Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
They Come Across A Man Born Blind
The disciples see a man who was born blind, and they assume that his blindness is someone’s fault.
This was a common way of thinking about suffering in those days. Sickness and disability were often believed to be a result of sin somewhere in the family line.
If we think about it, we can see how people could fall into that kind of thinking.
It has happened in many cultures.
If a person has a disability or a terrible disease, if they are mentally challenged or if they are down and out in some kind of hardship too, it can be convenient to point fingers, blame them or their family or even their friends or community.
It calms our fears if we can state a reason or a cause for something we don’t understand—or don’t want to, or gives us a sense of “I am glad I am not like that” or gives us the sense that we are better than others, we are the strongest.
In this story Jesus complicates things even more by implying that God allowed the man to be born blind so that through his healing by Jesus, could help people see the miraculous works of God being done, that God is indeed in their midst.
This is a very hard teaching to understand—there is no getting around that.
Human suffering is a lot more complicated than we would like to believe.
Sin has broken this world in ways that goes way far beyond our understanding.
But at the same time, this story offers comfort because we see that God can and will work to bring good out of challenges and suffering. God works for our good in all things (Romans 8:28)—and he has redeemed us in Christ (Isaiah 43:1-7).
When the works of God shine through all manner of conceivable adversity, he shows in a unique way that he is good and merciful and loves us without limit.
A Prayer to Help Us Understand How Jesus Heals Us
God’s ways and thoughts are not the same as ours (Isaiah 55:8-13).
We can can expend every available ounce of energy and money to try and ‘work’ life out all the time and we’ll run the danger of missing what’s really important.
Healing is a case example.
Prayer for the miraculous can be boxed in, and we may have an agenda for it.
Line up this way, kneel that way, read these words, worship with these tunes, come forward for prayer IF you have true faith, and hold your hands out, etc.
It almost sounds like a pharmacy prescription!
And if nothing supernatural happens, some believers think God has not lifted a finger or a thought to relieve that person’s ordeal. They may refuse medicines in their own lives, too, seeing hordes of tablets, pills, and injections as worldly.
Yet our passage in John 9:1-12 seriously challenges this view.
Let’s take some time here to contemplate what happened.
Jesus rubbed clay into a man’s eyes to heal him!
Why?
What an unusual thing to do.
Other blind men in the Bible were healed by the Lord instantly, without mud on the eyeballs (Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-42).
Jesus said this particular healing would bring glory to God by the works of the Holy Spirit in this man.
That was destiny.
But why did he use mud?
What was Jesus saying by doing this?
He always did things for a reason.
Is there an underlying message here?
I believe there is.
The same Lord God who formed the first man “from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7) used dust, dirt, of the ground to bring life to this blind man’s eyes.
Jesus is reminding us that he is the Creator.
The image of the invisible God with the authority to create and recreate.
He is the master sculptor who uses ordinary things like mud to regenerate.
And, of course, if Christ used clay to heal – how can that be interpreted by the world of modern-day medicine?
If ethically developed, it means that medical treatment is approved by God for our welfare here and now.
Antibiotics, cancer drugs, insulin – all these things are like clay used by God to bring healing to our temporary earthly bodies.
Medicine is essentially the stewardship of the fruits of all God’s creation from the earth reshaped for healing purposes.
That is why we can expend ceaseless amounts of our praise the Lord for non-supernatural, ordinary medicine, as well as miraculous healings from prayer.
So, if your doctor is suggesting a certain medicine today – respect his or her wisdom! Praise the Lord for using clay, the fruits of His creation to bring you healing! And if or as you are healed through prayer – praise Him for that too!
Lastly, whatever your health struggles, never forget the bird song.
Jesus once said (Matthew 10:29) that “not one [sparrow] will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” Trust Him.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Proverbs 3:5-8 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your [a]body And refreshment to your bones.
Father God – dearest Creator, Healing can seem like a subject too big for my understanding. Thank you for the truth that you look after us here and now through prayers and miraculous healings and via ordinary medicine. I marvel at the fact this body I wear cannot be compared to my future state when you return. 2 Corinthians 5:1 compares it to moving from a tent to a house! What a thought. Your grace is sufficient for me with any thorns in my flesh, here and now. I trust you for your goodness to me. Thank you for your ever-present lovingkindness. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
25 With the kind You show Yourself kind; With the [a]blameless You show Yourself blameless; 26 With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the crooked You show Yourself [b]astute. 27 For You save an afflicted people, But haughty eyes You abase. 28 For You light my lamp; The Lord my God illumines my darkness. 29 For by You I can [c]run upon a troop; And by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 As for God, His way is [d]blameless; The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. 31 For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God, 32 The God who girds me with strength And [e]makes my way [f]blameless? 33 He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me upon my high places. 34 He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And Your [g]gentleness makes me great. 36 You enlarge my steps under me, And my [h]feet have not slipped.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
As David recounts the works of God in his life, he acknowledges that everything comes from the Lord – oil for his lamp, military help, strength to climb a wall.
His great song rises out of his many years of trusting God and seeing him deliver, whether it was when David defeated Goliath with God’s help, five stones and a sling, or when the Lord gave him a hiding place from Saul.
These testing times provided David with a choice; he could trust God to take him through the difficulties or blame him because things weren’t going to plan.
As we read throughout the books of Samuel and Kings, David wasn’t perfect, high energy intrigue, bad decisions, was too often his best friend but he learned from his mistakes and sought after God. And after a long lifetime of seeing God make good on his promises, he wants to attribute all the glory, honor to him.
Our Westernized world is so vastly different from that of David’s. We have the conveniences of modern life such as travel, communication, and technology.
With all of these things making our lives easier (but more complicated), we can be ever so easily tempted to think that we have all of the control over our lives.
But if our hearts are tender towards God, we see that he is the source of all we have and do. Sometimes, however, we only turn to God as a last resort because of disaster, calamity, or sickness and our utter failures to bring control to any.
Today, how can we follow David’s lead in attributing all the glory to the Lord?
Perhaps it is in offering to God that misunderstanding with a friend.
To seek his wisdom when the circumstances of our lives go far off the rails.
To ask him to help us see all those annoying circumstances as he sees them.
To, without any hesitation whatsoever, say thank you when we complete a project, have a joyous time with a loved one, make it to our destination safely.
God’s help is as present today as it was for David.
As we come to learn how, when to trust in him moment by moment, we too will be able to say he has provided for our needs and turned our darkness into light.
A Prayer to See God’s Light in the Darkness
Psalm 18:28 Amplified Bible
28 For You cause my lamp to be lighted and to shine; The Lord my God illumines my darkness.
I sit here at my computer right now, wanting to type, but not really knowing what and how much to say.
So many things, circumstances and places and events and people are on my surgically repaired heart, with so precious little that I know to do to help out.
The world as a whole, as well as our little worlds around us, can look so very bleak, and incomprehensively dark at times – wars and conflicts just abound.
So, I do the only thing I can: I go to God’s Word for reassurance of who He is.
I remind myself of all that He’s done, and I find hope in all that He is able to do.
If you are near or in, those places today, read over this list, mark these verses in your Bible, and know, without a doubt, these things are true and can be trusted:
The Lord is here in our midst (Zephaniah. 3:17).
17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, A Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins], He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
In the middle of dark, messy, incredibly painful things.
I know that He illuminates all of the darkness when nothing and no one else can (2 Samuel 22:29).
29 “For You, O Lord, are my lamp; The Lord illumines and dispels my darkness.
I know He will never change, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
8 Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today and forever.
I know that the same Jesus who walked this earth thousands of years ago is here with us now (Matthew 28:20).
18 Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”
In our hearts, in our homes, in our day-to-day moments when we invite Him in (Revelation 3:20).
