Introductory Note: This year, as I have in the past four years, I’ve been using John MacArthur’s devotional book, Strength for Today as my devotional guide for my morning quiet times with God. This month will be no exception. For introduction to this month’s focus, however, let me say before I begin journaling my devotional thoughts, that MacArthur will be highlighting Christ’s passion this month, probably because Easter usually occurs in April. So, having been through this month of devotionals for 4 years now, I know I’m going to get a lot closer to knowing my Lord from this study; and I pray that you will too if you follow along. … If you do want to join me in this month's devotional entries, they will be posted as individual comment entries to this blog. ... <’BB><
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A Year of Daily Devotionals: A Journal by Bill Berry … April, 2008
April 1, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 2 … 1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 "As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."
My Journal for Today: The cross of Christ, about which Jesus informed His Disciples shortly before that fateful Passover celebration [see today’s passage], is the fulcrum of human history. It is the crossroads of redemption for mankind to which the Apostle Paul declared, (in 1st Cor. 2: 2 …” For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified;” … and in 1st Cor. 5: 7 … “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”
Everything we believe as Christians rests on the truth of what happened on that cross at Calvary and the reality of Christ’s resurrection.
Jesus, in a Spirit inspired word of knowledge from the Father, knew that His walk on earth, especially those awe inspiring times of Passover during His Passion, was totally determined by His Father’s sovereign time table. Yes, Jesus had complete control over His walk (see John 10: 17 – 18). However, Jesus walked in total surrender to the Sovereign plan of God, the Father.
John, the Baptist, had certainly recognized that his cousin, Jesus, was “THE ONE” Who came to save mankind (see John 1: 29); and later Luke wrote of how all of the players in Christ’s pre-scripted passion played their parts – in total free-will – to bring about God’s redemptive plan for His church and for all of mankind (see below Acts 2: 22 – 24<) …
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Acts 2: 22 …"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing Him to the cross. 24 But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.
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And one can see through history, the glorious coming together of all of these events at the time of Christ’s final Passover in that fate-filled time of the world to display the panorama of God’s scheme for His church – all of it known from the foundation of time (see 1st Peter 1: 20).
And it was all for me (and you)!
My Prayer Today: Hallelujah, my Lord! You died for me! Amen
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Administrative note … Again this month, I will be quoting Scriptures in the body of my journal entries, which may require you to look up these passages if you’re serious about the passages which you don’t know “by heart.” A very good website to have ready if you’re following along with my entries is BibleGateway.com, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search= , which will allow you to look up the passage in the version of the Bible you prefer. Again, I’ll be using NIV with the passages highlighted each day.
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April 2, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 33 … 33 Peter replied [to the prophesy of Jesus that all of His disciples would flee in denial that night], "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will."
My Journal for Today: Of the twelve original disciples, I often identify with Peter the most … with his brash, impulsive, foot-in-mouth approach to life … and even toward Jesus, his Rabbi, his Master, yes, even his Messiah. However, there is one major difference between me and the Peter who brazenly declared he would never “fall away” from supporting Christ. I know that I am quite capable of failing my Lord. Given the right, or should I say, “wrong” circumstances, I could be the weakling who would fall into selfish retreat. Peter simply could not see himself as being weak enough to flee His Lord; but somehow I know that I could.
The advantage I have in my life now over Peter at the time he spoke today’s passage, is that I know beyond a shadow-of-a-doubt that I have the Holy Spirit residing in my soul, who can, in moments of my weakness, give me the strength to take on the challenges of life where I know I might, in my own capabilities, fall short of what it takes to follow my Savior. I know, and believe, the truths of 1st Cor. 10: 13 and 2nd Cor. 12: 9; and so, I have a faith advantage in my life that even Peter didn’t have at this moment of crisis in his life in the upper room with Jesus. [And I hope you have these verses memorized by now!] ...
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1st Cor. 10: 13 … No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
2nd Cor. 12: 9 … But He [Jesus] said to me [Paul], "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
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I also have the advantage of “reading ahead” in Peter’s life, knowing the outcome of his relationship with His Lord days after Peter’s fateful denial of Christ. In John 21: 15 – 19, we read of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance to Peter, where Christ gave Peter three opportunities to be restored with declarations of love to his Lord, …once for each of the three times Peter had denied Jesus when he ran during the confrontation with the soldiers and people in the garden.
Don’t you just love it that we have a Savior Who will let even a turncoat sinner like Peter, or one who could easily run in fear in the same way, like me, to be completely restored into fellowship with the only One who can redeem our sins. It is the picture of the merciful Savior, full of grace, Who will allow sinners to be reclaimed by what He accomplished on the cross. It is the fulfillment of what we read in 1st John 1: 9 about our absolute cleansing upon the confession of our sins.
Wow! What a Lord Peter served! … and so do we !!
My Prayer Today: O, my Lord, You are my blessed redeemer. Amen
April 3, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 36 … 36 Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
My Journal for Today: Today’s verse, with a glimpse of Jesus entering into His suffering at Gethsemane, allows us to begin to contemplate the final hours of agony experienced by our Lord. However, no matter what I suffer in my life or see in the way of suffering in the world, I will never fully comprehend what Jesus went through during His final alive hours on this earth. Even the graphic movie created by Mel Gibson, which millions saw, cannot give our hearts the full story of how Jesus became the “man of sorrows” prophesied by Isaiah (in Is. 53: 3) as He took on the sins of the world and becoming separated from His Father in Heaven on the cross.
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Isaiah 53: 3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
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As Jesus enters Gethsemane, where the sorrows of our Messiah begin to unfold, we see Christ’s agony beginning as He enters into the prayer vigil which would fully show our Lord “the cup” He must endure, even cause Him to sweat blood in His prayers that night. And we get a glimpse in this scene as to why Jesus had wept as He entered Jerusalem a few days earlier. Having a word of knowledge from His Father, on that Sunday before Passover, He saw that the very crowd who cried, “Hosanna,” spreading palms before Him would soon be crying “Crucify Him!” And Christ’s time in the garden was about to give Him a clear picture of the suffering He would have to endure in His humanity for all of mankind. He also sensed the separation that He would endure from His Father as he humbly and willingly received that “cup” which seemed so overwhelming to our Lord in His humanity.
No, what Jesus was to go through on the cross (for me and for you) is simply beyond my human reasoning abilities. And perhaps that is a blessing because the mental distance from the reality of this horror protects me; … but it also tests my faith. Unlike the close group of Disciples whom Jesus left to watch and pray in the Garden, I know what was about to happen. We have the true story given to us by God’s living word. I’ve got “THE BOOK;” and though I may not be able to fully empathize with His horror in the Garden, I must accept in faith that His passion for me was the model of suffering that would be our guide forevermore.
When we suffer, especially in His Name, we have a clear picture through God’s word as to the “why” behind our suffering. And we know that we, as Christians, will suffer in this life; … every believer who witnesses his faith does. So, even today, I can imagine that our Lord is saying to me, “Sit here and watch, while I suffer so that you can be with Me in heaven and all sorrows will be gone.”
My Prayer Today: Lord, give me the vision and strength to endure life’s suffering. Amen
April 4, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 37- 38 … 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with Him, and He began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38Then He said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me."
My Journal for Today: Today’s passage takes us to Christ’s time at Gethsemane, where I believe, as pictured in Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of The Christ, Jesus had one final spiritual battle with His arch enemy, Satan. However, unlike the encounter reported in the wilderness in Matthew 4 or Luke 4, Jesus did not have his full ministry and life ahead of Him. No, this time, His walk on this earth and His ministry were almost completely behind Him, … except what lay before Him on the cross at Golgotha. This time in the garden, battling His flesh and Satan, was to be one of His fiercest battles yet; and the way He dealt with this spiritual encounter is a model for all of us.
In Matt. 4 and Luke 4, we read of how our Lord used God’s word, the Sword of the Spirit, to slash away at the ploys and temptations of Satan. But here, in the Gethsemane encounter, we read how Christ took what I call “the high ground” in battle; and that is prayer. And Christ’s attitude in taking the high ground was one of total submission to His Father. The high ground is always the best place to be in battle; because there we can see the enemy more easily and we can hold the advantage of perspective. But when we come to that place on the spiritual battlefields of life, totally surrendered to God, He will lead us in the battles.
