Imitators of Christ

(our theme for October)

John 14:12 

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

In this verse, Jesus is talking to his disciples about what will happen when he leaves them. The first part of this verse may seem fairly straightforward. The disciples have followed Jesus. They know how He speaks to people, how he treats people, and how he loves people. They have learned through his example. 

But let’s look at the first part of that verse again. He’s not just saying the disciples will do his work—he’s saying “…whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do ….” We who are more that 2,000 years removed from Jesus’ physical presence are part of these works. 

The second part of this verse makes these works seem more daunting because Jesus says we will do even greater works than he has done because he is going to the Father. 

In verses 16 through 17 of this chapter, we learn why Jesus’ presence with the Father is important: 

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him or knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” 

It is through the Holy Spirit that we, some 2,000 years later, are able to do these works. It is the Holy Spirit’s presence with us that we are able to do even greater works as stated in verse 14. 

Jesus’ words explain something for which I can’t often find words. Being Jesus’ hands and feet seems as important to me as breathing. It’s who I am. It’s who we are. 

Providing our witness to others in our community, our country, and our world, may seem intimidating. Speaking to large groups may terrify some of us. We may struggle when trying to help those in need. And we make think that tackling social justice issues, such as homelessness and affordable healthcare, is just too far out of our sphere of influence. 

Dear friends, these actions need not intimidate us because we have the best advocate—the Holy Spirit—to guide and inspire our efforts. More than that, I would argue that we have the support of each other in the Christian community that is First United Methodist Church of Maryville. You may not be able to personally feed the hungry in our community, but you can volunteer at Welcome Table. You may not feel qualified to work with children, but you can prepare supplies for Craft Night. 

With the Holy Spirit, we can indeed do greater works. Where is the Holy Spirit leading you? I can’t wait to see where you do greater works in Jesus’ name. 

Let us pray.  

Jesus, thank you for living among us and teaching us how to live, love, and serve. Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide our efforts in making disciples. Help us be open to the Spirit’s promptings wherever they may lead us. Amen. 

This devotional was written by Kathryn King and read by Greta Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.