20 Behold, I stand at the door [of the church] and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me.
I know that with each year that passes the hard things don’t seem to get any less…maybe even more (Ecclesiastes 7:14).
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider that God has made the one as well as the other, So that man will not find out anything that will be after him.
And I know that the Lord has sustained me and those I love through them all (Psalm 54:4).
4 Behold, God is my helper and ally; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul [my upholder].
I know that when I am weak, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).
8 Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me; 9 but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. 10 So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].
That when I am weary, He gives me rest (Matthew 11:28-30).
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light.”
That when all else fails, He doesn’t (Psalm 121).
121 I will lift up my eyes to the hills [of Jerusalem]— From where shall my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber [briefly] nor sleep [soundly].
5 The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6 The sun will not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your life. 8 The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in [everything that you do] From this time forth and forever.
I know that when I am afraid, I can trust in Him (Psalm 56:1-4).
56 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled on me; All day long the adversary oppresses and torments me. 2 My enemies have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me. 3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust and faith in You. 4 In God, whose word I praise; In God I have put my trust; I shall not fear. What can mere man do to me?
I know that He has been faithful in the past and He will be in the future (Hebrews 10:23).
A New and Living Way
19 Therefore, [a]believers, since we have confidence and full freedom to enter the Holy Place [the place where God dwells] by [means of] the blood of Jesus, 20 by this new and living way which He initiated and opened for us through the veil [as in the Holy of Holies], that is, through His flesh, 21 and since we have a great and wonderful Priest [Who rules] over the house of God, 22 let us approach [God] with a true and sincere heart in unqualified assurance of faith, having had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word]; 24 and let us consider [thoughtfully] how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds, 25 not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching.
I know that He holds all things together…He holds me together (Colossians 1:17).
15 He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation. 16 For [a]by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, [things] visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [that is, by His activity] and for Him. 17 And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.] 18 He is also the head [the life-source and leader] of the body, the [b]church; and He is the beginning, [c]the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything. 19 For it pleased the Father for all the fullness [of deity—the sum total of His essence, all His perfection, powers, and attributes] to dwell [permanently] in Him (the Son), 20 and through [the intervention of] the Son to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace [with believers] through the blood of His cross; through Him, [I say,] whether things on earth or things in heaven.
I know that His power is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
I know that He bends down to listen when I pray, so I will never stop (Psalm 116:2).
Thanksgiving for Rescue from Death.
116 I love the Lord, because He hears [and continues to hear] My voice and my supplications (my pleas, my cries, my specific needs). 2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.
I know that He hurts when I hurt (Isaiah63:9).
God’s Ancient Mercies Recalled
7 I will tell of the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, According to all that the Lord has done for us, And His great goodness toward the house of Israel, Which He has shown them according to His compassion And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses. 8 For He said, “Be assured, they are My people, Sons who will not be faithless.” So He became their Savior [in all their distresses]. 9 In all their distress He was distressed, And the [a]angel of His presence saved them, In His love and in His compassion He redeemed them; And He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
I know that He wants all of us to come to Him (1 Timothy 2:4).
A Call to Prayer
2 First of all, then, I urge that petitions (specific requests), prayers, intercessions (prayers for others) and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all people, 2 for [a]kings and all who are in [positions of] high authority, so that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This [kind of praying] is good and acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who [b]wishes all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge and recognition of the [divine] truth.
I know that He created me with a purpose that every situation in my life is a part of (Ephesians 2:10).
10 For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].
I know that He fights for me if I will only be still (Exodus 14:14).
The Sea Is Divided
13 Then Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid! Take your stand [be firm and confident and undismayed] and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for those Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you while you [only need to] keep silent and remain calm.”
I know that He is the Rock I can build my life on (Psalm 18:2).
18 “I love You [fervently and devotedly], O Lord, my strength.” 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me; My God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower—my stronghold.
I know that if I grow my roots down into Him my faith will not be shaken when hard things come (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
5 Thus says the Lord, “Cursed is the man who trusts in and relies on mankind, Making [weak, faulty human] flesh his strength, And whose mind and heart turn away from the Lord. 6 “For he will be like a shrub in the [parched] desert; And shall not see prosperity when it comes, But shall live in the rocky places of the wilderness, In an uninhabited salt land. 7 “Blessed [with spiritual security] is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord And whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord. 8 “For he will be [nourished] like a tree planted by the waters, That spreads out its roots by the river; And will not fear the heat when it comes; But its leaves will be green and moist. And it will not be anxious and concerned in a year of drought Nor stop bearing fruit.
I know that the work I do for Him is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:57-58).
57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [as conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose].
I know that He’s real (Romans 1:19).
Unbelief and Its Consequences
18 For [God does not overlook sin and] the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who in their wickedness suppress and stifle the truth, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them [in their inner consciousness], for God made it evident to them.
I know that His Word is Truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
14 But as for you, continue in the things that you have learned and of which you are convinced [holding tightly to the truths], knowing from whom you learned them, 15 and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings (Hebrew Scriptures) which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus [surrendering your entire self to Him and having absolute confidence in His wisdom, power and goodness]. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; 17 so that the [a]man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.
I know that He can make impossible situations possible (Mark 10:27), unbearable situations bearable, and the unthinkable thinkable.
24 The disciples were [a]amazed and bewildered by His words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is [for those who place their hope and confidence in riches] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man [who places his faith in wealth or status] to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were completely and utterly astonished, and said to Him, “Then who can be saved [from the wrath of God]?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”
I know that He will be with us wherever we go, that we don’t have to be afraid (Joshua 1:9). Ever.
7 Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do [everything] in accordance with the entire law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper and be successful wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be [a]successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed (intimidated), for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
I know that He is the light of the world and darkness cannot overcome Him (John 1:5).
The Deity of Jesus Christ
1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word ([a]Christ), and the Word was with God, and [b]the Word was God Himself. 2 He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being. 4 In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines on in the [c]darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].
And you can know these scriptural truths too. John 14:5-6
5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; so how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “[a]I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
In the verse from Psalm 18:28 at the top, David said “my God” and “my darkness” because they were his personally.
We all have dark places at times.
Hard things can leave us feeling lost and unseen.
But you are not lost, and you are not unseen by Jesus.
He is the light you are looking for.
He is the One, the only One who can make things right in your world.
Neither you nor I don’t sit alone in those hard places.
Call out to Jesus, your personal Savior, to bring you out of the darkness and into the light with Him-in the fullest assurance, I fully know He will meet you there.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd, I [a]shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside [b]quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the [c]paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death, I fear no [e]evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You [f]have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6 [g]Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will [h]dwell in the house of the Lord [i]forever.
Dear Jesus, Life can feel so very dark at times, not just for the world around me but for me personally. Help me to turn my eyes to you, to remember the truth of who you are, and to put my hope in you and your Word. Thank you for lighting up my darkness and meeting me where I am.Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
18 Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He *said to them, “[a]Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21 Going on from there He saw two other brothers, [b]James the son of Zebedee, and [c]John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Ministry in Galilee
23 Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the [d]gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.
24 The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, [e] epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
When Jesus quietly walked by the Sea of Galilee, he faced them, he called his disciples, he issued an invitation that went far beyond mere companionship.
He called for a radical commitment to follow him immediately, completely.
This call echoes through time, age to age, generation to generation extending to us as his devoted followers today, urging us to embrace the path of discipleship.
Discipleship is significantly more than attending church, learning about Jesus.
It is a transformative journey of surrender, obedience, and growth.
Just as he called his first disciples to follow him, Jesus invites us to do the same.
This might even mean changing the work we do.
