Sports Spectrum Daily Devotional: Monday, September 28

“All spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from His lips …” — Luke 4:22

Unforgettable People 

James Earl Jones’ voice is unforgettable. His deep, resonant and commanding voice made the Darth Vader character in the early “Star Wars” movies. Jones was also the voice of Mufasa in the “Lion King” movie. It takes a lot of intelligence to memorize lines and become the person you are portraying in a movie, stage performance or television series.

In every occupation, we see people who reach the highest levels of excellence. And we admire people who attain greatness in whatever they do.

Actors, actresses and athletes receive attention and adoration, but Jesus is in a league all by Himself. Nobody speaks as well as Jesus speaks. “‘No one ever spoke the way this Man does,’ the guards replied” (John 7:46). Since Jesus was born in the small town of Bethlehem and raised in the tiny community named Nazareth, lots of people didn’t understand that He is much more than a man. “All spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from His lips …” (Luke 4:22).

When the 12 disciples first met Jesus, they knew Abraham and other Old Testament people were exceptional, but they soon realized that Jesus is superior to everyone else. Jesus did many things which nobody else can do. “Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor'” (Matthew 11:4-5).

When Peter, James and John went up on the mountain with Jesus, they saw Moses and Elijah come down briefly from Heaven to speak with Jesus about His approaching death on the cross and His resurrection. When Peter made a suggestion about putting Moses, Elijah and Jesus on the same level by making a tent for all three, the Heavenly Father brought Moses and Elijah back to Heaven. “Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus” (Mark 9:8).

That’s because Jesus stands far above all others.

— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Ga.

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