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(This week Cheryl and I are working Disaster Response in the Little Rock area after a tornado. I am sharing devotions that I shared previously. This one was first shared April 14, 2021)

Yesterday I had a meeting about an hour from home that took me down some smaller roads. The drive was made more enjoyable by the fact that the wildflowers are blooming in North Texas. I do not pretend to know all their names. I saw some fields covered in yellow and some in white. There was blue-eyed grass and pink primrose. But most prominent were the official state flower of the Lone Star State: bluebonnets. I always get a thrill when I see a thick patch of these deep blue beauties. It is a treat to see them because they don’t last very long. You only have a brief window of time to enjoy them each year.

That thought reminded me of these words from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount:

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:28–33)

The God who put so much beauty into all those fleeting flowers cares about you more than them. His provision for you is immeasurable. You have homes and food and so many luxuries in this life. And He goes beyond meeting your physical needs.  He met your greatest need by sending His Son to be your Savior. For His sake you have forgiveness of sins and the guarantee of eternal life. When you know and believe in Him, you get a new perspective of how “all these things” – blessings here on earth – have been “given to you as well.”

(This week Cheryl and I are working Disaster Response in the Little Rock area after a tornado. I am sharing devotions that I shared previously. This one was first shared April 9, 2021)

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6

In our retirement, Cheryl and I have had more time to spend with family, including my mother and both of her parents. It has been a blessing to be able to also worship with our parents more often. We were fortunate enough to have parents who brought us up in the fear and knowledge of our Lord, who instructed us in His Word. That does not happen for everyone.

When you pass the good news of Jesus on to the next generation, you are doing what our God has asked of you.  Just before God’s chosen people entered the Promised Land, Moses affirmed this:

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.“ (Deuteronomy 11:18-19)

There is no greater treasure you can give your children than the knowledge of God’s love for them in Christ Jesus. This is eternal stuff. The only way to life is through Jesus. And having that confidence makes the difference in how we live our lives here and now.

“He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.” (Proverbs 14:26-27)

I read a story about Abraham Lincoln at a slave auction. He noticed a young woman glaring at everyone with hate and contempt. She had no doubt been used and abused all her life. Now, being on the auction block was just another part of her humiliation. He was so moved that when the bidding started, Lincoln offered a large sum of money, and kept bidding until he won. He paid the auctioneer and received her title. The young woman followed Lincoln home, but the look of contempt never left her face. She asked Lincoln what he was going to do with her. He said, “I’m going to set you free.” “Free? Free for what?” she asked. “Just free. Completely free,” Lincoln replied. “Free to do whatever I want to do?” “Yes.” “Free to say what I want to say and go where I want to go?” “Yes.” Lincoln continued to answer the flood of questions that came from this woman’s unbelief. Realizing it was true, she finally said, “Then if I’m free, I want to go with you.” It was a grateful response.

Jesus Christ has bought you to set you free from your slavery to sin, death and the devil. That is the certainty that belongs to those who have put their faith in Him. And that should lead you and me to the grateful response of saying, “I want to go with You.”

How will you live today in response to knowing that Jesus has set you free?

During Lent, we get a picture in our mind of Peter that is not very complimentary. He bragged that He would never desert Jesus, but then denies even knowing Him. He is not exactly an example of humility and steadfastness. But in light of Easter, we see a new Peter. The one who preached on Pentecost is a changed man, a man living a new way because of what Jesus had done for him. It was this new man that God used to set down the words of the letter that will be read in worship services around the world in the coming weeks.

1 Peter 1:3-9 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade– kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith– of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire– may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

The new birth Peter writes about is when the Spirit brings you to faith in Jesus as your Savior. This gives you a living hope that is connected to the resurrection of Jesus. You live in the confidence that Jesus rose from the dead. You live in the confidence that Jesus is alive. You live in the confidence that because He lives, you will live also. That is your new life, your living hope.

This new birth also entitles you to an inheritance. You have been born into God’s family. Through faith in Jesus and His resurrection, you have become an heir of salvation. You have been saved from sin and death and you now have the certainty of heaven. That is why this inheritance can never perish, spoil or fade: it is not of this world. It is already yours through faith, but it is being kept and safeguarded for you until you reach heaven.

So how do you live, knowing what your inheritance is, yet waiting for it? Peter says your inheritance enables you to greatly rejoice in spite of grief. And the lives of believers will have plenty of grief this side of heaven. I don’t have to list any examples, because each of you already has your own list. Knowing that Jesus is alive changes the way you grieve.

You also greatly rejoice as your faith is refined and proved genuine. This is a reference to the maturing process that takes place in all of us. Faith does not stay the same. It grows, it matures, it is refined and purified and strengthened by trials you encounter living in this world of sin. Some of those trials come because you are a believer. You become stronger because of what you endure.

The inheritance you have from God is not earned by you. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus said that you “inherit the kingdom prepared for you,” not earn it. The inheritance is yours because of Jesus.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” 

Hebrews 10:15–25 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

“And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.”  What a comforting, soul-renewing and refreshing thought to start the day. Yes, I have the laws of God in my heart, which tell me how He wants me to live. But I also have the assurance that all my sin has been forgiven and forgotten by the Almighty for Jesus’ sake. He took care of the bill. So those laws in my heart are not a requirement for my salvation. Rather, they tell me how I should live because I have already been saved by Jesus.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”

 We need to remember that we are in this together with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our relationship with Jesus is not just a private matter. We are part of the body of Christ and should not live as though we are all alone in this.