I just love the scriptural picture of taking the high ground of prayer in battle in Exodus 17, verses 8 – 13, where Moses had to lead God’s people in battle the Amalekites. Read this and take note of the submissive posture of Moses as he took the high ground for the battle …
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Exod. 17: 8 - 13 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands." 10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
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Somewhat like Moses needing the support of other believers Aaron and Hur, Jesus, in today’s passage, also asked His friends, Peter, James, and John to wait and pray with Him there in the Garden. And it’s always a good strategy in spiritual battle to have a cohort of warriors to stand with you as you head to the high ground of prayer. However, we know from this passage in Matt. 26 that Jesus’ friends were not up to the task; and they failed our Lord by falling asleep on their watch. The surrendered will of these warriors was just not where it needed to be to help Jesus in this time of trial. With Moses, however, in the passage from Exod. 17, Aaron and Hur were up to the task; and they provided the vigilance and support needed for Moses to be in submission to God’s will; and the victory was God’s. But, interestingly enough, though it looked bad for Peter, James, and John in their faithlessness and lack of vigilance, God’s will also prevailed in the end with Jesus, Who was in total surrender to the will of God, the Father, establishing God’s eternal victory on the cross.
I believe Jesus, in His relationship with believers is constantly asking us to stand watch in prayer with Him. That was the essence of Paul’s exhortation (from God’s Spirit) in 1Thes. 5: 17 … to live in an attitude of prayer continually. Yes, our prayer vigilance is continually needed as we wear God’s full armor and we wield His Spirit Sword in battle. We read in Eph. 6: 13 – 18 of wearing God’s full armor and carrying His Spirit Sword into battle first and foremost in prayer (see v. 18). This requires us to be surrendered to God’s will and humble to receive His grace so that we can have the strength of will required to take the high ground and be vigilant to hold it with our prayer. Jesus has warned us, as He did His three close friends and relatives, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." [reading ahead to Matt. 26: 41] And I don’t know about you; but I don’t want to fail my Savior, let alone myself, my family, and my brothers/sisters in Christ. So, I strive to be on watch and vigilant as I follow Jesus in battle.
And I pray that I can (that we all can) stand in prayer on the high ground and be vigilant enough to watch for the enemy as we battle him daily.
My Prayer Today: Help me, Lord, in continual prayer to be ever vigilant. Amen
April 5, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 39 … 39 Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will."
My Journal for Today: Reading the parallel accounts of this episode in the Passion of Christ (besides Matt. 26: 36 – 46, see Mark 14: 32 – 42 and Luke 22: 39 – 46), one is taken (or at least I am) by the very human side of the God-man, Jesus, Who understandably, being fully God and completely aware of what was about to transpire, prayed so intensely in the Garden for “this cup” of horror to be lifted from Him. And then to come out during His prayer vigil in Gethsemane to find his close inner circle of friends had ignored His request to “watch and pray” with Him; … well, it had to have been disappointing to our Lord.
Most certainly the men had to have been fatigued and fearful; and perhaps they simply were overwhelmed with Jesus’ charge to be vigilant with Him in prayer as He went, merely a stone’s throw away from them, to pray Himself. But I have a different take on this, especially since not one of these three close confidants was able to do what Jesus did … and that is to pray intensely about what Jesus had told them was his last night on this earth. I believe that the Holy Spirit came upon them with the spiritual “drug” of sleep to later show them, from their own experience, how easy it is, in our humanity, to lose our vigilance in the face of Jesus’ charge to discipleship (as in Luke 9: 23), … i.e., to deny self, take up His cross, and follow Him.
And they must’ve learned their lesson from this and Jesus’ deeply intense battle in the Garden, because Matthew, Mark, and Luke, none of whom were there in the garden, were able to write the parallel accounts of this episode, which we read in the passages mentioned above, with great clarity, most likely taking their descriptions from the accounts of these inner-circle witnesses. And as we read these accounts, we, as believers, have the same advantage that the writers of these Gospel accounts had. The gospel writers were Spirit-inspired in their hearts/minds to write these accounts; and we have the same Holy Spirit in our hearts/minds to be able to read and be impacted by God’s transmission of this important encounter in the Garden.
However, even with the presence and the power of God’s Spirit in my heart, I can still empathize with the humanity of Christ which led Him to pray so intensely to have the cup of terror lifted from Him. And I can fully identify with the lack of vigilance of the three close friends of Jesus, who were not able to stand with Him in prayer for any concentrated period of time. How many times have I been unable to “watch and pray” for a concentrated period of time when I desire to deny myself and follow my Savior in prayer? Perhaps you’ve had the same challenge.
That’s why I think that we all need to take the Apostle Paul’s lessons in 2nd Cor. 12: 9 to heart. There he had learned that in his own flesh, he was too weak to meet the challenges of the flesh and the enemy. He had internalized that his (and our) only hope to remain strong was to seek and receive the available strength provided by God’s Spirit through His grace, which is offered to any believer humble enough to receive it and use it in their lives. And as I mature, I pray, as I do below, that I can develop that humility to consume as much of God’s grace as will allow me to “watch and pray” with my Lord.
My Prayer Today: Lord, I follow you to the high ground of prayer in battle today. Give me the grace to remain alert with You. Amen
April 6, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 40 – 41 … 40 Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with Me for one hour?" He asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
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Mark 14: 37 - 38 Then He returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," He said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
Luke 22: 45 - 46 When He rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 "Why are you sleeping?" He asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."
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My Journal for Today: Today I have supplied not only the text from Matt. 26 concerning the failure of Jesus’ three comrades, but also the parallel versions of this incident in Mark 14 and Luke 22. In these passages (notice these were written by men who were not at the scene) we read of the obvious disappointment of Christ when He found the men sleeping at their charged post. And in this moment of confrontation, Jesus gives a warning to His disciples (and all believers) about our vigilance and the avoidance of temptation.
I think we can all identify and empathize with the very human weakness and failure of Peter, James, and John to remain vigilant in prayer as Jesus had asked them to be. They were confused, frustrated, and tired men; and any one of these conditions can make any believer vulnerable to the temptation of our mortal, sin-ridden heart (again, always remembering Jer. 17: 9). In today’s life and culture, I certainly have trouble focusing on the discipline of vigilance and prayer in my devotional and/or worship life. How many times do we arrive at church on Sunday morning or for our daily devotional with our minds/hearts going in 40 directions because of all the events and demands that have occurred before we settle into corporate or personal worship? And because of it, the temptation to relent to the “tyranny of the urgent,” we can only have half-hearted worship with our Lord.
The Apostle Paul, using his own past failures to help believers identify with such failures, recognized our tendency to let our flesh dominate our vigilance when he penned Romans 7: 15 – 23 [please take the time to read/meditate on this passage]. However, in verses 24 – 25 of Romans 7, as well as all of Romans 8, Paul triumphantly declares where Christians can ALWAYS find the strength and power to be vigilant and to become overcomers as was our Lord (read John 16: 33 and then 2nd Cor. 12: 9).
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John 16: 33 [Jesus] "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
2nd Cor. 12: 9 But He [Jesus] said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.”
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Yes, the same Holy Spirit Who allowed Jesus to be vigilant and strong … to be the Overcomer of the world, … is the same Spirit Who resides in my heart (and yours, if you have received His saving and enabling grace). And all I have to do, as Paul wrote about in Romans 8, is to recognize and receive God’s grace, which in turn will allow my weak flesh and deceit-ridden heart to be able to deny self, take up my Lord’s cross, and to follow Him in prayer or in spiritual warfare … to allow me to do what He challenged his three Disciples to do … to “watch and pray.” And as we read passages like 1st Cor. 10: 13 and Phil. 3: 13 – 14, we realize that we can do just that!
My Prayer Today: Praise You, Lord! Pour out Your grace, dear Jesus, especially when I wane in the flesh. Amen
April 7, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 47 … 47 While He [Jesus] was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
My Journal for Today: In his devotional book Strength for Today, John MacArthur, for this date, correctly observes that the mob who came after Jesus, including the Jewish soldiers from Herod’s court, were a prophetic life-picture of what the world – even today – would do to the Person and Name of “Jesus Christ.” How many times is it in the news today for worldly influences to attempt to “kill off” or erase any influence Jesus might have on our culture? There is a “mob” today who would eliminate the name of God and/or Jesus from every vestige of our culture if they could.
