Daily Prayer for May 29
But God’s mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God’s grace that you have been saved. In our union with Christ Jesus he raised us up with him to rule with him in the heavenly world. Ephesians 2:4–6, TEV Lord our God, we thank you for allowing us to experience your power. We thank you that we need not be occupied with material things only. We thank you that your Spirit comes to our aid again and again. Grant that we may continue to have your help, and let many hearts find what a grace it is that in spirit we may walk in heaven even during this transitory life with all its foolish ways. We may say with complete assurance that everything tormenting and burdening will pass by. It passes by, and we go joyfully and confidently toward your kingdom, which continually gains in power. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Our Need for Conversion Oscar Romero Conversion means asking at every moment: What does God want of my life? Read now Entering the Commonwealth of Joy Elizabeth Clayton A bride navigates marriage preparation and the pressures of the wedding industry to hone in on what a wedding is really for. Read now There’s No Such Thing as a Free Nobel Prize Atar Hadari Seamus Heaney, Ireland’s national poet, discovered the price of fame. Read now Freedom from Exam Hell In-soo Song and Chungyon Won In a country known for its intensely competitive educational system, a South Korean teacher dares to imagine a more humane approach. Read now Waiting for Pentecost with Mary Kathleen A. Mulhern Among those assembled and waiting at Pentecost, only Mary already knew what it meant to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Read now
Resurrection 2.8: With Christ
Maybe you’re like me and have imagined these kinds of things as you’ve read the story of Jesus. Don’t you wish you could have been there? As I have read the story of Jesus in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), I have caught myself yearning to have been present. I would love to have heard and seen Jesus at work in his earthly ministry. Because of that yearning, I’ve wondered: What was the expression on his face when he said this or did that? How did his eyes and touch communicate his compassion? Did folks have a hard time seeing when the light pierced through the dancing dust and straw when the four friends dug a hole in that roof? Maybe you’re like me and have imagined these kinds of things as you’ve read the story of Jesus. I’ll also admit that part of me would never want to go back to Golgotha and see the Lord’s horrifying agony. However, with all that he has done for me, I would like to have gone back and been there for him while he was so alone, abandoned, forsaken, denied, and betrayed by those close to him. I hope that I would have joined him in prayer for the mislead crowd who mocked him as he pleaded, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.” I would like to have been there to say “Amen!” to the Centurion’s pronouncement of faith, “Surely, this was the Son of God!” Most of all, I would like to have seen the resurrected Jesus. I would have been blessed to have been with Mary and the women who took the spices to the tomb and met Jesus! I’d love to have seen Peter and John as they raced to the tomb. I would have liked to have been the third disciple on the road to Emmaus. I would be thrilled to be able to go back to the upper room when the ten apostles met Jesus, and he ate fish to show them that he wasn’t a ghost. I would gladly go back to have seen Thomas put his hands into scars on Jesus’ body and confess, “My Lord and my God!” I would even settle for being with James, the half-brother of Jesus, when the Lord showed himself to his once unbelieving brother and ignited the faith in Jerusalem’s future church leader. And, I believe it would have been a blessing to be with the 500 to whom Jesus’ appeared after his resurrection. But I can’t time travel. Neither can you. Or can we? What if there was a way that we could meet Jesus and share in those events that saved us? Would you believe me if I told you there was and it was something Jesus planned and anticipated for us? Listen carefully to the apostle Paul’s words to folks who were feeling less Christian than those who personally knew Jesus: For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead (Colossians 2:9-12). Paul is saying that if we have been baptized, we haven’t missed out. Instead, we “have been brought to fullness” in Christ. We’ve received the full blessing! How? Well, the “flesh” part of us, that part of us sometimes called our sinful nature, was removed from us because we died and were buried with Jesus in baptism. We entered into his death experience.[NOTE] Then, through our faith in the powerful working of God, we have been raised with Jesus. We have not only believed in Jesus, but we have participated in the Lord’s resurrection! The real and forever-living part of us has been raised with Christ and is guarded in the safety of God’s presence until Jesus returns for us (Colossians 3:1-4). Paul’s teaching is an astounding promise we have often overlooked. Can it be true? Can we share in Jesus’ death to honor his sacrifice and end the fleshly hold on us? Is it possible that we can be part of the Lord’s resurrection story, today? When we read from other places in the New Testament, this grace of sharing in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection are talked about in even more detail (Romans 6:3-14). Our life, because of our trust in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, is joined to his and we are given new life with him (Titus 3:3-7; Romans 6:4). Just as the Spirit of the living God revived Jesus from the dead, we too are empowered by the Spirit to live a new life. Our sins are not just forgiven; they’re also eradicated from us by the grace given us in the blood of Jesus and the cleansing brought to us through the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). And, because we have been “united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5)! So, let’s be more joyous and celebratory when we see someone baptized. Not only are they doing what Jesus sent us into the world to teach them to do (Matthew 28:18-20), as well as doing what Jesus himself did (Luke 3:20-22), they are providing us a great opportunity. We get to share their re-living Jesus’ saving work as they participate in his death, burial, and resurrection and as they call on his name as Lord before us as their witnesses (Romans 10:9-13; Acts 22:16). The power of the cross and the empty tomb are real. More than a symbol or a step
Resurrection 2.7: Let the Clouds Remind You!
