What the Resurrection Means to Us - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. -1 Corinthians 15:22
What does the resurrection of Jesus mean to you? What does it mean to me?
First, it assures our future resurrection. Because Jesus both died and rose again, we will be raised like Him. 1 Corinthians 15:20 says, "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." The word "firstfruits" speaks of a sampling, a foretaste, a glimpse. Jesus is the firstfruit.
Jesus has died and has risen, so we know that our resurrected bodies in some way will resemble His resurrection body. To what extent, we cannot be certain. But if they were completely like His, it would mean that we would be clearly recognizable.
Second, the resurrection of Jesus is a proof of future judgment. Now that may not sound all that exciting, but it's something we need to know. We live in a society, and indeed a world, in which justice is often perverted and neglected. We look at things that happen and say, "How can that be? How could that happen?" The Resurrection means, among other things, that God's justice will ultimately prevail.
Third, the resurrection of Christ gives us power to live the Christian life (see Romans 8:11). Certainly the Bible does not teach that we will be sinless in this physical body we now live in. On the other hand, we can sin less, not by our own abilities, but by the power of the Spirit.
Christ can make us altogether different kinds of people. We must believe that. "Old things have passed away . . . all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). God can give you the power to live this Christian life.
“Those who know your name trust you, O LORD, because you have never deserted those who seek your help.†Psalm 9:10 (GW)
I’d heard great things about him, but it wasn’t until we served together in ministry that I really got to know him. And I only discovered some of his unique personality traits by “doing life†with J.J. — like his dry sense of humor and the way he naturally encourages people without even trying.
As our friendship deepened, J.J. became someone I could depend on. When I needed him, he came through.
Like the time my mom was diagnosed with cancer and scheduled for immediate surgery, JJ offered to drive six hours to join me at the hospital so I wouldn’t be alone. I didn’t think he was serious and was hesitant to let him come when I was in such a vulnerable place of need. But he showed up, and I realized this guy was reliable.
Over the years, I’ve seen how my relationship with God has grown closer in the same way. And I’ve noticed the same for others.
At some point in our lives we hear things about God, but we don’t really get to know Him until we spend time with Him — talking, listening and observing who He is and depending on Him.
We learn to trust God’s heart by interacting with Him and experiencing His character in personal ways, just like I did with J.J.
In the book of Judges, chapter 6, an angel of the Lord appeared before Gideon and told him he would become a mighty warrior and defeat a huge army of his enemies. But Gideon didn’t believe him.
You see, Gideon only knew about God. He had heard of His faithfulness in others’ lives, but he didn’t know God personally.
It’s hard to trust someone you don’t know.
Gideon told the angel of the Lord, “‘If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.’ And the LORD said, ‘I will wait until you return’†(Judges 6:17-18, NIV).
When Gideon brought his offering, the angel of the Lord touched it with the tip of his staff and fire flared from the rock, consuming it. Then Gideon realized it was in fact the angel of the Lord and exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!†(v. 22b, NIV).
Up to this point, Gideon had called Him “LORD.†But now he added the word “Sovereign†to describe his Lord because he had experienced God’s sovereignty.
Confidence and trust increased when Gideon witnessed God’s power.
Gideon must have looked terrified, because immediately, “the LORD said to him, ‘Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die’†(v. 23, NIV). I love what Gideon did next: “Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace†(v. 24a, NIV).
God had revealed His character by demonstrating His power and by giving Gideon peace to help him overcome his doubts and fears.
Gideon not only knew about God, but now he was getting to know Him personally. He would learn that it’s much easier to trust someone you know — someone you have experienced life with in a personal way.
Just like my relationship with J.J, whom I ended up marrying, my relationship with Jesus has grown closer over time. I’ve come to love Him as I have experienced His love for me. I’ve learned to depend on Him and trust Him deeply as I’ve come to know His heart and His character.
We will not know God as Jehovah Rapha, our Healer, until we experience and recognize His healing in our lives — whether spiritually, emotionally, mentally or physically.
We cannot know Him as Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, if we are not in need.
We will not know Him as Jehovah Nissi, our Banner, unless we need Him for victory.
When we take time to deepen and grow our relationship with Jesus, our confidence in Him deepens too. And we will live in the promise of today’s key verse: “Those who know your name trust you, O LORD, because you have never deserted those who seek your help†(Psalm 9:10).
