January 31
Death lurks in the shadows of our minds. We know that it doesn’t matter how well life seems to be going, it doesn’t matter how much in control we seem to be, or how many things appear to be going our way, Death can pull its prank at any time and everything that appeared to be so good will suddenly be forever over.
The dread of the inevitable eventuality that will, on the appointed day, overtake each of us, looms somewhere on the horizon, rather like a highway robber whose intent is to take from us the most precious thing we have—life. There is no way to alter our route to escape it; we cannot hide from its claim to us.
Or can we? In John 11:25-26, Jesus makes a remarkable assertion. Here He says to Martha who is weeping at the loss of her beloved brother, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Jesus is here proclaiming His victory over death; stating the fact that there is life beyond death.
He is reassuring Martha—and us—that the individual who has received Christ as Savior and Lord passes from life to LIFE! We may therefore proclaim as did Paul in I Corinthians 15:55, “O, Death, where is thy sting! O, Grave, where is thy victory!” Jesus affords us the right to be more than conquerors because He overcame death for us!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The Third Day
January 30
The events of the Third Day were beyond anything any man could conjure in his imagination. God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, the Hope of Israel had been crucified. The One who many had seen as the Deliverer who would set God’s people free from bondage to Rome had suffered a humiliating public execution.
His closest followers had fled like rats on a sinking ship. The public officials who hated Jesus because they perceived their own power to be threatened if He did, indeed, prove to be the Holy One of God, gloated in their riddance of Him. Those who’d believed they’d found the Messiah wallowed in despair.
But the Third Day, Jesus did exactly what He had said He would do! He arose from the tomb! He defied death, hell, and the grave! The angel rolled the stone away and Jesus emerged—Conqueror of death! Victor over the grave! To the astonishment of those who mourned His death, He appeared—the God of Life! Reports of His resurrection were received with amazement.
Thomas, one of the twelve, expressed the skepticism so many reflect today when he said he couldn’t believe unless he saw the wounds in His hands and side. When Jesus did appear to him, Thomas proclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus’ response was, “Because you have seen Me, you believe. Blessed are those who have not seen yet believe” John 20:25-29.
May we be among those who believe—whether or not we see—for if we do, we shall surely see Him face-to-face on that great and glorious day!
The events of the Third Day were beyond anything any man could conjure in his imagination. God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, the Hope of Israel had been crucified. The One who many had seen as the Deliverer who would set God’s people free from bondage to Rome had suffered a humiliating public execution.
His closest followers had fled like rats on a sinking ship. The public officials who hated Jesus because they perceived their own power to be threatened if He did, indeed, prove to be the Holy One of God, gloated in their riddance of Him. Those who’d believed they’d found the Messiah wallowed in despair.
But the Third Day, Jesus did exactly what He had said He would do! He arose from the tomb! He defied death, hell, and the grave! The angel rolled the stone away and Jesus emerged—Conqueror of death! Victor over the grave! To the astonishment of those who mourned His death, He appeared—the God of Life! Reports of His resurrection were received with amazement.
Thomas, one of the twelve, expressed the skepticism so many reflect today when he said he couldn’t believe unless he saw the wounds in His hands and side. When Jesus did appear to him, Thomas proclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus’ response was, “Because you have seen Me, you believe. Blessed are those who have not seen yet believe” John 20:25-29.
May we be among those who believe—whether or not we see—for if we do, we shall surely see Him face-to-face on that great and glorious day!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
It Doesn't Get Better Than That
January 29
Some of us take an avid interest in the lives of people who seem to have ‘made it,’ in those whose lives exceed the ordinary. They appear, from our vantage point of ordinariness to, ‘have it all’. We follow the events of their lives and bask vicariously in the glamor and excitement that elude our own.
We perhaps think we’ve gotten short shrift in the scheme of things; that life’s greatest gifts have been doled out to others but not to us. We may acknowledge that the green-eyed monster of envy has crept into our thinking and that we are discontented at the core of our being with who we are.
There is an amazing word in John 1:12 that should forever dispel the notion that any one of us lacks any good thing that makes life worthwhile. No, it has nothing to do with our social strata or the amount of money in our portfolio. It isn’t contingent upon how many people find us fascinating or noteworthy. It exceeds the trappings the world considers to be of value.
It says, “To all who receive Jesus Christ, to those who believe in His name, He gave the power to become the children of God.” Whether rich or poor, whether famous or unknown, whether scintillating or dull as dishwater, we who have Christ as Savior and Lord are children of the Living God. It simply doesn’t get any better than that!
