LONGING FOR HEAVEN

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21 NKJV)

Deep within our inner being, the human spirit groans to rid itself of this mortal flesh and enter into the very presence of God to enjoy Him forever. That one holy passion -- placed within us by God Himself -- cries out from the depths of our being for eternity. 

Unfortunately, despite this God-given longing for Heaven, we have become too attached to this world. Instead of laying up treasure in Heaven, we treasure the riches of this earth. Resisting the inner voice of conscience, we tell ourselves, “Heaven can wait.”

But Heaven can’t wait! No way!

We must live for eternity today! 

-- Steven J. Lawson in “Heaven Help Us: Truths About Eternity That Will Help You Live Today”

#5340

THE CONCEPT OF SELF-WORTH

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  (Romans 5:8 NKJV)

The gospel offers a powerful and uniquely balanced vision of the individual’s worth. The Bible pulls no punches about our depravity and rebellion outside of Christ. We deserve judgment. Yet, Christ loved us to the point of dying for us while we were still His enemies. Jesus’ death and resurrection mean that we never need to see ourselves as worthless again.

But we need a third dimension to the concept of self-worth. We need to see ourselves more as people in community than as individuals. The fact is, the more we chase after a positive self-image, the more elusive it seems. Yet, when we cease focusing on feeling good about ourselves, and move towards recapturing the dignity of being a servant to others, then we actually discover a far deeper sense of personal worth and satisfaction. 

-- Mark Strom in “The Symphony of Scripture: Making Sense of the Bible’s Many Themes”

#5339

CHOOSE LIFE

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days;…”  (Deuteronomy 30:19-20a NKJV)

Feelings of disconnection can be most painful when we also feel separated from God… Often the feeling of disconnection persists and we are obliged simply to wait.  But such waiting is a necessary component of the crisis, a time during which we are further stripped of illusions about who God is, as well as who God is not…

The opportunity that accompanies the darkness of disconnection is freedom to search for meaning unhindered by attachments that once constrained us.  From an unfettered stance that allows us to look over the whole of our life with newfound clarity, we have the capacity to choose goals, tasks, and relationships that are healthy and free of illusion. 

Perhaps it is only now that we can understand the commandment to "choose life."

-- Judy Cannato in “Weavings Journal” Jan/Feb 2001, published by The Upper Room, Nashville, TN.   Used with permission. 

#5338

THE DEVOUT STUDENT

“There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another -- showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.”  (2 Timothy 3:15-17 The Message)

The devout student is the best of all students.  There are too many who are devout, but not students. They will not accept the discipline of study and of learning, and they even look with suspicion upon the further knowledge which study brings to [others]. There are equally too many who are students, but not devout.  They are interested too much in intellectual knowledge, and too little in the life of prayer and in the life of service of their fellow [human beings].  [One] would do well to aim at being not only a student, and not only devout, but at being a devout student. 

-- William Barclay (1907-1978) in “The Revelation of John” (Vol. II)

#5337

THE CENTRALITY OF CHRIST

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”  (Colossians 1:15-20 NKJV)

The Cross of Christ is the heart of the Gospel. It takes the entire Bible to explain it. All our teaching must relate to that, like all the spokes and rim and tires of a wheel relate to the axis. Jesus is the center, the pivot. Everything else will fit into place around Jesus. Indeed the entire Word of God revolves around Him. If Christ is not the hub the wheel will wobble and break. 

-- Reinhard Bonnke in “Christ for All Nations”

#5336

REVERENCE AND AWE

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”  (Proverbs 9:10 NIV)

“Fear GOD.” Reverence might be a better word. Awe. The Bible isn’t interested in whether we believe in God or not. It assumes that everyone more or less does. What it is interested in is the response we have to Him: Will we let God be as He is, majestic and holy, vast and wondrous, or will we always be trying to whittle Him down to the size of our small minds, insist on confining Him within the boundaries we are comfortable with, refuse to think of Him other than in images that are convenient to our lifestyle? But then we are not dealing with the God of creation and the Christ of the cross [and the Spirit of Pentecost], but with a dime-store reproduction of something made in our image, usually for commercial reasons.

-- Eugene H. Peterson in “A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society”

#5335

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE IT!