This might mean looking at our own family members differently whether they be our spouses, or our in-laws, and our children and even our grand-children.
This might even mean looking at people (even complete strangers) differently.
This might even mean we have to do something we do not necessarily like to do and that is get into the middle of someone else’s life in the name of Jesus Christ!
The main point is to let go of pursuits that would hinder our devotion to him.
Our aim as disciples is to follow our Master by living out his teachings.
Through an intimate relationship with Jesus, we are transformed into his likeness and empowered to make an impact for good in the world around us.
Discipleship isn’t without its exceedingly great challenges, but it also offers abundant life and eternal purpose. We discover the joy of knowing Jesus deeply, experiencing his presence, and becoming agents of the harvest of his kingdom.
In this context our faith is refined, our character is shaped, and our lives bear lasting fruit and by the fruitful witness of our character, someone else is God’s.
Today let’s shake the trees of someone else’s heart and soul a little bit harder, walk onto someone’s beach front, call out to them to leave their cultural nets behind them, and just respond to Jesus’ call with wholehearted commitment.
And may our lives testify, witness, to his love, grace, and transformative power.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Lord Jesus, My ever living Savior Jesus, thank you for your summons to discipleship. Transform us with your love to follow you faithfully, knowing you are with us. Amen.
Psalm 23 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Lord, the Psalmist’s Shepherd.
A Psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd, I [a]shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside [b]quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the [c]paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the [d]valley of the shadow of death, I fear no [e]evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You [f]have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6 [g]Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will [h]dwell in the house of the Lord [i]forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
28 Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. 2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “[a]Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Happy Easter!
The morning has indeed come – exactly as it has since the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth and gave his everlasting order unto the earth.
Early on that first Easter morning, just before the sunrise, some of the same women who had stood weeping at the cross quietly made their way through the narrow streets of Jerusalem to the garden where their Jesus had been buried.
Their eyes were heavy with tears.
Their whole world had come to an abrupt halt.
Their dreams had been shattered.
The one on whom they had placed their hope was dead.
They had seen it with their own eyes.
They had witnessed his crucifixion.
The jeers of the people who had told Jesus to come off the cross and save himself were still ringing in their ears.
Jesus’ friends had not understood his cry: “It is finished!”
All they knew was that their beloved Master and Teacher was dead.
The women were going now to embalm the body of their Lord.
They wondered how they would remove the large stone at the tomb’s entrance.
But as they got ever closer to the grave, one miracle followed another.
They found the stone rolled away and an angel sitting on top of it.
Why was the stone rolled away?
As scholars have noted, it was not to let Jesus out, but to show everyone else that he was no longer inside.
He has risen!
And that makes all the difference in the world.
In a world with so many cemeteries, where death always seems to have the last word and laugh, Jesus has conquered death. Knowing that changes everything.
Celebrate, We Will!
John 3:26-30 New American Standard Bible 1995
26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.” 27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves [a]are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the [b]Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
“He must increase, but I must decrease!”
As we have just walked through the Easter season, looking at Jesus and His life, I find myself so often wondering what it would have been like for me to be there watching his life happen, watching this incredible drama unfold before my eyes.
We read through the length and breadth of all of Scripture and we glimpse into the amazing things about Jesus’ life and all that happened to those around him.
I get chills when I think about watching his display of love, grace, truth sharing, his measured obedience to whatever his Heavenly Father directed him to do.
So, each Easter season, I find myself in a posture of awe and wonder.
The hope-filled joy of knowing who holds the pen to the pages of my life and who walks alongside me through all my seasons. This my friends, is good news.
If you are like me, I simply love thinking of Jesus’s whole life, not just his years of ministry.
I can hardly imagine watching Jesus take his first steps as a wobbly toddler or watching him walk up to be baptized by John the Baptist or to see him feed the 5,000, or to have the honor of hearing Him teach the Sermon on the Mount.
All of these amazing things we hear and picture but wow, to actually see them in the flesh sounds like such a gift, a gift that I’d give just about anything to see.
And while that would be an amazing gift, I am ever so reminded that we have the greatest gift of living on this side of the cross.
This side of the cross allows his Spirit to live inside you and me, this side of the cross is where death has no more sting.
The gift of living on this side of the cross is a gift that we cannot overlook.
We have the Word of God in written form that at anytime we are able to dig into it to learn more about who our Creator is, what his son’s life was really like, and exactly why we needed a Savior to take our place.
It’s sitting in that awe and wonder that I am reminded of one of my favorite verses, one that has changed my life forever:
John 3:30. “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
These are seven life-changing, powerful, needed words spoken by John the Baptist.
These seven words continue to be a reminder to me of the gift Jesus is to all of us daily.
Because of Jesus and His life we are able to live our lives in the posture of decrease so that our lives increase in Him.
How amazing is that?
Our Heavenly Father sent His perfect, sinless son Jesus to come and take on the penalty of all we would ever do just so we would have the opportunity to be made right with Him and live eternally together.
This leaves me speechless!
Jesus had to come and take on all you and I would ever do so we could be eternally right with God forever.
He had to.
What a powerful, all-consuming love story this is and it’s freely offered to you and me and, without exception, the rest of humanity – for all the ages to come.
We get the choice to accept Christ and all His life was, is, and is to come.
Because, Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection is what tethers us all to eternity.
Without one part of it, there would be no opportunity to have the gift of grace and mercy.
There is no defeated grave without the cross.
The sheer magnitude of John 3:30 carries so much importance of who Jesus is and what His life means to us.
Everything He calls us to is so that our lives would be ones that soak up all of the goodness of God and all that He has for us, this means we have to decrease.
His life calls us to not be afraid to pick up our cross and follow Him.
It calls us to love Him more than anyone or anything and walk to always hand in hand with His spirit as we point others back to Him.
This is what an increase of Christ looks like in our lives.
When we die to self to make Him known. This is what we get invited into, and this my sweet friends is something to forever celebrate and celebrate we will!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us celebrate with Prayer,
Psalm 146 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Lord an Abundant Helper.
146 [a]Praise [b]the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2 I will praise the Lord while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 3 Do not trust in princes, In [c]mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. 4 His spirit departs, he returns to [d]the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish. 5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6 Who made heaven and earth, The sea and all that is in them; Who keeps [e]faith forever; 7 Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free.
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises up those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous; 9 The Lord [f]protects the [g]strangers; He [h]supports the fatherless and the widow, But He [i]thwarts the way of the wicked. 10 The Lord will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations. [j]Praise [k]the Lord!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
38 O Lord, rebuke me not in Your wrath, And chasten me not in Your burning anger. 2 For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me. 3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; There is no health in my bones because of my sin. 4 For my iniquities are gone over my head; As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. 5 My [a]wounds grow foul and fester Because of my folly. 6 I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long. 7 For my loins are filled with burning, And there is no soundness in my flesh. 8 I am benumbed and [b]badly crushed; I [c]groan because of the [d]agitation of my heart.
9 Lord, all my desire is [e]before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. 10 My heart throbs, my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes, even [f]that [g]has gone from me. 11 My [h]loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague; And my kinsmen stand afar off. 12 Those who seek my life lay snares for me; And those who seek to injure me have [i]threatened destruction, And they devise treachery all day long.
13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute man who does not open his mouth. 14 Yes, I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth are no arguments. 15 For I [j]hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God. 16 For I said, “May they not rejoice over me, Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me.” 17 For I am ready to fall, And my [k]sorrow is continually before me. 18 For I [l]confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin. 19 But my enemies are vigorous and[m]strong, And many are those who hate me wrongfully. 20 And those who repay evil for good, They oppose me, because I follow what is good. 21 Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, do not be far from me! 22 Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
As I was preparing my presentation for Good Friday, I was reading the Psalms.