As followers of Jesus, the clouds hold a message of hope for us, not just a warning. Anyone living in north central Texas, western Oklahoma, and Kansas would be wise to watch the sky in late spring. While modern meteorology and advanced weather forecasting can predict the possibility of dangerous storms, old-timers still look at the clouds. Meteorologist look at their Doppler radars for hook clouds and rotation. Old-timers check the clouds: Are they coming together from different directions? Are they filled with both cloud-to-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning? Have the clouds changed color from indigo to dark purple or dark green? Are the high, dark, clouds in the west advancing with an eery calm with descending darkness? For farmers and ranchers whose families have lived in these areas for generations, the conditions reflected in the clouds are stronger warnings for them than severe weather warning sirens. “Watch the clouds,” these weather watchers will tell you, “because the clouds will let you know when danger is coming. Ignore them at your own risk!” As followers of Jesus, however, the clouds hold another message for us: This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven (Acts 1:11). To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him… (Revelation 1:5-7). The clouds can remind us that Jesus will return to us in the way his first disciples saw him leave them (Acts 1:11). Our resurrected Lord has not finished his work with planet earth. He has left for a while but with the promise that he will return. Jesus’ resurrection ensures that when he returns he will bring with him all those who have gone to be with him after their physical bodies have died (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Philippians 1:19-23; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10). They will be given new immortal bodies, like Jesus’ immortal body (1 Corinthians 15:35-49). Those who are still alive when the Lord returns will also have their bodies changed into immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:50-54), and they will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17). This glorious day of victory and reunion is the promise God gave us with Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Jesus was the first fruit: the first of many to be raised never to die again (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). His victory over sin, death, and hell will become our victory (1 Corinthians 15:24-28, 53-58). Every cloud we see can be a reminder of the glory that awaits us (Romans 8:18) and the victory and reunion that lie ahead for all of us who belong to Jesus. Yes, I will continue to watch the clouds in late spring where I live. I’ve seen dark clouds spin up horrible tornadoes, drop grapefruit-sized hail, cause flash flooding, and generate powerful straight-line winds. But, with each cloud, I also see the promise and hear the whispered reminder of Jesus’ revelation to John on Patmos: Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him! And my heart leaps at the thought that these clouds might be the clouds of his glorious return. I see them and think to myself: Amen! Come, Lord Jesus. We long to join the angels who bow before your throne! Special thanks for the use of images related to Jesus’ ministry from The Lumo Project and Free Bible Images for use on this week’s post, “The Jesus Window”! The incredible photographs of storm clouds come from Unsplash! About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
ToGather: Thanking God for Our Women of Faith (November 28, 2021)
Many of us have experienced the goodness of God through the life of a woman of faith who helped shape us and mold us in our personal walk with Jesus. We’re glad you joined us for ToGather.church! (Find out more about ToGather.) Today, in conjunction with our Verse of the Day, we give thanks for God’s women in our lives and in the history of faith. Our songs for this ToGather are by Grammy or Dove award-winning singers who express their faith through song. We pray you are blessed and will join in each of these songs! Opening with Praise in Word and Song: We begin our ToGather worship with CeCe Winans and an anthem dedicated to the “Goodness of God”: Many have experienced the goodness of God through the influence of faithful women. These women helped shape us and mold us in our walk with Jesus. Our opening prayer is an adaptation of several of Paul’s reminders to his son in the faith, Timothy, about the origin of his faith, his mother and