Jesus Speed - Eugenio Duarte
In June 2023 the Church of the Nazarene held their General Assembly. It's a global meeting where Nazarenes from around the world gather to worship and plan the church's way forward. Each of the six General Superintendents (the Big Six in the Nazarene Church) got to preach, and I listened to each of their sermons and was so inspired by what they said that I thought I'd share some of it with you in my devotions. I'm going to share a short clip from each of them over the next few days, and I'll also send a link to their whole talk so that you can watch it if you like.
Dr Eugenio Duarte
The Assembly began with a talk from Dr. Eugenio Duarte, who is from Cape Verde, and listen to what he had to say about living your life at Jesus speed:
“I invite us all tonight to go at the speed of Jesus. The speed of Jesus is one of love, it's one of grace! Speed is an expression of urgency. It speaks to the priority of the task. In John 9:4 Jesus expressed his sense of urgency by saying, “As long as it's day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work.”
I must constantly be reminded to go at Jesus speed, not at the speed of those on the way to Jericho, who are so busy with their religious or secular agendas that they could not stop for the man who was stripped out and beaten by robbers, but at a speed of Jesus, through the Good Samaritan, the man who stopped not just to satisfy his curiosity, but to be relevant to the needs of a sufferer. It is this mission that drives us to go at his pace.
At the Pace of Jesus
At the pace of Jesus, friends, we are not alone. At the pace of Jesus we are focused on God's priorities. We have time to pause and be still in His presence and connect with him before taking any action. We have time to seek wisdom and discernment before making decisions and acting upon them. Going too slow will not honor God because we are to use our full potential. He deserves our best.”
Well, I just love this idea of moving at Jesus speed, not moving too fast so that we must the needs of the people; not moving too slow so that we don't do what he's called us to do.
Friends, may you and I consult Jesus all the time and prayerfully move at his speed so that we can do the urgent work he's called us to do.
Full talk: https://www.youtube.com/live/Mp0hJ_szNY0?feature=share&t=4748
