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
Today’s Verse – 1 Corinthians 2:9
However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” —1 Corinthians 2:9 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Kids look forward to Christmas, Disneyland, and summer vacations. They imagine how great those things could be. Christians look forward to heaven and dream of seeing the LORD face to face, reuniting with those we love that have gone home to the LORD before us, and sharing in the glory of Jesus and his angels. But we can’t begin to imagine the great things that God has prepared for us without the Spirit’s help. They are far more glorious than anything we can dream or imagine. So let’s anticipate being surprised with glory and live until then with passion for the cause of the Kingdom. We know that any loss, any wound, any trouble, will not be worth comparing to the glory to be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). And, because we do have the Holy Spirit, let’s ask the Spirit who helps understand glimpses of this glory, we can anticipate what glorious things are actually coming us (1 Corinthians 2:10). Because of the Holy Spirit in us, the meaning of this Scripture is changed for us who have the Holy Spirit. It focuses us on the anticipation and understanding of the future by the power of the Spirit, who gives life to our mortal body (Romans 8:11). My Prayer… Thank you, Father, for preparing a place of glory for me with you — whether it is in the new heavens and earth, or in the throne room in heaven with you, or being with Jesus, or seeing you in your glory in heaven.* I believe it is far greater than anything I could ever imagine, but I do ask the Spirit to give me glimpses of this glorious future with you. Thank you, Jesus, for returning to heaven to prepare a place for me with you in glory. In your name, LORD Jesus, I praise and thank you. Amen. * New heavens and new earth — 2 Peter 3:12-15; the throne room of heaven — Revelation 7:7-11; being with Jesus — 2 Corinthians 5:6; Philippians 1:19-25; seeing Christ as he is in his exalted glory — 1 John 3:2-3.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
08 May 2025
Our faith is partly influenced by our reverence for God. If we revere Him, we are bound to believe in Him and appreciate who He is, what He has done, is doing and what He will do. Hebrews 12:25-29.
Today’s Verse – James 3:13
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. —James 3:13 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Wisdom isn’t shown by our book learning, street smarts, intellectual comments, or arrogant boasting. True wisdom demonstrates itself through the godly character of our lives as we live with humility and are generous with kind deeds. My Prayer… O Father, make me wise like Jesus. Please help me know your will more fully and live it more faithfully with kindness and humility, especially toward the lost, outcast, stumbling, broken, forgotten, and alone. May the words of my mouth and the actions of my life please you and bring your grace to others. In Jesus’ name, I ask for your help in being your kind of person. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
07 May 2025
Whatever our circumstances are, we should offer a prayer of faith or thanksgiving. The Lord hears our prayers and answers. He is merciful and loving. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Share your prayer request with someone and pray together. James 5:13-18.
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;
Today’s Verse – Proverbs 3:7
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. —Proverbs 3:7 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Let’s keep this simple today. First, we need to admit that with the complexities and perplexities of life, even the smartest of us is not all that brilliant. Second, the LORD our God is awesome in holiness, majesty, power, wisdom, and grace. Our God is far beyond us. All we can truly grasp of him is the smallest of glimpses of glory — “but the outskirts of his ways” (Job 26:14 ESV). Finally, let’s stay away from anything that hints of evil, knowing that evil infects and confuses us, as well as separates us from God. My Prayer… All wise and gracious Heavenly Father, your wisdom is matchless, your grace unfathomable, your holiness incomparable, and your love beyond comprehension. Thank you for all of your many blessings and gifts, but most of all, I thank you for your gift of accessibility. Your grace has given us access to your presence and grace because of your loving mercy. Please strengthen my will to withstand temptation and deepen my wisdom to see evil for what it is. Please empower me with a spiritual desire to stay far away from evil and its influence as I draw near to you and your love and your grace. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
06 May 2025
Even when those people and circumstances causing us grief seem to be powerful and unstoppable, let us not forget that we serve a mighty God. Nothing catches Him by surprise. He is a man of war. Jeremiah 20:11-12.
Today’s Verse – Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. —Psalm 139:23-24 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Most of us don’t like being scrutinized or tested, especially not the motives and thoughts behind our actions. However, God knows us thoroughly. He has been with us from our conception (Psalm 139:13-16) and will work with us through the grave and beyond (Psalm 139:7-12; Romans 8:38-39). So let’s invite him into our interior world to search us, test us, and even scrutinize our anxious thoughts. He is not with us to condemn or punish, but to cleanse and redeem so we can find his everlasting way of life! My Prayer… Search me, O God. I know that my heart is not always pure, and my ways are far from perfect. Search me, O God, for I need your purifying presence. Search me, O God, for I want you to set my life’s course and destination. With the psalmist, David, I continue my prayer: Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
05 May 2025
When we dare forget how majestic God is or feel overwhelmed by our circumstances and cannot see a way out, let us consider what the Lord told Job in Job 38:1-18. He is the one who created day and night. He put the oceans where they are. He laid the foundations of the earth.