I eventually got to reading David’s disquieting words from Psalm 38 and there was my profound reaction to a reaction by David that leaped off the page at me.
His reaction was over his sin, and when I read it, I thought deeply about how we view sin in our lives.
I know how we often view sin in other people’s lives, many times being quick to highlight it, even quicker to cancel its relevance, or quicker to condemn them.
My concern is not about sin found in other people, but for us to consider what happens within our own hearts, souls and spirits when we sin in our own lives.
King David in and throughout the Old Testament had his fair share of suffering.
That’s clear from Psalm 38, described as “a psalm of David.”
He speaks often of being wounded and filled with pain.
Friends and neighbors abandon him. Enemies hate him and accuse him.
Even his own family dynamics turns against him as his son Absalom kills his brother and gathers an angry army against his father to over throw him as King.
Many are sick and tired of all the intrigue emanating from his throne room.
Many do not believe he is not the least bit worthy of such a high office as a King.
Some want to kill him.
It’s “because of my sin,” he says.
And he’s painfully right.
Not every sin leads to a particular suffering.
And not all suffering is from particular sins.
But rebellion against God’s ways does unleash a torrent of suffering into our human experience. So David the sinner suffers, and from the very throne of his self inflicted suffering he cries out to God. Maybe you know what that’s like.
We are no different in our own ways making questionable choices, decisions and getting people all hopping mad, consistently questioning our motives.
God certainly knows all about His creation’s sinfulness. (Genesis 3)
Jesus certainly knows having in these last days of his own life witnessed the fickleness of the human heart and soul, limitless depths of human depravity.
It’s all profoundly expressed there in Psalm 38.
Perhaps Psalm 38 was rolling through Jesus’ heart and soul in Gethsemane.
Yes, this psalm is about sin.
And no, Jesus himself never sinned.
But he did suffer enormously – echelons more than anyone else in all history.
He suffered because the full weight of all the sins of the world, including my sins and yours, were laid on him. He carried that immense burden to the cross.
One cannot imagine the measure of weight of all that sin upon his shoulders.
The silent anguish, the pounding heart, the failing strength, the pained cry of forsakenness—it’s all right there in Psalm 38, and it was all there on the cross.
But that was not the end. From his own suffering, Jesus cried out to God.
And his cry was heard. On the third day, God raised him from the dead.
Jesus had won the ultimate victory over sin.
Yes, we still sin.
And we still suffer.
But sin no longer has the power to separate us from God. Jesus saw to that!
Have we lost our Psalm 38 Grief over our own Sins?
2 Corinthians 5:20-21 New American Standard Bible 1995
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
I am wondering where that attitude toward sin has gone in our westernized interpretation of “Christian” culture – where sin is dismissed all too easily.
The Sheer Horror of Sin Has Not Changed one bit
Hebrews 13:5-8 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” 6 so that we confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”
7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the [a]result of their conduct, imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Regardless of how the world feels, or refuses to believe about God and sin, the way God feels about it has not changed and we should expect, will never change.
It seems as if the church has slowly been adopting worldly attitudes toward sin.
Instead of living out our call as “Ambassadors”, calling people to repentance, and reconciliation, it is as if we give people justifications for continuing in sin.
Yet, the way God sees sin is still the same.
He hates it.
He hates it because it destroys you and also because it drives a wedge in your relationship with him because he is a holy God.
I want to be clear, I am not saying we become judges of people in the world.
We need to spare no amount of personal effort and suffering to share the gospel with them and to allow the Holy Spirit to convict them of their sinful condition.
We also shouldn’t expect people in the world to react like David did over his sin.
But, for those in the church, it is a different story.
We have God, we have the Word of God and we have the Spirit of God, so our personal mindset towards sin should radically differ from those in the world.
Instead of focusing on what people in the world are doing first, instead of our cancelling everyone left and right, I am saying we start by calling the people in the church to repent because we all need to change our attitude towards sin.
Psalm 38 questions to ask yourself about our own Sin
As I stated earlier, I don’t want this to be a focus on someone else.
I want you to ponder about yourself.
Here are some questions that are introspective.
Ask them of yourself, as I am doing the same thing.
When was the last time you felt guilt over sinful behavior?
When was the last time you grieved over sin?
When was the last time you felt burdened because of sinful actions you had taken?
Think on these questions for a moment, but go to the micro level.
So often we think of the big sins, maybe adultery or some kind of fornication, but we miss the little things such as how we love our neighbor or harbor anger towards someone – up to and including the worst kind of anger against “self.”
When was the last time your heart was anguished over those “insignificant” sins that are just as destructive?
I don’t know the answer to these questions in your life, I do not have all the answers about myself, but I know if we are not careful, the attitudes the world displays toward sin can become the attitude those in the church display towards it as well.
Key Motivators for Changing Your Attitude toward Sin
1. Because You Love Him
John 14:12-15 New American Standard Bible 1995
12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Could it be that part of David’s anguish and grief over his sin was because he knew God and loved him?
I think so.
After all, the Bible called him a man after God’s own heart.
When you love God, then you know how much sin hurts him and if you love the Lord, why would you want to hurt him?
I have colleague and I can see the disappointment that wells up in their eyes when they do something that they feels lets so many people down.
They are devastated over it.
For those of us who claim to love Jesus, we simply cannot continue to have casual attitudes towards sin in our lives.
Again, I am not saying we become judges of others; I am saying we become too harsh a judges of ourselves.
2. Because You Know Him
1 John 3:1-8 New American Standard Bible 1995
Children of God Love One Another
3 See [a]how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or [b] knows Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil [c]has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
If you claim to know God, then sin cannot be an ongoing part of your life.
These verses are not saying you will never sin.
These verses are saying you don’t live to sin or for sin.
When you do sin, your response becomes like David, one of grief and a call to repentance. This happens because you know him and are in fellowship with him. When that fellowship is broken, you quickly seek to repent and restore it.
3. Because His Life Is in You
Since God’s life is in you, in the person of the Holy Spirit, and you have been born of God, this should change your attitude toward sin.
If your attitudes towards sin are growing lukewarm, then maybe you need more of God’s Spirit working in your life. Remember, he has not changed, nor has his attitude toward sin. If yours has, then we know exactly where the problem lies.
Psalm38 Final Thoughts
This devotion is not about judgment or condemnation.
This devotion is really about a call to holiness.
We must be holy because God is holy.
For those who don’t know what that means, holiness is not a state of perfection.
Holiness is when you are set apart for God’s use.
When we are walking in holiness, we see sin the way God sees it and we see people the way God sees them.
I can’t say where, when, or how the church got off course, but the remedy is simple.
Return to your first love.
It is mu personal belief it’s long past the time we should suffer for Christ as Christ suffered for us to rekindle that love for Jesus we had when we first got saved, that deep passion that sought to please him in every area of our lives.
When we get back to that place, then our attitudes towards sin will change. Not only will we turn away from it, but we will grieve over it should we fall into it.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 13 New American Standard Bible 1995
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart all the day? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 4 And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 And behold, the [a]veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the [b]saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was [c]the Son of God!”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Welcome, beloved readers to this blessed gathering where we come together to draw nearer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We are all united here today, not by chance, but by the divine will of God and His love that binds us together, a love so truly profound that it was manifested in the most extraordinary sacrifice known to mankind.
Our focus today is on the heart of our faith, the crucifixion and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
We’ll be looking at the momentous events that took place in Matthew 27:50-51.
The scripture reads as follows:
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.
These two verses, though brief, carry a weight of significance that continues to shape our faith and our lives.
They speak of the moment when salvation was secured, not by our own works, but through the cross.
They tell the story of a world forever changed by the resurrection of Christ.