grandmother, who taught him the Scriptures and demonstrated to him their courageous faith: Father, many of us have a deep and sincere faith in Jesus because of the influence of faithful women — our grandmothers, mothers, Sunday school teachers, friends, and mentors. Their faith is alive in us because they taught and demonstrated the heart of Jesus to us. So, dear Father, we ask that what we have learned from them will be alive in us. Their consistent care to live Jesus and teach us the Scriptures has enabled us to be wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. We pray that the legacy we pass on to those who follow us will be an ongoing tribute to these women and their faith passed down to us. We ask that the Spirit empower us to live this faith in the mighty name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen. Focusing on the Scriptures: Our message for ToGather is on giving thanks for the women of faith in our personal stories and in the Scriptures, which is also our emphasis in the Verse of the Day: Her children arise and call her blessed;her husband also, and he praises her:“Many women do noble things,but you surpass them all.”(Proverbs 31:28-29) In this ToGather, we choose to remember that Jesus highly values women of faith. He demonstrated their value by their constant presence in His ministry who remained faithful through the Passion when the male disciples did not. The early church advanced through the ministry and courage of such godly women. Many of us have faith because of the love, grace, and perseverance of faithful women in our lives. So, let’s join Lauren Daigle and remind each of our women of faith of their value to us as we sing “You Say”: Phil’s message is a blending together of our time of Thanksgiving (in North America), his own experience this week with his wife’s loving preparation before her surgery, and the emphasis of our Verse of the Day: Following on Phil’s message, let’s join with Mahalia Jackson’s emotional presentation of the old hymn, “Precious Lord,” as a personal prayer and a prayer for all women of faith, everywhere: Sharing The Supper: The beautiful song, “Forever,” with by Kari Jobe, is a moving account of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus and a joyous proclamation of His victory over sin, hell, and death. We love that a woman sings this song because only “the women” were faithful to Jesus throughout His Passion.NOTE We celebrate Jesus’ victory in the Lord’s Supper because Jesus is alive! We remember the Lord’s death on the resurrection side of His Passion! Robert Reagan reminds us of the victory we celebrate during the Lord’s Supper: Closing with Praise and Blessing: Phil’s prayer of blessing for you is from Romans 15:13: 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. [Amen.] We join with Tasha Cobbs Leonard and ask God to send “Your Spirit” LORD, upon us, and especially upon all the women in our lives: Jan Reagan closes our time together with the following passage of praise and a personal blessing: NOTE All the men forsook Jesus and ran away when he was arrested (Mark 14:50). They hid behind locked doors because of fear (John 20:19). Meanwhile, “the women” who had supported Jesus and the disciples in His ministry (Luke 8:1-3) faithfully accompanied Him through everything. They were present with Him through His crucifixion agonies and were present on Resurrection Sunday (Matthew 27:55-61, 28:1-11; Mark 15:40-41, 16:1-8; Luke 23:27, 29, 49, 55, 24:1-10, 22-24; John 20:1-2, 11-18), as well being part of the proclamation on Pentecost that Jesus is Christ and Lord (Acts 1:14, 2:14-21). Special thanks to The Lumo Project and Free Bible Images for images related to the ministry of Jesus. About the author: Dr. Demetrius Collins is a mission partner at Westover Hills Church, Austin, TX, where he serves on the worship team and as a youth volunteer. His vocation is as a professor, physical therapist, and athletic trainer; but his calling is to mentor young men through their high school years as they try to figure out what it means to be a follower of Christ. He is happily married to Kristel, who shares his passion for God and scripture. He serves as our song resources coordinator for ToGather.church Phil Ware is President of Heartlight, Inc. and is an editor and writer for Heartlight.org, VerseoftheDay.com, and ToGather.church. Phil has served in preaching, teaching, and online ministry for over 40 years. He is passionate for world missions and encouraging ministers, pastors, church leaders, and missional church planters.
