On Rounds with Jesus

Tag: Salvation

  • Look Up

    Look Up

    Scripture reading: Acts 1:9-11

    You can listen to this devotional via Spotify or YouTube.

    In the comedy-drama Don’t Look Up, two astronomers discover a massive comet on a collision course with Earth—a planet-killer capable of wiping out humanity. As they sound the alarm, they expect urgency. Instead, they encounter political spin, media trivialization, and widespread denial. The phrase “Don’t Look Up” becomes a chilling slogan: leaders urging people to ignore what is plainly visible, to refuse to even lift their eyes to the truth.

    In today’s scripture, however, we see a very different posture. The disciples of Jesus Christ are looking up, not in denial, but in longing and awe as He ascends into heaven. As they gaze, they are reminded of a promise:

    “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

    This same Jesus, who endured the agony of the cross at Calvary and completed His world-redeeming mission, now entrusts His disciples with a message that would change the world. The truth is no longer hidden. It is available for all to see: that everyone who believes in His name will be saved.

    Yet, in a sobering sense, there is still a “comet” on the horizon. Scripture reminds us that it is appointed for man to die once, and after that, judgment. Reality is approaching. Eternity is certain. And only one Person can save.

    Still, many choose not to look up. They bury themselves in distraction, entertainment, noise, and ambition. They prioritise power, comfort, and profit over truth. Like the crowds in Don’t Look Up, they become willfully blind, even when the signs are unmistakable.

    But the call of the believer is different.

    To look up is to live with the return of Christ in clear focus.
    To look up is to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
    To look up is to anchor your life in hope, not denial.

    Because this same Jesus will return. Not as the Lamb who was slain, but as the Lion who reigns.

    Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus!

    Prayer

    Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who came, died, rose again, and ascended in glory. Thank You for the hope we have in His promised return.

    Lord, in a world filled with noise, distraction, and denial, help us to lift our eyes and truly look up. Guard our hearts from becoming dull to truth. Give us the grace to live with eternity in view, to walk in obedience, and to work out our salvation with reverence and sincerity.

    Teach us to fix our gaze on You, not on fleeting pleasures or passing ambitions, but on what truly matters. Strengthen our faith, renew our hope, and stir in us a deep longing for Your coming kingdom.

    And as we wait, make us faithful witnesses. Bold in truth, rich in love, and steadfast in purpose.

    In Jesus’ name. Amen.

    Thank you for joining us for today’s encouragement. If you haven’t already, consider subscribing so we can keep sharing more with you.

    If this message spoke to you, feel free to share it with someone who might need the same encouragement.

    Until next time, stay blessed.

  • Breathe

    Breathe

    Scripture reading: Matthew 11:28-30

    You can listen to this devotional via Spotify or YouTube.

    There are moments when life feels overwhelming, your thoughts racing, your chest tight, your strength running thin. You’re doing your best to hold everything together, yet it feels like it’s all slipping through your fingers.

    And then Jesus speaks: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…”

    Notice what He says. Come. Not perform. Not fix. Not prove. Just come.

    Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is pause… and breathe.

    It’s like someone carrying a heavy bucket of water on their head over a long distance. At first, the weight is manageable. You adjust your posture, steady yourself, and keep moving. But as the journey goes on, your neck stiffens. Your steps become slow. Your balance starts to fail. Every movement becomes exhausting, not because the bucket got heavier, but because you’ve been carrying it too long.

    Then you finally reach a place where you can set it down.

    That moment, when the weight leaves your head, when your spine straightens, when your lungs fill fully again, that’s what Jesus is offering. Not more strength to keep carrying… but permission to put it down.

    But this invitation goes even deeper. Jesus is not just offering rest from life’s burdens. He is offering rest for your soul. The greatest weight we carry is not stress or pressure. It is sin, separation, and the quiet ache of trying to make ourselves right.

    And the truth is, we cannot carry that weight off ourselves.

    That’s why He doesn’t say, “Find your way.” He says, “Come to me.”

    He is the way, the only One who can truly lead you back to life.

    So today, before the next decision, before the next worry, before you try to hold it all together again, breathe.

    Inhale: He is calling me.
    Exhale: I can come to Him.

    And as you come, don’t just lay down your burdens, place your trust in Him because the One who gives you breath is also the One who saves your soul.

    Prayer

    Lord Jesus,
    I come to You, weary and burdened.
    I lay down every weight I’ve been carrying:
    my worries, my fears, and my need to be in control.

    Teach me to rest in You.
    Help me to breathe again, trusting that You are enough.

    I believe that You are the way, the truth, and the life.
    Place my trust fully in You,
    and lead me into true rest and salvation.

    Amen.

    Reflection

    What am I carrying that I haven’t brought to Jesus? Is it fear, pressure, guilt, or the need to stay in control?

    Where am I still striving instead of simply coming to Him? Where have I chosen effort over surrender?

    Today, pause… breathe… and come. Not with answers, not with strength… just come.

    Thank you for joining us for today’s encouragement. If you haven’t already, consider subscribing so we can keep sharing more with you.

    If this message spoke to you, feel free to share it with someone who might need the same encouragement.

    Until next time, stay blessed.

  • Seven Miles

    Seven Miles

    Scripture reading: Luke 24:13-35

    You can listen to this devotional via Spotify or YouTube.

    It had been a very busy weekend. Jesus Christ, the long-awaited Messiah, had been crucified—painfully and publicly. The one they had hoped would redeem Israel was dead.

    And then came the shocking news on Sunday morning: His tomb was empty. What could it mean?

    These were the weighty matters occupying the hearts of Cleopas and his companion as they journeyed some seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus. These were disciples who had walked with Jesus, witnessed His works, and heard His teachings. Yet, they struggled to make sense of recent events.

