On Rounds with Jesus

Tag: obedience

  • Inertia

    Inertia

    Scripture reading: Luke 9:57–62

    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.

  • 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.