Resurrection 2.6: The Lord of Fresh Starts
Wouldn’t life be better if we could have a fresh start after making a mess of things? Years ago while on vacation, I woke up one morning, took my Bible, grabbed my breakfast, and went outside on the back porch. I wanted to enjoy the breeze and the rustling of the pine trees. As I munched my cereal and read, a couple began to play tennis on the nearby court. Their play was awful! The harder they tried, the worse they played. Eventually, they went to a corner of the court, drank some water, talked a bit, then shifted over one court and started playing considerably better. What made the difference in their play? Was there less wind to influence their shots? Was the sun now at a better angle? Was the court surface better than the previous court? I sure couldn’t see any difference in conditions. I chalked up their improved play to their fresh start. The change in courts was more symbol than substance. This couple had decided they would let the bad play on the previous court die there. They decided they would start fresh. It worked. Wouldn’t life be better if we could have a fresh start after making a mess of things? If you know the good news of Jesus, you know our Lord is the Master of fresh starts. His sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection victory over sin, death, and hell are the foundation for us to have a fresh start in our lives. Jesus’ apostle, John, described it this way: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) Notice that John promised us much more than forgiveness; he promised us forgiveness and purification! If we are honest and transparent about our failures, he forgives and removes our sin. Our Lord gives us a fresh, new, clean, start on life! Jesus paid the cost for us to have this fresh start through his atoning sacrifice (1 John 2:1-2). How could John know this? How could he be so sure? John had seen Jesus give Peter that gift on a fishing trip. That trip occurred after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. He had begun to show himself to his followers to prove to them he was alive (1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Acts 1:1-3). His apostles, however, were not quite sure what to do with themselves. One day, Peter turned to some of his buddies (Thomas, Nathaniel, James, John, and two other disciples — John 21:2) and said, “I’m going fishing.” His buddies went with him. Their fishing trip provided Jesus an opportunity to teach them about love, forgiveness, and fresh starts. Reminiscent of a fishing trip over three years earlier, Peter and his friends fished all night and didn’t catch a thing (John 21:3; Luke 5:5). On this occasion, Jesus called to them from the shore, but his disciples didn’t recognize him. The Lord told them to throw their nets on the right side of the boat, and they did. Like that previous time, they caught so many fish they could barely haul them all into the boat (John 21:6; Luke 5:6-7). With the beloved disciple’s help, Peter recognized that the person on the shore must be Jesus, the one who had made a similar miracle happen at the beginning of his ministry. So, Peter jumped out of the boat and swam ashore to greet his resurrected Lord (John 21:7). The other disciples hauled the fish to shore and joined Jesus and Peter on the beach. Over a breakfast of fish, the Lord gently, but consistently, challenged Peter about his arrogance and failure on the night he denied his Lord. Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” He bluntly reminded Peter of his bragging overstatement that if the other apostles turned away from the Lord, he wouldn’t (John 13:27; Mark 14:29). Around this breakfast cookout fire and before the disciples Peter had bragged and then failed, Jesus asked Peter THREE times, “Do you love me more than these?” (John 21:15). Hmm! And Peter had denied his Lord THREE times! Peter got the message: Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the THIRD time, “Do you love me?” (John 21:17 Emphasis added.). Jesus confronted Peter with his failure in front of the people who knew him and his failure, best. Then — and this is the essential part for you and me — the resurrected Jesus called Peter back to leadership and ministry… THREE times: Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.… Take care of my sheep.… Take care of my sheep” (John 21:15-17). Jesus had provided Peter and his friends a miraculous catch of fish earlier so that he could call them to be his apostles (Luke 5:1-11). Now, after Peter’s failure, Jesus provided a second miraculous catch of fish to give him a fresh start rooted in forgiveness and grace. Jesus didn’t just forgive Peter’s sin, but he also removed it from him so that he could start new. Peter’s breakfast on the beach with Jesus is good news for us. Peter’s failure wasn’t final. The Lord led him to confront his sin and then called him back to ministry. He longs to bless us with a similar restoration no matter our personal failures. The love of Jesus demonstrated at the cross provides forgiveness for us. The empty tomb and the gift of the Holy Spirit guarantee us a fresh start at life and ministry. All that’s left for us is to leave that past behind and follow his call. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:… God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Special thanks for
