Category Archives: Devos

Apr 12 2016
Leave a comment
Devos

Thinking about daffodils and the resurrection…

Spring is here… and the beauty of the flowers in our yards is stunning! It isn’t at all like what we put in the ground is it? That seed was kind of plain… even ugly! But we planted it, hoping and believing for the best. We trusted that deep within that packet of fiber encased in a rather plain shell was the potential for something splendid and gorgeous! So hoping and believing we planted it… we even cared for the ugly thing, nurtured it and sure enough presto! It happened! Our hope was rewarded!

Thought about that this morning as I was reading from 1 Corinthians 15 in my Bible during my time of “Coffee with the Lord”…
“Someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come? … What you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel… There are heavenly bodies and earthy bodies. The glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is another… So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable! It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory! It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power! It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body! … Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven!” (from 1 Corinthians 15:35-49)
I’ve seen it and so have you… A wonderful follower of Christ, over time impacted negatively by the physical results of aging – what was once beautiful now is wrinkled and frail. I’ve seen vibrant young people who loved the Lord, scarred by accidents and ravaged by disease. They died… they passed from this life, and we buried them in hope of the resurrection… Well, one day, their hope and ours will be rewarded and what 1 Corinthians talks about will be fulfilled! It will be glorious! It will be beautiful! They will be resurrected and bloom in His presence with exquisite, radiant beauty… Forever!!! I visit their grave… and so do you! Keep believing! Your faith and mine will be rewarded!
Apr 11 2016
Leave a comment
Devos

“The Messianic Secret” – Now is NOT the time to keep it!

Some people just cannot keep a secret! You tell them something that is time or situation sensitive and ask for (even demand) confidentiality and it just doesn’t happen! You’ve heard the rumors about their indiscretion – their inability to keep things to themselves – and true to form they “spill the beans.” You can almost see it in their eyes the moment you ask them for discretion… “it ain’t gonna happen!”
 
For Jesus timing was very important! In fact, Jesus told his brothers one time, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here!” (John 7:6) The Gospels reveal that Jesus was very aware of the importance of timing for His fulfillment of the redemptive plan of God.
 
Theologians have called this feature of Jesus’ ministry “the Messianic Secret.” Jesus guarded His identity for most of His earthly ministry. Messianic expectations in first-century Palestine ran high. Most of the nation was looking for a Messiah who would be a political revolutionary – someone who would come in and release the nation from Roman domination. But most of the nation failed to grasp the full role of the Messiah! They failed to grasp what the prophets predicted – a “suffering servant.” Jesus did not need a mob to arise and form a coup – He wanted people to embrace Him – and “the Kingdom of Heaven” – by faith! His encounter with the cross was part of God’s plan – It was necessary for Him to offer Himself for the sins of the world!
 
All of that this morning as a prelude to a wonderful story in the Bible…
 
They brought Jesus a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. Jesus took him aside from the crowd and “looking up to heaven, sighed and said to him ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, his tongues was released, and he spoke plainly!”
 
Then the Bible says, “Jesus charged them to tell no one.” [Messianic Secret!] But the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it! … They said, ‘He has done all things well!’” (from Mark 7:31-37)
 
It’s hard – really hard to keep quiet about something as wonderful as that! Almost impossible! There’s good news though… the time for keeping things like that secret is past! Jesus has fulfilled God’s redemptive plan! Now is the time to spread the good news of what Jesus has done – and what He can do! Oh may we “proclaim it zealously!”
Apr 10 2016
Leave a comment
Devos

Why do the wicked prosper … And often the righteous don’t seem to?

Why the wicked prosper (and the righteous often suffer and don’t seem to prosper) has been a source of questioning and frustration down through the centuries… It is a source of frustration for many even today. (I heard some exasperated questioning on the issue just this week… And I admit it, I’ve been guilty a time or two). During “Coffee with the Lord” this morning I read a helpful Biblical answer from “the Sons of Korah” in Psalm 49 that I’m grateful for…
 
“Hear this, all peoples! Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, both low and high, rich and poor together! … Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit… Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish. This is the path of those who have foolish confidence… BUT GOD WILL RANSOM MY SOUL FROM THE POWER OF SHEOL, FOR HE WILL RECEIVE ME! Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself — his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light. Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.” (from Psalm 49 ESV)
 
Hey, God’s got it under control… So I’m not going to fret about it! I’ll leave it to Him and rejoice in the bright future He promises those who follow His ways!
← Older posts
Newer posts →