Devotional Thought: Resurrection Hope

“…According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3

I remember sitting in my theology class listening to one of my favorite professors talk about a topic he loved so much. He loved talking about God and His purposes. One time, he said that Jesus death on the cross would not have been enough to rescue us. He implied that sometimes, especially around Easter, we put a disproportionate amount of emphasis on Jesus’ death. His resurrection is what defeated death. “If Jesus would only have died,” he said, “then it would of been a really nice gesture of substitution, but would have accomplished nothing without the resurrection.” The Resurrection changes everything. Death is the one thing we all know is inevitable. Death and it’s consequences has so stained the human experience that our souls cry out for justice and righteousness. We long for the Kingdom Come. Yet, any of us who have spent any amount of time reflecting on our inner selves, we also know that our hearts have contributed to the death that consumes our world. We resonate with Paul when he writes, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24) Paul continues his line of thought into chapter eight and climaxes with this beautiful promise of hope: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your moral bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:11) Take hope, Jesus doesn’t just want to pay for your sin. He did that, but he also accomplished so much more through His Resurrection. Death has been defeated so the dead in us could be overcome. Take hope, Jesus also doesn’t just care about your life after life. He is interested in breathing new life into your soul — TODAY!

“We tend to think of the gospel as God’s program to make bad people good, not dead people alive. The fact is, Jesus came first to effect a mortal resurrection, not a moral reformation, as his own death and resurrection demonstrate.” (Tullian Tchividjian, Jesus + Nothing = Everything)

Devotional Thought: Doubt in Darkness

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him…”  Romans 15:13

Doubt is a haunting reality. Doubt lurks around every corner of life and feeds on the unknown. Since so much of life is unknown, doubt can be cultivated quite easily. We can doubt other’s sincerity and question the validity of every relationship we have. We can doubt our own ability to make wise decisions and live life paralyzed by the fear of “what if.” We can doubt the cry of our souls that life has meaning and conclude that all is vanity. We can doubt God – whether He exists or if He does, whether He cares.

As a pastor, doubt is something that most would expect would not be an issue for me. But sometimes, it is. During one of my especially cynical seasons, I noticed something in the gospels that encouraged me a great deal. There is this guy named John “the Baptist.” John had a pretty good resume. His birth was miraculous (Luke 1:12), he was the cousin of Jesus, he was a prophet who ranked up there with Elijah (Luke 1:16 – 17), he baptized Jesus (Luke 2:21), and he saw the Spirit of God descend on Jesus like a dove and heard a voice from heaven (Luke 3:22). I don’t know about you, but if I heard a voice from heaven I would probably not struggle with doubt ever again… right? You would think so, but John did struggle with doubt.

John was later arrested and put in prison. While in prison he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask him if he was really the Messiah. “…he sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?'”(Luke 7:19) Can you hear the discouragement in his question? In John’s darkest moment, he who saw heaven split and heard the voice of God thunder, experienced doubt.

What is interesting is that Jesus answers him by telling John’s disciples to report to him all the things that were happening to other people. “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” (V. 22)

I realized two things as I reflected on this passage:

1. God has shown up in my life in profoundly powerful ways. In my darkest moments I cannot forget the things God has done.” I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.” (Psalms 77:11)

2. I cannot become so focused on my individual experiences of God that I miss the work he is doing in the lives of others. This is why being part of a local community of believers is so important. We need to see God working in other people’s lives because it gives us encouragement. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10: 23 – 25)

Wherever you are today, whatever you are dealing with, don’t lose heart. “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.” (Romans 15:13)

Devotional Thought: Learning to Overlook

“Good sense makes a man slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense” Proverbs 19: 11 (RSV) I really have a difficult time when unfair things happen. When I watch a movie in which injustice prevails, something in me is infuriated. When the “good guy” overcomes the “bad guy” I feel a sense of satisfaction. The sad reality is, even though I know violence is not the answer, if the “good guy” defeats the bad guy and uses violent means, I actually still feel like justice has won in the end. The problem is that this spills over into real life too. When someone says something, does something, or assumes something that is hurtful, I want vindication. I want them to know how unfairly they have treated me. I want them to be sorry. I want what they said or did to be undone. But it can’t be undone and I don’t like that about life. I want vindication, and if I were honest, sometimes I want revenge. But God calls us to forgive (Mk 11:25; Col 3:13) and to leave the “settling up” to him (Deut 32:35). As I thought about it the other day, I realized I didn’t like the idea of God settle things up for me because he would be more gracious than I feel they deserve. How do I know? Because he has been more gracious with me than I deserve. Proverbs 19: 11 reads, “Good sense makes a man slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense” (RSV). What if I spent more time overlooking offenses than counting them? What if I forgave as Christ has forgiven me? What if I extended grace to others in the same way that he has extended grace to me? I would probably carry less toxic bitterness in my heart if I learned to overlook an offense. I don’t know about you, but I want Christ to do a work in my heart that allows me to let stuff roll off my back. I don’t need to keep a running list of all the wrongs people have done to me. I would rather be free of that burden than go through life carrying it all the time. But here is a truth I know about myself: I can’t do it on my own. I need the Holy Spirit’s help. I need the “fruit of the Spirit” to be more and more cultivated in my life. Maybe you can relate. Maybe, like me, you need to ask God to help you let people “off the hook.” Maybe you need to forgive more and overlook offenses. I believe it is possible for God to change a heart. I invite you to join me in asking him to do that in our hearts today.