Some of us take an avid interest in the lives of people who seem to have ‘made it,’ in those whose lives exceed the ordinary. They appear, from our vantage point of ordinariness to, ‘have it all’. We follow the events of their lives and bask vicariously in the glamor and excitement that elude our own.
We perhaps think we’ve gotten short shrift in the scheme of things; that life’s greatest gifts have been doled out to others but not to us. We may acknowledge that the green-eyed monster of envy has crept into our thinking and that we are discontented at the core of our being with who we are.
There is an amazing word in John 1:12 that should forever dispel the notion that any one of us lacks any good thing that makes life worthwhile. No, it has nothing to do with our social strata or the amount of money in our portfolio. It isn’t contingent upon how many people find us fascinating or noteworthy. It exceeds the trappings the world considers to be of value.
It says, “To all who receive Jesus Christ, to those who believe in His name, He gave the power to become the children of God.” Whether rich or poor, whether famous or unknown, whether scintillating or dull as dishwater, we who have Christ as Savior and Lord are children of the Living God. It simply doesn’t get any better than that!
Friday, January 28, 2011
In Divine Concert
January 28
It challenges credulity but defies coincidence to study the myriad Old Testament scriptures that are types and shadows of Christ or that are straightforward prophecies of His birth, life, death, and resurrection and come to any conclusion other than that the New Testament Jesus is exactly who He is purported to be by the Christian Scriptures.
Anyone who studies the Old Testament with an open mind, who recognizes the scriptures that speak of Jesus and connects them to the events of His life in the New Testament must conclude that Jesus is God Incarnate, God with us, Emmanuel, Our Savior.
The 39 books of the Old Testament were written over a lengthy span of history and by almost as many authors, so it is impossible to think that they had collaborated on a theme and projected it in concert with one another. It further defies logic to imagine that a single individual, born thousands of years after these prophetic utterances were made, could have filled them by random coincidence.
The only logical deduction at which any objective, thinking individual can arrive is that Jesus Christ was prophesied through the ages by men who wrote in divine concert as God spoke to them and that as Acts 10:43 declares, “All the prophets testify about Jesus of Nazareth—and everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
It challenges credulity but defies coincidence to study the myriad Old Testament scriptures that are types and shadows of Christ or that are straightforward prophecies of His birth, life, death, and resurrection and come to any conclusion other than that the New Testament Jesus is exactly who He is purported to be by the Christian Scriptures.
Anyone who studies the Old Testament with an open mind, who recognizes the scriptures that speak of Jesus and connects them to the events of His life in the New Testament must conclude that Jesus is God Incarnate, God with us, Emmanuel, Our Savior.
The 39 books of the Old Testament were written over a lengthy span of history and by almost as many authors, so it is impossible to think that they had collaborated on a theme and projected it in concert with one another. It further defies logic to imagine that a single individual, born thousands of years after these prophetic utterances were made, could have filled them by random coincidence.
The only logical deduction at which any objective, thinking individual can arrive is that Jesus Christ was prophesied through the ages by men who wrote in divine concert as God spoke to them and that as Acts 10:43 declares, “All the prophets testify about Jesus of Nazareth—and everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
Thursday, January 27, 2011
The Great Offense
January 27
The Apostles of Jesus Christ took His call to evangelism seriously. In Mark 16:15, He told them to, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” They endeavored to do just that.
In an age without mass communication, without the funding of a powerful organization behind them, the people who had been close to Jesus—who witnessed His miracles, who heard His powerful teaching, who felt His love and compassion extended, even toward those who hated Him, who saw Him arise the third day—could not but tell others, even if it meant their own deaths to do so.
They went into all the world as He had tasked them to do. They shared the truth of Him with everyone they encountered in every nation they entered. They endured much hardship because of their resolve to carry out the Great Commission. All but one of the Apostles died cruel and violent deaths. They were burned, they were stoned, they were beheaded, they were crucified. Only John died of natural causes in old age while exiled on the Island of Patmos.
And just what was it that they said that was so offensive to the unbelievers around them? The same thing you have perhaps found ignites the ire of the unbelievers around you: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved—you and your household” (Acts 16:31.) Self-righteous men who are filled with hate could not then and cannot yet today, accept Christ’s love or His message of their need for the salvation He died to supply to them.
The Apostles of Jesus Christ took His call to evangelism seriously. In Mark 16:15, He told them to, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” They endeavored to do just that.
In an age without mass communication, without the funding of a powerful organization behind them, the people who had been close to Jesus—who witnessed His miracles, who heard His powerful teaching, who felt His love and compassion extended, even toward those who hated Him, who saw Him arise the third day—could not but tell others, even if it meant their own deaths to do so.
