We live in a world full of knock-offs and replicas — where almost everything can be copied or replaced. Generic prescriptions, imitation goods, reproduction art, even AI simulations. But in our spiritual life, there is no substitute that will work.
There’s only one true original: Jesus.
“When Jesus concluded his address, the crowd burst into applause. They had never heard teaching like this. It was apparent that he was living everything he was saying — quite a contrast to their religion teachers! This was the best teaching they had ever heard.”
They Were Changed
As the Sermon on the Mount wraps up in Matthew 7, the crowd is changed. They saw it. Felt it. Heard it. There’s nobody like Jesus. Nothing and no one compares.
Notice what made the difference: he was living everything he was saying. That is the line that separates Him from every teacher they had heard before.
This week, take time to read Matthew chapters 5 through 7. Let His words minister to you, bless you, heal and comfort you, give you peace and contentment and permanently change you. You will not be the same.
And as you do, our prayer for you is that in every area of your life, you’ll discover what everyone who has encountered Jesus has experienced and realized — there’s no imitation. There’s no comparison. There is no one like Jesus.
Watch This Week’s Devotional
Taking It Into Your Week
- Read Matthew 5 through 7 this week. All three chapters. It takes about twenty minutes.
- Ask where you have settled for an imitation of faith rather than the real thing.
- Check the gap between what you say and how you live. That gap is what the crowd noticed.
More Farm Sunday Devotionals
Pass on the Good News. Now that’s BombDiggity.
Written by
Lane and Jules Morris
Authors and University of Tennessee faculty writing from our farm in East Tennessee about gardening, the farm kitchen, faith and designing a flourishing life at any age. More about us