The mob coming after Jesus hid behind the guise and charade of legal justification, perpetrating a totally illegal, mob-engineered act of murder. It was an organized “hit” to rid the world of the Man Who claimed to be “God.” And our unbelieving, flesh-driven world today would still like to eradicate Christ from any degree of influence over their lives. Christ comes in and demands allegiance to His word and His life; and He commands the world to believe and follow Him; and, as in Christ’s day, the world politic did not want to relinquish power or control. And so, that world, as we read in today’s verse, was coming to kill Jesus, the self proclaimed “Son of God.”
Cassie Bernall, at Columbine High School in 1999, when asked, with a gun to her head, if she was a Christian, said quietly and simply, without hesitation, “Yes.” And the young man who challenged her faith shot her dead. And now we have to ask ourselves as “disciples” of this same Jesus, … “Are we going to cut and run as did His disciples after the Gethsemane encounter? Or will we stand in and for His Name as did Cassie Bernall? Will we being willing, even onto death, to say, “I am His!”
Do we believe what Jesus said in His word? As MacArthur said, “… believers (i.e., Christians) are called to stand apart from any unbelieving crowd and defend the Name of Jesus Christ.”
But I ask myself (and you) … “Are we?!”
My Prayer Today: I stand with You, Lord; … give me the strength! Amen
April 8, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 48 – 50 … 48 Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest Him." 49Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed Him. 50Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you came for."
My Journal for Today: Today, as we focus on the powerful drama of what transpired in the Garden of Gethsemane that fateful night after the Passion Passover, we see Judas of Iscariot “doing his thing,” … that dirty deed which identified Jesus as THE ONE the soldiers were there to arrest. And Judas, who had turned from follower to “fouler,” became the arch type for any and all who let their selfish agenda prevail in their lives over that of the Savior.
Judas had a preconceived notion – a selfish stereotype – of what THE Messiah should be – a powerful leader, he thought, who would free God’s people from the oppression of the Romans. Quite possibly, and even likely, Judas also saw himself being elevated in stature politically and personally through his allegiance with Jesus, the one he had banked on to become the Jewish Messiah.
However, as the events of time and the confrontation with Jesus in the Upper Room had transpired (see John, chapters 13 – 16), Jesus had become the Messiah of humility, submission, and service; and this was not what Judas Iscariot had given three years of his life following Jesus to see unfold. So, Judas took his agenda of power/greed to the Sanhedrin and the Jewish priesthood, who contracted with Judas to identify Jesus as they wanted to arrest and have crucified. And tragically in today’s verse, we even see Jesus referring to Judas as “friend” as our Lord acknowledges Judas’ part in the Passion drama of the ages.
As I said above, Judas becomes the arch type of any declared “christians” [with a small “c”] who use the label of “Christian” to gain favor or selfish gain from a world, hostile to all whom Jesus came into the world to save. And anyone who has an agenda for power and control in the world, who calls himself a “Christian,” might as well be kissing the cheek of the Savior, and selling Him out to those who might put Him on the cross. And like Judas, that type of turncoat attitude makes one vulnerable to demonic possession and satanic domination by that same advocate for evil who gained control over Judas, leading this misguided man to his own demise … at his own hand.
We must ask ourselves as Christians … “Are we selling out our Lord by any attitude or desire for power/control in today’s word?” If we are, shame on us as Judases, who use Christ’s Name in vain by our selfishness.
My Prayer Today: Lord, give me discernment to recognize the enemy and to reject his onslaught. Amen
April 9, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 51 - 52 - 53 … 51 With that, one of Jesus' companions [Peter] reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52 "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”
My Journal for Today: Admit it. If someone struck out or attacked your best Christian friend or maybe your Pastor or mentor, most of us would be right there with Peter, picking up the “sword” to strike back in anger/revenge. We’re really no different than Peter, are we? His reaction was very human, a knee-jerk response, as his Rabbi and friend was being arrested unjustly. And I’m sure by then Peter also realized that one of the close band of disciples, Judas, had betrayed their Master with that horrible kiss. The frustration had to have been overwhelming; but even in the heat of that moment, Jesus used it as a teachable moment; and in today’s verse of emphasis (Matt. 26: 52), we read of Jesus constraining His followers, especially Peter, and giving them a Kingdom lesson in attitude management.
Earlier in the Garden, Jesus had taught the disciples a lesson of selling their purses to buy “swords (see Luke 22: 35 – 38);” and apparently Peter took Jesus too literally. If you read of that instruction, you will note that Jesus was referring to the “sword” of the Spirit, … not physical weapons … about preparing for spiritual warfare, not physical conflict. In fact the Apostle Paul later gives all believers the truth about weapons of spiritual warfare, which are not of the flesh (see 2nd Cor. 10: 3 - 4). We must remember that we don’t need to take up fleshly arms to defend God, as was done in the “Crusades.” Jesus, in today’s passage, is telling Peter, and all of us, that He could call upon legions of angels if He so desired (see also Matt. 26: 53). Paul said it aptly in Romans 8: 31, “If God be for us, who can be against us!”
Yes, the kind of warfare that we need to wage daily as Christians is that spoken of by Paul in Ephesians 6: 10 – 13; and we must, as God instructs us, be wearing God’s full armor (Eph. 6: 13 - 18), including being able to use God’s Spirit Sword (i.e., His word) to do battle with those who will attack us as the mob came for Jesus.
My Prayer Today: Help me, Lord, to be ready this day and hereafter to wage war in Your Name and in Your way. Amen
April 10, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 56b … 56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then ALL the disciples deserted him and fled.
My Journal for Today: Above I capitalized the word “ALL” for emphasis. I did that so that we can all see that all of Jesus’ closest disciples fled when the pressure was on, … ALL of them fearing for their lives as Jesus was arrested. And these were men who had walked with their declared “Messiah” for three years. They had seen Him perform all of those miracles recorded in the Gospel accounts … turning water into wine … walking on water … calming a raging sea with a wave of his hand … feeding the multitudes with a few fishes and loaves … raising Lazarus from the dead. And three of their number had seen Jesus transformed on the Mount of Transfiguration. And yet, ALL – not some of them, but ALL - of the remaining disciples fled when their “Messiah,” the One they had declared to be the Son of God, was taken away by Hebrew soldiers.
Oh, it’s so easy to ask, “How could they do this?!!” But I wonder if I would not have been the same cowering disciple as these men were. Earlier I referred to Cassie Bernall’s simple faith with a gun to her head at Columbine High School. She didn’t run or deny her Lord as did Peter and the other inner-circle Disciples. And like Jesus, Cassie Bernall died for her faith. Wow, … I would hope and pray that I could be like Cassie, especially since, like her, I have the benefit of the biblical account of our Lord dying on the cross for my sins. And to be fair to the disciples who ran that day; but after they witnessed the cross and the resurrection and the ascension, they all died, save John, the death of martyrs for their faith.
When the real testing comes, we must ask ourselves if we can live up to Paul’s exhortations to stand in the gap when the times get tough (see Eph. 5: 15 – 16 below) ...
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Eph 5: 15 … Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
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So, … can we stand with Christ … or rather, can we walk with Him and follow Him … wherever He leads us? Can we walk worthily in His steps? Well, of course, it’s not easy. And we may, like Cassie Bernall, even be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice for our Lord. Will we be there to say “Yes” to our Lord and no to Satan or self?
The question looms large; ... will we? Will we stand for Savior and deny self? Will we stand for purity and against sin? ... Will we?!!
But we know, in our faith, that it’s worth it to not “cut and run;” … to stay the course … to fight the fight … to witness for our Lord no matter the circumstances. Hopefully, we’ve learned our lesson from that of group of Jesus’ disciples who got the ultimate lesson in fear versus faith.
My Prayer Today: Help me, Lord, to be faithful when it counts. Amen
April 11, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 59 … 59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put Him to death.
My Journal for Today: The hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders involved in this travesty of justice exposed in Matthew 26 reached its zenith as the Sanhedrin completely perverted the Mosaic system of justice which their Covenant had sworn them to uphold (see Deut. 16: 19 - 20). Mark’s gospel account of this scene (see Mark 14: 57 – 59) even notes that the bogus witnesses who were called to testify against Jesus were not able to be consistent, which would have been required for Jesus’ conviction under Hebrew law. Therefore, this was an outright and blatant – AND illegal – attempt to eradicate Jesus of Nazareth from the social/political scene. But these players on God’s stage of life, in their faithlessness, were blinded to the reality that the very hand of God had them all in His script of the drama of the ages.