And, they serve to remind us of the scriptural promises fulfilled through these miraculous events.
In the words of the esteemed Charles Spurgeon,
“The Lord gets his best soldiers out of the highlands of affliction.”
This quote, my dear brothers and sisters, is a reminder that our faith is often forged in the hardcore crucible of trials and tribulations. But let us not forget, it is through these very hardcore trials we are all drawn closer to the cross, to the sacrifice made by our Lord, and to the promise of resurrection and eternal life.
As we embark on this sacred reflection, let us bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father, we come before You today with humble hearts, thankful for the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ. We ask that You open our hearts and minds to the profound truths found in Your Word. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, that we may gain a deeper understanding of Your love, Your sacrifice, and Your promise of eternal life. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Matthew 27:50-51 Amplified Bible
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud [agonized] voice, and gave up His spirit [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan]. 51 And [at once] the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was [a]torn in two from top to bottom; the earth shook and the rocks were split apart.
Have you every pondered the reason that the first verse after Jesus’ death in three of the four gospels is the fact that the temple veil, curtain, tore in two?
Why is this so significant?
How does this apply to all believers today?
We are going to spend time studying the value and wonder of our great and victorious Savior whose death tears down the veil and makes us His own again.
What Was the Veil?
When we first hear of the word veil, we may think about a bride or just simply a covering.
This curtain was established in the times of Moses.
It was intentionally placed to divide the holy of holies in the temple of God (The Tabernacle then).
Exodus 35:25 says, “Every skilled woman spun with her hands and brought what she had spun—blue, purple or scarlet yarn or fine linen.”
The veil was in the temple where God dwelled among the Israelites.
The veil was the divider inside between the holy place to the holy of holies.
Only a high priest once a year could enter the holy of holies.
The veil was the physical symbol of separation caused by our sins.
The veil was said to be 60 feet high.
This would not have been easy to get to the top to tear down.
Behind the veil sat the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat. The veil concealed the Presence of God. Two cherubs were woven into the veil.
TheHigh Priest’s Privilege
One time a year during Yom Kippur, one high priest would be selected to go into the holy of holies.
This was a great honor.
It could be a moment of life or death, as they would literally tie a rope around his ankle in case he were to pass away while in the presence of God.
The priest offered sacrifices and gifts on behalf of the people to reconcile them to God. We know that based on the book of Hebrews that Jesus is called our High Priest. He fulfilled this task of Passover as our sacrificial Perfect Lamb of God.
One Temple, One Way
There was one temple found in Jerusalem.
As we ponder this thought, that meant that there was only one veil.
One sin caused separation from God.
One veil symbolized that divide.
And one Savior Jesus came and made one way to heaven.
John 14:6 says, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
We have such a great hope today in Christ.
We do not have to be distanced or feel the need to hide in our shame.
Jesus has unveiled our faces, He has taken away the separation of sin and brought us all into His presence again.
He has sent us the Holy Spirit.
We now are Christ’s temples.
When He is in our hearts, we have security of heaven.
1 Corinthians 2:1-11 New American Standard Bible 1995
Paul’s Reliance upon the Spirit
2 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the [a]testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my [b]message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not [c]rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written,
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 [d]For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
Understanding how the Old Testament is leading up to the New Covenant amazes us.
We gain a greater appreciation and understanding of our Savior’s completely intricate, yet straight forward plan of salvation.
We are reaffirmed that He has delivered us and we are His forever.
We are His bride and we are united with our Groom.
He has called us His own, given us the right to be co-heir’s with Him forever.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
How does knowing the veil was torn for you remind you of the great length Jesus went to in order to save you from your sins?
How does this compel you to live out of that confidence – the cross be our glory.
Salvation Secured Through the Cross
The cross, a symbol of our faith, stands as a testament to the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is at the cross where we see the full extent of His love, a love so profound that it led Him to lay down His life for us.
This act of love, this sacrifice, is the bedrock of our faith.
It is the assurance of our salvation.
The cross is not just a symbol of death, but of life.
It is through the cross that we have been given the gift of eternal life.
Jesus, our Savior, bore our sins on the cross.
He took upon Himself the punishment that we deserved.
He paid the price for our sins, a price we could never pay.
This is the love of our Savior, a love that secures our salvation.
Jesus Yields His Spirit
Matthew 27:50 Amplified Bible
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud [agonized] voice, and gave up His spirit [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan].
Now, let us turn our attention to the moment when Jesus yielded up His spirit.
This was not a moment of defeat, but of victory.
It was at this moment that the power of sin and death was broken.
Jesus, in His death, conquered death itself.
He secured our salvation, not through His death alone, but through His resurrection.
His resurrection is the assurance of our own resurrection, the promise of eternal life.
Our Long Awaited Reunion with God
Matthew 27:51 Amplified Bible
51 And [at once] the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was [a]torn in two from top to bottom; the earth shook and the rocks were split apart.
The veil of the temple, torn in two from top to bottom, is a powerful symbol of what Jesus accomplished on the cross.
The veil separated the Holy of Holies, the most sacred part of the temple, from the rest of the temple.
Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only once a year.
The tearing of the veil signifies the breaking down of the barrier between us and God.
Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we have been given direct access to God.
Hebrews 4:15-16 Amplified Bible
15 For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. 16 Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].
We are reunited with God.
We can approach Him with confidence, knowing that we have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
The earth quaking and the rocks splitting is a testament to the power of Jesus’ sacrifice.
It is a reminder that His death was not an ordinary death.
It was a momentous event that shook the world.
The cross, the yielding up of Jesus’ spirit, the tearing of the veil, the quaking of the earth and the splitting of the rocks – these are not just events that happened two thousand years ago.
They are truths that continue to shape our lives today.
They are reminders of the love of our Savior, a love that secures our salvation.
They are the assurance of our faith, the promise of our eternal life.
So, let us hold fast to these truths.
Let us confidently live in the light of the cross, in the assurance of our salvation.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 24 New American Standard Bible 1995
The King of Glory Entering Zion.
A Psalm of David.
24 The earth is the Lord’s, and [a]all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas And established it upon the rivers. 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul [b]to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord And [c]righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 [d]This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face—even Jacob. [e]Selah.
7 Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O [f]ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 8 Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O [g]ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.
12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord; and [a]you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Would you let Jesus wash your feet?
It is such a close, personal and an intimate act for someone else to wash them.
And it can be a deeply embarrassing one as well – who wants to submit their dirty, stinky sweaty feet to anyone else – who wants to offend anyone so much?
Isn’t it hard then for us to imagine lifting our filthy toes to the King of Kings?
None of us are the least bit worthy of his kingly care and royal attention; yet in Christ’s perfect love, he gives us nothing less.
Does your human heart struggle like mine to serve others humbly as Jesus did?
Matthew 20:24-28 New American Standard Bible 1995
24 And hearing this, the ten became indignant with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. 26 It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His [a]life a ransom for many.”
On the Thursday before his crucifixion, Jesus ate with his disciples in an upper room and taught us what it means to love and serve.
John 13:4-5 tells us Jesus got up from the supper table, removed his robe, then he slowly wrapped a towel around his waist, and he poured water into a basin.
Then, he knelt down, took water into his hands, he looked up at them, he began gently washing disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.
We see a precious act of humble servant ministry modeled for us in this scene.
This was a household servant’s job, yet Jesus taught that to lead, teach, and sacrificially love others, we must take on a servant role with a servant’s heart.
John 13:14-17 New American Standard Bible 1995
14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
“If we know these things, we are blessed if we do them.”
It is such a radically different question we need to ask ourselves today as well.
Well, what is your best considered response? Do we actually authentically, know these things, truly want to know any of these things in these 21st century days?