They went into all the world as He had tasked them to do. They shared the truth of Him with everyone they encountered in every nation they entered. They endured much hardship because of their resolve to carry out the Great Commission. All but one of the Apostles died cruel and violent deaths. They were burned, they were stoned, they were beheaded, they were crucified. Only John died of natural causes in old age while exiled on the Island of Patmos.
And just what was it that they said that was so offensive to the unbelievers around them? The same thing you have perhaps found ignites the ire of the unbelievers around you: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved—you and your household” (Acts 16:31.) Self-righteous men who are filled with hate could not then and cannot yet today, accept Christ’s love or His message of their need for the salvation He died to supply to them.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Eternal Access
January 26
Although it is not the will of God that our sin eternally separate us from Him, we know salvation is not a blanket gift that covers all manner of man’s recalcitrance without some action on the part of the individual.
We cannot be saved collectively, therefore church membership cannot be the key that unlocks Heaven’s portal to us. Even if we have warmed the same pew in the same church for the entirety of our days, we cannot be assured of heaven.
There is no guarantee that our good works will cause Heaven’s gates to swing open wide for our entry. We all know about the billionaire philanthropists who disperse great quantities of their wealth toward good causes, but their generosity will not grant them favor in God’s eyes on that great eternal day. No, the one thing that anyone may do that will assure him entry into Heaven immediately upon his departure from this life is found in John 3:18.
Here it says, “Whosoever believes in Jesus, God’s Son, is not condemned.” No sin he’s ever done is held against him. No blasphemous word he’s ever uttered will speak against him. No kindness he has left undone will condemn him. There is no accusation the enemy of our souls can bring against him that will stand before God, for belief in Jesus washes him clean and allows him eternal access to Heaven and to the Christ who reigns there.
Although it is not the will of God that our sin eternally separate us from Him, we know salvation is not a blanket gift that covers all manner of man’s recalcitrance without some action on the part of the individual.
We cannot be saved collectively, therefore church membership cannot be the key that unlocks Heaven’s portal to us. Even if we have warmed the same pew in the same church for the entirety of our days, we cannot be assured of heaven.
There is no guarantee that our good works will cause Heaven’s gates to swing open wide for our entry. We all know about the billionaire philanthropists who disperse great quantities of their wealth toward good causes, but their generosity will not grant them favor in God’s eyes on that great eternal day. No, the one thing that anyone may do that will assure him entry into Heaven immediately upon his departure from this life is found in John 3:18.
Here it says, “Whosoever believes in Jesus, God’s Son, is not condemned.” No sin he’s ever done is held against him. No blasphemous word he’s ever uttered will speak against him. No kindness he has left undone will condemn him. There is no accusation the enemy of our souls can bring against him that will stand before God, for belief in Jesus washes him clean and allows him eternal access to Heaven and to the Christ who reigns there.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Why Worry?
January 25
What can we do that would really tick God off? What heinous sin could we commit that would relegate us to the destiny of those bound for hell? What misstep might we take that could put us on the Road to Perdition without any possibility of turning back?
The answers to those questions are, ‘Nothing.’ ‘None.’ No misstep.’ So, why should we concern ourselves about eternity? If there isn’t anything that can keep us from God’s love, why not simply live our lives and trust that all is well and we are bound for heaven just as we are?
Because Romans 6:23 tells us that “The wage of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.” If we do not allow ourselves to receive the free gift of salvation through Jesus, our loving God will be compelled to pay us the due wage of our sin—eternal death, eternal separation from God.
We must have faith in Jesus in order to gain the spiritual heritage to which His sinless life, sacrificial death and glorious resurrection make us heir. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without this faith, “…it is impossible to please God for anyone who comes to Him must believe…that He rewards those who seek Him.”
What can we do that would really tick God off? What heinous sin could we commit that would relegate us to the destiny of those bound for hell? What misstep might we take that could put us on the Road to Perdition without any possibility of turning back?
The answers to those questions are, ‘Nothing.’ ‘None.’ No misstep.’ So, why should we concern ourselves about eternity? If there isn’t anything that can keep us from God’s love, why not simply live our lives and trust that all is well and we are bound for heaven just as we are?
Because Romans 6:23 tells us that “The wage of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.” If we do not allow ourselves to receive the free gift of salvation through Jesus, our loving God will be compelled to pay us the due wage of our sin—eternal death, eternal separation from God.
We must have faith in Jesus in order to gain the spiritual heritage to which His sinless life, sacrificial death and glorious resurrection make us heir. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without this faith, “…it is impossible to please God for anyone who comes to Him must believe…that He rewards those who seek Him.”
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