do according to His good pleasure, we can be confident that the character He is forming within us will prepare us for our place in His Kingdom.

    Reflections

    1. In what areas of my life am I still relying on self-effort instead of yielding to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit?
    2. What habits, attitudes, or “old nature” patterns might be resisting God’s regenerating work within me?
    3. How can I intentionally create space for the Spirit’s hidden work in my daily life through surrender, prayer, and obedience?

    Let us Pray

    Heavenly Father,

    Thank You for offering me new life through Christ.

    Holy Spirit, shape me quietly from within. Teach me to yield, to trust, and to rest in Your transforming grace.

    Let Your life grow in me until I reflect Your love, Your peace, and Your likeness.

    In Jesus’ name,
    Amen.

  • Action and Reaction

    Action and Reaction

    Scripture reading: John 12:20—26

    You can listen to this devotional here:

    Scientific laws are irrefutable truths, tried, tested, and proven over time, that describe the physical world we live in. Newton’s laws of motion are among the most familiar examples. This year, we have been exploring spiritual truths by linking them to these laws of the natural world.

    In Inertia, we confronted the heart’s resistance to movement—the tendency to remain at rest even when Jesus calls us forward. Comfort disguised as faithfulness. Stillness mistaken for obedience.

    In Newton’s Second Law, we examined the forces that act against movement: the weight of fear, distraction, obligation, and attachment. We learned that even when the desire to follow Jesus is present, these weights can slow acceleration and stall progress.

    Today, we arrive at Newton’s Third Law—Action and Reaction.

    Newton’s Third Law tells us that motion is always the result of interaction: ‘For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction’. When a swimmer pushes water backwards, the water pushes the swimmer forward. When a gun is fired, the bullet moves forward, and the gun recoils backwards with equal force. A rocket is propelled upward only because it pushes gases downward at high speed. An action without a reaction produces no movement, only effort without progress.

    This law shows us something crucial: no object gains momentum in isolation. Momentum is built through relationship. When you walk, your foot pushes backwards against the ground, and the ground pushes forward against you, propelling you ahead. In the same way, when we move toward Jesus, He meets us in that movement. Our obedience is answered with His presence. Our surrender is met with grace. Our weakness is met with strength.

    At times, the call to discipleship can feel draining, like a seed falling into the ground and dying. But be assured: you are not losing at all. In physics, total momentum is conserved because every action has a reaction. Momentum does not disappear; it is transferred. Spiritually, obedience is never wasted. Every step you take toward God changes something—within you and beyond you. Your movement creates ripple effects.

    Jesus says, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” Growth can be gruelling. Obedience can be costly. But maturity is not optional—it is the standard we are called toward.

    At its core, today’s scripture speaks about sacrifice. Sacrifice is the giving up of something valuable (like time, comfort, resources, even life) for a higher purpose. A disciple must be willing to lose to gain. This is the wheel around which obedience turns. This is what it means to follow.

    And what gain it is.

    “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour.”

    Reflection

    Momentum in the Christian life is not built by intensity, but by relationship.

    How can you improve your relationship with Christ through dedicated prayer times, word-study and fellowship?

    Each step toward Christ invites His response. No act of faith is wasted. No sacrifice goes unnoticed. As you reflect today, consider what small, faithful action God may be inviting you to take, not to prove your devotion, but to deepen your walk with Him.

    Prayer

    Lord Jesus, I lay my life before You—my plans, my fears, my desires, and my comforts.
    I surrender my will to Yours, trusting that every step I take toward You is met by Your presence and Your power.
    Teach me to move with You, not by striving alone, but by trusting Your response in every act of obedience.
    Take my hands, my feet, my heart, and use them as You will, even when the path feels uncertain or costly.
    Let my surrender become momentum—a force that carries life, grace, and Your love to others.
    I give You all of me today, Lord, not holding back, not clinging to control, but trusting completely that where You are, I will also be.
    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.