Resurrection 2.5: Sarcastic Ridicule
Jesus knew the sting of sarcastic ridicule and unbelief from his family Sarcastic ridicule! All too often we enjoy it at the expense of others. However, when we are in the crosshairs of its vicious bite, we can find ourselves torn apart emotionally and our confidence shattered. As difficult as painful ridicule feels, we can take comfort that we are not alone in facing this emotionally dismantling tool of Satan. As believers, many of us know how faith feels when you are on the wrong end of an increasingly unbelieving world. Some people today believe their job is to sarcastically ridicule people of faith. For them, this is a great sport. Sometimes, unfortunately, this sarcastic ridicule comes from people we love and people we long to bring to Jesus. This kind of ridicule hurts worst! Thankfully for us, however, Jesus knew the sting of sarcastic ridicule from his family: After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him” (John 7:1-5). Because Jesus knows the pain of family rejection and lack of faith, he understands our hurt, too. After all, unless Jesus had given them some heavenly revelation about his identity, how would they knew who he was. He was their brother. They ate together, played together, and did the things that brothers do. No one around Jesus, except for Joseph and Mary, had any inkling that he was someone special. To his brothers, Jesus was the guy in their family who would take over their father’s carpentry business (Mark 6:1-6). They had seen him in his underclothes, and they didn’t see anything special in their brother! If we pay careful attention to the Jesus story, however, these doubting brothers provide us with a reason for us to believe in the resurrection. James the half-brother of Jesus, became the key leader of Christians in Jerusalem as the apostles dispersed throughout the world carrying out Jesus’ mission for them (Acts 12:17; 21:18). James helped ensure that the Gentiles would be included in the family of God without having to become Jews through circumcision (Acts 15:6-21). However, our first clue that Jesus’ brothers had moved from sarcastic derision of their brother to faith in his identity as the Christ, the Son of God, was very soon after Jesus’ resurrection. As the early followers were gathered in Jerusalem after Jesus’ ascension and while they were waiting for the Holy Spirit to bring them power, Luke tells us: Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives [after Jesus’ ascension], a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers (Acts 1:12-14 Bold text added for emphasis.). So, what had happened between the sarcastic ridicule Jesus received from his brothers at home and their gathering with his apostles in Jerusalem waiting for him to pour out the Holy Spirit? What changed James and the half-brothers of Jesus from skeptics to followers? Paul helps us understand: For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born (1 Corinthians 15:3-7 Bold text added for emphasis.). Jesus chose to come to his half-brother, the former unbelieving brother, and reveal himself after his resurrection. James was blessed to see Jesus after his resurrection, and from that point forward, we know that he and Jesus’ other half-siblings believed. Remarkably, James went on to be THE great Christian leader in Jerusalem until its destruction around A.D. 70. I am thankful that the New Testament is honest about the skepticism, unbelief, doubt, and sarcastic ridicule of Jesus’ brothers before his death, burial, and resurrection. I am thankful the resurrection accounts remind us of those who doubted, even those like Thomas who disbelieved until he had proof. Their skepticism, and then their later faith-borne passion to give their lives proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection point to a remarkable conviction built upon their experiences with the resurrected Jesus. In the early decades of the church, Christians could point to people who had known Jesus before his death, been devastated by his crucifixion, and who were ignited with passion proclaiming his resurrection. They shared their testimony even if it cost them their lives. In response to threats of bodily injury and death, they answered: Then they[, the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council that sentenced Jesus to death, called Peter and John] in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:17-20;
Resurrection 2.4: When We Hear His Voice