Dear Lord, I want to know You for who You really are. I desire to trust and follow You more and more each day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
When My Happy Gets BumpedLYSA TERKEURST
“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.†Ephesians 6:11-12 (NIV)Most days, I wake up fairly happy. It’s not like I wake up in the mood for a party, but generally I’m not grumpy when I arise. I wake up and things seem pretty good, level and fresh with possibilities. But then inevitably something — or someone — will bump into my happy.
An early morning meltdown by one of my people.
Or a difficult email that makes my heart sink.
Or me underestimating my time and suddenly everything is rushed, hurried and stressful.
Or my husband, Art, lowering the thermostat in the house to 68 degrees and I can’t stop shivering until the temperature hovers closer to 72. It’s amazing how much difference four degrees makes.
Things happen. Things that bump into my happy. And suddenly I’m a little off-kilter and a little less nice.
Can you relate?
Well, I’m learning something about a little mental perspective I need to have when things bump into my happy. In that moment, Satan is scheming to have me help him out. If he can just get me jostled to the point where I react out of anger, it’s like lighting a spark near a puddle of gasoline.
Even the smallest spark can ignite quite a fire. A fire that can spread and feel much bigger than what the situation ever should have been.
Take the temperature situation, for example.
It should be just a simple discussion about the thermostat. But, add a little anger and suddenly things in my brain escalate to the point where I’ve just about convinced myself Art is completely insensitive and couldn’t care less about me.
Is that true? Of course not. He just likes to sit in his house without sweating. Surely, we could find a compromise with the temperature or I could go put on some socks and a sweatshirt.
Instead, when he bumps into my happy, a “growth opportunity†ensues that leaves us both feeling a little burned.
In other words, I play right into Satan’s scheme and help him out. Remember, Satan’s plan is to cause separation. Be it a temperature issue, tight finances, a misunderstood statement or one of the millions of little things that can bump into our happy … we have a choice.
We can choose to play into Satan’s schemes and enable his attempts to separate us from God’s best. Or, we can choose to fight for our relationships and against Satan’s divisive attempts. When I think about it in these terms, it helps me identify the real enemy.
My real enemy isn’t any of the people who bump my happy. My real enemy is the one who tries with all his might to get me to jump into a grumpy mood and help him tear down all that I love.
Knowing I need a strategy against these attacks, I turn to the wisdom found in Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.â€
You better back up and back off, Satan. I’m onto your schemes. You are the real enemy, not my people. And now I have a totally new game plan for when my happy gets bumped.
Starting with finding just the right pair of socks and a sweatshirt to wear in the ice cave.
Dear Lord, sometimes my happy gets bumped and my emotions get the best of me. Help me react in a way that honors You instead of reacting in a way that will fuel Satan’s agenda. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Learning to Talk with God LISA HARPER
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?’†(Mark 4:13, NIV)
The single most difficult thing my adopted daughter Missy and I dealt with during our first few months together was not her HIV+ status.
It also wasn’t the frequent hospital trips or learning (and remembering) how to dispense her twice‑daily doses of three different medications.
It wasn’t even my futile, scalp-torturing attempts to learn how to micro-braid her gorgeous Haitian hair.
The most difficult, sometimes heart-wrenching, aspect of our first nose-to-nose season was learning to communicate.
On my five visits to Haiti during the adoption process, we’d managed to sort of understand each other with a few common words of Creole and English coupled with facial expressions and charades. I wasn’t prepared for the heartache our communication gap would cause once I finally brought her home to Tennessee.
The harsh reality of that gap became glaringly apparent one night after we arrived home. I’d gotten her changed into pajamas and settled into her special pink and white bedding and was singing a lullaby to help her sleep.
However, instead of becoming drowsy, she got more and more agitated. So I picked her up and did several things experts had advised me to do to let her know she was safe and secure. But my actions only seemed to make things worse.
Finally, after more than an hour of her growing increasingly fearful and me vainly trying to soothe her, I got out the Creole dictionary and attempted to ask if she was in pain. The second I began trying to articulate that foreign phrase, her head snapped toward me, her brown eyes focused on mine with laser‑like intensity and she began talking as fast as she could.