We must understand what Jesus did for us to love and serve others well.
Fully God, Jesus didn’t cling to his divine privileges,
Philippians 2:5-6 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 Have this attitude [a]in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be [b] grasped,
“but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:7-8).
Jesus welcomes us through his grace and mercy, forgives our sins by his work on the cross, and washes us clean once and for all.
Then, daily, we get to walk with God in a brand new life as a follower of Christ.
As we learn his love, Jesus gives us the capacity to love and serve as He did.
Jesus wanted to ensure His disciples understood He was Teacher, Messiah, Savior, and Lord.
Soon, he would send them to tell the world the Good News that washed in the blood of Jesus Christ we could be made right with God once and for all.
He calls us to share this hope as his disciples today.
After washing His disciple’s feet, Jesus gave them a mandate, or commandment to follow when interacting with people.
The word “command” comes from the Latin word mandatum.
A shortened form of this word is “maundy,” where we get the term “Maundy Thursday.”
On this important day, he told his disciples (and us),
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34).
“By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)
May this Holy Week remind us that we have a story to tell as we love and serve.
We get to testify how Jesus saved us and the difference he makes in our lives.
Like Jesus demonstrated, humbly serving others requires us to set aside status and position to love as He did.
From the most lavish to mundane, there are ways we can serve one another every single day.
A humble Christ-like posture and a willing heart are all it takes to respond to the needs around us.
Consider spending unrushed time with a friend or family member.
Try cleaning up a mess you didn’t make.
Think of ways to bless someone or give above and beyond a typical donation, benevolence, or offering.
Serving might be costly, inconvenient, or messy at times.
It may even stretch us out of our comfort zones or require steps of faith.
Time and resources are precious, but as we learn to view them as gifts from God, sharing them with our neighbors becomes even more and more joyful.
Look around you this week.
What is one act of service you can do that you feel is beneath your status or position?
How can you otherwise humble yourself like Christ – to love and serve others in your home, church, workplace, your neighborhood, and in your community?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Dear Lord, I am not worthy to be washed clean by you. Yet, as my King, you took the role of humble servant when you took my place on the cross. Teach me your love for others. Lead me to serve humbly. On this particular day that we call “Maundy Thursday,” teach me your mandate to love one another as you love me. It doesn’t always come naturally to me. Lord, you know that person I struggle to love today and those areas of service I tend to avoid. You know how stingy I can be with my time, money, and things. Help me to notice and listen to people this week and respond with Christ-like love and generosity. Make me aware of the needs in my church and community and stir my heart to act. With the love you have shown me, teach me to love others with a servant’s heart like yours. In humble servant Jesus’ Name, Amen
Psalm 103 New American Standard Bible 1995
Praise for the Lord’s Mercies.
A Psalm of David.
103 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your [a]years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6 The Lord performs [b]righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. 8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. 9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who [c]fear Him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who [d]fear Him. 14 For He Himself knows [e]our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer. 17 But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who [f]fear Him, And His [g]righteousness to children’s children, 18 To those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them.
19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His [h]sovereignty rules over [i]all. 20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! 21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will. 22 Bless the Lord, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion; Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ [a]den.”
14 And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. 15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus *said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?” 17 And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
We know a lot about Palm Sunday and Good Friday, but what is Holy Monday?
On Holy Monday, Jesus went back into Jerusalem and cursed a fruitless fig tree, wept over the city, and in a fit of great anger entered. then cleansed the temple.
Ponder this succession of events, the King of the World comes in riding on a donkey in humility to repeated shouts of the most joyous Hosanna on Sunday.
Then, the very next day, in complete contrast to the previous day, our great Rabbi, High Priest, enters the temple the next day and turns over the tables.
Holy Monday reminds us of the true mission and the worthiness of our Savior.
He was faultless, he was sinless a perfect model of praise and worship and here the people had taken His house of worship and made it all about selfish gain.
In thinking about all of the legalism and hypocrisy the Pharisees had been partaking in, it mightily grieved a normally calm and evenly collected Jesus.
His people were supposed to love God with all of their heart, mind and soul and strength and to love Him, but He was instead betrayed, ignored as Messiah and would be chosen over a murderous criminal to take the cross a few days later.
There is a clear verse in Ephesians 4:26 that says, “Be angry and do not sin.Don’t let the sun go down on your anger.”
Jesus was righteously angry, but his actions were not sinful.
It is hard to believe because we often like to take the love and compassion of Christ while ignoring His holiness and sovereignty.
Ponder this, He has gone into the place that was supposed to be His home, where God resided in the Holy of Holies, and observes the people were more interested in making a business out of His home-an obviously corrupt business.
They were taking advantage of God for personal gain.
They made it a place of robbery under the guise of righteousness.
They took away the attention and purpose of the Lord, and they prevented the people from connecting with Him and placed a unrighteous barrier in the way.
We see this in the time when Moses brought the Ten Commandments down the mountain, and the Israelites had crafted the golden calf to worship as an idol.
Moses broke the commandments and went back up the mountain a second time.
As we pray about the righteousness of Jesus, we can thank Him for His holiness and his gift of forgiveness to those who believe in Him.
We, too, have made His house about selfish gain.
We have sinned against Him, and we deserve His wrath eternally.
Yahweh Tsidkenu: “the Lord Our Righteousness”
Jeremiah 33:14-18New American Standard Bible 1995
The Davidic Kingdom
14 ‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the Lord is our righteousness.’ 17 For thus says the Lord, ‘[a]David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; 18 [b]and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to prepare sacrifices [c] continually.’”
Do we ever find the book of Jeremiah too difficult to read?
It has many bleak passages about judgment and exile for God’s people, who relentlessly disregarded their covenant Lord.
The people were constantly unfaithful to their faithful God, Yahweh.
Today’s reading is set within that dreary context, but the content of the chapter is anything but depressing.
Though confined in the court of the king’s guard (see 32:2; 33:1), Jeremiah proclaims a bright future for the people of Judah.
God promises a future of healing and health, of forgiveness of sins, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The city will be restored for all nations to see, and it will be called Yahweh Tsidkenu, “The LORD Our Righteousness.”
Tsidkenu stems from the Hebrew word tsedek, meaning “stiff,” “straight,” or “righteousness.”
It occurs more than 1000 times in the Old Testament, translated variously as “right,” “righteous,” “righteousness,” “just,” “justify,” “declared innocent.”
It appears here in Jeremiah chapter 33 as Yahweh Tsidkenu, “The LORD Our Righteousness,” or “The LORD Our Righteous Savior.”
In this prophecy of restoration, we catch a brief but an exceptionally promising glimpse of “a righteous Branch from David’s line,” one through whom we are justified, declared innocent, made right with God through a coming Messiah.
Knowing that Jesus is your righteousness, live righteously today and always.
Gatekeeping the Love of Jesus
Matthew 21:15-17 English Standard Version
15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant, 16 and they said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,
“‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?”
17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there.
Just one day prior, Jesus had entered the city of Jerusalem on a donkey’s back and had been received with much acclaim. But not by everyone. The chief priests and Pharisees had no desire to welcome Jesus. They wanted Him dead.
Why?
Among other things, Jesus claimed to be “the way, the truth, and the life”(John 14:6a, NLT).
The only path to God.
The religious leaders believed this to be blasphemous because the only path to God they knew was through keeping the Law. Jesus’ very existence threatened their authority and all the religious rules they loved to lord over other people.
Then we come to this day of Holy Week.
Jesus arrived at the temple and saw the outer courts filled with merchants selling sacrificial animals at prices only the wealthy could afford.
Even worse, because the outer courts were the only spaces where gentiles were allowed to enter and pray, all such opportunities for them to worship God were gone.
