PRAISE GOD FOR AN
EMPTY TOMB!! We are
entering again into the time
when we look to
the
Resurrection of our Lord
and Savior. It is a special
time. A time of preparation.
We prepare by examining
our lives and doing what I
call a Spiritual Checkup. It
is time to closely look at
your relationship with the Risen Savior. Are you closer to Him today than you were last year?
How does your life line up with Him, His Word and His ways? These questions are not to place
a burden of guilt or condemnation on our shoulders. They are to have the opposite affect, they
are given to challenge us to grow and to seek the Lord to help us be more like Him.
This month, I want to share with you the Scripture that I keep before me and in my heart as a
spiritual goal. Notice, I said it is a "spiritual goal" and I am in no way presenting it as proof of
something that I have been able to attain. I work with this Scripture to allow the Lord to build
into me the desire to live up to its challenge. It is found in Colossians 1:10-14: And we pray
this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way:
bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened
with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and
patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the
inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion
of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have
redemption, the forgiveness of sins. The underlined words are the goals that I seek to reach,
to live a life worthy of the Lord, to be pleasing to Him by doing good works, increase in the
Word of God which gives me knowledge of God and in doing this I am strengthened with His
power to have endurance, patience and to be joyful and thankful to God for all that He is doing in
my life. The rest of that Scripture gives the purpose of wanting to do all of these things and that
is because God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of
the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. There it is in a nutshell.
We do all that God commands us to do because we love Him and He loves us and has rescued us
and redeemed us. Praise God! This is the essence of our Easter Devotion. We agree to look
within ourselves in preparation of looking to Jesus and worshiping Him for our redemption
which He bought with His blood. Because He rose, we will rise and become more like Him each
and every day.
A CALL TO SALVATION
Now before we can even begin to become like Him, we must be saved by Him. If you are not
saved or are not sure of your relationship with Jesus Christ, let us not go a moment further
without making that clear today. Today is the day of salvation, harden not your heart. For surely
Christ Jesus will return for us and we do not want you to be left behind. There is no reason you
cannot be saved TODAY!
God has a plan for your life. He wants you to have not only eternal life but an abundant life here
on earth. A life full of peace and joy which comes from a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ. John 10:10. But, because of your sin, you are separated from God. Romans 3:23. The
penalty for your sin is death. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Jesus Christ Romans 6:23. However, Jesus paid the penalty for your sin and died for you in your
place. Romans 5:8.
If you would repent of your sin, confess and trust Jesus as lord and Savior, you will be saved
from your sins. For whoever call on the name of the Lord shall be saved Romans 10:13. You
will need to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart that God raised
Him from the dead Romans 10:9,10. You can do it NOW!! - Just bow your head and say: Lord,
I am a guilty, lost, helpless sinner. I believe You suffered on the cross for my sins and died
in my place to pay the penalty for my sins, and that You rose again. I call on You to forgive
my sins and give me eternal life. Then stand on His promise, "He that hath the Son hath life,"
and when you have the opportunity confess Him before men as your Lord.
Now you are a new creation and must begin to grow in the knowledge and understanding of the
Bible and your walk with Christ. First, be baptized and join a Bible teaching and believing
Church where you can study the Bible and present yourself approved workman before God and
not be ashamed when He returns. Begin to share your faith with others, giving witness to how
Jesus has changed your life. Email us and let us be the first one to share in your good news.
EASTER DEVOTION
Last year, the Lord laid upon my heart the idea of a Family Easter
Devotion, where we participated in spending devotional time with God
each day as we prepared for the Easter Season-beginning Palm Sunday,
March 28, 1999 through Easter Sunday, April 4, 1999, (mornings or
evenings) . Each of us took some quiet time out of our busy schedules
and devoted it to God each day. It was my prayer that it would develop
into our normal routines and become a way of life for us all.
I thank God for what He has done by helping us all spend time with Him in prayer and reading
His Word. We have grown closer to the Lord since 1999 and pray to continue to move into a
more personal and intimate relationship with Christ this year as well as in the years to come. I
will be praying for you and ask that you pray for me as we seek the Lord together this season.