And today I must say that I can see many of the same “faces” at play in our world, pushing forth a worldly agenda to eliminate the Name of “God,” especially “Jesus Christ,” from every vestige of the public arena. Time and time again, with utter disregard for the Spirit of law and justice – even at times the letter of the law – these forces are figuratively “hell-bent” on the eradication of any public display of Judeo-Christian thought. We even see proponents of this thought movement proposing that the use of the Bible should be outlawed as “hate speech” when it comes against such a politically correct agenda as the “gay movement.” It has happened in Sweden already; it is happening in Canada; and it seems to be on the move in this country.
I fully expect to see this Sanhedrin-like movement here in this country to intensify in the near future; and we may see Christians in America being vilified, if not jailed, for expressing their beliefs and standing for truth as did Christ in the public arena. And the closer we get to Christ’s return, the more we will see this antagonism develop.
My Prayer Today: As Your word says, Lord, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” Amen
April 12, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 65 – 66 … 65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. 66 What do you think?" "He is worthy of death," they answered.
My Journal for Today: Sad, sad, sad! An angry, selfish “mob,” whipped into a frenzy by the Sanhedrin, the Hebrew religious and judicial leaders, … attempting to eliminate the One Whom they could not recognize as the Son of God. As I’ve said earlier, … it’s not that much different today with many worldly forces trying to “kill off” the Name of “Jesus” and “God” from the pubic consciousness. And it’s so sad because the truth of the words John, the Baptist in John 3: 36 …
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John 3: 36 … “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
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Oh how God would rather bring these “enemies” into a binding and lasting relationship with Himself; but by their anger and rejection, they bring down the very wrath of God on themselves.
Jesus was innocent then; and He is innocent now; and yet the crowd cries out, then and now, that He is “deserving of death.” Oh the ironic horror that awaits those who surrender to this mob mentality. They cried then and they cry now for Christ’s elimination; and not believing in Him as Savior and receiving Him as Lord condemns them to a forever separated from the very God they reject … condemned into the very fires of hell itself. And to think that a little over 25 years ago, I was one of those who chose to reject “God” in my life; but praise the Lord, His grace overcame my ignorance and stupidity.
Yes, … some would say, “I just don’t believe in hell!” And to such I would respond, “You don’t have to understand or believe in gravity for it to be real; but if you fall from a 30 foot ladder, you will be convicted by the truth of the law of gravity.” One can reject hell, … out of misunderstanding or ignorance; but it’s reality will be there for those who are not willing to believe in it or it’s antidote … the blood of Christ, shed on the cross. Jesus is the Son of God whether you believe it or not. But I pray you do; and I pray you have accepted Him as your Savior and Lord. For one day we will all know the difference between heaven and hell … FOR SURE !!!
My Prayer Today: Your truth, Lord, is my assurance! Amen
April 13, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 26: 74 - 75 … 74 Then he [Peter] began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown Me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.
My Journal for Today: Wow! This is a passage with which I have deep personal empathy and identity.
Peter’s response to the recognition of His thrice denial of Christ, which is recounted in today’s passage, as well as in Luke 22: 61, … especially after a long series of self-driven behavior (see Matt. 26: 35, 40 – 41, 51 – 52, and 69 – 70), shows the long-suffering patience our Lord has for believers who fail Him, even repeatedly (and are you, like me, saying “Amen” right now?).
And I love the passage in John 21: 15 – 19, which probably best illustrates Christ’s infinite patience, love, and grace as He helps Peter be restored into fellowship with his Lord, along with a charge to move forward in his (Peter’s) relationship with Christ. Jesus patiently and lovingly, in the John 21 passage, brings this fallen warrior into a healed and restored fellowship with his Lord with the charge from the Good Shepherd to go and feed His sheep [which is a charge to fulfill Peter’s calling in ministry]. Could there be a more poignant and powerful description of just how much the Good Shepherd loves His sheep and is willing to do all it takes to keep them close to Himself so that they (we) can grow and thrive.
This is a living example of the truth of 1st John 1: 7, 9; and it should give hope to all of us who claim Christ as our Savior. When we’re willing to return to the Good Shepherd, with dirt on us from our encounters with sin in our nature, He is fully willing to cleanse us completely and to allow us to be restored of strength and direction. Somewhere along the path of our discipleship as Christians all of us have failed our Lord, by commission or omission. But we still, from that moment forward by confession/repentance, can be like Peter in the John 21 passage. We can receive God’s grace and walk in repentance with His Spirit giving us His direction and power. We can deny self, take up our cross, and follow Him (Luke 9: 23).
But as with Peter, it takes our recognition of our sin or separation from the Shepherd and our willingness to return to Him in repentance so that Christ can (and will) be able to impart His blessing and fill us with His grace. Only with this grace can we fulfill the admonition of Paul in Phil. 3: 13 – 14 … to move forward toward the prize which us awaits us in glory, shining God’s light for others to see from the darkness (Matt. 5: 16).
My Prayer Today: I am restored in you daily, Lord. Amen
April 14, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Luke 23: 34 … 34 Then Jesus said [from the cross], “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
My Journal for Today: I don’t know about you; but when I read this statement from our Lord, the God-Man, dying on the cross, I think I’m probably more like Peter when the heat is on, running like a scared rabbit at the threat of death. It’s very hard for me to identify with the degree of sacrifice exhibited by My Lord, Jesus, on the cross. And some may say, “Well, He was God as well as man.” And that’s true; but Stephen (see Acts 7: 59 - 60) was just a man, a man with a sin nature like me; and yet, he exhibited the same degree of self-sacrifice and forgiveness when he was stoned to death unjustly as did Jesus on the cross. Remember Cassie Bernall, whom we’ve mentioned this month. We have highlighted how she died at Columbine High School by simply saying that she was a Christian to a deranged young teenager who held a gun at her head. So, obviously it’s possible for mankind to emulate Christlike strength and forgiveness … yes, even, while we are in the midst of dire or threatening circumstances.
But just think about what Jesus was all about as He hung there on the cross, dying by horrible physical pain and even worse, the spiritual pain of separation from His Heavenly Father. And yet, He showed the love of His father, forgiving those who crucified Him (and as we know, that includes you and me!). As He hung there, He was actually more concerned for the spiritual well being of His enemies than for Himself.
And therein lies probably the toughest challenge I have ever found in my pursuit of Christlikeness; and, though I’ve never been put in a position of having stand for Christ in a life-threatening instance or to forgive someone who was about to take my life, I would hope and pray that I could be like Stephen or maybe Cassie Bernall; and in my humanity, I could make the choice and genuinely forgive those who persecute me – even to the point of death for Christ.
Of course, I’d rather not ever be put in those circumstances; but I think we all need to ask ourselves, especially as we contemplate this in the light of Easter, which is often celebrated during this time of year, … “Do we have Christ in our hearts when we have to pick up His cross daily; or do we fall pray to our humanity as did Peter when he ran?” Tough question; but now is the time to be making the commitments and build up the discipline to be able to forgive our persecutors as did our Lord.
My Prayer Today: Lord, I feel so inadequate; but I know that Your grace is sufficient to give me strength to cover my weakness! Amen
April 15, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Luke 23: 43 … 43 And Jesus said to him [the repentant thief on the cross], “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
My Journal for Today: This incident, captured by Luke in today’s passage, is very personal for me, which I will explain below.
First, let me say that what happened as the life of Jesus, the Christ, moved inexorably toward His death on that cross, hanging between two thieves who were also convicted to die, is a remarkable example of God’s prevenient and saving grace. I know, in faith and from God’s word, Christ would have equally wanted both of these thieves to be in heaven with Him as they all would die mortally that day. Certainly, both of the convicted and crucified thieves saw the same pitiful, weakened figure hanging between them with a sign that proclaimed, “King of the Jews!” However, only one of the two responded to God’s prevenient calling of grace, which was available to both of them that day. Only one of the men repented and acknowledged his sin and proclaimed the truth that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. Only one of the thieves was converted by God’s saving grace that day.