In His righteous anger, Jesus overturned the tables and drove the merchants out, declaring, “My Temple will be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13, NLT).
Then we read:
“The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, ‘Praise God for the Son of David.’ But the leaders were indignant” (Matthew 21:14-15, NLT).
This moment in the temple was a visible representation of everything Jesus had come to do — tear down every barrier that exists between us and God so literally anyone could approach Him.
But even seeing the healing miracles Jesus performed, the leaders still didn’t get it.
Rather than bending to the authority of Jesus, they chose to continue in their way. They were gatekeeping the sacred for purposes of their profit and benefit.
It’s here I pause and reflect: Have I been guilty of gatekeeping Jesus? Deciding (whether consciously or not) whose righteousness, who is worthy of His love?
While I’ve never been accused of sacrifice price gouging, I wonder how many people I’ve written off as being “too far gone” for God to save them.
How often have I looked the other way instead of acting with compassion?
How many opportunities have I missed to remind someone they’re loved by the righteous God of the universe?
How many times have my words or actions unintentionally reconstructed the very barriers Jesus came to demolish?
How many times have yours?
How many times have we decided the righteousness of God is not enough and severely discounted, severely misrepresented God’s righteous love for us all?
May this day of Holy Week remind us the love of God is for everyone.
No gatekeeping required.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Dear Jesus,
We praise You for Your righteousness this Holy Monday. We could not be obedient to the law. We failed miserably. We could not even keep one command. However, You came, and in your faithfulness to Your Word and to us, You gave us new life and hope. As we reflect on Your anger that was perfect and righteous, help us to take our sin seriously. Enable us to be intentional to think about the ways that we have sinned against you by sins of omission and sins of commission.
We have not followed You. We have turned to our own fleshly ways. We have committed spiritual adultery against You as our Groom. Please forgive us. Please help us not to stay there. Give us the conviction by Your Spirit, the foundation of Your Word, and the support of community to propel us into lives that fully honor You. Help us to look more like You, Jesus. Thank You for turning the tables that day. For giving us an eternal reminder that You flip our legalism and our deceptions on the ground and everything is leveled by the cross. All have sinned and fall short of Your glory. All deserve death and hell. But You came in Your holiness, and Your righteousness became our own. Thank You for Your great mercy on us. Thank You for being righteous for us and then placing it upon all who believe in Your name. Amen.
Psalm 16 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Lord the Psalmist’s Portion in Life and Deliverer in Death.
16 Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You. 2 [b]I said to the Lord, “You are [c]my Lord; I have no good besides You.” 3 As for the [d]saints who are in the earth, [e]They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight. 4 The [f]sorrows of those who have [g]bartered for another god will be multiplied; I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood, Nor will I take their names upon my lips.
5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
7 I will bless the Lord who has counseled me; Indeed, my [h]mind instructs me in the night. 8 I have set the Lord continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. 10 For You will not abandon my soul to [i]Sheol; Nor will You [j]allow Your [k]Holy One to [l]undergo decay. 11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his [a]life will lose it; but whoever loses his [b]life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then [c]repay every man according to his [d]deeds.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Peter had extraordinarily strong emotional ties to Jesus.
How could Jesus even talk of leaving and dying?
Didn’t Jesus know that Peter needed him?
Peter pulled Jesus aside because Jesus wasn’t talking like someone who had the world by a string.
But Jesus saw the world differently.
Losing life for the Lord’s sake was better than holding on to life in this world.
Peter needed a hardcore verbal slap in the face.
Jesus saw what Peter could not see: Satan was standing in Jesus’ way to bring Peter to the Father.
Like a cold glass of water thrown in the face of a sleepy person, Jesus had to rigorously, vigorously awaken Peter to kingdom things.
Peter was holding on to his life too hard without suffering for Jesus’ sake.
The cross was the only way to bring Peter to God.
By letting go of his life, Jesus gains for us eternal life.
Jesus was training Peter to lose his life for Jesus so that Peter could have a life that really honored God.
What are you, your heart and your soul holding on to for your own sake?
Maybe it’s time to give permission to your heart and your soul to finally let go of your worldly life so that Jesus can give you a true life that truly honors God?
Markers of Spiritual Growth and Maturity
Psalm 15 New American Standard Bible 1995
Description of a Citizen of Zion.
A Psalm of David.
15 O Lord, who may [a]abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? 2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. 3 He does not slander [b]with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 In [c]whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But [d]who honors those who fear the Lord; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 He does not put out his money [e]at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
You would think the desire of every believer in Jesus Christ is to strive for spiritual maturity.
I can’t say for certain this is true of every believer, but at least I can hope.
If you are going to strive for maturity – and I trust this is your desire – doesn’t it make sense to know what it looks like?
After all, the old saying goes, “if you aim at nothing you will hit it every time.”
For this reason, I want to suggest for you a target.
The target is simply five questions that will help measure how you are doing in terms of your spiritual maturity.
These questions are in no manner meant to be judgmental, but hopefully they will become stirring, eye-opening as we seek to continue to grow as believers.
What Does Mature Mean?
Philippians 3:15-16 New International Version
Following Paul’s Example
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
The word for mature here means complete in all its parts, full grown, of full age, or fully developed. The reference here is connected to the development of your Christian character. Looking at verse 15 closer leads to the first question.
1. Do You Have the Right Perspective in Life?
Spiritual maturity is about having the right perspective in life, andthe way you think is evidence of your maturity in Christ.
Your outlook regarding the situations in life you face speak volumes as to whether you are approaching them from a place of maturity or immaturity.
However, it is not just about looking at life situations with the right mindset.
You must also view yourself from the right perspective.
This requires you to not just think about what you do, but who you are in Christ.
Too often in life we have the tendency to define ourselves by what we do.
It is very common to ask someone, especially when you first meet them, “What do you do for a living?”
While this is a good conversation starter, sometimes we can’t get past defining the conversation or ourselves in this fashion.
If you are going to have a mature perspective, you need to define yourself not simply by what you do, because that can change.
You need to define yourself by who you are in Christ, because that doesn’t change.
This doesn’t mean you have achieved all you are in Christ, but it does mean you are striving toward it.
The more you begin to see yourself and begin to define yourself the way God sees you, the more maturity you are developing.
2. Are You Holding on to the Progress You Have Already Made?
Philippians 3:15-16 New Living Translation
15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made.
This question comes from Philippians 3:16,“Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”
Another measure of your maturity focuses on not just how you have developed in the past, but how you will continue to develop in the future.
Spiritual maturity is about learning and continuing to learn.
Growing and continuing to grow.
In other words, there is always going to be more maturity ahead of you.
If the ultimate goal is to be conformed into the image of Christ, we all have a long way to go.
That’s why in this life we are always striving but never arriving.
Maturity recognizes the progress you have made, holds onto it, and at the same time strives to continue forward.
3. Who Are You Choosing to Follow?
Philippians 3:17-18 New Living Translation
17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ.
Paul gives an interesting instruction in verse 17.
I am not sure how often we think about this, but the people you choose to follow point to your level of spiritual maturity.
Who you choose to look up to as a role model or example to follow speaks volumes to how you are developing in your walk with Christ.
Paul encouraged the Philippians to follow his example and the example of others that live like he does.
This forces me to ask you the question, who are the people you are following?
The measure of the role model is not what they say, but how they live.
In short, their character absolutely matters.
To take it a step further, a person’s title or position does not automatically deem them worthy of being an example or a role model.
However, their character does.
Be careful who you choose to follow and make sure you consider those who truly display godly character.
If you are spiritually mature, you will stop making excuses for people’s lack of character and start holding them accountable for it.
This is real evidence of spiritual maturity.