Mary heard his voice call her name and that one word changed everything for her! “Phil, the first voice I will hear now that I am dead will be Jesus’ voice. He will say to me, ‘Lloyd, it’s time to wake up and come home with me!” Lloyd would get tears in his eyes every time he shared that statement with me. He believed it. He built his life upon his trust in Jesus. Most of all, Lloyd anticipated the day when his two dreams would come true: He would be able to hear again. He would meet Jesus face-to-face. Lloyd loved to joke and tease. He would point to the missing end of one finger and joke that he was the only deaf person he knew who spoke with a lisp. Lloyd also deeply loved sharing Jesus with those in the deaf community. He went all over the world, sharing Jesus. I met him because his daughter interpreted for me to the deaf. I loved it when she would reverse-interpret (be the voice) for her dad when he preached to hearing people. And, I loved that he would repeat that statement of faith about hearing Jesus’ voice every time I saw him. Lloyd lived believing that the first voice he would ever hear would be the voice of Jesus. Lloyd’s faith made me want to live in such a way that I was sure the first voice I would hear after I died would be the voice of Jesus. Maybe my experience with Lloyd and his faith is why Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene at the tomb is so precious to me: Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”) (John 20:11-16). Mary was devastated by Jesus’ death. She had no apparent hope in Jesus’ resurrection. Mary and several other women and brought spices to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ dead body. Arriving at the tomb, she discovered that the huge stone over the entrance was rolled away and that Jesus’ body was gone. Frantic, heartbroken, and confused, Mary wanted the person she thought was the gardener to tell her where the body of Jesus had been taken. Then, Jesus said one word to her that changed, everything: “Mary.” Instantly, Mary knew Jesus had called her name. Sheep know their shepherd by the sound of his voice (John 10:4-5, 27). Mary knew that this man was Jesus and that his followers needed to know he was alive. Hearing Jesus’ voice say her name was enough for Mary! Anticipating Jesus’ voice, the first voice he would hear after going deaf, was enough for Lloyd. He knew that as soon as he hard the Lord’s voice, like Mary, he would be ready to fall at his feet and worship him as Lord. Lloyd trusted in Jesus’ promise about our resurrection, a resurrection ensured by Jesus’ triumph over sin, death, and hell through his resurrection: “I speak to you eternal truth: Soon the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who listen will arise with life! For the Father has given the Son the power to impart life, even as the Father imparts life” (John 5:25-26 TPT). I am hoping that you and I are like Lloyd: anticipating Jesus’ voice is enough to sustain us until we fall at his feet in worship, thanksgiving, and praise. One day “soon,” we will hear the voice of the Son of God, and because we are listening for our Shepherd’s voice, we “will arise with life!” Resurrection 2.4 is our reminder to keep listening for the moment our Savior calls our name! Special thanks for the use of images related to Jesus’ ministry from The Lumo Project and Free Bible Images for use on this week’s post, “The Jesus Window”! About the author: Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God’s Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels.
Daily Prayer for May 3
But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:20-21, NIV Dear Father in heaven, we thank you that the Savior has been with us on the earth and that in our day we can still follow him and wait for your will and your rulership. For you are Almighty God, and your kingdom must come, your will must be done, and all promises be fulfilled. Carry out your will, we ask and beseech you. Establish your kingdom among all nations, even if today this is possible with only a few. For through your working, hearts can change so that your name may be praised and all promises may be fulfilled. Thanks be to you for allowing us to live in such great hope. Stay by us in our work on earth so that it may be done in your service. In every situation deepen our longing for the Savior to come and establish your kingdom. Be with us during the night and bless us in your great goodness and faithfulness. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Hunting the Wild Fringe Lily Donal McKernan Searching for an elusive flower in rural Australia, a father and daughter uncover a world of biodiversity. Read now Riding the Greyhound Sarah Ball Long distance bus rides mean being trapped for hours with other people’s troubles. But I’ve found something more. Read now Definition of a Good Farmer Philip Britts Long before regenerative agriculture was a thing, this farmer advocated for respect and care for the land. Read now Jimmy Carter and Servant Leadership Andy Stanton-Henry Even if Jimmy Carter wasn’t the saint some have made him, we could use more examplars of his approach to leadership. Read now Who Will Help a Stranded Manatee? Boze Herrington A. M. Juster’s children’s picture book Girlatee smuggles a timely message into a breezy tale. Read now
Resurrection 2.3: Unless…!