A torrent of unfamiliar words poured from her mouth. After a minute or two, when she could tell by my expression I didn’t understand, she put both of her hands on the sides of my face and began to speak very intently.
Eventually I replied in English, “I’m so sorry baby, but I don’t understand what you’re saying.†At which point she dropped her hands to her side, looked away from me with hopeless resignation and began to sob uncontrollably.
My little girl cried herself to sleep, and when her breathing finally settled into the rhythm of slumber, I walked into the living room, sank into the couch and cried until I didn’t have any tears left either.
I felt like the precious daughter I’d longed for since I was a young woman and fought for through an arduous two‑year adoption journey had tried to give me her heart, and I didn’t have the hands to receive it. She threw a relational lifesaver in my direction with every ounce of her 4‑and‑a‑half‑year‑old might, and I missed it.
What followed were some long, heart-wrenching hours. My own dark night of the soul. And it’s one of the main reasons one seemingly insignificant verse in Mark 4 — which I’d read hundreds of times before without really noticing — now packs such an emotional wallop for me.
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?’†(Mark 4:13)
I think Jesus was trying to give the disciples God’s heart, and they didn’t have hands to receive it. Just like that horrible evening when I fumbled Missy’s feelings, they simply couldn’t see what God wanted to communicate with them.
Not many experiences have been more precious than the moments of real connection Missy and I shared in the days and weeks after that terrible night of total incomprehension.
Gradually, Missy’s English has improved. And the ah‑ha look that lights up Missy’s face fuels both of us each time she learns a new English word or concept.
Sometimes reading the Bible and learning to know God is like this. It’s hard in the beginning. Communication doesn’t feel natural as we’re learning how to talk with our Father in Heaven. But when we push through the hard parts, and actually grasp one of His promises or apply a scriptural principle to our lives, we are rewarded with our own spiritual ah‑ha moments.
The delight in each new facet of knowing Jesus satisfies our souls in a way nothing else can — it leads us to pursue our Savior with more and more passion.
Even more than Missy and I were made to be mother and daughter, you and I were made for deep connection with our Creator Redeemer! When we taste even a tiny morsel of the communion with the God we were created for, we’ll be ravenous for more!
Heavenly Father, I long to talk with You. Thank You for your desire to communicate with us. Help me to be still, close my eyes and pay attention to all that You want me to hear. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
1 Corinthians 13:12a, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror dimly, but then we shall see face to face.†(NIV)
Mark 4:8-9, “‘Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’†(NIV)
When You’re Not Ready for the Season of Life You’re InCHRYSTAL EVANS HURST
“Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.†Ruth 1:16b (NIV)
It's official ... I’m the mother of the mother of a child. Just call me the #MMC.
I hope you understood what I’m trying to say because I can’t bring myself to say the “G†word yet.
My daughter and her husband graced us with their daughter the day before Christmas. Yes, our new little princess is beautiful. Yes, I feel all of the love in the world for her. Yes, her birth was wonderful and beautifully surreal.
But her birth means a change in seasons for me. And I’m not ready.
But it doesn’t matter because she’s here, and I’m officially a gr … Mother of a mother of a child.
Seasons change, don't they? Life shifts.
One day you can describe yourself and your life one way, and the next day that description can totally change.
Sometimes those shifts are welcomed and celebrated. Other times those shifts are regarded with a bit of anxiety. Life is always changing.
Maybe the changes you've recently experienced or anticipate in the near future have you so excited you can't stand it. Or maybe those changes are making you so nervous that you shake a little in your boots every time you think about them.
Either way, life has seasons — some of which we are ready for and some we simply don’t think befitting or suitable for who we think we are or what we think our life should look like.
I don’t think Ruth expected her season of widowhood.
A young girl gets married expecting to be happy, to have a family, to live together for a long time. Instead, as we read in Ruth 1:3‑5, Ruth faced a childless, widowed and destitute existence after her husband passed away. There was no one to ensure financial security, nuclear community or generational progeny. Her future was not what she expected, and her identity shifted as a result.
Maybe your season in life has shifted unexpectedly.
Young wife. Now widowed.
Working. Now unemployed.
Healthy. Now ill.
Married. Now divorced.
Calm. Now stressed.
Comfortable. Now stretched.
Not all shifts in seasons are negative. Some simply push us into places that require a major adjustment in our hearts, mind or will.