Remember to follow the Easter Devotion Outline, beginning with mediation upon the daily
Scripture and the Reflections, write down any personal insights or guidance you received, say the
Prayer and end with reading the Suggested Readings and the end of each day. I promise you,
you will never regret the discipline and sacrifice made to spend private time with the Lord. He
will reward you openly.
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to
what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and
the End.
Revelations 22:12
APRIL 16, 2000
Scripture Reading: Genesis 22:13
Reflections
Just as God provided a ram as a substitute for the life of Abraham's only son, Isaac, so also has
God provided His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ as a substitute for us.
During this Easter Season we are reminded of the great sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us. I think
sometimes we forget that He left His place in Glory to come to earth to literally die for all
sinners, like you and me. In Matthew 16:20 Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he
must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and
teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Dear God, Thank You for loving me so much that You gave Your only
Begotten Son to die on the cross for my sins. Father, help me to
understand all that this means and to live a life worthy of such a great
sacrifice. Realizing that the only way that I can live a life worthy of such
a great sacrifice is to place my faith and trust in Jesus Christ and accept
Him as my Lord and Savior. Thank You Father God for all You have
done and for all You will do. In Name of Jesus, Amen.
NOTES:
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Suggested Reading: Genesis 22 and John 3
APRIL 17, 2000
Scripture Reading: Mark 8:34 - 38
Reflections
Just as Jesus emptied Himself of His deity and could have come down from the cross at any time,
we are to deny ourselves by ceasing to make self the object of our lives. We are to place God
first in our lives. But how many of us live life pursuing our own goals, doing our own thing and
at best, God gets shoved into our lives for a few hours on Sunday mornings.
Easter is the perfect time to set priorities straight and begin fresh and new. Last year this was
revealed to me in a real practical way, while working in my garden. This year, I discovered the
same thing. The flowers are already beginning to bloom beneath the dead leaves and stalks
which caused the new life to begin to die out. The dead leaves were taking up all the sunlight
and water. I had to break off the dead stuff to allow the new life to grow. This is how we can
begin new this Easter by replacing our desires with the will of God in our lives. The best way to
start is by seeking the Lord through prayer and spending time in His word.
Dear God, Help me to spend time each day devoted to developing a
relationship with You. I realize Father that without You I can do nothing
and with You all things are possible. Thank You Lord that You are
faithful and just and I can trust that You will complete the work You
began in me until the day of Christ's return. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
NOTES:
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Suggested Reading: Mark 8 and Luke 9
APRIL 18, 2000
Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:50
Reflections
The Bible tells how the curtain (veil) in the Temple tore at the exact same time that Jesus took
His last breath on the cross. This is symbolic of His death making it possible for believers to go
directly into the presence of God without the veil of sin separating us from the Father. Before
this time, only the High Priest was allowed to approach God in the outer room that was closed
off by a veil.
The Hebrew writer explains it this way: When Christ came as high priest of the good things
that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not
man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood
of goats and calves [as in the Old Testament]; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for
all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption [for us] .. How much more, then,
will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to
God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living
God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called
may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them
free from the sins committed under the first covenant. Hebrew 9:11-15
Dear God, Thank You for not holding my sins against me as I confess
them to You. It is only because of Your great love for me that You
redeemed me for a relationship with You by reconciling me to Yourself
through the blood of Christ. Help me Lord to say and do only those
things that will please You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
NOTES:
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Suggested Reading: Hebrew 9
APRIL 19, 2000
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53:4-8
Reflections
Jesus took the punishment for our sins, he was beaten and bruised, hung and died willingly
without a word. Hear His prayer for His accusers, "Lord forgive them for the know not what
they are doing." The manner in which Jesus innocently suffered is a picture of how we should
respond to the unfairness of things in our lives. This is hard to do apart from the help of the
Lord. Thank God, we serve a Lord who knows better than anyone what it is like to suffer
unjustly.
This would be a good time to take all your concerns to the Lord in Prayer and ask Him to help
you endure those things you feel unable to handle. Remember we are starting spiritually fresh
and new this Easter and do not want to carry the same old sins and struggles into this new
Season.
Dear God, We praise and thank You for being our strength. In You we
will place our faith and trust, knowing Father God that You are in control
of all things and have all power and might in Your hand. We will not
fear what man can do to us but will remember that You did not give us a
spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind. In Name of Jesus we
pray, Amen.