If Jesus was truly raised from the dead, then this new reality would call for Thomas to radically re-orient his life [Let me tell you about] the gospel of God — the gospel he promised before and through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 1:4-5). “Unless…” We must not rush past Thomas’ demand for proof! We must not confuse Thomas’ demand with uncertainty or doubt. His “Unless…” would have never been uttered if he hadn’t demanded to know for certain that Jesus was alive. After all, the Jesus Thomas had loved, the Jesus he had followed, was the Jesus who had died so gruesomely, utterly rejected and humiliated, leaving Thomas and his friends devastated, fearful, and without hope. While some view Thomas as far less than a hero, I love Thomas’ reaction to the other disciples: Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:24-25). For some, belief in Jesus’ resurrection sure seems to be easy for them. For others, trust in Jesus’ resurrection was a faith into which they were born and raised. For others, however, faith in Jesus’ resurrection seems impossible, or at best, very hard to believe. I am so thankful for Thomas. He doesn’t mention doubt. There is nothing said about Thomas doubting in the Bible. “Doubting Thomas” is our title for him. The truth is far harsher: Thomas didn’t doubt. Thomas wouldn’t believe. “Unless…” Don’t rush past Thomas’ demand for proof! He needed more than a few friends getting all excited about an idea before accepting their idea as his reality. He wanted hard evidence that Jesus was raised from the dead before he would have a faith he owned for himself. We live in a day when so few people look at anything critically. We will buy almost any story on the internet if it supports our biases. We want to be part of groups that share our prejudices. We want to connect with ideas and movements that excite us and attach us with others who are like us. Thomas could have acquiesced to the opinion and pressure of his buddies. He didn’t. He wouldn’t! “Unless…” Thomas said. He had to know for sure that Jesus had triumphed over death and was alive. If Jesus had defeated death through resurrection, then this new reality would call for Thomas to radically re-orient his life. The truth of a resurrected Jesus meant that Jesus was even higher than the person Thomas had followed for over three years. This reality — and the resurrected Jesus behind it — would call him to give up everything to help others know Jesus and who he was. He was ready to do that if he could know it was true, but he wouldn’t believe it. “Unless…” We can be thankful that Jesus helped him with his demand! A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop [disbelieving] and believe” (John 20:26-27). I know the word “disbelieving”, that is in brackets in the verses above, is “doubting” in nearly every translation you’ve ever read. But the word Thomas used is not the word for doubt, but the word for unbelief. In fact, the word for believing is pistos, and the word for disbelieving is apistos. That “a” (or alpha in Greek) on the front end of the word makes the word mean the opposite of believing. In my world, there is a big difference between doubters and those who won’t believe. There is a harder edge toward faith when someone has chosen not to believe. Thomas emphatically said he “certainly would not believe” (John 20:25):[NOTE] he had made a choice, a commitment, not to believe. So, Jesus gave Thomas undeniable proof that he was alive after being dead. He gave him similar proof to what he had given the other disciples when he had asked those disciples to touch him and then ate fish with them after his resurrection (Luke 24:36-43). Jesus told Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side.” Why am I making such a big deal about disbelieving and believing? Because of Thomas’ reaction to Jesus who demonstrated that he was alive, triumphant over death and the grave. Once he realized that Jesus was truly alive, this was his reaction: Thomas said to [Jesus], “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). John had told us at the beginning of his good news story of Jesus that Jesus was God — creator, eternally existent, the source of light and life (John 1:1-13). John also told us that Jesus was God walking among those he created and making known to them how the eternal and almighty God loves us and cares for us (John 1:14-18). John wanted everyone to know that any title given to Jesus, any description of Jesus as a great teacher, a powerful spiritual being, or a great man, is an insult to Jesus. Such depictions fall far short of Jesus and his true identity! The resurrected Jesus demonstrated that he was alive to Thomas. His victory over sin, death, and hell show us that he is both “Lord and God”! So, the real question
Resurrection 2.2: Sometimes, I Doubt!
