No Need to Fear Death!

Week 16, Day 5 Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-58

1 Corinthians 15:55-57   When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.


“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…!” (1 Cor. 15:20a)  And because Jesus rose from the dead, we can enjoy that same victory over death!  For the Christian, death is not an enemy to be feared.  It is the door to the abundant, wonderful, perfect life we were created to enjoy.  Life everlasting with our God and Savior!!  No more night, no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more pain, and no more tears!  No more conflicts, no more troubles, no more wars, no more heart aches – and no more stink bugs!  (We’re having an issue with them in my kindergarten classroom.)  As a recipient of God’s amazing grace and salvation, I am so very thankful for this assurance and hope. 

I am grateful that the Lord taught me at an early age, that death is nothing to fear.  This truth became real to me when as a 17 year old – just graduated from high school and ready to head off for college – I had the privilege of standing next to my grandmother’s bedside as she took her last labored breath in her battle with cancer.  In a moment, her body was quiet and peaceful, and I knew that while her body was lifeless, she was alive in Heaven.  Thankfully, in her last months on earth, she made a profession of faith in Jesus.   In that knowledge, the horror of death was gone for me.  Then just a few years ago, I was able to be by my Mom’s side as she breathed her last breath.  I like to think of it as – she went from holding my hand to holding the hand of Jesus.  Again, I was reminded that there is no fear in death.

Because Jesus lives, we too can live.  We can enjoy this life as we walk in His presence and experience his blessings.  But better still – we can look forward to life everlasting with Him.  Because Jesus is risen indeed, the best is yet to come!

“No eye has see, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”    1 Corinthians 2:9

Written by guest blogger, Patty Deiter. 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

An Unexpected Meeting

Week 16, Day 4 Reading: John 20:1-21:25

John 20:15-16  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,“Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

Mary Magdalene visited the tomb where the body of Jesus had been laid twice on that first Easter morning. The first was just before sunrise. John tells us that she started out for the tomb "while it was still dark." The first thing she saw when she arrived was that the stone sealing the tomb had been removed from the entrance. Realizing that Jesus' body was no longer in the tomb, Mary ran off to find Peter and John. Upon hearing what Mary had to say, both disciples raced off to the tomb to see if her report was true. At some point after they had come and gone, Mary returned. With tears streaming down each cheek, she bent over to look into the tomb. To her utter amazement, she saw two angels clad in white. After a brief conversation with them, she turned around and spotted a man standing nearby whom she assumed to be the gardener. All this "gardener" had to do was simply speak her name ... and she realized he was no gardener. Rather he was none other than Jesus!

As I reflected on that, I thought of the words of Jesus recorded by John in chapter ten of his gospel. There Jesus likened himself to a shepherd and his people as HIS flock of sheep. Concerning his sheep, Jesus said,
that they would follow him, for they knew his voice. Mary, as one of Christ's sheep, knew his voice. As soon as he spoke her name, she knew exactly who he was!

How about you, my friend. Are you one of Christ's sheep? Are you a part of His flock? If so, you will know his voice. So are you listening for it? You will "hear" it as you spend time in HIS word. So open the book ... and begin to "listen!"

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Too Good to Be True? Not in this Case!

Week 16, Day 3 Reading: Luke 24:1-49

Luke 24:36-43   As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”  And when he had said this,he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”  They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.

In this post-resurrection appearance of Jesus, he wanted to allow his disciples to see that he was not a mere spirit ... but that when he rose from the dead, he did so body and all! To prove this was the case, he urged them to touch him to see that his body was real. In addition, he ate before them ... again demonstrating that he had a real body. Jesus went to these lengths because the disciples were harboring doubts. But their doubts were not arising from a spirit of unbelief. Rather, Luke tells us that their doubts sprang from their joy and marvel. Really? Really! 

Place yourself in the disciples' sandals. You had just seen your Master - the One you had left everything to follow; the One whom you were banking your entire future upon - violently executed upon a Roman cross. Now ... against all reason and against all hope this dead Messiah was now alive and standing before you. Could it be? Or was it indeed "too good to be true?" (for as you have been taught ...  if something is too good to be true it probably is!). So in spite of seeing Jesus alive and well - you just might find it hard to believe. Yes?

Jesus, knowing this to be their situation, wanted to leave no doubts in their minds that he was indeed alive! One day, you and I will not have to imagine seeing the risen Jesus. We will see him ... body and all!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

Improved Vision

Week 16, Day 2 Reading: Mark 16:1-20

Mark 16:8   “Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid…”

Sometimes when I study the Bible, I close my eyes and imagine myself “in the scene” taking part in the events of the passage I am reading. This practice brings the Scripture to life and it helps the words penetrate my often-hurried heart.  When I come to a passage like this one in Mark, it gets exciting – can you imagine being a witness to the Resurrection?

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome came to the tomb, saw that it was empty, and talked with an angel who announced, “He has Risen. He is not here!”

 The next day, Jesus himself appeared to Mary Magdalene and, later, to two other followers. All three witnesses ran back to the disciples and breathlessly reported what they had seen. They were amazed! They jumped to their feet and the whole group began singing and praising God! Well…not exactly. The Bible records their response in two short indictments.