Employed. Now the promotion is more than you bargained for.
Childless. Now motherhood is the hardest thing you’ve ever done.
Single. Now marriage is not as straightforward or simple as you thought it would be.
Content. Now God has led you to a place where dependence on Him means discomfort or uncertainty and forces you to grow in your faith.
The book of Ruth is the story of girl who trusted God with the unforeseen, the unanticipated and the surprising. She teaches us that by embracing the changing seasons of life and the circumstances that God allows, we can come to see God in a new light as we walk through new situations.
Yet as we see in today’s key verse, Ruth tackled her new season head on. Even though her shift in season was unexpected, life-changing and unsettling, she embraced it.
She moved fully into the season of life God allowed, trusting that in the end it was God who was her Sustainer and Provider. She trusted Him with her identity, her station in life and the direction of her story. And in trusting Him she learned that new seasons, even the unexpected ones, can lead to the most beautiful places.
What does it mean to be a gr … grandmother?
I have no idea.
But I do know that Ruth’s decision to walk with bravery and boldness into a new season paved her way to be the grandmother of King David and ultimately in the lineage of Jesus Christ.
Even though I probably will forever consider myself to be 27, I think embracing this new life-changing, redefining season of my life will allow me to see what God looks like as I walk fully in this place. And I might even be surprised by the impact He allows me to make in His power.
What does it mean for you to be widowed or a wife, unemployed or promoted, divorced or in a blended family, financially strapped or financially responsible, a new Christian or a seasoned saint?
I don’t know.
But I do know we should walk boldly into the seasons that God allows, trusting that He will show us how to maximize each moment we have there.
Dear God, I don’t know how to handle the season I’m in. Please show me how You would have me to operate in this place and give me strength to move forward in a way that brings You glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Proverbs 31:25, “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.†(NIV)
Psalm 33:11, “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.†(NASB)
God Acts on Our Behalf
Isaiah 64:1-4
The Lord is a God of action. Even when He rested on the seventh day of creation, it wasn't because He was tired and needed to recuperate. Although He deliberately made a choice to stop His creative activity, He never ceased working. While the Lord is always controlling the universe, He is, at the same time, intimately involved with individual lives.
God has a plan for each one of us and wants us to know what it is. Every time we take a step of obedience, He sheds more light on our path. But sometimes He asks us to pause awhile, and we may not know why. We long for direction in a particular matter, but our prayers just aren't being answered, and we wonder, Why does He delay?
When you aren't seeing any answers, it doesn't mean that God is not working. He's still actively involved in your life, but He works in ways that are not always visible He orchestrates circumstances, changes people's hearts, and protects His children from making hasty decisions that will have disastrous consequences. Perhaps the Lord knows you're not yet ready for the next leg of your spiritual journey. Waiting times are opportunities for growth in character, obedience, and faith. He may also need time to train you for future responsibilities and ministries.
When you intentionally choose to be still, God unleashes His mighty power on your behalf. He has planned good things for those who wait, and I believe what He has in store for your life will surpass all expectations. When He knows you're ready to receive His blessings, they'll flow into your lap.
God's Choice Shaping Tools
Romans 12:1-5
God's kindness to us is demonstrated by the fact that He doesn't leave us in the condition we were in before coming to faith. How tragic it would be if we still thought, felt, and acted the same way we did before receiving Christ as our Savior. Throughout our lives, the Lord uses His choice tools to shape us into the image of His Son.
Prayer. By talking to the Lord in open dialogue, we develop a relationship with Him. He becomes not just our Savior, but our friend, and as the intimacy grows, so will our passion to be with Him. Setting aside time for prayer each day will become a delight, not a duty.
God's Word. You can't grow in your Christian life if you keep the Bible closed all week long. No one lives on one meal a week, yet many Christians try to get by with just a Sunday dinner of the Word served up by their pastor. How can we expect God's truth to do its transforming work if we never let it into our minds and hearts?
The Church. Christ uses His body of believers as a place for transformation. That's where we rub against each other and have the rough edges of our character smoothed. It is a place of instruction, accountability, and encouragement.
Are you letting the Lord use His character-shaping tools in your life? Our culture has no shortage of worldly voices and pressures that fill minds and influence behavior. Only when we intentionally schedule time for God, His Word, and His people can Christ do His transforming work in our lives.