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

 The congregation I served before my retirement had started streaming our services online long before Covid 19 hit. We did it for our shut-ins, those traveling, and to allow someone who was ill to still be part of the worship services. It was never intended to replace actually gathering together. While a video chat is great, it will never be as good as being in the same location with others. The body of Christ needs each other. We need to gather together for face-to-face interaction. That is the best way to encourage each other and spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

If you are someone who has avoided gathering together in worship with your family of faith, consider getting back into the habit. Not only will you have the chance to encourage others, but you can be encouraged yourself to live as one who has the victory over sin and death that Jesus earned for you.

Hebrews 10:1–14 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;  with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, O God.’ ” First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews made it very plain that our efforts, our offerings, and any sacrifices we make do not earn our forgiveness. It just isn’t possible for us to make ourselves right with God by what we do. If it were, Jesus would not have had to come down here. But He came and it was for that very purpose: to make us right with God.

‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, O God.’

He sacrificed Himself for the sins of all people. We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus once for all.  He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Powerful statements that should have a profound impact on our lives.

I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.”

 Refrain:
Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.

 Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots And melt the heart of stone. [Refrain]

For nothing good have I Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb. [Refrain]

 And when, before the throne, I stand in Him complete,
“Jesus died my soul to save,” My lips shall still repeat. [Refrain]

I really like this recording of that song by Fernando Ortega

Easter Sunday I was driving to Dallas to pick up my mother so we could take her to worship with us. We were going to the church where our son-in-law is pastor on the Ft. Worth side of the Metroplex. It normally takes about an hour to get to my mother’s house, and it is another 30 minutes from there to the church where we were going.

We encountered an unexpected delay on the way to mom’s house. The power company was working on a line that crossed the six-lane road we were on. Traffic was being funneled down to one lane. It was quite a delay. We were going to arrive at my mom’s house late. It was made even less pleasant by the people who were driving around cars and cutting in front of those of us who were trying to wait patiently. There seemed to be an abnormally high number of rude drivers.

I must confess that I was getting upset with those pushy, rude drivers. Cheryl noticed it, and she grabbed my hand and offered a quick prayer asking God to keep me calm, bless those other drivers, and not let this distract us from what we were celebrating that day. I needed to hear that.

I remembered something I heard on Good Friday. The preacher was talking about how Jesus loved people. He mentioned Jesus’ love for His mother, Peter, John and the thief on the cross. The thought that entered my mind was that He also loved the other thief, the one that was mocking Him and did not ask for mercy. He loved the soldiers who were killing Him. He loved the scribes and Pharisees and the Sanhedrin who wanted Him executed. He loves those who cut people off in traffic. He loves those who don’t know or believe in Him.

1 Timothy 2:1–4 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Lord, forgive my impatience with others. Help me to live and speak and act in ways that will help those who don’t know or believe in you to see what a good, kind, loving and forgiving God you are. Amen.

By the way, we made it to worship in plenty of time and had a wonderful celebration of our Lord’s resurrection. I hope you did, too, and continue to celebrate that Good News.

I ended yesterday’s devotion with these words: “This is the confidence of those who have put their faith in Jesus as their Savior: “I have seen the Lord!”

Have you seen the Lord? I have. Obviously, I have not seen Him as the disciples did, a physical being standing before me. But I have seen Him. And He spoke to me. In fact, I see Him everyday, and He speaks to me everyday. I see Him in His Word. I see Him in His goodness to me. But, perhaps most clearly, I see Him in the lives of others who know that He is alive. I see Jesus in those who trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins. Christ is alive and visible in those who believe that He is their Savior and Risen Lord. He is alive now. He is here now. He is with us, just as He has promised.

I am completely serious about this. The testimony of the eyewitnesses tells us that we can see Jesus in this way.  Paul had such confidence in the Resurrected Christ that He could declare I NO LONGER LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME  (Gal 2:20).  John wrote that THOSE WHO OBEY HIS COMMANDS LIVE IN HIM, AND HE IN THEM  (I John 3:24a).  Christ is alive! That is a fact!

Is He alive in you? Or, to put it another way, are you alive in Christ? Jesus spoke about this before He died, trying to let His followers know what was happening:

Before long the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.  Because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you (John 14:20).

With Christ living in you, you will be showing Christian care and concern to all around you. And there is no better way to show your care and concern than to declare to others that CHRIST IS ALIVE!

Do you believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again so that you might have the forgiveness of all your sins? The effect of this message in your life is staggering–at least it should be. The petty problems of day to day life fade into insignificance. And even the most traumatic things in life can be taken in stride. With this confidence, Christians face death differently. You know that the Jesus who was dead is now alive. He promises that you will also conquer death. Because He lives, you will live also.

To say that Christ is alive in us is not just saying that His memory lives on–He lives on.  My faith is founded upon the conviction that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and that He lives still today. I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in my flesh I shall see God.  He has promised that He died and rose again so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will also rise to eternal life with Him. This has been and still is the faith of millions of people. May this be your faith as well. Jesus Christ died to pay for sins, but He is not dead,He is risen! He is risen indeed! Declare this with your lips and with your life:  CHRIST IS ALIVE!