“He has saved us and called us to a holy life -- not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”  (2 Timothy 1:9-10 NIV)

Never underestimate the love of God to accept you. And never underestimate the power of God to change you. The cross demonstrated God's love. The resurrection demonstrated God's power. The only thing stronger than God's love and power is our human will. God will not overwhelm us with His power, or even with His love, unless we invite Him to. Once we do, we will be amazed at the extent of His love in Jesus Christ and of His power through the Holy Spirit. Never underestimate it! 

-- Rev. David T. Wilkinson

#5334

PREACHING CHRIST RISEN

[Easter worship attendance] numbers represent people -- each is someone's brother or sister, parent or child, neighbor or co-worker.  Each brings a whole host of joys and sorrows, hopes and doubts, aspirations and temptations to worship. Each wants to join in the songs of the ages for Easter joy, and each harbors moments of despair, anguish, grief and anxiety. While it's fun, interesting, and extraordinarily helpful in our planning to measure attendance, we also realize that the message we proclaim at Easter and every Sunday is one that goes beyond measure. In the meditations of our hearts, the words of our prayers, the rhythm of our music, the joy of our fellowship, the insights of our sermons, and the sustaining grace of our communities, there is a truth that is immeasurable, eternal, infinite, and unfathomable. We dare to speak of hope in times of despair, love in the face of violence, grace in the grip of guilt, and life in the midst of death. We dare to preach Christ risen, alive, present, and as the scripture says, "going ahead of us to Galilee," to all the places where people need the Lord. The Lord is risen. The Lord is risen indeed! 

-- U.M. Bishop Robert Schnase, from his "Five Practices Blog"

#5333

WHY THE SCARS?

“While they were still talking about this, Jesus Himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself! Touch Me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and feet.”  (Luke 24:36-40 NIV)

One detail of the Easter stories has always intrigued me: Why did Jesus keep the scars from His crucifixion? Presumably He could have had any resurrected body He wanted, yet He chose one identifiable mainly by scars that could be seen and touched. Why?

I believe the story of Easter would be incomplete without those scars on the hands, the feet, and the side of Jesus… The scars are, to Him, an emblem of life on our planet, a permanent reminder of those days of confinement and suffering.

I take hope in Jesus’ scars. From the perspective of heaven, they represent the most horrible event that has ever happened in the history of the universe. Even that event, though -- the crucifixion -- Easter has turned into a memory. Because of Easter, I can hope that the tears we shed, the blows we receive, the emotional pain, the heartache over lost friends and loved ones, all these will become memories, like Jesus’ scars. Scars never completely go away, but neither do they hurt any longer. We will have re-created bodies, a re-created heaven and earth. We will have a new start, an Easter start. 

-- Philip Yancey in “The Jesus I Never Knew”

#5332

TRUSTING IN THE RESURRECTION

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again.’”  (Luke 24:5b-7 NIV)

Wouldn’t it be great to fully understand the Resurrection? Forget about it. Every time I’ve ever felt like I really got it, a new angle has popped up. There’s always something else to grow into as it relates to the Resurrection. Rest in it. Trust it. Bet your life on it! But don’t think you’ll ever fully “get it.”

This is the place where many folks fall short of being able to be Christian. It’s not very reasonable to believe Jesus Christ was raised from the dead: “Nice guy. Love the teachings. Really like the way He gave the hypocrites such a hard time. Really loved people. But come on, resurrected?! No way. I can’t buy that.”

A very wise person with no formal education once said, “I have found that it’s impossible to prove God’s promises in advance, but if you’ll live them, you’ll find they are true, every one.” God promises the Resurrection to each of us. If we’ll live our lives trusting it’s all true, then the Resurrection will grow on us and it will make all the difference in our daily walk with Jesus. 

-- Pastor Jamie Westlake, from the Cypress Lake UMC Lenten Devotional 2004

#5331

LAST WORDS FROM THE CROSS

Jesus said, “It is finished.”  (John 19:30)

What was finished?

The history-long plan of redeeming man was finished. The message of God to man was finished. The works done by Jesus as a man on earth were finished. The task of selecting and training ambassadors was finished. The job was finished. The song was sung. The blood had been poured. The sacrifice had been made. The sting of death had been removed. It was over.

A cry of defeat? Hardly. Had His hands not been fastened down I dare say a triumphant fist would have punched the dark sky. No, this is no cry of despair. It is a cry of completion. A cry of relief. A roar of fulfillment. A shout of victory. 

-- Max Lucado in “The Cross: Selected Writings & Images”

#5330

YOUR GARDENS OF GETHSEMANE

How did Jesus endure the terror of the crucifixion? He went first to the Father with His fears. He modeled the words of Psalm 56:3: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”

Do the same with yours. Don’t avoid life’s Gardens of Gethsemane. Enter them. Just don’t enter them alone. And while there, be honest. Pounding the ground is permitted. Tears are allowed. And if you sweat blood, you won’t be the first. Do what Jesus did; open your heart.

And be specific. Jesus was. “Take this cup,” He prayed. Give God the number of the flight. Tell Him the length of the speech. Share the details of the job transfer. He has plenty of time. He also has plenty of compassion.

He doesn’t think your fears are foolish or silly. He won’t tell you to “buck up” or “get tough.” Jesus has been where you are. He knows how you feel.

And God knows what you need. That’s why we punctuate our prayers as Jesus did. “If you are willing…”

Was God willing? Yes and no. He didn’t take away the cross, but He took the fear. God didn’t still the storm, but He calmed the sailor.

Who’s to say He won’t do the same for you? 

-- Max Lucado in “Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear”

#5329

AN ACT OF GRACE AND MERCY

“When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals -- one on His right, the other on His left. Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’”  (Luke 23:33-34a NIV)

In the midst of the darkness and gloom of the cross, there came a voice from one of those two thieves. It flashed into the soul of Jesus as He hung there, “This must be the man; this must be the true Messiah.” He cried out, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom!”

We are anxious to get the last word of our dying friends. Here was the last act of Jesus. He snatched the thief from the jaws of death saying, “This day you will be with Me in Paradise.” Such was His forgiveness of sin, an act of grace, just as His forgiveness of His murderers was any act of mercy. 

-- Dwight L. Moody

#5328

FOR ME

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20 NKJV)

Every one of us must face the cross. Every one of us needs to come personally. "He died for me." Put the "me" into it. Only when you begin there, will the love of Christ begin to dawn in you. 

-- H. S. Vigeveno in “Jesus the Revolutionary”

#5327

DON’T TURN AWAY

“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him; nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised, and we held Him in low esteem. Surely He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”  (Isaiah 53:2b-6 NIV)

Most of us don’t like to face bad news. We turn off the television when a sensitive story is told. We ask to be spared the details when an injury or death is described. For whatever reason, we would rather avoid hearing or knowing the truth if it isn’t pretty.

One of the reasons that Lent is so important is that it requires us to come face to face with the graphic and painful death of Jesus. We would rather jump right over the suffering of Good Friday and go directly to Easter. But we cannot. We must watch Jesus die.

It may have been the Jews who placed Jesus upon the cross, but it was our sin that drove the nails into His hands and feet. It was our voices that cried out “Crucify Him!” It was for us that He died, and He did it willingly, so that we might live.  

-- Steven Molin, from the “Cypress Lake UMC Lenten Devotional 2004”

#5326

REMAINING HUMBLE

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is He, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  (Zechariah 9:9)

Corrie ten Boom was once asked if it were difficult for her to remain humble. Her reply was simple. “When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey, and everyone was waving palm branches and throwing garments onto the road, and singing praises, do you think that for one moment it ever entered the head of that donkey that any of that was for him?” She continued, “If I can be the donkey on which Jesus Christ rides in His glory, I give Him all the praise and all the honor.” 

-- Mark Schaeufele, from a sermon entitled “A Messiah Who Serves”

#5325

HUMANKIND’S ONE SUBSTANTIAL HOPE

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”  (1 John 5:20 ESV)

I once did the following exercise with a group of businessman. I had them write, on five slips of paper, the five most important things in their lives. They folded the slips and held them tightly. Then I informed them a financial catastrophe had destroyed the economy; everyone’s wealth was gone. I circled the room with a wastebasket and made them crumple and discard the treasures that were vulnerable to financial collapse.

I repeated the procedure three times, adding factors of illness, fire, or the death of a loved one into the mix. Finally, many of them had only one item left. I insisted that if any catastrophe of any kind could take it from them, they had to relinquish it. What had started out as a lighthearted exercise became a sobering confrontation with matters of who we are and what it is that makes life worth living…

In the end, there are no guarantees on this earth -- not even my family. What I must bring myself to understand is that life is about more than this world and its tangible comforts and concerns. It’s about the hope of eternal life. Without that hope, how could there be meaning to anything else?

Take a walk in your local cemetery. Its etched stones bear witness to forgotten names -- faces that have flickered out in time’s expanse. But those engraved, fading epitaphs are not the final word, and therein lies humankind’s one substantial hope. Those who have trusted Jesus Christ keep their eyes on the horizon. They look to a world where nothing -- let’s say the word again: NOTHING -- can be taken away. 

-- Ken Davis in “Lighten Up”

#5324

JOURNEY TO THE CROSS

"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 5:21)

Lent is a season of preparation and repentance during which we anticipate the death (Good Friday) and resurrection (Easter Sunday) of Jesus. It is this very preparation and repentance -- aimed at grasping the intense significance of the crucifixion -- that gives us a deep and powerful longing for the resurrection, the joy of Easter.

As the title of this devotional suggests, Lent is a journey to the cross: meditating on our sin and weakness, looking to Jesus as our perfect example and substitute, and being heightened in our worship of His victory over Satan, sin, and death. On the cross, Jesus took our place to appease God’s righteous anger toward our sin and rebellion. He was separated from God so that we could experience union with God. He was crushed by God so that we could be adopted by God. He was raised with God so that we too might be raised with God. The drama of how this unfolded is the story of Lent.

The journey of Lent is to immerse ourselves in this grand story so that it might increase our appreciation of Easter and love for Jesus. May we mourn the darkness in our hearts and rejoice in the light of God who came into the world to save us! 

-- From the Preface to the book “Journey to the Cross: Readings and Devotions for Lent” by Kendal Haug & Will Walker

#5323

PLANTING SEEDS

The Apostle Paul said, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  (Romans 10:9 NASV).

Paul always contrived to bring his hearers to a point of decision.  There was none of the indeterminate, inconclusive talking which we are apt to describe as "sowing the seed".  Our idea of sowing the seed seems to be rather like scattering wheat out of a balloon...  Occasionally, of course, grains of wheat scattered out of a balloon will fall upon ploughed and fertile land and will spring up and bear fruit; but it is a casual method of sowing.  Paul did not scatter seeds, he planted.  He so dealt with his hearers that he brought them speedily and directly to a point of decision, and then he demanded of them that they should make a choice and act on their choice.  In this way he kept the moral issue clearly before them, and made them realize that his preaching was not merely a novel and interesting doctrine, but a life. 

-- Roland Allen in “Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours?” [1927] 

#5322

OVERFLOWING GRACE

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”  (Psalm 23:5 NRSV)

You have a place at God’s table.  And He is filling your cup to overflowing.

The overflowing cup was a powerful symbol in the days of David. Hosts in the ancient East used it to send a message to a guest. As long as the cup was kept full, the guest knew He was welcome. But when the cup sat empty, the host was hinting that the hour was late. On occasions, however, when the host really enjoyed the company of the person, he filled the cup to overflowing. He didn’t stop when the wine reached the rim; he kept pouring until the liquid ran over the edge of the cup and down the table.

Have you noticed how wet your table is? God wants you to stay. Your cup overflows with joy. Overflows with grace. Shouldn’t your heart overflow with gratitude? 

-- Max Lucado in “Traveling Light: The Promise of Psalm 23”

#5321

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE POTTER

“Yet, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand.”  (Isaiah 64:8 NRSV)

The amazing thing is that even in the midst of disappointment, surprise, and mystery you will discover how very reliable and trustworthy God is -- and how secure you are in His hands. And oh, how we need that in this day of relativism and vacillation, filled with empty talk and hidden behind a lot of semantic footwork. In the midst of “spin city” it is the Lord who talks straight. It is the Lord who has preserved Truth… in His Word. And it is the Lord who has the right to do as He wishes around us, to us, and in us. He’s the Potter, remember. Puzzling as the process may be to us, He stays with His plan. There is no need for us to know all the reasons, and He certainly doesn’t need to explain Himself. Potters work with the clay, they don’t fret over it… or ask permission to remake the clay into whatever they wish. 

-- Charles R. Swindoll in “The Mystery of God’s Will: What Does He Want for Me?” (1999)

#5320