And in that remarkable, telling moment, Jesus told the repentant thief that he would be with Him in heaven THAT VERY DAY! This encounter, probably as much as any of God’s word from the New Testament, assures me that the spirits of both of my parents, who believed/received Christ very late in their lives, are now with Jesus in heaven. And it tells me that it’s never too late, no matter the personal circumstances, to heed and respond to God’s calling for salvation. It was that calling to me when I was 39 years old that led me, most certainly “a thief,” to receive God’s saving grace. It was God’s prevenient grace, being received by my father at age 76 and then my Mom, just six hours before she died, that will allow me to see them in heaven in God’s timing.
What about you? Have you surrendered, as did the thief on the cross, to the calling on your heart by Christ? If you haven’t, NOW is the time to declare that you are a sinner … that you need a Savior … and that Christ is Your Savior and Lord. God’s word promises (see Rom. 10: 9 – 13) that if you – or ANYONE - declare this before God, as did the one thief, you will be saved for eternity to be with Christ. But if you don’t/can’t, you will languish forever separated from God in hell. No more need be said.
My Prayer Today: Lord, may all who read this heed your call. Amen
April 16, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: John 19: 26 … 26 When Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, "Dear woman, here is your son [John],"…
My Journal for Today: Yesterday we saw how Jesus, in the midst of horrible agony and strain, certainly beyond our comprehension, was still able to focus on the spiritual needs of the thieves who hung there beside Him on Golgotha. And now, in today’s verse, we read Him speaking of His concern for His mother, Mary.
I must admit that this is very convicting for me. Usually when circumstances make it difficult for me physically or emotionally, I have to admit that I lose my focus on the needs of others and I become very selfish. I get so wrapped up in my pain and often a “pity party” often ensues; and the last thing I end up thinking about would be the needs of those around me. And yet, in the most dire emotional and physical pain imaginable, Jesus tenderly and unselfishly reaches out to see that the needs of His mother will be protected. What a model of selflessness is our Lord.
And though this model may be almost impossible for this humble Christian to reenact … or even imagine for that matter … it is still one to which I can (no, I must!) aspire. It may seem like “mission impossible;” but I believe the truth of Matt 17: 20, which says that, with my faith, nothing is impossible for God. And I also have the teaching of Paul, exhorting me onward from 1st Cor. 10: 13, which tells me that no matter what the challenge (i.e., test, trial, temptation, or tribulation) God is faithful to provide a way for me to endure and [from 2nd Cor. 12: 9] the strength from His grace to do what it takes to realize His way.
May we all, therefore, recognize His truth … that God, the Holy Spirit, will continue throughout our lives to shape us into the Christlikeness we may have trouble envisioning for ourselves (see Phil. 1: 6 and Eph. 3: 20).
My Prayer Today: O Lord, may I be ready, when tested, to be able to be compassionate to others. Amen
April 17, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 27: 45 … 45 [During Christ’s crucifixion] From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
My Journal for Today: John MacArthur in his devotional for this date from Strength for Today helped me learn about this darkness that enveloped the countryside at mid-day during Christ’s crucifixion. The darkness referred to in today’s verse has been historically confirmed to have taken place worldwide at the very moment of time mentioned in this scripture. Most certainly it could not have been caused by a parallel-occurring solar eclipse. That is astronomical and scientific fact.
MacArthur posits, and I agree, that this darkness was like that reported repeatedly put forth by Jesus in the book of Matthew (see Matt. 8: 12; 22: 13; 25: 30), … a darkness where there will be “…weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is the outer darkness associated with God’s judgment; and MacArthur indicates that this was the darkness in Matt. 27: 45, a darkness which shadowed the world, indicating the spiritual time when God’s wrath was visited upon Jesus, as our Lord took upon His shoulders the sinfulness of mankind.
This was the “cup” which Christ dreaded so much as he shed drops of blood, sweat, and tears in the Garden of Gethsemane. This was the moment when God, the Father, turned His back on His Son because the Son had taken upon Him the sins of all mankind. This was the darkest moment in the history of mankind – literally and spiritually. It was the time when the Lamb of God was slain; and MacArthur says that the darkness on that day was “… a graphic portrayal of the cross as the focal point of God’s wrath, a place of His immense judgment.”
And yet, three days later, in the event that all believers associate with the Light of the World, Christ was risen; and now we associate sin with darkness (as in today’s verse) and light with God’s holiness and purity … and of course, with Christ Himself. To be in the light is to be in Christ. To be in the darkness is to be under the influence of Satan, sin, and self.
So, may we ever be in pursuit of God’s light and doing all we can to avoid the darkness.
My Prayer Today: Lord, I go to Your light! Amen
April 18, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 27: 46 … 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" [from Ps. 22:1]
My Journal for Today: This is a hard saying from Jesus on the cross. My studies reveal that Martin Luther worked diligently for years but had trouble grasping what Jesus said in today’s passage, … our Lord feeling so abandoned on the cross. And so, who am I to be trying to explain this? … Well, the answer lies in the fact that I have the Holy Spirit to help me lay hold of God’s word just as did Martin Luther. I also have the advantage of centuries of brilliant theologians like Luther and more currently John MacArthur in my devotional book to help me. But the main issue still resides in my willingness to humbly seek after God, the Spirit’s, ministry of enlightenment. So, if I pray for God’s mind and wisdom, He is willing to provide it to me (see James 1: 5, 6). So here goes [but you check me out in the Spirit of 1st John 4: 1 or 1st Thes. 5: 17].
We do know that God cannot abide sin (see Habakkuk 1: 13); and it is truth that Jesus became the sin of all mankind on that cross. And so, a God, Who is perfectly Holy, could not be – in that moment – in the presence of sin; and therefore, God, the Father, had to turn His back on His own Son. The horror of that for God, the Son, is unimaginable for me; and it’s heart wrenching to read our Lord lamenting what He had dreaded so heavily earlier during His passion, when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before being arrested.
But this should tell us how much sin is a curse [see also Gal. 3: 13] as we come into the presence of God; and Christ becoming the propitiation for our sin on the cross had to be anathema in the presence of His Holy Father. That’s the way it is when we let sin come between God and our own souls (see 1st John 1: 10). God doesn’t hate us (personally) when we sin. He hates our sin; and the only way for us to maintain the intimacy of fellowship with our Lord is for us to be cleansed by the very blood Christ was shedding on that cross as He spoke the lament we read in today’s verse [again, see that wondrous promise of 1st John 1: 9, which you should have memorized cold by now!].
Gratefully, as in 1st John 1: 9, God has provided a way for this cleansing to take place through confession; and, in that regard, this verse becomes one of the most hopeful passages in all of the New Testament for me (and probably for you, too). And then by repenting – truly repenting – and walking to follow Christ (see Luke 9: 23, which you should also have in memory), we can maintain the closeness that Christ lost by shouldering our sin … the intimacy the God-Man regained when He ascended and was reglorified by His Father.
My Prayer Today: Lord, hold me close to You! Amen
April 19, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 27: 54 … 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely He was the Son of God!"
Also in Mark 15: 39 … 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard His cry and saw how He died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
And in Luke 23: 47 … 47 The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man."
My Journal for Today: In this passage, recorded in three of the synoptic Gospels (see above), we read of the power of God through the life of Jesus to overcome any set of circumstances and even personal/cultural traditions to draw the lost to Himself.
Here was a Roman Centurion, who didn’t likely have an understanding of Jewish beliefs or traditions; nor, before this fateful day, did he care for this man, Jesus of Nazareth, whom the Centurion was charged to crucify there on Golgotha. And prior to that horrible day, this soldier certainly didn’t believe that this man was the “Son of God” or the “King of the Jews” as the sign on the cross mockingly declared above Jesus’ head that day. But then … the Centurion became a witness to the God-Man being put to death on the cross; and he heard Jesus say things like, “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And as a night-like darkness descended over that place in midday as well as the earth shaking, God opened the eyes of the Centurion to see that this man, in Luke’s version, was “a righteous man,” not a criminal. Mark and Matthew reported the man to say, “Surely this man was the Son of God;” and in that moment (according to Rom. 10: 13), that Roman soldier was likely a saved man forever.
Something like that happened to me on April 13, 1983, when God took the blinders off of my eyes. Like the Centurion, I was an anti-Christian. I had a position of high influence in my culture; and I set about “crucifying” Christians wherever and whenever I could. Yet, as God did on Golgotha, He used a special pre-ordained set of circumstances to bring me to a place where I could see and hear the truth about the power of Christ to be my Savior and Lord. And on that day in April of 1983, I too declared that Jesus had to be the Man Whom He claimed to be. And like the Roman soldier, I, too, was saved.
