Acts 2:29-32
My friends, it is right for me to
speak to you about our ancestor David. He died and was buried, and his
tomb is still here. But David was a prophet, and he knew that God had
made a promise he would not break. He had told David that someone from
his own family would someday be king.
David knew this would
happen, and so he told us that Christ would be raised to life. He said
that God would not leave him in the grave or let his body decay. All of
us can tell you that God has raised Jesus to life!
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
This
morning, I awoke to a beautiful sunrise over the valley outside our
window. My first thought was one of great comfort and joy…“Jesus is
Risen!” I looked around the room at all of the preparations that had
been made for this day. The table was set to serve lunch to eleven, and
the ham and side dishes were in the oven. There were “Easter sacks” on
the hearth filled with gifts for Timothy, Zola and Nathan. The
children had new outfits to wear today, and there were plenty of gifts
and “new” things from others, as well.
This also signaled a new
chapter in the life of our family…our first holiday dinner since my
mother died. She is spending this Easter Sunday in Heaven with Jesus…
my dad and brother, her own parents and in-laws, and countless cousins
and other relatives and friends. No doubt, theirs will be a huge meal,
with all of the “family favorites”…and the fellowship will be
unbelievable. I cannot wrap my brain around literally sharing “family
dinners” with Jesus…but I look forward to the day when I can!
The
message of Easter is not death…but life! We sometimes miss this! We
get so bogged down in the events that led up to this day…and they are
important. But a friend shared a blog post yesterday in which the
writer aptly reminded us that Jesus rose from the grave and spent the
next 40 days telling us how to spread the Good News. He didn’t talk
about Heaven…Jesus talked about how we were to go…preach…love
others…share the Gospel…and “make disciples.”
So as you attend
worship today, enjoy a sumptuous meal, hide and hunt the eggs, and eat
far more candy than one person ought to consume…consider WHY Jesus rose
from the grave. Think of what He has called us to do…and all that this
week means for us. He saved us, cleansed us of our sins…and called us
to do great things in His name. All parts of this equation are
important.
We cannot accept salvation in Jesus, then sit down
and wait to die. We must get up and get going! Jesus is Risen…what
about you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label life in Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life in Christ. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for June 2, 2013
Romans 15:3-6
That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
In her book, Just Give Me Jesus, Anne Graham Lotz recalls the story in John 4 of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well in Sychar. Lotz explains that this woman practiced a different religion… she was someone with whom a Jew like Jesus would not normally interact. Think of the animosity – and distance – that often exists between Christians and Muslims, and you get the picture. Beyond that, this woman had lived a hard life… she was probably not all that popular, which might explain why she came to the well in the middle of the day instead of early morning with all of the other women. She had been married to five husbands and was currently living with a man to whom she was not married… and of course, Jesus knew this. Still, He spoke to her… asked her for water…and sat around waiting for her answer - and offering a few of His own.
Lotz concludes that this woman was searching for something. She had a “thirst” that she was unable to quench. Like many of us, she had tried to fill her emptiness with the things of the world… possessions, relationships, money, a job, “busyness,” and more. Still, she was troubled. She needed Jesus and the “Living Water” that only He could give. Jesus went out of his way to pass through a city where He was not all that welcome in order to sit by a well and visit with a woman with whom He should not have been visiting (according to most)… and He took on the troubles of this troubled Samaritan woman. He was patient with her… He offered kindness. He was steady and constant. And He invited her to drink from His Living Water and never be thirsty… or empty… again.
God is calling us 1) to drink the Living Water of Jesus Christ… to fill that emptiness we may have with Him, rather than the things of this world; and 2) to take on the troubles of the troubled - and offer them Jesus, as well. He is summoning us to offer steady, constant, warm kindness and patience to others… to lead by example and live by the Scriptures… to gently invite them to drink from the well that is like no other… a life in Christ that satisfies completely.
