Posted on Apr 3, 2015 in Devotions, Uncategorized |
Jesus’ resurrection is, without a doubt, the cornerstone of our faith. Without it, as Paul so powerfully said, we are without hope:
“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” [1Corinthans 15:7-9]
The fruit and ultimate fulfillment of our resurrection hope is the Second Coming of Jesus. There are 318 references to Jesus’ Second Coming in the New Testament—roughly 1 out of every 13 verses mentions it, and nearly every moral command in the New Testament is somehow tied to His Second Coming. I am always moved by how Paul describes the
Read more…
Posted on Apr 2, 2015 in Devotions, Uncategorized |
What is the best piece of news you’ve heard lately? In a world where “bad news” just involves turning on the evening news, I have a news flash for you that changes how you view everything else that you will hear today, tomorrow, or for that matter, for the rest of your life.
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-5
This message that the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth spells out not only what Jesus did, but also the eternal significance of what He did and evidence for you to believe.
Read more…
Posted on Apr 1, 2015 in Devotions, Uncategorized |
“And being more anxious, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44)
I read recently in a devotional from Charles Spurgeon that he was made aware that with most people, when they are anxious and fearful, the blood flows away from the body towards the heart. In researching this further, I discovered our blood flows Read more…
Posted on Mar 31, 2015 in Devotions, Uncategorized |
As we take time out each day this week to really focus in on Christ and what He did for us, we need to start by looking at how and why He came into this world. In the book of Genesis we see how God created this beautiful and perfect world. He brought light into darkness. I can’t even begin to imagine how beautiful and glorious it must have been. Unfortunately, we see that before long, darkness returned to the world through sin. But then we see in the Old Testament the promise of a Messiah given to the people from God. I love the words in Isaiah:
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on Read more…
Posted on Mar 30, 2015 in Devotions, Uncategorized |
One of the great blessings of Holy Week is the opportunity you and I have to take time out of the typical routine to contemplate what it means to be a Resurrection People—what it really means that our hope as Christians is uniquely wrapped up in the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is true that every Sunday when we gather together as the church we are celebrating Jesus’ triumphant defeat of sin and death. Yet, during this special time of year, we have the unique joy of reminding ourselves that the resurrection is, should be, and MUST be more than mere theological ascent. The resurrection
Read more…