I believe that I will see this Centurion in heaven one day. I pray that all who read this will too!
My Prayer Today: Thank you, Lord, for the grace that saves even blind soldiers. Amen
April 20, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 27: 55 … 55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for His needs.
My Journal for Today: In this passage we read of women, who follow Christ loyally as He had commanded in Luke 9: 23, offering their special gifts/services for their Savior, … women who deserved special recognition in God’s word. Most certainly they will have it in Heaven; but in today’s verse we see the women who followed Jesus (in the background as he traveled) receiving singular recognition by Matthew as they followed their Lord all the way to the cross.
And by the way, it’s interesting to note that the women followers of Jesus didn’t bolt and run in fear as did His close male disciples. To some degree this is still evident today in the preponderance of female service and involvement in most Christian churches in America – the women serving Christ faithfully and the men, with some exceptions, of course, exhibiting a “bolt and run” attitude when confronted with the truth of Christ’s rigorous commands toward discipleship/ministry/mission (see Acts 1: 8, Matt. 28: 19-20, and again – Luke 9: 23).
The women who faithfully serve God’s will and in His work have their role models in these women of Matt. 27, who, though crushed in despair, still ministered to their Lord’s needs, even in light of His hanging on the tree at Golgotha. We read about three of them further in [b]John 19: 25 – 27[/b] … women who loved their Lord and of Christ’s love for them …
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John 19: 25 - 27 … Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
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In today’s church, as I alluded above, we see the counterparts of these loyal and compassionate warriors, … women who follow Jesus even through incredibly rough circumstances. They pray for others diligently. They work quietly with no, or little, up-front recognition, using their gifts for God’s glory. And they share their faith, through Christlike action, even when they are not sharing the Gospel verbally (which many of them do very effectively as well). More often and often more effectively than Christian men, I believe, the Sisters of God’s family are more faithful in their witness and true to Christ’s Great Commission (see Matt. 28: 19 – 20).
As an Elder in our church, I am blessed to be able to see this in action. As a blessed husband of one of these “faithful warriors,” I see this every day. In so many ways, my wife and the women of our church are faithful as surrendered servants in God’s kingdom. We are also blessed in our church to have many men who are servant-leaders for Christ; but more men need to be more active in God’s kingdom. The women of my church, however, live both sides of the model given to us by Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary – giving faithful service and devoted worship as their ministry and witness, tirelessly using their gifts for the betterment of God’s kingdom and for His glory. If you’re a man and reading this, I would hope that this convicts/directs you to more faithful and to take the servant-leader role very seriously in your local church home.
Hail God’s powerful and dutiful women!! And I am blessed to married to one who embodies all that today’s passage captures.
My Prayer Today: Thank you, Lord, for Your servant, Elly Berry, whom you gave to me to be my helpmeet. Amen
April 21, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: Matthew 28: 5 – 6 … 5 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.
My Journal for Today: In these verses, we read of the fulcrum upon which all of human history rests … the redemption of our past and the hope of our future, all resting in one fact … that “HE IS RISEN!” As John MacArthur puts it in Strength for Today, “The fact of Jesus’ resurrection is the culmination of redemptive history and the essential basis of the Christian faith.” The Apostle Paul, inspired by God’s Spirit, recognized this fact when he wrote the following [1st Cor. 15: 13 – 14]…
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1st Cor. 15: 13 … If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
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In the Old Testament (i.e., the Old Covenant), it was faith in the coming Messiah that led those prophets and saints into heaven, as with Abraham (Heb. 11: 19) or Daniel (Dan. 12: 1-5). However, now, in the New Covenant we must have faith in the risen Messiah, as the Lord, Jesus, preached and prophesied it (see Mark 8: 31).
However under the New Covenant, the resurrection of Jesus, which was given witness by over 500 people, led eleven of the remaining Apostles, including Paul, to be martyred for their faith and their desire to spread the message of Jesus’ resurrection and the good news which was wrapped up in that event.
And finally, after the resurrection, as our Lord ascended into heaven to be re-glorified unto His place on God’s throne, He charged us all of His disciples to spread this resurrection good news. It was His GREAT COMMISSION; and if one memorizes and internalizes any of God’s word, this one passage ought to be right at the top of the list …
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Matthew 28: 19Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
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What more need be said in devotion to this truth? He is risen; … He is risen indeed!
My Prayer Today: Yes, Lord, … that is my desire – for all to see You as risen. Amen
April 22, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthians 15: 1 … 1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
My Journal for Today: This will not be a long entry … but a very personal and pertinent one.
I believe one of the most powerful and provocative questions a Christian can ask a non-believer is this: “How do you explain the historical fact and the long-term impact of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth?” Really, for a skeptic to reject Christ, he/she has to be able to explain away the fact/reality of a living Christ and One Who arose from the dead, … as well as why so many intelligent people have come to believe that through the ages.
Unfortunately during many years of my searching for spiritual strength and truth as a self-labeled “agnostic,” no one ever asked me that question. Here I was, searching into all of the “isms” of my day, … Buddhism, Taoism, New Ageism … and finding nothing which satisfied my soul! If someone had asked me the question above as a young man, challenging me to look at the facts, like many other former atheists had done, … much more brilliant men than I, … men like C.S. Lewis, Josh MacDowell, and Lee Strobel, I believe I could have been saved a lot of agony and foolhardiness. But God knew what He was doing and what I needed to experience to be able to see truth; and in His time and in His way, he opened my “eyes” to the truth of Christ’s resurrection.
Now I recognize that one is not saved through the mind. It takes a heart decision; and like the Apostle Paul, I had my heart confrontation on a road one day in 1983, where I listened to a story (on tape) of young man who had found spiritual strength in Christ, the spiritual strength I had been seeking so unsuccessfully in the “isms” of the day. God used my head, i.e., my reasoning powers, to get to my heart; and I made that heart decision based upon my mental understanding of a set of wild circumstance which occurred on the morning of April 13, 1983. So, you can’t tell Bill Berry that God can’t use the head to get to the heart. The Lord certainly did with me.
The Apostle Paul in today’s passage, focusing on 1st Cor. 15: 1, was writing to a tough group of readers, the Corinthians, … former intellectuals and idolaters, who had been enmeshed in a deeply immoral culture (sound familiar – maybe a lot like here and now?!). But Paul in this entry verse to one of the most powerful presentations of the gospel in all of the New Testament [i.e., 1st Cor. 15], attests to the belief of the Christians in Corinth. And John MacArthur, in Strength for Today, points out that The Church over the centuries has continued to testify to the reality of Christ’s resurrection. And we who believe today, now knowing the truth of the resurrection, should (no, “MUST!”) praise our Lord for what He did in being raised to save us all – i.e., all who believe He did so.
And so, if you are reading this as a believer who has any non-believers in your life, … maybe relatives, friends, or co-workers, … ask them the challenging question I opened with above: …
“How do you explain the historical fact and the long-term impact of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth?”
Their answer could well shape their eternal future.
My Prayer Today: I believe, Lord! Amen
April 23, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthians 15: 3 - 8 … 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 … and last of all He appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
My Journal for Today: Paul’s eye-witness testimony to seeing the risen Christ allows Paul to be set apart as unto the office of “Apostle.” Prior to today’s highlight verse, in 1st Cor. 15: 3 – 7, Paul writes of many other eye-witnesses to Jesus after His resurrection and before He ascended into heaven. However, Paul’s testimony of post-resurrection contact with Jesus was/is unique. His witness of Christ’s bodily appearance was the only such post-ascension contact recorded in the NT; and the event totally and radically transformed the former Saul of Tarsus, yielding the Apostle Paul who would become Christendom’s preeminent outreach to the Gentiles of the first century. Paul’s experience was a metamorphosis of character and witness which most certainly confirms his claim to the office of Apostleship.
As one can read in biblical and historical accounts, Paul first gave witness in his testimony to his former sinful life as a persecutor of Christians. Next, all can read of him being transformed from a selfish Christian-hater to a selfless purveyor of God’s love, … one who was willing to endure horrible agony in his witness and ministry for Christ (read about Paul’s trials in 2nd Cor. 11). And finally Paul was totally changed, from one who wanted Christians killed into one who zealously desired to see all non-believers, even Gentiles, come to salvation in Christ (see Rom. 1: 16).
