Sunday, October 10, 2021
Hope And A Caring God
Psalm 43:5---Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Many Christian people have just as many problems as non-Christians. Some Christian believers even have more problems than unbelievers. These kinds of circumstances make some unbelievers ask why they should believe in God when there is no apparent worldly pay-off. The unbeliever will ask in a lack of faith, “What is the use of believing in God if God is not going to give me some benefit to believing? “On the surface, it may seem many Christians are not any better off than non-Christians. However, we have to look deep inside those people who truly believe in a caring, comforting, and compassionate God to see the benefit of believing. When you look inside of believers, you can see a shining light penetrating the darkness. God’s light, love, and peace may not always be visible on the outside of believers, but inside of them, you can find a peace that passes all understanding. The internal life of Christians is one aspect of the Christian faith many non-Christians do not see and do not understand. As Christians, we are able to praise God for His greatness, kindness, and compassion even when we are hurting. In addition, when we praise God in our pain, our hope is increased because God loves us so much He will not leave us to suffer without coming to our aid or assistance in our time of tribulation.
Saturday, October 9, 2021
Friday, October 8, 2021
JESUS IS STILL WITH US IN THE SILENCE.
Text---Matthew 27:59-60---And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
On Saturday, silence fell on the hearts of many. Jesus’ body has been placed in the sealed tomb with guards standing by to watch. Tears were still shed as if the funeral of the great Savior was not over. In a borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, the only hope for eternity waited. In the silence, faith was tested. In the silence, anticipation fell into remorse. Can you imagine the feeling that day? Can you picture the scene? In this life, we will go through seasons of silence. We will have moments of our lives in which we can’t hear or see our God work. In seasons of silence, grace speaks louder. When you are caught between the unknown and the fearful; trust in the voice that breaks the silence. I have good news; the Savior is not in the tomb anymore! I know, spoiler alert. He has risen! We celebrate that in full force every day. Until tomorrow, I want you to find moments of silence in today. Spend time in deep prayer and reflection on what all happened this Passion Week. If you are in a season of silence, keep the faith. Our Lord is working and moving in this world He redeemed. He will lead you. He will answer you. Continue trusting Him. Open His Word, fall more in love with the redemption story, and yield yourself to His spiritual leadership.
Thursday, October 7, 2021
Jesus Defeats Death
John 11:43-44---And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.
John 11 records the raising of Lazarus from the dead, one of the best-known miracles of Jesus. And yet when you read the story in its entirety, you see the great detail John recorded in order to put us in Bethany that day. Take, for example, the fact that Lazarus had been in the grave for four days. That's pretty significant; a detail that John purposely included. Jewish folklore said that the soul would hover above the body for up to four days after death, looking for signs of life and a chance to return. But after four days of death, there was no hope. Decomposition sets in, and the body begins to decay. Oh, the smell. Maybe that would have been the worst part. It would have been putrid. Abhorrent. Disgusting. The body would be sealed inside a tomb to keep the smell of the dead away from the living. The smell of rottenness and lifelessness. It's a sensory reminder that the situation was beyond repair. But Jesus wasn't afraid of that smell. He strode boldly to the tomb and commanded that the stone be rolled away. But there were protests. "Lord, he already stinks. It's been four days," said the grieving sister. “Don’t roll the stone away. It's going to stink. Let us leave him alone; what good is there in confronting that smell? The smell of death? “But Jesus isn't afraid of that smell. He inhales it deeply and then breaths it back out. He's not afraid of it because He won't abide it. He reaches into the smell of death and produces the fragrance of life. He did it with Lazarus; He did it with me, and He's doing it countless times every day. We recoil at the smell of death. Our stomachs turn. Bile comes up in our throats. But Jesus? Jesus beats back the stench of death with the fragrance of life. And the dead come forth ...Where is your sting, death? That's what Paul asked. He asked because the sting is nowhere to be found. Jesus confronted it and won. Because He did, He's not repulsed by the seeming stench of death. In that smell, Jesus sees the potential for new life. He laid in the Grave just as dead as he could be but didn’t allow it to hold him, Praise God up from the grave He arose and because He lives we shall live too.
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Help From the Lord
Isa 41:13---For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Everyone needs help at some point. We prize the idea of self-sufficiency and self-reliance. These traits are good when applied properly in a person's life. However, there are times when we may not have the resources we need. There are times when fear can grip our hearts and we become paralyzed. In our moments of fear, God is beside us, talking to us, and encouraging us to trust Him. God specifically wants to lead us to do His will. In doing the Lord's will, fear and anxiety can strike your heart. We walk our path of Christian living by faith. We cannot visually see God or hear God as we do other people. We walk our path of faith without fully knowing all God is and all of what He wants from us. Yet even when we do not know all we want to know about God, the Lord is there to help us. “Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear. Psalm 46:1-2
Tuesday, October 5, 2021
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