Can't No Grave Hold My Body Down

 

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here: He has risen!  Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again."  Luke 24:5-8

Jesus repeatedly revealed His fate, God's master plan to the disciples, but during all of the chaos that surrounded His crucifixion, many of the followers were left doubting if He really was the Messiah.  Imagine the sheer joy and excitement that they must have felt when they rolled away the stone from the tomb and His body was not there.  All they found were burial linens and an empty grave!

Jesus appeared to two believers traveling and still downcast and not grasping that their Savior was in there presence, Jesus subtly reminded them of all of the Messianic prophesies and then disappeared.

Is Jesus who He said He was?  Do you believe that He conquered the grave? Where does He fit into your life?   If you have opened your heart to receive His love sacrifice and have accepted Him as your Lord over your life, there is no greater day than Easter...the day that our Savior conquered death and defeated the grave.

We may not feel like it every day, but we know with Christ in our lives how our story will end, we will be victorious!!  Rejoice, and praise His holy name!!!!

Hope Falls Down

 

"Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And after He said this He breathed His last.  Luke 23: 46

Can you recall a time where you were disappointed and felt let down?  You could probably name a few times over the past week or possibly even today.  Put yourselves into the shoes of the disciples and followers that witnessed Jesus' death first hand.  This group had given up everything to follow Christ and now He was dead?  All of the miracles they witnessed, the lives that had been changed; this was how it all ended?

If He really was the Christ, why didn't He send an army of angels to rescue Him from such a cruel and gruesome death?  How did His mother Mary feel? The baby she had loved and raised was now dead and hanging from a cross? Talk about disappointment....

I am certain in the days between Jesus' crucifixion and His resurrection, the confusion, the hurt, the doubt, and disappointment must have been overwhelming for Jesus' followers.  They must have felt like they had bet the farm and lost it all.  When Jesus took His last breath, His followers must have lost the hope they once had, despite Jesus telling them over and over again that He was 'going away to prepare a place for them'. (John 14:2)

We sometimes overlook the fact that Jesus is always with us when we face disappointment or struggles of our own.  Don't ever let your hope in Him fade away, no matter what it is you are facing.  God will never let you down and He always makes good on His promises.

Good Friday

 

One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at Him saying, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"  But the other rebuked him, saying, "Don't you fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?  And we rightly so, for we are getting what we deserve for what we did, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."  Luke 23:39-43

On Good Friday, we reflect on and ponder Jesus' death on the cross that served as the ultimate sacrifice to bring salvation.  There is nothing more important, no act of love, service, or anything else that even comes close to comparing to what our perfect Savior endured for us in His final hours and His death that freed us from our bondage to sin.

The above passage of Scripture from the gospel of Luke moves my soul as it reveals the saving power and loving forgiveness of our Savior.  The criminals that were also being crucified at the same time as Jesus had been issued a death sentence for their wrong doings.  Jesus was tried and crucified despite being perfect and innocent.  One of the criminals realized that it was indeed the Messiah, hanging on the cross beside him, and right at the moment of his acceptance, Jesus forgave him and assured him of his eternal destination.

It's hard to understand God's grace sometimes.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  Why do good things happen to bad people?  I don't know, but God loves His creation and that includes every human being on this planet.  He doesn't want only a select few, He wants all of us to join Him in 'paradise' when we leave this earth.  He sent His son to live a blameless and perfect life on this earth and then offered Him as a love sacrifice, a Lamb of God, to take our place and die for our sins. He took our place on the cross, and only wants us to give Jesus first place in our lives.

Soulshine

 

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:16

Can you name someone you know-a family member, friend, neighbor, or co-worker, that just lights up a room with their presence?  That person should actually be you or me.  Let me explain....the life characterized by the fruits of the Spirit cannot help but be noticed.  When we have the Spirit dwelling within our souls, it should shine brightly for all to see.

We live in some dark times and what this world needs desperately is to see men and women living their lives as an example to others, breaking the "norm."

How different a place this world would be if people saw more parents who were lovingly involved with their children, and businessmen and women who valued integrity over self-interests and money?

Let your soul shine!

Lunge Forward

 

…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:2

Today’s Daily DEVO has been several weeks in the making.  I have noticed that when God wants to make a point with me, He repeats Himself quite a bit, just like I sometimes do with parenting my own children. (I guess Fishers are stubborn people?) 

The past few weeks have been crazy busy between working from home and with all of the social distancing, I feel that I have lost my focus on Jesus in some ways and have finally answered His calling on my life...

Yesterday’s devotional from the exceptional Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, used the analogy of a spinning ballerina keeping her eyes focused on a fixed point to maintain her balance.  We too, must do the same.

Despite our circumstances or hectic schedules, through struggles and sickness, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ.  If we focus our gaze on our circumstances for too long, we will become confused and dizzy.

Focus on Jesus and maintain your footing, steady and sure!

Could You Be Loved?

 

That the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.  John 17:23

I had a meeting with a potential client a few months ago and felt that I showed poorly.  It was a difficult task, as I went into the meeting with only a small amount of information and still had many more questions that I needed to answer before I could possibly provide firm insurance rates for this organization's group benefit program.  Leaving the meeting I felt like a failure, despite my managing director telling me that I did an outstanding job.  Have you ever felt that way?  How do we know we are valuable?

The answer is found at the cross.  My youngest son, Elijah, was playing with the cross that I wear on my neck and it got me thinking about the reality of what Jesus' death by crucifixion really means.  If we weren't valuable to God, He wouldn't have sent His beloved Son to die on the cross to save us from certain death...

If you are ever feeling down or unloved or that you are not valuable, look no further than the cross and understand that you are worthy and loved!

The Seeker

 

You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.  Deuteronomy 4:29

Being a creature of habit, I like to keep to my same and familiar routines in the mornings.  Feeling somewhat convicted about not seeking God more by spending time in His Word, I read Luke 11 yesterday morning and, as always, that verse was exactly the one I needed for the day that awaited me.

To seek God means to pursue Him as the only source of definitive truth and wisdom.  Instead of letting our problems pile up and seeking God out of desperation, how different would our lives be if we sought Him first and foremost in all matters?

To seek God and His way puts us on the path of a life that is blessed and pleasing to Him.