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Suggested Reading: Matthew 11:28 and Psalm 28:7, 118:4
APRIL 20, 2000
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:18-20
Reflections
Before we go any further in our devotion time together, lets discuss an issue that is a stumbling
block to many "wise and intellectual" persons. The cross of Jesus is a simple Gospel in that it
does not appease "human wisdom." The Bible says the message of the cross is foolishness to
the world but is power to those who are being saved by it. The wisdom of the world does not
know God and cannot know Him because it has the wrong concept of God. It looks to
miraculous signs and "deep" spiritual and religious revelations. Listen to what the Bible says
about the wisdom of the world: For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and
the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength...But God chose the foolish things of
the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that
you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our
righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts
boast in the Lord."
Dear God, Help us to look only to You for our source of wisdom and
knowledge. Help us to not look to our own understanding but to
acknowledge You in all our ways. We trust that You will then direct our
paths. In the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
NOTES:
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Suggested Reading: 1 Corinthians, Luke 10:21
APRIL 21, 2000
Scripture Reading: Matthew 28
Reflections
Our entire faith is based upon the fact that God raised Jesus from the dead and thereby
acknowledging Him as the Messiah. He is Risen. We serve a living God, one that is a very
present help in our time of need. One that promises to never leave nor forsake us. He has
overcome the world and therefore, we, as believers, are more than conquerors in Him. One day
soon, we will also be raised to live eternally with the Lord.
The Disciples all witnessed the resurrected Jesus Christ and here are His words to them: Then
the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When
they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age."
Dear God, We praise and thank You for salvation, we believe in our
hearts that You raised Jesus Christ from the dead and confess with our
mouths that Jesus is Lord. Help us to continually discover all the joy of
this miraculous plan of salvation. Even so, Father help us to share Christ
with all whom we come in contact with, making disciples of everyone. In the Name of Jesus we
pray, Amen.
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Suggested Reading: Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20
APRIL 22, 2000
Scripture Reading: Acts 23
Reflections
Be careful not to be like the early Jewish Sadducees for they denied the resurrection and the
existence of angels and spirits. Just because we do not understand something, does not mean it
does not exist. Just because we are unable to see, feel, hear and touch a thing, doesn't make it
non-existent. We don't understand how it is that our hearts beat, but we count on it continuing to
beat. We can't actually see the wind itself, but we know it exists.
We should all agree with Paul in the 26th Chapter of Acts and say: Why should any of you
consider it incredible that God raises the dead? God is able to do all things. Surely if he
created life in the beginning, He can resurrect your life at any time that you give it to Him. You
will become a new creation, born again and living for God. The very purpose of our lives is to
glorify God by reflecting His image and likeness into the world. We should be a reflection of
Christ, when looking into your face it should be the face of Christ. What does one see when they
look at you?
Dear God, help us to represent to the world a clear picture of You.
Before, we can do that Lord we realize we need to surrender to Your
Holy Spirit in order to be conformed into Your image and be transformed
by the renewing of our minds in the word of God. Strengthen us to do
Your Holy and Perfect will. In the Name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
NOTES:
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Suggested Reading: 1 Timothy 2 and Genesis
APRIL 23, 2000
Scripture: Romans 4:25
Reflections
Do you realize that apart from the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we were separated from God and
only had death to look forward to? Praise God that our faith in the Resurrection made it possible
for us to be reconciled to God. We now have peace with God. Just as Abraham was justified
because he believed God, we will be justified by our belief (faith) that God raised Jesus from the
dead and by that belief (faith) we are saved.
Let the Bible speak for itself here: but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness--for
us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He [Jesus] was delivered
over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification...Therefore, since we
have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
Romans 3:25-4:2
It is my prayer that this Easter Week Devotion has brought you peace
with God through your faith in Jesus Christ. I want to encourage you to
continue in your walk with the Lord, praying always and standing strong
in your faith. For it is faith that pleases God. Let your only desire in life
be to please God and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm
37:4. Commit your ways unto Him and trust Him, be still before the Lord and wait patiently for
Him. Although you may stumble sometimes, you will not fall because the Lord will uphold you.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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Suggested Reading: Psalm 37
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