Do doubts mean I don’t believe? Life is hard. People can let us down. Church people can wound us. Our prayers can feel like they go unanswered and ignored. Our physical health can deteriorate. Aging can steal a loved one’s mind before that precious one’s body gives out. We grow weary and worn by our circumstances or the monotony of our lives or the lack of joy we meet in each day. Before long, we can find ourselves beginning to doubt. We can sometimes doubt God’s goodness or doubt Jesus’ concern for us or doubt the historical reality of Jesus’ resurrection. Unfortunately, we fear to talk to anyone about our doubts. We wrestle with them alone. But why are we afraid to admit our doubts? Have we forgotten that we are not alone in having doubts? When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they [the apostles] did not believe the women, because their [the women’s] words seemed to them like nonsense (Luke 24:9-11). The apostles of Jesus doubted the news of his resurrection when they first heard. They were broken, weary, fearful, and shattered by their abandonment of their Lord, the ordeal of his crucifixion, and the horrors of Golgotha. Doubt was much easier to muster than faith or hope. Why do we give Thomas the nickname “Doubting Thomas”? Didn’t he state the obvious? Don’t we all know that dead people don’t rise from the dead and we’re not going to believe resurrection happens until we see it? So, if we watch and listen to the reactions of Jesus’ first disciples to his resurrection — if we linger with them in their doubt — then maybe we can find some peace and hope in our doubts! Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:24-25). The first reaction of nearly all of Jesus’ closest friends to reports that he has risen from the dead was pretty much like our initial reaction would be: “I doubt it!” The women who went to the tomb weren’t expecting him to rise from the dead (John 20:1-2; Luke 24:1-6). The apostles who heard the women’s testimony about Jesus being raised from the dead didn’t believe them (Luke 24:9-11). Peter and John weren’t expecting Jesus to be raised from the dead when they ran to the tomb based on the women’s report (Luke 24:12; John 20:3-9). The disciples on the road to Emmaus weren’t expecting Jesus to be raised from the dead and did not recognize him even as he walked, talked, and taught them (Luke 24:13-35). The rest of the apostles were not believers in Jesus’ resurrection until he appeared to them in the upper room and ate fish to prove he wasn’t merely a vision (Luke 24:36-45). Even as Jesus neared giving his final words to his disciples, some still doubted (Matthew 28:16-17). Skeptics doubting the bodily resurrection of Jesus shouldn’t surprise anyone. In fact, our occasional moments of doubt as Jesus’ followers shouldn’t surprise us. To put the matter simply, our experience makes clear that dead people don’t rise from the dead. Funerals are our final farewell to the bodily presence of those we love, not a prelude to their appearance at a dinner party three days later. A buried person’s body might appear again for exhumation, but not for conversation at a celebration dinner (Luke 24:36-43) or a beachside picnic (John 21:1-14). Doubters are not bad people; they’re just realistic ones. Those early doubters were not faithless, just normal. However, their skepticism followed by their passion become the foundation for the essential conviction of Christian faith: Jesus died, was buried, and was raised never to die again, and, fully alive, Jesus appeared to people who knew him (1 Corinthians 15:1-7). Christianity isn’t a religious philosophy, but a faith built on a historical fact: Jesus rose from the dead. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then Christianity and Christian faith are futile and pitiable — as the apostle Paul said (1 Corinthians 15:). Those early Christian witnesses of the resurrected Jesus were either liars and lunatics, or they were witnesses to a resurrected Jesus they called Lord. Those early doubters-turned-to-witnesses, however, become one of the foundations on which we can build our faith. They proclaimed a risen Jesus whom God made both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:33-36). They proclaimed this to the people who first had Jesus condemned and executed (Acts 2:32-36; Acts 4:1-13) — people they feared and from whom they hid in a locked room (John 20:19). They openly proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, allowing for anyone who wanted to try and contradict them (1 Corinthians 15:3-7). They wrote about Jesus’ resurrection while there were still witnesses around to either confirm or deny their claims and in the places where Jesus was known. Even more astonishingly, these once timid and fearful folks were so emboldened after their encounters with the resurrected Jesus that they were willing to give their lives for their testimony (Acts 4:18-34; Acts 12:1-4). This change may be the greatest testimony of all because their message didn’t make sense to their world (1 Corinthians 1:20-25, 30-31; 1 Corinthians 2:1-2). Their proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead wasn’t easily received by a world that didn’t believe in any form of bodily resurrection (Acts 17:12-16, 30-32; 1 Corinthians 2:3-5). Despite every reason not to proclaim this message of a resurrected Jesus, those early disciples completely reoriented their lives to declare it. Peter