 “They were afraid” (vs. 8)

“They did not believe.” (vss. 11, 13)

Ouch! This is where I’d like to take myself out of the scene, but I can’t. Too often, I’m the skeptic. I’m the one who stays silent with fear or disbelief, even when God has kept His promises, answered my prayers, or demonstrated His power in a miraculous way! Lord, improve my vision. Fill me with faith and belief so I can overflow with the story of your greatness to others. 

Written by guest blogger, Holly Wismer 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

Fear Not!

Week 16, Day 1 Reading: Matthew 28:1-20

The whole of this chapter is about the resurrection of the Jesus.  Matthew 28:1-10 describes Christ’s resurrection and appearance to the women. Matthew 28:11-15 speaks to the confession of the soldiers. Matthew 28:16-20 contains Christ's commission to his disciples.

The word “fear” is used several times in this passage.

There was an earthquake and an angel of the Lord rolled the stone away.  Jesus did not need the power of angels to roll away the stone so He could ascend to heaven. This was more for the benefit of the women to see that Jesus was gone and for the angels of the Lord to provide instruction. It was also for the benefit of his enemies as the guards “shook” for fear and became like dead men.

Just imagine going to see the grave of a loved one and seeing the dirt removed, coffin open, body gone and clothes remaining all neat and tidy. This is exactly what the women saw as the angel of the Lord invited them into the tomb to show them that Jesus followed through with what he said he was going to do. The angels encouraged the women to put their fear away and to go and tell the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee.

It was a different story for the guards who feared for their lives because they somehow missed what they must have thought was the theft of Jesus’ body his disciples. Some of the guards got up the courage to go and meet with the chief priests who needed to come up with an alternate story, and used bribery to squelch the truth. They were fearful of what was true.

As we seek to grasp the importance of the “Resurrected” Jesus we need to ask: Do I fear Jesus’ return? Or…Am I excited about Jesus’ return? I pray today and everyday: Jesus please come now!

Written by guest blogger: Don Mills

Thanks for stopping by . . . 

pj

An Eleventh Hour Conversion!

Week 15, Day 5 Reading: Luke 23:26-56

Luke 23:39-43  One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

If one ever needed an illustration of the truth that we are saved "by grace ... through faith ... and not a result of works" (Ephesians 2:8-9), this is it! If this criminal's eternal destination was dependent upon piling up enough good deeds to outweigh the bad, he had run out of time! Yet, he did not give up hope. He did the only thing he could do. In faith, he reached out to Jesus. And Jesus responded with the promise of eternal life! 

Wow! I am so glad this interaction is included in Luke's gospel. All of the other three gospels mention these two who were crucified with Jesus. Matthew and Mark point out that both of these convicts reviled and blasphemed Jesus. But only Luke contains this plea for forgiveness from the repentant thief (whose heart was changed while hanging on his cross). 

Perhaps you look at your life and you see a lot of baggage. You wonder if God could every forgive you for some of the horrible things you have done. Take hope, my friend. If God could forgive a hardened criminal who deserved to die when he reached out in sincere and genuine faith and repentance .... he will certainly forgive you as well! Confess your sin today and ask him for the forgiveness that only Jesus can offer and the new life that only he can give! 

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj

The Innocent Condemned

Week 15, Day 4 Reading: Luke 22:66-23:25

Luke 23:22-23 “For the third time he (Pilot) demanded, ‘Why?  What crime has he committed?  I have found no reason to sentence him (Jesus) to death…’  But the crowd shouted louder and louder for Jesus’ death, and their voices prevailed.”  (NLT)

    

Have you ever set out to do good only to have your efforts become the target of character assassination, misunderstanding and mistreatment?  That happened recently to a friend of mine who, in an attempt to help  one person out, was accused by another of impure motives, unprofessionalism and backstabbing.  My friend has endured a great deal of hurt and stress as a result of the situation.  But as much as my friend has unjustifiably suffered, it is NOTHING compared to the anguish that Jesus suffered at the hands of his own people. 
   
Because of His great love, Jesus, the perfect, sinless, Son of God, laid aside His power and position in Heaven to come to earth to save and redeem mankind – you and me!  However, the very people who should have recognized Him and embraced Him, falsely accused Him, questioned His motives and ridiculed His methods of ministry.  These people eventually went to the extreme of having Jesus put to death by crucifixion.  Jesus-- the innocent, was condemned.
   
As I meditated on the reading for today, I was struck by the fact that the people who should have embraced Jesus and defended His innocence did not while those who you would have expected to condemn Him, found no fault in Him.  Sadly, I believe that is still happening today.  How often do we who have experienced His grace and salvation – who should know better – question His motives and methods in our own lives.  How many times when we are facing some difficulty in our lives, do we question God’s love for us or His wisdom and ways of working out His plan in our lives?   Sobering to think about…
  
The good news is that Jesus understands our weaknesses and He loves us anyway.  He is faithful even when we are not.  Today I am praising my Lord that He willingly endured unjust condemnation so that in Him, I can have abundant life!  

Written by guest blogger: Patty Deiter 

Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj