EASTER MORNING

"He is not here, He is risen. Come, and see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead, and behold, he goeth before you..."

After hearing these words Matthew's writing tells us it was "Mary Magdalene and another woman named Mary" that ran quickly to tell Jesus' followers what had happen. Matthew 28:8 (NCV) says, "The women left the tomb quickly. They were afraid, but they were also very happy. They ran to tell Jesus' followers what had happen."

Talking about mixed emotions! The women were "afraid but also very happy". This is not exactly what they expected to find when they arrived at the tomb but they were very glad to know that Jesus was no longer in the tomb and that He lives.

Today as you celebrate Easter remember what Easter is about, remember that He is no longer in the tomb, and that He lives today. My prayer is that all of us will have a real sense of urgency to tell others that Jesus is alive!

I rejoice today because my Lord and Savior live!

He lives, He lives, I know He lives. He lives within my heart!

HOW IS YOUR MEMORY?

One of my friends once stated that he used to have a pretty good memory but was now to the point that he could hide his own Easter eggs. Memory is a funny thing. Some things seems to be imprinted on our mind while other things we forget immediately.

During Holy Week, the day after the crucifixion of Christ and the day before his Resurrection we see several things that has been imprinted on the minds of many.

Matthew 27:55 (NCV) says, Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to help him were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. I am sure that what they saw on Friday was still imprinted on their mind Saturday morning.

On the next day the leading priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. They remembered the words of Jesus when he said, "in three days I will rise from the dead (Matthew 27:63)."  I am sure this was imprinted on their mind.

Then we have the disciples that had followed Jesus but we find in John 20:19 that on the evening of the first day of the week, they were together. The doors were locked, because they were afraid of the elders. These disciples probably had spent most of the weekend together with imprinted on their mind the many teachings of Jesus.

What is it that you remember the most about this week?  What event or words have laid heavy in your mind and on your heart?  What is it that leaves a lasting impression on your mind?  Today, may we remember the events of this week and at the same time look with expectation of great things to happen on Easter Sunday! 

Scripture for today:  Matthew 27:62-66; Luke 23:56

GOOD FRIDAY

I wondered what hurt Jesus the most. Was it when they tied him and led him to Pilate, the governor? Was it when he heard that Judas had hanged himself? Was it the cry of the people to "crucify him, crucify him"? Was it the beating with whips? Was it the crowning with a crown of thorns? Was it when the people bowed before Jesus and made fun of him, saying, "Hail, King, of the Jews!" Was it when some spit on him? Was it when some of the soldiers "cast lots" for his clothing? Was it the insults from the people that walked by and said, "You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you are really the Son of God!" Or was it the nails being driven through the hands and feet of Jesus that hurt Him the most?

Unlike many of us, Jesus did not dwell on his hurts.  No where in scripture do I hear Jesus saying, "What hurt me the most is..."  What Jesus did think about while on the cross was what came forth out of his mouth, "It is finished!"  Triumph, not defeat, was on his mind.

My prayer today is:  "God help me not to dwell on my "hurts and disappointments" but help me to dwell on the victories in my life."  For the "The sufferings we have now are nothing compared to the great glory that will be shown to us" (Romans 8:18).

Scripture for today:  Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 22:66-23:56; John 18:29-19-37

WHAT ARE THEY POURING?

It is Thursday evening and Jesus sat down with his disciples for the Passover meal. During the course of the evening Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. Then he did a very symbolic thing in taking a cup, probably pouring into the cup, thanked God for it and gave it to his followers. Another part of that passage of scripture tells us that Jesus "poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples feet" (John 13:5).  Jesus also had spent the last three and a half years "pouring into" the lives of his disciples his teachings and about righteous living.

Think about it for a moment.  Who are those that has "poured" into your life?  People that has invested time, money, and patience into your life?  People that when you did foolish things, they didn't give up on you.  The one single person, besides Christ, that I believed poured more into my life then anyone in my entire life was my dad.  He kept pouring and even though sometimes I did very foolish things, he didn't give up.  He just kept pouring.  Like a dad would, he saw possibilities in me that no one else saw.  Many others have poured into my life, and are still pouring.  Some intentionally and others probably not knowing the impact they have on my life.  Thank God for those that will invest in others!

Jesus saw potential in his disciples that no one else saw.  Our heavenly Father sees potential in you that no one else can see and will pour into your lives, if you will allow Him to do so.

Who are you allowing to pour into your life and what are they pouring?

Scripture for today:  Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-23; John 13:1-30

The Price that Jesus Paid

"During the day, Jesus taught the people in the Temple, and at night he went out of the city and stayed on the Mount of Olives.  Every morning all the people got up early to go to the Temple to listen to him."  Luke 21:37, 38

Some believe that Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, that Jesus spent time going into the temple teaching.  It is clear that despite the wrong that was in the temple that Jesus did not desert the temple but continued to go and teach each day.  The routine seem to be that Jesus would spend time in prayer at night and early every morning he could be found in the temple teaching.

At night he did not stay at any of the local inns but "stayed on the Mount of Olives."  This is the same place that:

• Jesus often resorted (Luke 22:39)
• Jesus often spent the night when in Jerusalem (John 7:53-8:1)
• Jesus preached a great sermon on the end time (Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:3)
• Jesus' Triumphal Entry began (Luke 19:37)
• Jesus' terrible agony in the Garden of Gethsemane took place (Mark 14:26-42)
• Jesus' ascension took place (Acts 1:12)

By Wednesday morning most likely Judas had went to the priests and teachers of the law and talked to them about a way to hand Jesus over to them.  They agreed on a plan and Judas watched for a time that Jesus was away from the crowd to betray him.  For thirty pieces of silver, what is believe to be the price of a slave in that day, Judas will soon betray the Lord.

Before leaving the scene of the temple Jesus address the "religious leaders" of that day as hypocrites.  He calls them "snakes" and asked them the question, "How are you going to escape God's judgment?"  I can hear someone saying "Why don't you really tell them what you think of them?"

There is nothing in my life that has or ever will compare to the suffering that Jesus did for me.   There is no personal experiences that I could ever share that would measure up to what Jesus did for us.  Both physically and spiritually the next couple of days of the life of Christ will be rather demanding for him.  Jesus spent time in the garden praying and talking to the Father about this and concluded his prayer with "...Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup (suffering) from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt."

The bottom line is that He died for me and you!

My prayer today is "God help me to be more sensitive to the price that you paid for me!"


Scripture for today:  Matthew 23, 24; Mark 12:35 - Mark 13:37; Luke 20:41 - 21:36

HOLY WEEK - MONDAY MORNING!

I wonder how Jesus felt the morning after Jerusalem.  Sunday was a very emotional time for many.  There were some that was giving praise to Christ and then we read of Jesus’ weeping over the hearts of the people in the city.  How did Jesus sleep that night?  Was it a short night for Jesus?  No doubt before he started his day Jesus probably found a quite place of prayer to the Father, to discuss the events of the day before, as well as to discuss the events of that day.

I turned this morning to Matthew’s account of the Monday before the crucifixion of Christ and I read of one of the first things that Jesus did upon entering the city was he went to the temple.  There he found things happening that were displeasing to him and states “It is written ‘My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves (or a hideout for robbers).’”

I have heard for years the story of Jesus going into the temple and casting out all them that sold and bought in the temple, overturning the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves in the temple.  This always seems to be the emphasis place on this scripture and many times told like we had bragging rights that Jesus would do this.

But in studying this week, the last week of the life of Christ on earth, I was reminded that this is not all that he did on this visit to the temple.  The blind and the lame came to him and he healed them.  The aftermath of the day before was some of the children was crying out “Hosanna to the son of David” (Matthew 21:14-16).  Many good things happened at the temple that day as well.  

As you journey with me through scripture this week and look at some of the events of Christ hopefully we too recognized that we have bragging rights!

Scriptures for today:  Matthew 21:10-17; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-48

THE DAY JESUS WEPT

This week as we enter into the week of the crucifixion of Christ and a week before that noted event, His Resurrection, I encourage you to follow each day of the life of Christ as recorded in scripture. Today in the Christian church is known as Palm Sunday. Read Matthew 21:1-11 and Luke 19:28-44 of Jesus' triumph entrance  into Jerusalem.

The cheering was on! Many from different settings of life stood alone the roadside cheering as Jesus rode into Jerusalem.  Maybe Bartimaeus, the one that was blind but now could see.  Maybe Zacchaeus who had paid back his debt to society and had made peace with God.  Maybe the lepers who skin had been cleansed and now they were rejoicing for the healing that the Lord had given them.   No doubt many that had been touch by the life of Christ. They even took their coats and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road as they cheered praises to the Son of God.

But the cheering soon stopped as they noticed Jesus weeping. He was not weeping because he would soon face death but he was weeping for the city. Jerusalem had rejected the way of peace.  This is one of two occasions that I find recorded of Jesus weeping.  (The other time is at the foot of the grave of his friend, Lazarus.)  I believe that there was an emotional outburst of tears that flowed from the Master's face as he looked beyond the city and saw the condition of the heart of the people in the city.  Maybe there is tears flowing from the Master's face today as he looks again on the condition of this world.

As you begin this journey with me in following the scriptures that relates to the Lamb's journey the week before his crucifixion, has the cheering stopped in your life?  Do you find your life in disarray?

If so, my prayer for you today that as you read the scriptures this week and follow this daily devotion for Holy Week that you will find peace like a river that is overflowing at it's river banks!

Thanks for following with me in scripture this remarkable "Journey of a Lamb"!

I WANTED TO BE A POLICEMAN

I was asked as a first grader in school "What do you want to be when you grow up?"   My response was, "I want to be a policeman!"  I was fascinated by the policeman (Mr. Hoggnett) in the uniform that patrolled the traffic at "Unity Elementary School", where I attended.

I recently used the quote by J. Wallace Hamilton, "Every person's life is a diary in which he or she means to write one story and is forced to write yet another."  

Life is a funny thing.  It never turns out the way that we thought that it would.  Culture, education, dreams, and decisions we make, all help to write down on unseen pages the story of our life and it never turns out the way that we planned.


But there are some absolute truths about our life that we can be certain about.  

• God KNEW you before you were ever born. 
• "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."  Jeremiah 1:5
• God has GREATER plans for us than what we have for ourselves.
•  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord."  Isaiah 55:8
• God is ALWAYS writing a new chapter in our life.
•  "Look at the new thing I am going to do.  It is already happening....I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land."  Isaiah 43:19

Being a P-olicemen would not have been a bad thing but I am glad that God called me to be a P-astor and a P-reacher instead.  (At least I had the first letter correct.)  How did you start out writing your life story and has it turned out different than you planned?