Confidence in the Resurrection
1 Corinthians 15:12-19 (NRSV) 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ—whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. 19 If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
Paul says to consider this—if the dead have not been raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then we are still dead in our sins. As Paul would say, God forbid.
We pick and choose vegetables and fruits at the grocery store, but not so with the gospel. We either believe all of the gospel, or we believe none of it. If we cannot believe the virgin birth, then how can we believe the resurrection?
We can believe the resurrection because the tomb was empty, Jesus appeared to His disciples along with 500 people following that first Sunday morning, the disciples’ lives were so dramatically changed that eleven of the twelve faced martyrdom rather than deny Jesus, and the church exploded in the number of believers in the first century.
May we allow the gospel to penetrate our very being so that we not only have the hope of eternity, but we can live in His Kingdom promises today. Jesus has risen, He has risen indeed.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Springs of Living Water
Jer 2:11 Has a nation ever changed its gods?
(Yet they are not gods at all.)
But my people have exchanged their glorious God
for worthless idols.
12 Be appalled at this, you heavens,
and shudder with great horror,”
declares the Lord.
13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
Have you ever read Jeremiah or Lamentations? Jeremiah, who wrote both books, was known as the weeping prophet. He was raised to be a priest, but when he was nineteen God called him to be a prophet. Jeremiah often wept over God’s messages to His people. He loved Jerusalem and it broke his heart to know that Jerusalem was going to fall.
What nation can stand if they exchange the one, true and living God for idols made by hands? Who exchanges springs of living waters for wells dug by hands, broken and dry? Yet, look around the world and you will see things have not changed much. What will enable us to turn away from false idols and look at the face of Jesus?
We must have an encounter with the Holy Spirit, and we will need to bow before God’s presence and ask forgiveness for our sins. What are our sins? Whatever separates us from God. When we repent, God will forgive, He will restore us, transform us and we will be reconciled. Then we will receive the living water that gives us life and we will bear much fruit for the kingdom.
May we grow tired of being thirsty and may we drink everyday from the living waters, sharing God’s love with all we meet.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Love Covers a Multitude of Sins
1 Peter 4:7-11 (NRSV) 7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 11 Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
I have alwayss loved these verses in 1Peter. Show love, serve without complaining, and use the gifts you have been given, all to the glory of God. The bottom line is to do everything to the glory of God. I am embarrassed when I think of how many times I forgot to give God the glory. It is more than saying the words, “To God be the glory.” No,. Giving God the glory for all we do, all we have, must come from a joyful spirit.
So today, I ask that God remind me of His power, love, and patience, and I pray that I will never become so busy or distracted that I forget to put God first. By always looking first to God, everything else will eventually fall into place.
May we today and everyday wait on the hand of the almighty God who will direct us in all we do. Be still, be of good courage, and wait.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
God is on the Throne
Is 40:4-5
4Every valley will be lifted up,
every mountain and hill made low,
the rough ground will be a plain
and the rugged terrain smooth.
5 The glory of Adonai will be revealed,
and all flesh will see it together.”
For the mouth of Adonai has spoken.
Isaiah 40 is one of my favorite chapters of the entire Bible. God’s justice may be delayed, but it will take place, Isiah 40 is a word to bring solace to a people who sinned against God and were going to be punished, but there was hope on the horizon.
When we read these verses, we immediately think of topographical upsets, particularly in the form of earthquakes. But the shaking and moving spoken of by Isaiah is actually a snapshot of what will happen when Jesus returns.
You see, Jesus is the great equalizer. The mountains (the proud and the rich) are brought low, but the valleys (those who are poor and sometimes considered insignificant) are elevated.
I want to encourage you today to live above both the mundane and the challenging, and live in the fullness of God, whatever your circumstances. God is on the throne and our lives matter to Him.
May we make time each day to praise Him, being assured of His great love for us, and may our hearts swell with the understanding that the Sovereign God of the universe cares about each of us so much that there is a plan for our lives. So let’s turn that frown upside down and start our day with thanksgiving and praise.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Focus on Love
Romans 12:9-13 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. 10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; 13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
Do you notice how much is packed into these few verses? We are to offer real love, not fake, detest evil, hold tightly to good, be kind, think of others before ourselves, be passionate about serving and in giving, and continue to rejoice! You might be thinking, “Fine, it’s easy to accomplish all of these things as long as life is uncomplicated. But life is no fairy tale.”
Paul of all people knew the cruelty that life can exact upon us. But he also knew the extreme joy of living in God’s will.
May we make it a daily goal to love big and give mercy, beginning and ending each day with praise, prayer and gratitude.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Seeking Holiness 