    As they talked, an unexpected stranger joined them. Unrecognised, He listened as they recounted everything that had happened, even expressing surprise that He seemed unaware: “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

    Then came His piercing response: “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25).

    In that moment, their problem was not a lack of information; it was a lack of understanding and belief. And in the same way, we are called to examine our own doubts and spiritual blind spots.

    Did they truly know who they were talking about?

    They described Jesus as “a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people” (Luke 24:19). But He is far more than a prophet. He is God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14). No mere man has the authority to lay down his life and take it up again (John 10:17–18).

    They continued, “The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him” (Luke 24:20). While human hands carried out the act, this was not a tragic accident; it was for a divine purpose. As Jesus had already taught, “Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” (Luke 24:26; see also Isaiah 53:5).

    Their disappointment is palpable: “But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). Hope, in their eyes, had died on the cross.

    Yet what they could not yet see was this: the cross was not the end. It was the pathway to victory. The resurrection changes everything. Through Christ, death has been defeated (1 Corinthians 15:54–57), sin has lost its power, and fear no longer has the final say.

    If only they could see it.

    But isn’t that often our story too? We walk weighed down by confusion and disappointment, even when the truth is right beside us.

    The journey to Emmaus became a life-changing encounter. As Jesus walked with them, explained the Scriptures, and later revealed Himself in the breaking of bread (Luke 24:30–31), their eyes were opened and their hearts set ablaze: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32).

    This is the journey we are all invited into—to walk closely with the Lord, to listen to His Word, to sit at His feet, and to commune with Him until He reveals Himself more fully to us. Beyond the surface, we are called to experience a more intimate relationship with Him.

    And here is the greatest news, still as powerful today as it was then: Jesus is alive (Matthew 28:6).

    And it only gets better from here.

    Reflection

    1. Do I truly know who Jesus Christ is?
    Like the disciples, it’s possible to walk with Jesus, hear His Word, and still misunderstand His identity. They called Him a prophet, but He is Lord and God (John 1:1, 14). Is my faith based on partial understanding, or do I fully acknowledge Him as Saviour and Lord over my life? How intimately do you know Jesus?

    2. Am I slow to believe what God has already said?
    Jesus rebuked them for being “slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken” (Luke 24:25). Their discouragement came from forgetting or misinterpreting Scripture. In moments of confusion or delay, do I trust God’s Word, or do I let doubt shape my perspective?

    3. Am I walking closely enough with Him to recognize His presence?
    The disciples didn’t recognize Jesus until He revealed Himself (Luke 24:31), but their hearts burned as He spoke. Intimacy preceded revelation. Am I creating space to walk with Him daily through Scripture, prayer, and fellowship so that I can discern His voice and presence?

    Prayer

    Lord Jesus, open my eyes to truly know You— not just in word, but in truth and power. Strengthen my faith where I doubt, and anchor my heart in Your Word. Lead me daily, that I may walk with You,
    and live in the power of Your resurrection.

    Let my heart burn for You always. Amen.

    Thank you for joining us for today’s encouragement. If this message blessed you, kindly share it with someone who may also be encouraged by it.

    Until next time, stay blessed.

  • Who touched me?

    Who touched me?

    Scripture reading: Luke 8:40-48, NKJV

    Amid a crowd pressing against Him, Jesus feels a singular tug on the hem of His garment…

    “Who touched me?”

    Here’s Madam X—we don’t know her age—who had been suffering from an issue of blood for twelve long years. She had spent her life’s savings visiting various clinics in search of a solution, but had nothing to show for it. Her condition, one can imagine, was incredibly distressing. She desperately needed the bleeding to stop.

    Most women experience their menses once a month, and it’s unusual for it to last more than a week or exceed about 80ml a day. When it does, it’s considered abnormal and could be due to several conditions—from hormonal or clotting disorders to structural causes like fibroids or cancer. Abnormal uterine or vaginal bleeding can be deeply distressing.

    But Madam X had heard about Jesus—and she knew He could heal her. So, she made her move.

    Though considered unclean by the laws of her time and unfit to mingle with the crowd—let alone touch a holy man—she pressed on. Nothing would hold her back. Just a touch of the hem of His garment… After all, what was the worst that could happen? Who would know? Who would see? Who would feel?

    Jesus knows. Jesus sees. Jesus feels.

    Many followed Jesus that day. Many pressed against Him. But He felt only one touch. It was a touch of faith—intentional, calculated, and born from a deep, unwavering belief that He could heal her. He didn’t have to notice the touch, yet He did. He didn’t have to see her, yet He did. It was risky… but Jesus was ready.

    He knows all about your struggles—even the ones you can’t say out loud. The ones you sneak around with. The ones you’ve spent years seeking help for in all the wrong places. The ones that make you feel unclean.

    What if, today, you let go of the shame, the fear, the unworthiness—and just reached for the hem of His garment? He might just turn your life around.

    Let’s Pray

    Pray… that unlike the crowd that nonchalantly pressed in, we would truly touch Him. That our daily encounters with Him would not be routine, but intentional. That our worship would not be casual or mechanical, but full of faith, hearts brimming with desire to grasp the hem of His garment—amidst all the distractions of the world.

    That even though the world won’t notice—He will feel it.

    That as we touch the hem of His garment, as we genuinely pursue Him, as we yearn daily to draw near to Him—our struggles, our worries, our pain—will begin to fade away.

    Amen.

    Reflections

    1.  Jesus knows about you, but more than that, He wants to know you on a personal level.
    2. The “who” is not as important as the “how.”
    3. The “how” is always by faith.
    4.  Faith is not “business as usual.” Faith is intentional.
    5.  Jesus is always ready and willing.