So many of us do not fully understand that to giving our heart to Jesus is only the first step in beginning a New Life in Christ. We must continually drink from His well… study the scriptures, truly converse and communicate with God, and fellowship with others. We must live by Jesus’ example and take on the troubles of the troubled. We must let them know that there is someone Who can quench their thirst and fill their emptiness. We can’t reach out to only one race… one denomination or religious faction… one socio-economic class…those with high moral standards or people with whom we seem to “click.” We must “sit at the well” and exercise patience and tolerance with all who approach. We must make sure that they see in us the very thing they are seeking… and that we show them how to acquire it for themselves.
So where does this leave us today? Are we ready and willing to wade into the deep, muddy waters of life? Are we equipped with our own solid relationship with Jesus…is He our constant and steady companion? Will we linger at the well and wait on those who need us, or are we too busy with our own agenda… and too good to be bothered by such “sinners?” Take a look in the mirror… you and I are the “Samaritan woman” just as much as the person depicted in John 4. Jesus waited for us and took on our troubles… and now it is our turn to share this GOOD NEWS with others. Will you “sit”… and “wait”… and offer others a drink of the life-changing “Living Water” of Jesus Christ? Are you a “member of the choir” or a sideline spectator in your faith? Isn’t it time you decided where you stand?
©2013 Debbie Robus
That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
In her book, Just Give Me Jesus, Anne Graham Lotz recalls the story in John 4 of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well in Sychar. Lotz explains that this woman practiced a different religion… she was someone with whom a Jew like Jesus would not normally interact. Think of the animosity – and distance – that often exists between Christians and Muslims, and you get the picture. Beyond that, this woman had lived a hard life… she was probably not all that popular, which might explain why she came to the well in the middle of the day instead of early morning with all of the other women. She had been married to five husbands and was currently living with a man to whom she was not married… and of course, Jesus knew this. Still, He spoke to her… asked her for water…and sat around waiting for her answer - and offering a few of His own.
Lotz concludes that this woman was searching for something. She had a “thirst” that she was unable to quench. Like many of us, she had tried to fill her emptiness with the things of the world… possessions, relationships, money, a job, “busyness,” and more. Still, she was troubled. She needed Jesus and the “Living Water” that only He could give. Jesus went out of his way to pass through a city where He was not all that welcome in order to sit by a well and visit with a woman with whom He should not have been visiting (according to most)… and He took on the troubles of this troubled Samaritan woman. He was patient with her… He offered kindness. He was steady and constant. And He invited her to drink from His Living Water and never be thirsty… or empty… again.
God is calling us 1) to drink the Living Water of Jesus Christ… to fill that emptiness we may have with Him, rather than the things of this world; and 2) to take on the troubles of the troubled - and offer them Jesus, as well. He is summoning us to offer steady, constant, warm kindness and patience to others… to lead by example and live by the Scriptures… to gently invite them to drink from the well that is like no other… a life in Christ that satisfies completely.
So many of us do not fully understand that to giving our heart to Jesus is only the first step in beginning a New Life in Christ. We must continually drink from His well… study the scriptures, truly converse and communicate with God, and fellowship with others. We must live by Jesus’ example and take on the troubles of the troubled. We must let them know that there is someone Who can quench their thirst and fill their emptiness. We can’t reach out to only one race… one denomination or religious faction… one socio-economic class…those with high moral standards or people with whom we seem to “click.” We must “sit at the well” and exercise patience and tolerance with all who approach. We must make sure that they see in us the very thing they are seeking… and that we show them how to acquire it for themselves.
So where does this leave us today? Are we ready and willing to wade into the deep, muddy waters of life? Are we equipped with our own solid relationship with Jesus…is He our constant and steady companion? Will we linger at the well and wait on those who need us, or are we too busy with our own agenda… and too good to be bothered by such “sinners?” Take a look in the mirror… you and I are the “Samaritan woman” just as much as the person depicted in John 4. Jesus waited for us and took on our troubles… and now it is our turn to share this GOOD NEWS with others. Will you “sit”… and “wait”… and offer others a drink of the life-changing “Living Water” of Jesus Christ? Are you a “member of the choir” or a sideline spectator in your faith? Isn’t it time you decided where you stand?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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