And may I say as humbly as I can, I identify with Paul’s metamorphosis. I, too, had a “Damascus Road” experience in my life where God brought me down from my anti-Christian attitude. No, Christ didn’t appear bodily to me as He did for Paul; but He brought me down to a place where I could respond to the life-transforming power of His Spirit. And like Paul, I was changed from persecutor to promoter of the Gospel. I, too, found the truth and reality of Paul’s writing in Rom. 12: 1 – 2…
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Romans 12: 1 - 2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
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Paul’s life and witness, as does mine, provides strong evidence for the life-changing power of Christ’s resurrection. And I can only pray that any who read this have surrendered to His saving grace as well.
My Prayer Today: I am one, Lord, who was changed by Your grace; and I praise Your Holy Name! Amen
April 24, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthian 15: 12 … 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
My Journal for Today: We must remember, when looking at this passage today, that many in the Greek culture, to whom Paul was addressing this epistle, had trouble believing in Christ’s bodily resurrection because of Greek dualism, which taught that anything in the physical realm was evil. Therefore, a bodily resurrection would be repugnant to such seekers after faith in Corinth. So, in today’s verse, Paul proclaimed (i.e., “preached”) from the standpoint of personal eye-witness testimony, essentially saying that no one could counter his own claim of seeing Jesus as the risen Christ. Paul knew it was true and he literally staked his life on it (as we know from his historical martyrdom).
In point of fact, if one cannot – or will not – believe that Christ was dead and now lives, there would be no hope for that one to rise again to be eternally with Christ after his/her own death. So, as you would have observed, if you’ve been reading my devotionals this month, the “resurrection” is the baseline, foundational doctrine of Christianity. If one pulls out that pin from the structure of our faith and discards it, faith in Christ comes crashing down as meaningless.
However, Christ did die; and praise His Name, He did rise again … as over 500 witnesses gave testimony. A brilliant former Christian hater like Saul of Tarsus could not have believed in the risen Christ and changed to become the Apostle Paul unless the evidence was incontrovertible, as he witnesses in today’s verse. And we can rest our faith – as do I – on the biblical and historical evidence we have available. Truth from the past and from the very word of God proclaims, as did Paul in today’s passage, that Christ is risen.
I may never have seen the risen Christ as did His disciples, those 500+ witnesses, and the Apostle Paul, but no one can say to me that I haven’t seen the effects of life transformation that has taken place in the life of one who, like Paul, used to be a Christian hater and, also like Paul, has become one who lives (and would die) to share the Lord with others. Christ does live in my witness; and my faith in Him allows Him to live in me!
My Prayer Today: HALLELUJAH! HE LIVES!! Amen
April 25, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthian 15: 19a … 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
My Journal for Today: In his devotional for this date in Strength for Today, John MacArthur teaches about the hope we have in Christ’s death and resurrection to secure our faith by using a word picture from a Greek concept of the “archegos.” According to MacArthur, the “archegos” was the strongest swimmer on any Greek fishing boat, who was charged with the responsibility to swim to shore, carrying a line, if the boat was in trouble, which the “archegos” would then affix the line to a solid rock or tree, securing the boat’s safety. MacArthur says that Jesus is the Christian’s “archegos,” securing our boat of hope by going ahead through the resurrection to tie our rope of faith to the rock of His saving grace, … or better yet, to the tree where He died that we might live.
I’m very taken by MacArthur’s word picture; because without Christ going ahead of us (perhaps as depicted in Deut. 31: 8 and the prophesy of Psalm 22) from His grave, this exercise of mine this morning to journal my way in God’s word or even to have any faith in Jesus Christ at all would be meaningless and a total waste of time. All the Bible study in the world or listening to sermons or giving to the church or witnessing my faith to others … all of it would be purposeless without Christ’s resurrection.
However, because Christ now is risen and His tomb lies empty in that rock somewhere near Jerusalem, I will live forever (see John 14: 19). And because He was raised and ever lives, my sins are justified (see Romans 4: 24 – 25); and my anchor of faith is tethered to the rock of my salvation forever, … my “Archegos.”
My Prayer Today: Again, HALLELUJAH! Amen
April 26, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthian 15: 29 … 29 Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?
My Journal for Today: The fact of Christ’s resurrection – and it is a fact! – and the hope that is connected thereunto, becomes a powerful witness that often opens hearts/minds to be able to really hear the gospel truth and receive Christ in faith as Lord and Savior.
It has been said that a funeral is one of the best venues to share the truth of the gospel, highlighting Christ’s resurrection, because unbelievers, who are present, become focused on the reality of and the perceived finality of death. A non-Christian at a funeral can see death right in front of their eyes; and hearing the gospel preached in that context can open hearts which have theretofore been blocked from grasping what Christ had done on the cross for these lost ones. And if one can recognize their own sinfulness and their own mortality … and if they can see the hope presented by Christ’s resurrection, the witness of Christ from the cross, or from believers who will join Jesus in death to live forever, this becomes a powerful hope that can defeat the image seen in the finality of physical death, giving hope through the reality of the resurrection.
John MacArthur in his devotional for this date in Strength for Today, having seen many come to salvation at the death of believing loved ones, gives testimony to the power of the resurrection in the context of physical death or the mortality of our human condition. That was my prayer for my “lost” sister at the memorial service for our Dad a couple of years ago. At that service I read portions of a letter written to me by Dad when he was 72 years old. He had come to a place where he could see the need for receiving God’s saving grace and praying to receive Christ as his Savior. At his funeral I told of our mother receiving Christ just six hours before she died. Both of them, late in their lives, came to realize that their hope for eternity could only rest in Jesus Christ, Who would bring them to their home in heaven. I’d like to be able to say that this witness influenced my sister to receive Christ; however, I see no evidence of that to date.
Knowing that is a great comfort to me … that I will be with our parents in heaven. But at the same time, it is frustrating to see my sister still resisting this truth. So, as I write this, I still pray that my sister can come to that place that our parents did and be able to ask for the saving grace that is only offered by the resurrection of Christ. I also pray, as I write this, that any who read this, who have not done so, will recognize this grace and will receive Christ as your Savior and Lord.
If you’ve been resisting this, like I was as a non-believer almost 25 years ago, it’s time to pray and confess. Pray and tell God that you are a sinner who needs a Savior; and ask Jesus to save you. Thank Him for dying for your sins; and ask Him to be the Lord of your life. Believing that and proclaiming it openly to another is all that it takes for you to spend eternity in heaven with the One Who was raised from the dead to bring you there. [see John 3: 16 and Romans 10: 9 – 13]
My Prayer Today: Your resurrection is our hope, Lord! Amen
April 27, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthians 15: 32 … 32 If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." [a quote from Isaiah 22: 13]
My Journal for Today: This month my devotions and journaling herein have been dwelling in the meditations and study of 1st Corinthians 15, where I’ve been looking at the impact of Christ’s resurrection upon the hearts and lives of Christians. The Apostle Paul in this chapter has made it very clear that there would have been no way he would have been motivated to risk his life over and over for Christ if it were not for the hope of his own (i.e., Paul’s) resurrection, which had become a reality in the faith Paul had invested in the outcome of Christ’s resurrection.
What Paul went through to spread the Gospel message (read 2nd Cor. 11: 24 – 29) could only be explained by the motivation he had as a result of his encounter and relationship with Christ as well as Paul’s desire to share what Christ had done for him on the cross and the hope that anyone could have eternally by receiving the good news of the Gospel. Otherwise, reading of Paul’s life-changing testimony and his change from Christ killer to Christian zealot would not make any sense at all, would it?
Go back and read the “Hall of Faith” in Chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews or the many stories of the Old Testament patriarchs of the faith, all of whom were driven by their faith and hope, either in the coming Messiah or the reality of the resurrection of The Messiah, which became the driving force behind the Disciples who were enacting what was written in Acts 1: 8 and/or Matthew 28: 19 – 20, Christ’s commandments to spread the truth of His resurrection, i.e., the Gospel message.
It has often been said, in defense of the truth of the resurrection and of the Christian Gospel message, these disciples simply would not have died, the way they did as martyrs, for a lie; and that is also true for yours truly. I simply would not make myself a living sacrifice [see Rom. 12: 1], giving all of my life unto Christ, if my mind could not support my heart in the matter of the resurrection. I have looked at the facts; and they are replete to support the truth that Christ died for my sins; and God raised His Son, my Savior and Lord – The Messiah – from the dead to allow me to come to Him and one day be resurrected to live with God for eternity.
I pray that you have come, in faith, as well; but if it takes a hearty examination of the facts, you do it ! Because the outcome will be as it was for a long list of brilliant men, who took up the challenge to examine the data, men who then were drawn to The Truth, Who is Jesus. If you, like C.S. Lewis, Josh McDowell, Lee Strobel, or Charles Colson, who were skeptics, but who were willing to look at the facts as they were, really look at all the evidence, you too will come, as have I, along with these former atheists, to the realization that Christ died for your sins and was raised from the dead so that YOU and me could accept Him in faith and be with Him in eternity.
My Prayer Today: I will live for You, my Lord, because You died for me! Amen
April 28, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthians 15: 33 - 34 … 33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
My Journal for Today: Perhaps as you grew up you heard your parents say, as I did,” If you run with a bad crowd, you become a bad person.” In fact my parents were very vigilant to see that I ran with the “good guys,” so that I didn’t become one of the group of kids we used to call “the hoods,” who drove fast cars and did bad stuff. But I don’t think that my parents realized that their parental vigilance about my friends was a biblical principle.
But it certainly was; and it’s discussed in today’s passage. However, as we bring this up, the group identification principle of 1st Cor. 15: 33 doesn’t preclude any person from doing ungodly things on his/her own. Even though I was identified as one of “the good boys” growing up, I let my own mind wander into some pretty ungodly behavior as I moved farther and farther away from a relationship with Christ in my own world of habitual sexual sin. And truthfully, it is this latter relationship, in the context of today’s teaching, which becomes a powerful guideline of Christian discipleship. If we, as individuals, have a deep/abiding personal relationship with Christ, believing in the truth of the Gospel, which we’ve been exploring this month, and we tie that with close association with other like-minded Christians, Paul’s exhortation today will likely produce a cohesive group of believers where Christ’s love and His power can work through the group more effectively and with more power. And that is how individual belief and discipleship can produce God’s power working in the lives of believers to use God’s grace to overcome their own deceitful hearts, and the forces of Satan in the world.
This month we’ve been looking at how Christ’s resurrection and the belief thereunto lead to salvation. But in today’s verse we see how that belief takes the next step, resurrection belief moving the church toward sanctification. We remember Christ’s admonition for individual disciples [from Luke 9: 23], … for believers to deny self, take up their crosses daily, and follow Him. Well, the application of individual believers collectively following Christ in the fellowship of believers, allows the church to become the collective agent of Proverbs 13: 20 …
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Prov. 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
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We also know that “…as a man thinks in his heart, so is he [Prov. 23: 7 – NKJV];” … and this movement from Godly thought to Godly action works most effectively for God’s kingdom when thinking/believing individuals come together to think and believe AND ACT together. And Paul recognized what was going on in the hedonistic and godless culture where Christianity had been planted in Corinth; and he knew that it would be very difficult for these Corinthian believers to thrive in their discipleship and in Christlikeness if they were fragmented and separated. Hence, we read Paul’s admonition in today’s passage.
We, who believe in Christ’s resurrection and the power of the Gospel message, do need to come together as is exhorted by the Author of Hebrews …
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Heb. 10: 24 - 25 … And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.[/list]
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Together, as believers in Christ’s resurrection, we in the church can do so much more for His gospel and His kingdom than we can as “lone ranger” Christians. In Battle Plan Ministry we advocate this “group-think” >>> “group action” principle in discipleship to promote freedom from sexual sin. Christian men (or women) standing together, well grounded in God’s word, and being accountable to one another is one of the most salient battle plans a group of Christians can have to help them all walk in a worthy manner (see Eph. 4: 1 - 2) and to do battle for Christ in the world (see Eph. 6: 13 – 18). I pray that you are in a battle cohort with other like-minded Christian soldiers, fighting together side-by-side and back-to-back against the forces of evil in the world, thinking together and growing together into Christlikeness. Always remember the instruction of Prov. 27: 17 that iron sharpens iron!
Everyday I thank God for the cohorts of accountability and strength which surround me, … at church, in Battle Plan Ministry, and in prayer to help keep me standing upright and walking with my Lord.
My Prayer Today: Help me to become like You, Lord, by working with other Christians. Amen
My Journal for Today: My Dad died a few years ago; and in the last few years of his life, he was quite debilitated, living in a nursing care facility. Most of the time, with all his maladies, he had to have been miserable [at least from the way we all saw him live]. Yet all who came to see him where he resided in the Nursing Home, were taken by the “grace” he exhibited, always having something nice to say to that person. I can remember a few times when I flew up to spend a few days with him, we’d have times when we’d watch sports on TV together; but he seemed to be most at peace when I read to him from a passage which was initiated by today’s verse. It was 1st Cor. 15: 49 – 57; and I’d like to reproduce it here for your edification [and my remembrance] …
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1st Cor. 15: 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the Man from heaven. 50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." [from Isaiah 25: 8] … 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" [from Hosea 13: 14] 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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This passage, along with the promise found through Paul in Phil. 3: 21 certainly give all believers great hope, as those passages did my father, with the wondrous picture of the new image and body will have in heaven. Think about it! All who are born again in Christ will be reconstituted to become like the One Who revealed Himself to so many others after His resurrection … like the Messiah Who will come again one day (likely soon, I believe) to reclaim His wonderful Bride, the Church, for glory (see Acts 1: 11).
I often think about what Jesus was like when he appeared to others post-resurrection. He could disappear and reappear at will … to whomever and wherever and whenever He wanted. He could walk through walls. How cool is that?!! And when He needed to, He was recognizable to His loved ones, even carrying – I believe at His own choice – the scars from His time on the cross to convince doubters, like Thomas, of Who He really was; … and I personally believe, though I have no Biblical support, our glorified, resurrected, perfected, completed body will be able to take on more than one physical form. However, it will always be visible and recognizable to all we knew and loved us in this life. And though our bodies will not likely look like that of Jesus (His will be so perfect and full of glorified light He will stand above all in Heaven), our newly glorified bodies will have the completed elements that Christ has already formed for us and knows us as in His presence.
Our new life in heaven is going to be all too awesome, … for sure!!
My Prayer Today: The hope of newness, Lord, is in You. Amen
April 30, 2008 …
Passage of the Day: 1st Corinthians 15: 54 – 55, 57 … 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." [from Isaiah 25: 8] 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" [from Hosea 13: 14] … 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
My Journal for Today: This is the last day in my April devotional series, taken from MacArthur’s Strength for Today, on the pertinence and power of the RESURRECTION of Christ in the life of the Christian.
It is true that many in this world run from their own mortality … from death; but in this “resurrection chapter” of his letter to the Church, the Apostle Paul, helps all Christians to be thankful that death no longer has any “sting” for the believer in and follower of Christ. And Paul, using quotes from the Old Testament prophets, uses an apt word picture, taken from the OT Prophet Hosea, to help us see this truth about death.
When a bee stings someone, it leaves its stinger in its victim; and the bee dies. Well, death left its stinger in Jesus, Who took all the venom out of death on the cross, allowing His beloved Bride, the Church, to face physical death with the prospects of eternal life before us – with no sting. We can also read this doctrine clearly and strongly taught in Romans 6: 9 …
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Rom. 6: 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him.[/list]
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Death no longer had mastery over Christ as He rose in His resurrection; and it no longer has any sting over believers, as His victory in resurrection will allow us to be raised again to be with Him forever. And so, it’s no wonder that Paul exhorts all Christians by his own expression of thankfulness in 1st Cor. 15: 57 to praise God for His redeeming work on the cross, which has taken all the sting out of death and provides us with eternal hope that we could never attain on our own. Can I sense a “HALLELUJAH!” from any believers who read this?
And furthermore, in his devotional for this date, MacArthur cites Rev. 21: 4 with the resounding glory we will realize in heaven, where there will be no pain.
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Rev. 21: 4 He [Jesus] will wipe every tear from their eyes [the eyes of the faithful]. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
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That is what Christ’s resurrection has done to prepare a place with Him for eternity for any and all who believe on Him; and I can only pray that any who are reading this have join me in believing the truth of Christ’s resurrection. And I pray that you have received His saving grace by your faith in what He did on the cross and by being raised again to take away our sins.
My Prayer Today: O Lord, I pray that all who read here will find the joy of heaven eternal in You. Amen
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