Come & See: 10 Cowboy Devotions to Strengthen Your Ride With ChristSample

From Bad News to the Good News

Jesus heard that His buddy, John the Baptist, had been thrown in jail, so He rode back to Galilee. Matthew 4:12

Jesus gets word that His buddy (John the Barbarian Baptist) has been thrown into prison, and He immediately goes and rescues him, right? Nope. He rides off to Galilee—the other direction.

John remains in prison, where his head is eventually chopped off! This doesn’t seem right, does it? Jesus had just said there was no one greater than John the Barbarian Baptist. Jesus also said that He’d never leave us nor forsake us, right? This leaves many believers shaking their heads in confusion.

Listen, Jesus didn’t forsake John. Sometimes bad things happen to great people. There is no greater prize in heaven than for those who have given their very lives riding for the brand. Why would Jesus take that away from John?

I know, I know, I know. It doesn’t seem right, but what if we understood things differently? Jesus also said that we should take up our cross and follow Him. I hope I don’t have to remind you where the cross led to.

We all want an easy life. We want to be comfortable, secure, safe, and healthy. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work that way. God uses pain and suffering to grow us and guide us. And the truth is, we were promised that we would have troubles. The good news? He will never leave us—He will love us and equip us through the ups and downs. He can even bring us joy and peace during our hardest seasons. So while we will face hard times, there will never be a moment when we are facing it all by ourselves.

Cowboy Call:

Authentic Christianity is anything but comfortable. Jesus came to save our souls, not our earthly lives. Are you willing to give your life for Christ, or is your faith dependent upon your current life circumstances?