4. How Do You Spend Your Time and Where Do You Devote Your Focus?
Philippians 3:20-21 New Living Translation
20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
You might be wondering what this has to do with spiritual maturity.
Quite possibly this could have everything to do with it.
Because as a believer you are a citizen of heaven, this means you have a sacred duty, a moral and an ethical obligation to the place where your citizenship lies.
When an Olympic athlete competes, they represent their country of citizenship.
They usually count this as an honor and for this reason they train hard because they always want to give their absolute best effort and do their country proud.
We are citizens of heaven, which means when we go out into the world and live, we represent heaven, and we too always need to ensure we are giving our best effort so that we can give all glory and honor unto God as His representative.
2 Corinthians 5:12-21 New Living Translation
12 Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us,[a] so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. 13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us.[b] Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.[c]15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,[d] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
For all of this to happen you must make sure that you are not getting entangled in earthly pursuits that only distract you from what God has called you to do.
In the time God has given us on this earth he has a purpose and plan for our life.
This means you must be selective in what you put your energy behind and make sure your goals, desires, and whatever you choose to pursue align with heaven’s goals and desires for your life.
The more you mature, the more you can make sure this becomes your primary focus, allowing you to block out all those other things that can distract you.
As you measure your maturity, consider closely how you will spend your time and what you focus on.
These two things will be big clues as to whether you are operating in spiritual maturity or not.
5. Do You Contend for the Unity of the Body of Christ?
Philippians 4:1-3 New International Version
Closing Appeal for Steadfastness and Unity
4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!
2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
When Paul was writing his letter to the church in Philippi, there was one bad situation he had to address.
There seemed to be a disagreement between two of the women in the church.
These women were prominent in the church, which is why their disagreement was causing a problem.
These women were considered dear friends, companions, women who contended with Paul for the cause of the gospel.
He called them co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Paul pleaded with them for unity.
Currently the church is filled with many disputes and divisions of various kinds, but where do you stand? Are you contending for the unity of the body of Christ?
This was not only Paul’s plea, this was also Jesus’ prayer (John 17:21), so this is not something to be brushed aside or taken lightly.
A person who is fighting and contending for the unity of the body of Christ is operating in spiritual maturity.
However, if a person is always divisive, destructive, or disagreeable, then they are not operating with God’s heart in mind and are clearly spiritually immature.
All I can say is please don’t be that person.
Concluding Thoughts – Spiritual Growth and Maturity
Matthew 5:13-16 New American Standard Bible 1995
Disciples and the World
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how [a]can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a [b]hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a [c]basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
As I bring this to a close, how did you do with those questions?
Remember this is not about judgment but about trying to help us all become more mature in our walk with Jesus Christ.
My prayer is that the cry of our hearts would always be in this direction.
When it is, we are aligning with God’s desire and hopefully always growing and continuously imitating Christ, becoming the mature believers he wants us to be.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 24 New American Standard Bible 1995
The King of Glory Entering Zion.
A Psalm of David.
24 The earth is the Lord’s, and [a]all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas And established it upon the rivers. 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul [b]to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord And [c]righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 [d]This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face—even Jacob. [e]Selah.
7 Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O [f]ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 8 Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O gates, And lift them up, O [g]ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
15 All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16 Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17 Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
This devotion seeks to explore how we hope to live out Christian maturity, to imitate Christ, and influence others towards righteousness, by establishing a character deeply rooted in God’s truth and love.
Today, we’re going to turn our hearts and minds to the inspiring words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:15-21.
This passage brims with wisdom, with challenges, with the Apostle’s heartfelt plea for us to imitate maturity through Christ, to manifest the message of the cross, and to motivate others towards righteousness.
But how do we do this? How do we live out these lofty ideals in our day-to-day lives? How do we align our actions with our beliefs, our hearts with our words?
Charles Spurgeon, the great British preacher and theologian, once said, “A good character when established is not easily overthrown.”
This is the essence of our pursuit – a character thoroughly established in Christ, unshakeable, and unwavering, rooted in the firm foundation of God’s truth and love.
Mimicking Maturity through Christ
In the passage we’ve read, Paul urges us to think as mature believers.
But what does it mean to be mature in Christ?
It’s not about age or experience.
It’s about a connected, deep, intimate relationship with Jesus, a relationship that transforms us from the inside out.
It’s about allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us, molding, shaping us into the image of Christ. It’s about growing in His wisdom, in understanding, in love.
James 1:4-6 New International Version
4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
When we look at Jesus, we see the perfect example of maturity.
He was fully God, yet He chose to become fully human, to live among us, to experience our struggles, our pains, our joys.
He showed us what it means to actually love unconditionally, to forgive without limit, to serve without expecting anything in return.
Mark 10:35-45 New International Version
The Request of James and John
35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want you to do for us whatever we ask.”
36 “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.
37 They replied, “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
38 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?”
39 “We can,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Paul calls us to imitate this kind of maturity.
He’s not asking us to put on a show, to pretend to be something we’re not.
He’s asking us to genuinely strive to be like Christ, let His character become our character, His values become our values, His priorities become our priorities.
This requires effort, discipline, and perseverance. (James 1:4)
It requires us to constantly examine our hearts, our motives, our actions.
Psalm 139:23-24 New International Version
23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
But the reward is worth it.
As we grow in maturity, we experience a deeper, richer relationship with God.
We experience a greater sense of peace, joy, fulfillment.
But how do we imitate Christ’s maturity?
How do we grow in our relationship with Him?
Moving Towards Spiritual Maturity
First, we need to spend time with Him.
Just as we can’t become close friends with someone without spending time with them, we cannot become mature believers without spending time with Jesus.
We need to read His Word, to pray, to worship, to meditate on His truths.
We need to listen to His voice, to seek His face, to bask in His presence.
Second, we need to obey His commands.
Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands.”
Matthew 22:34-40 New International Version
The Greatest Commandment
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a]38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Obedience is not a burden, but a joy.
It’s not a duty, but a privilege.
It’s not a way to earn God’s love, but a response to His love.
As we obey Jesus, we show our love for Him.
We show our trust in Him.
We show our desire to please Him.
Third, we need to serve others. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.
He washed His disciples’ feet, a task reserved for the lowest servant.
He fed the hungry, healed the sick, comforted the brokenhearted. He loved the unlovable, forgave the unforgivable, welcomed the unwelcome. As we serve others, we follow Jesus’ example. We show His love, His compassion, His grace.
Fourth, we need to share the gospel. Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
Luke 19:1-10 New International Version
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
He spent His earthly life proclaiming the good news of God’s kingdom, calling people to relationship, repentance, offering forgiveness, promising eternal life.
He commissioned His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations.
Matthew 28:16-20 New International Version
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore 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.”
As we share the gospel, we fulfill Jesus’ commission.
We extend His invitation.
We bring hope to the hopeless, light to the darkness, life to the dead.
Romans 15:1-13 New International Version
15 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”[a]4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.
5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews[b] on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed 9 and, moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written:
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing the praises of your name.”[c]
“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles; let all the peoples extol him.”[e]
12 And again, Isaiah says,
“The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.”[f]
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Remember, mimicking growth, maturity through Christ is not about perfection.
It’s about progress.
It’s about moving forward, step by step, day by day.
It’s about growing, changing, transforming.
It’s about becoming more and more like Jesus, until one day, we see Him face to face, and we become like Him, perfectly mature, perfectly whole, perfectly His.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 15 New American Standard Bible 1995
Description of a Citizen of Zion.
A Psalm of David.
15 O Lord, who may [a]abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill? 2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, And speaks truth in his heart. 3 He does not slander [b]with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 In [c]whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But [d]who honors those who fear the Lord; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 He does not put out his money [e]at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 