God's Grand Plan
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
It's amazing but true that God's grand plan for your life is far greater than you can imagine. In fact, this earth-bound existence has us so preoccupied with the demands of life that most of us give little thought to what it will mean to be completely sanctified.
In the Christian life, sanctification is a three-stage process. At the moment of salvation, God sets us apart for Himself. Then throughout the rest of our earthly life, He works to transform us into the image of His Son. One day, however, there will be a glorious culmination to our sanctification. Presently, we all struggle with sin, but when we die, our spirits and souls will ascend to heaven and be completely sinless. Then we'll see our Savior face to face and experience unimaginable joy. No longer will we struggle with the pride of life or the lusts of the flesh and the eyes (1 John 2:16).
However, as great as this will be, it's not yet the final step. Some day in the future, Jesus will descend from heaven, bringing with Him the souls of those who have died in Christ. They will be united with their resurrected bodies, and believers who are still alive on the earth will be changed (1 Thess. 4:14-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-54). Then sanctification will be complete--spirit, soul, and body.
This is not a fairy tale, but the believer appointed destiny. God Himself promises to bring it to pass. We'll walk in His presence, spotless and without blame, for all eternity. Knowing this, how will you live today? The promise of salvation isn’t meant just to give hope, but to spur us on to holy living.
Sanctification Isn't Passive
1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Did you know that God didn't save you just to keep you from hell and get you into heaven? His top priority while you are here on earth is to shape you into the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). But at this stage of our sanctification, He doesn't do it all for us. We have a responsibility to cooperate with Him and actively participate in the process. Yet many Christians have a passive attitude about the life of faith. They tolerate sin and smooth it over with the age-old excuse, "Nobody's perfect!"
When you received Christ as your Savior, you took the first step in your walk with Him--a walk that will last the rest of your life. However, you also stepped into spiritual warfare with Satan. The Enemy may have lost your soul, but he's going to do everything he can to hinder, sidetrack, and discourage you. The last thing he wants is a saint who's on fire for the Lord and useful in the kingdom.
But many believers have abdicated their responsibility to live holy lives. In fact, some of them look and act just like the unbelieving world. Sexual immorality is one area of compromise that the apostle Paul addressed specifically, but in truth, we should abstain from anything that interferes with godliness.
Have you allowed something in your life that shouldn’t be there? If so, you need to drop it now. You don't want a thread of sin to become a rope, then a chain, and finally a cable that traps you in a stronghold. Turn back to the Lord, and let your sanctification continue.
Redeeming Love
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.†(Ephesians 1:7)
E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
Through propitiation, God was satisfied with the full payment for our sin. “The wages for sin is death†(Romans 6:23), but “Christ died for our sins†(1 Corinthians 15:3), and God, the holy Judge, is satisfied. “But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared . . . which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life†(Titus 3:4, 6-7). Little wonder we respond as we do.
Thy Power to Save
“O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.†(Psalm 98:1)
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I’ll sing thy power to save,
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave.
There will come a time when redeemed individuals will amass around the throne of God and His Son, our Redeemer, and sing a mighty song of praise to Him for salvation: “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation†(Revelation 5:9). The Creator had bought creation back with His own blood.
There Is a Fountain
“And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.†(Revelation 21:6)
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains.
Before Jesus came, His unique birth was foretold by an angel and prophesied in Isaiah 7:14: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel,†meaning “God with us†(Matthew 1:23). He referred to Himself as “a well of water†(John 4:14) available to all.
The Dying Thief
“And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.†(Luke 23:42-43)
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
The “fountain†of blood flowing from the cross produces great rejoicing in those who have acknowledged His lasting work. “With the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot†(1 Peter 1:19), we can be forgiven and born into His family. We receive the ability for and privilege of living victorious, holy lives. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed†(1 Peter 2:24).
Thy Precious Blood
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: . . . And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.†(Colossians 1:14, 20)
Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved, to sin no more.
The precious Christology passage of Colossians 1:13-20 identifies Christ as Creator, Redeemer, and King. As Creator, His redemptive work included the ransom of His creation, lost and shackled in sin. There will come the time when all of redeemed mankind will gather around His throne “saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing†(Revelation 5:12).
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