“He Ascended into Heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”

MONDAY, JULY 26 <Acts 1:1-11>                                                                                                      

After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid Him from their sight.                                 Acts 1:9

Many men (if they are honest) might say that when they got married, they married “up.”  In saying this, they would not be describing a physical place, but a state of being that is higher than they were before they were married.  This is a helpful analogy when we talk about going to heaven.  Heaven (though very real) is not exactly a place in the same way the moon or a town is a place.  It is a state of being fully in God’s presence.”  J.I. Packer tells us that “’Heaven,’ in the Bible, means three things: 1. The endless, self-sustaining life of God. In this sense, God has always dwelt “in heaven,” even when there was no earth. 2. The state of angels or men as they share the life of God, whether in foretaste now or in fullness hereafter.  In this sense, the Christian’s reward, treasure and inheritance are all “in heaven” and heaven is shorthand for the Christian’s final hope.  3. The sky, which, being above us and more like infinity than anything else we know, is an emblem in space and time of God’s eternal life….”^[1]  When the Bible and Creed proclaim that Jesus ascended into heaven, they do not mean Jesus got on the cosmic elevator “up,” they mean that Jesus entered (for Him, re-entered) a life unrestricted by anything created, a life lived in the direct presence of the Father.  It means the same for us.  “Going up” to heaven means most of all, a change of life, moving from a life that is limited (often painful and sinful) to the endless, righteous, joyous, amazing life in God’s presence.  

Prayer: Lord, give me a real sense of anticipation of my life to come, not to diminish this life, but in knowing the joy that is to come, I will have strength to live well and faithfully now.  Amen.

TUESDAY, JULY 27 <Philippians 2:1-11>

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name….              Philippians 2:9                                  

Young people today often use the phrase, “You (he, she, it) rule!”  They mean that a person or a thing is the greatest!   In a world that is full of evil, disease, war, selfishness, etc.; in a world that seems to be in the firm hand of an evil power; if we acknowledge Jesus’ Kingship at all.  We think of Jesus’ like the King or Queen of England, a title with no real power.  The message of the Ascension is that Jesus rules!  He has “moved up” and sits at the Father’s right hand, exalted to a condition of supreme dignity and power, ruling everything in heaven and earth in the name of the Father.  He is no paper King, but the real King with all the power and authority of God.  As JI Packer puts it, “…Christ really rules it, that He has won a decisive victory over the dark powers that had mastered it and that the manifesting of this fact is only a matter of time.  God’s war with Satan is now like a chess game in which the result is sure but the losing player has not yet given up, or like the last phase of human hostilities in which the defeated enemy’s counterattacks, though fierce and frequent, cannot succeed, and are embraced in the victor’s strategy as mere mopping-up operations.”^[2]  So often, we live as though the enemy is winning. What difference might it make if we lived according to the truth that our Lord has already won and is in charge?

Prayer: Lord, give me eyes to see what you are doing all over the world and in my own life and community that show that you are working and winning.  Give me the confidence that comes from serving you, my King and Lord.  Amen.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 28 <Matthew 24>                                                                                                           

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.            Matthew 24:36

There is the story of a little boy, after hearing about some trouble going on in the world, was heard to pray one night:  “God, I don’t know if you are listening, but if you are, you had better do something quick.”   This, in a nutshell, was the attitude of many in Jesus’ time.  They had grown weary of being ruled by foreigners and longed for the promised Messiah to come, to drive out the oppressors, right the wrongs and set up His Kingdom among them.  The same is true today.  We grow tired of seeing all the evil in the world and we long for God to send Jesus to make everything right.  When is Jesus coming back? The best answer is that only the Father knows and all the prediction and speculations do little good in the end.  What we do know is that He IS coming.  He said so and that should be enough for us.  Our job is first and foremost to trust that the Lord has a timeline and a purpose which He will bring to completion in His good time.  In the meantime we are to wait, not in the sense of doing nothing, but in the sense of anticipation.  In the end we will meet the Lord through the door of death or at the very end of history.  It does not matter which one.  What does matter is that we keep praying, keep faithful and keep working.

Prayer: Lord, help me not to get wrapped up in predictions of when You will come; just the confidence to know that You are and to live as well as I can for You until the time comes for me to go.  Amen.

THURSDAY, JULY 29 <1 Corinthians 15:35-58>

…in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.                                                                                         1 Corinthians 15:52

Once again, J.I. Packer writes: “Nowhere does the strength of the Creed as a charter for life come out more clearly.  In today’s world, pessimism prevails because people lack hope.  They foresee only the bomb, or bankruptcy, or a weary old age—nothing worthwhile.  Communists and Jehovah’s Witnesses attract followers by offering bright hopes of heaven on earth—following the Revolution in one case, Armageddon in the other; but Christians have a hope that outshines both—the hope of which Bunyan’s Mr. Stand-fast said, ‘the thoughts of what I am going to … lie as a glowing Coal at my Heart.’ The Creed highlights this hope when it declares: ‘He shall come.’  In one sense, Christ comes for every Christian at death, but the Creed looks to the day when He will come publicly to wind up history and judge all men—Christians as Christians, accepted already, whom a ‘blood-bought free reward’ awaits according to the faithfulness of their service; rebels as rebels, to be rejected by the Master whom they rejected first.  The judgments of Jesus, ‘the righteous judge’ (2 Timothy 4:8; compare Romans 2:5–11), will raise no moral problems.”^[3]

Prayer: Lord, give me a sense of real optimism, not the kind that comes from a drummed up power of positive thinking, but the real thing that knows you are ruling powerfully now and will come on day to make all things new and right.  Amen.

FRIDAY, JULY 30 <2 Corinthians 5:1-10>                                                                                            

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.                                                                                                        2 Corinthians 5: 10

Max Lucado tells about two castle builders.  One castle builder is on the beach.  He is a young boy.  With his bucket, shovel and other beach tools, he builds his castle of towers, walls, and ramparts.  On another side of town there is another castle builder.  He is a man.  He is building walls of assets: stocks, bonds, property; towers of memberships in the right places–towers of privilege and prestige; ramparts comfort–of vacations and trips and second homes.  The boy on the beach knows that his castle will not last.  His wonderful creation will only last a day until the tide comes with one great final wave and washes it all away.  Though this may make him a little sad, it does not really.   He is ready for it and when the time comes, he will take his father’s hand and go home.  However the man building the other castle is different.  For most of his time constructing, he had put the end out of his mind.  He did not or would not think of it, and he suffered the illusion that his castle would protect him somehow.  Now as he sees the end, his fear grows daily and he has no answers. The Bible tells us that though we are saved in Christ, we will still be judged for what we did with the salvation and the gifts we had been given.  Did we live for ourselves?  Did we build our own castles?  Or did we live for the Lord and His kingdom and trust that God is building something for us that will last for an eternity?  What kind of Castle are you building?                                                                                             

Prayer: Lord, help me never put my trust in the things or accolades of this world.  Help me be ready to take your hand when the time comes, bidding good-bye to temporary things and receiving the eternal things you have made for me.  Amen.                                                                                                              

^[2]Packer, J. I.: Growing in Christ. Wheaton, Ill. : Crossway Books, 1996, c1994, S. 63

^[3]Packer, J. I.: Growing in Christ. Wheaton, Ill. : Crossway Books, 1996, c1994, S. 67

“He Descended Into Hell, The Third Day He Rose Again From The Dead.”

 MONDAY, JULY 19 <Read Romans 5:1-20>

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned….                                                                                                                Romans 5:12

Why do people die? It is an age old question, and the truth is we do not always know why a particular person dies at a particular time. But the Bible gives a straight forward about why we will all die sometime. Death, both spiritual (separation from God) and physical (separation from life), came as the result of the disobedience of our first parents. Because they sinned and we all sin after them, we all die. Death was never part of the original natural processes. It was God’s judgment, an intruder, which came as a result of sin. The good news is that God did not leave us in our predicament. First, he dealt with spiritual problem by taking the penalty for sin upon himself. This is what the Jesus’ suffering and death on cross was all about. Through it, we are forgiven and we are reconciled to God. Then, God dealt with the problem of physical death by raising Jesus. Jesus is the “first” of many who will follow him. Though our current bodies do die, Jesus’ own resurrection has transformed death into a doorway to a new and eternal life. Yes, life is very hard and painful sometimes, but we know who wins in the end. It is the Lord, we are his, and that is enough.

Prayer: Lord, you have dealt with me both inside and out, forgiveness, reconciliation and a new life now and a new body which is to come. Thank you Lord for all that you have done and will do! Praise be to your name both now and forever. Amen

TUESDAY, JULY 20 <Read Acts 2:22-41>

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.                                                                     Acts 2: 26-27

If you have ever hiked in mountains or back country, you know the importance of a good map or a compass. Even more important, if the place is very remote, is a guide, someone who has been there before, knows the place and can guide you through. This is the sense of what the Creed is saying when it affirms that Jesus “descended into hell.” The word “hell” as it is used in the Creed it is very confusing for modern readers. That is the meaning of the word has changed since the English form of the Creed was fixed. Originally, “hell” meant simply the place of the departed, the place of the dead, corresponding to the Greek Hades and the Hebrew Sheol.  However, since the seventeenth century “hell” has been used to signify only the state of final retribution for the godless, for which the New Testament name is Gehenna. What the Creed means, however, is that Jesus entered, not Gehenna, but Hades or Sheol.  In other words, Jesus entered the place of the dead. He really died, and that it was from a genuine death, not a pretend one (as some have suggested throughout history), that he rose again. That’s important, not only because his real death paid a price we could not pay, but because we know that Jesus walked the path we all will walk one day. He has been there before us, will be there when we go and will guide us through.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for leading me. What a blessed thought! Thank you too that one day you will lead me through the darkest place and I will come out into your glorious light and life. Amen.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 21 <Read John 14>

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.                                                                                                                                                            John 14:3

Soren Kierkegaard tells a story about a father and his young daughter who were trapped in the second story of a burning house. The father opened a bedroom window and jumped to safety. He called to his daughter and said, “Honey, Go ahead and jump. I’ll catch you!” “But Daddy, I can’t see you!” She replied. “Don’t worry darling,” he said. “I can see you. Trust me!” As Christians, we believe that the Jesus is alive, and because we know him as Savior, Lord, and Friend, we find a way through all life’s challenges, dying included. Having gone before us and experienced death himself, he will be with us when our time comes, and carry us through to the life beyond death into which he himself has passed. Apart from the Lord, death is the greatest of terrors, but with Christ death loses the “sting,” the power to hurt. When the Creed says that Jesus descended into “hell,” more than anything else it means that Jesus has gone through death and transformed it, and now we can face death knowing that when it comes we shall not find ourselves alone. He has been there before us, and he will guide us through. We may be fearful and blind, but we will hear his voice and take his hand. That will be enough.

Prayer: Lord, help me to trust you always, particularly in the times danger and fear threaten to envelop me. Help me to “jump” into your loving arms and remember that you see me even when I cannot see you. Amen.

THURSDAY, JULY 22 <Read 1 Corinthians 15>

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  1 Corinthians 15:17

Suppose that Jesus, having died on the cross, had stayed dead. Suppose that, like Socrates or Confucius or Gandhi, Jesus was now no more than a memory. We should still have his example and teaching; wouldn’t they be enough?  The answer is a resounding “no!” Both the cross and the resurrection are necessary parts of one work of salvation in which God achieved the victory over both sin and death. Through the cross, Jesus won our forgiveness once for all and reconciled us to God. Like an army that has won the day on the battlefield, but then receives the sword or the signature of surrender of the opposing Commander making the victory official, the resurrection completed victory won on the cross. J.I. Packer puts it this way: “What is the significance of Jesus’ rising? In a word, it marked Jesus out as Son of God (Romans 1:4); it vindicated his righteousness (John 16:10); it demonstrated victory over death (Acts 2:24); it guaranteed the believer’s forgiveness and justification (1 Corinthians 15:17; Romans 4:25), and his own future resurrection too (1 Corinthians 15:18); and it brings him into the reality of resurrection life now (Romans 6:4). Marvelous! You could speak of Jesus’ rising as the most hopeful—hope-full thing that has ever happened—and you would be right!”^[1]

Prayer: Lord, help me to never doubt that Jesus’ death for me was a real event and even more that the resurrection is a certainty awaiting me when the time comes. Amen.

FRIDAY, JULY 23 <Read Psalm 23>

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.                                                                 Psalm 23:4

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse was one of America’s great preachers. The story is told how his first wife died from cancer when she was in her thirties, leaving three children under the age of twelve. What does a father tell his motherless children at a time like that? On his way to the service, he was driving with his little family when a large truck passed them on the highway, casting a shadow over their car. Barnhouse turned to his oldest daughter who was staring disconsolately out the window, and asked, “Tell me, sweetheart, would you rather be run over by that truck or its shadow?” The little girl said, “By the shadow, I guess. It can’t hurt you.” Dr. Barnhouse said: “Your mother has not been overrun by death, but by the shadow of death. That is nothing to fear.” At the funeral he used the text from the Twenty-third Psalm, which so eloquently expresses this truth. The great truth for Christians is that death is longer the end. It is like when we get struck in the stomach and the breath is knocked out of us. It still takes our breath away and still hurts, but it no longer can do permanent harm. It has lost its sting, its claw, its tooth. We need not fear.

Prayer: Lord, help me not to fear the end, but look forward to it. For you have promised to be with me both now and forever. And I do so look forward to seeing you and the life to come and the glory of it all!  Amen.

“Who Was Conceived By the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered Under Pontius Pilate…”

MONDAY, JULY 5 <Read Luke 1:26-56>

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”  Luke 1:34

Everyone has doubts. Even Mary herself had doubts when she heard the angel’s declaration that she would have a child apart from a man. However Mary had something very powerful which helped her overcome her doubts.  She believed in the God of the Bible, the God who created the heavens and the earth, the God who could do anything. She knew the “who,” and once the “how” was explained, she had no issue with the fact that a virgin birth could and would take place through her. Though the fact defied her normal human thinking, because God was Almighty for her, it was quite reasonable to believe it could be true. For the last century or so, doubts about Jesus’ virgin birth have been present both in and out of the church. At heart such doubts really find their foundation in doubts about God Himself. If one has doubts about God’s existence or power, or if one believes God is distant or not actively involved in the world or that God is simply part of the natural world, then any idea of God overturning the natural processes (aka miracles) would be very hard to swallow indeed. If one believes that God is the One who made the heavens and the earth in every detail, that God is a being of unimaginable intelligence and power, then there should be little difficulty with a virgin birth or even the resurrection from the dead. In other words, once we know the “who;” the “how” is not so hard.

Prayer: O Lord my God!  When I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands made. I see the stars; I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee: How great Thou art. How great Thou art! Amen. (Verse 1, How Great Thou Art, Hymns for the Family of God, #2)

TUESDAY, JULY 6 <Read Romans 5:1-20>

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin.  Hebrews 4:15

The Bible proclaims that our human nature is tainted. Like a shirt or a pair of pants in which an ink pen has been left open in a pocket, the stain is there and will never come out no matter how much we try to wash it. Theologians call this stain original sin, not meaning the first sin of Adam, but the result of his sin, the congenital defects of selfishness, pride, envy, rebellion, etc. with which we are all born. The Bible says that this stain is handed down through Adam, with whom God had made a covenant, and which Adam, representing the entire human race, eventually broke through his disobedience. To right this wrong required the actions of another man, a new representative, fully human, yet untainted and righteous. To right this wrong required a man who could represent us, yet one more than a man who had the power to obey. The virgin birth was much more than just an entrance miracle; it presented Jesus as the one who would make things right again. First, it confirmed that Jesus, “though not less than man, was more than man. His earthly life, though fully human, was also divine.” Just as important, the virgin birth “indicates Jesus’ freedom from sin. Virgin-born, He did not inherit the guilty twist called original sin: His manhood was untainted, and His acts, attitudes, motives, and desires were consequently faultless.” 

Prayer: Silent Night! Holy night! Son of God, love’s pure Light Radiant beams from Thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.” Amen. (Verse 3, Silent Night! Holy Night! , The Hymnbook, #154)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 7 <Read Isaiah 53:1-12>

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  1 Corinthians 1: 18

Imagine members of a political party, social organization, or a group of philosophers constantly repeating that their founder was put to death by the government as a threat to law and order! Imagine also that group decorating their buildings with electric chairs or wearing hangman’s ropes as earrings or jewelry pins. Yet, this is what Christians do with the cross. To say, as the Creed does, that Jesus “was crucified,” is like saying Jesus went to the electric chair. With this in mind, one can understand why Paul spoke of the cross being a stumbling block to many (Galatians 5:11) in his day and why the cross is still offensive to many yet today. The cross reminds us that our sin is offensive to a Holy God and the high price He paid to wipe our slate clean. It also serves as an opportunity to explain why the cross of Jesus is the centerpiece of Christianity (and therefore the Creed as well). The cross speaks to the need of human beings to be forgiven of their sins and most of all, the provision for that forgiveness is the love of God that would give up His own Son for us. It is quite a story we have to tell. How are you doing at telling it?

Prayer: What language shall I borrow To thank Thee dearest Friend, For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end? O make me Thine forever; And should I fainting be, Lord let me never, never Outlive my love to Thee. Amen. (Verse 3, O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, The Hymnbook #194.)

THURSDAY, JULY 8 <Read Matthew 16:13-28>

This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.  Acts 2:23

Who killed Jesus? Some, even in the church, have blamed the Jews and this had led to unjust and wicked persecution. The answer is that everyone had a hand in it: the Jewish leaders who plotted against Jesus; the crowds (made up of people from all over the world) who were either indifferent or clamoring for Barabbas; and the Romans who carried out the execution because Pilate thought it expedient were all guilty. Even more, we must not forget ourselves. We too are guilty because our sin made Jesus’ death necessary. There is a real sense that the voices that cried out Jesus’ crucifixion and the hands that drove in the nails were ours. Ultimately, it was all part of God’s purpose to pronounce judgment on sin, for the sake of mercy to sinners. Jesus sacrifice on the cross reminds us of God’s amazing power. He is able to take the worst of human sin and injustice and use it to carry out His own divine justice. Therefore, we should never lose hope no matter what happens. It also reminds us that Jesus’ death was a voluntary assignment. No one killed Jesus without his own consent. He loved us that much!

Prayer: Just as I am, Thou wilt receive, Wilt welcome, pardon cleanse relieve; Because of Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come I come! Amen. (Verse 4, Just as I Am, Without One Plea, The Hymnbook, #272)

FRIDAY, JULY 9 <Read Romans 8>

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  1John 4:10                                                                                                                                                                          

“Here we reach the real heart-the heart of the heart, we may say-of Christianity; for if the incarnation is its shrine, the Atonement is certainly its holy of holies….The reason why the Son of God became man was to shed His blood….God ‘did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all’ (Romans 8:32): that was the measure of His love (cf. 5:5-8). The cross of Christ has many facets of meaning. As our sacrifice for sins, it was propitiation (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2, 4:10; cf. Hebrews 2:17); that is, a means of quenching God’s personal penal wrath against us by blotting out our sins from His sight.  As our propitiation, it was reconciliation, the making of peace for us with our offended, estranged, angry Creator (Romans 5:9-11)….Again, as our reconciliation, the cross was redemption, rescue from bondage and misery by the payment of a price (Ephesians 1:7; Romans 3:24; Revelation 5:9); and as redemption, it was victory over all hostile powers that had kept us, and still wanted to keep us, in sin and out of God’s favor (Colossians 2:13-15).…”The Son of God … loved me, and gave Himself for me”; so “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:20; 6:14, KJV). So said Paul. Thank God, I can identify. Can you?”  

Prayer: “Forbid it Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God: All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.” Amen. (Verse 2, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, The Hymnbook. #198)

“AND IN JESUS CHRIST HIS ONLY SON OUR LORD”

MONDAY, JUNE 28  <Read Acts 2:22-36>

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Matthew 16:16

“Christ” is the Greek word for Messiah (literally, “the anointed one”). It is not a surname (as many seem to think today); it is an “office-title,” identifying Jesus as God’s appointed savior-king for whom the Jews had long been waiting. The Messiah was expected to set up God’s reign and be hailed as the Lord and King throughout the world. To call Jesus the Christ is to claim for Him a decisive place in history and a universal dominion, which all human beings everywhere must acknowledge. Also, “to call Jesus the Christ expresses Jesus’ fulfillment of all three ministries for which men were anointed in Old Testament times, prophet, priest and king and at the same time shows God’s provision for our need. First, as sinners we are ignorant of God and need instruction—a prophet who not only tells us about God and His will through words, but in Himself. Second, we are estranged from him and need reconciliation—otherwise we shall end up unaccepted, unforgiven, and unblessed. We need a priest to provide forgiveness, which Jesus did once for all through His own sacrifice. Third, we are weak, blind, and foolish when it comes to the business of living for God, and we need someone to guide, protect, and strengthen us—which is what Jesus as King does for us. . In declaring that Jesus is the Christ, we declare that in the person and ministry of this one man, Jesus Christ, this threefold need is perfectly met!”^[1]

Prayer:  Thank you Lord for meeting my needs; providing Your word that I may know how to live; the sacrifice that I may be forgiven once for all and your rule, that I may be comforted in always knowing Who is in charge. Amen.

TUESDAY, JUNE 29  <Read Hebrews 1> 

…that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son, does not honor the Father who sent him.  John 5:23

The terminology of Sonship can be difficult for us because being a “son” means simply being another human being with a human father. However, when Jesus referred to himself as God’s Son, He was claiming deity. The people of His time understood this and at times took up stones to kill him because he was “making himself equal with God” (John 5:18).  When we affirm that Jesus is the Son of God, we first affirm the wonderful truth that He was God in the Flesh, God born into the world as a human being (“Joy to the World! The Lord has come!”). We affirm that in Jesus we see and know God Himself, and we affirm that Jesus accomplished things only God could accomplish. At the same time, when we confess Jesus is God’s Son we are standing against the denials of Jesus’ deity that one finds throughout history; from the ancient Arians, to the modern Unitarians, various cults and much of theological liberalism. Jesus was not just a God-inspired good man, more aware of God than the rest of us (liberalism), nor was he a super-angel, first and finest of all creatures (Jehovah’s Witnesses).

Prayer: Lord, help me to recognize the various falsehoods about you when I hear them. Protect me from these things and help me to stand firm in the truth of Who You are and what You have done for me. Amen.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30  <Read Colossians 1: 11-23>                                                                                                                   

 …and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”   Matthew 3:17

One of the great mysteries of our faith is that Jesus is not only God’s Son historically, that is, He was born a child of Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit, but somehow there is also a Father-Son relationship between the First and Second Person of the Trinity. Jesus himself talked this way. He called God “my Father,” and himself “the Son.” He spoke of an eternal Father-Son relation, into which he had come to bring others. “No one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him” (Matthew 11:27).  All of this does not mean that the Son originated after the Father, or is in Himself less than the Father.  He is in Himself divine and eternal, and is not a created being. At the same time, Jesus says that He, the Son, lives His life in dependence on the Father, because that is His nature (John 6:57) and He loves the Father.  On the other side, the Father loves the Son.  When you hear a young man introduced as “my only son” you know he is the apple of his father’s eye. When the Creed calls Jesus God’s “only Son” the idea is the same. Jesus enjoys his Father’s dearest love, and through Him, we do too.

Prayer: Though I do not fully comprehend it Lord, I thank you for the love between the Father and the Son and most of all for the invitation to become a part of the family and take part in that love. Amen.

THURSDAY, JULY 1   <Read John 1-16>                                                                                                          

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.   John 1:14

When it comes to Jesus, the mysteries just keep coming. God the Son in relation to God the Father (or how the First Person of the Trinity relates to the Second), not to mentions things we will discuss in the next weeks—the Virgin Birth, His resurrection, ascension and return. We also affirm one of the greatest mysteries, that Jesus was both “fully God and fully human,” one person in two natures.  This is the formula for the incarnation, and in a sense, sounds simple.  But, J.I. Packer points out: “the thing itself is unfathomable.”  He goes on to say, “It is easy to shoot down the ancient heresies that the Son took a human body without a human soul, or that he was always two persons under one skin, and with them the modern heresy that the ‘enfleshing’ of the Son was merely a special case of the indwelling of the Spirit, so that Jesus was not God, but merely a God-filled man—but to grasp what the incarnation was in positive terms is beyond us. Don’t worry, though; you do not need to know how God became man in order to know Christ! Understand it or not, the fact remains that “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14); it was the supreme, mind–blowing miracle; love prompted it; and our part is not to speculate about it and scale it down, but to wonder and adore and love and exalt “’Jesus Christ … the same yesterday and today and forever’” (Hebrews 13:8).^[2]

Prayer: May the mysteries about You that I do not fully comprehend draw me to You and not away. May I see them in terms of Your love for me and not my own doubts and fears. Amen.

FRIDAY, JULY 2  <Read Romans 10:9-10; Colossians 2:6-23>

Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2:9-11

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian who was executed by Hitler during World War II. Years later, one of his students recalled the last classroom session he had with his teacher. Bonhoeffer, knowing his arrest was imminent, asked his students a question that took them by surprise: He asked them if they loved Jesus. This is not the typical question one hears in a seminary classroom. Usually the classroom is reserved for more academic questions.  But Bonhoeffer knew this was the heart of life. This is the question that stands above all others. Do you love Jesus?  Jesus turned to his disciples and asked them, “Who do people say that I am?”  It was Simon Peter who gave the answer that has resonated through the ages: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Is that the answer you would have given? Does it make a difference? Do you love Jesus?  All of heaven and earth depend on how each of us answers that question.  

Prayer: Thank you Lord for loving me long before I ever knew you. May I truly believe and confess all that the Creed says about you, but I never forget that the greatest confession is love. Help me to love you most of all. Amen.                                                                                                                             

^[2]Packer, J. I.: Growing in Christ. Wheaton, Ill. : Crossway Books, 1996, c1994, S. 44

“Maker of Heaven and Earth”

 MONDAY, JUNE 21  <Read Genesis 1 and 2>

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  <Read Psalm 8: 9>

The Creation story in Genesis is most concerned that we know who the Creator is and does not tell us much about how things were created.  Today, the “scientific” preoccupation is just the opposite.  It is with “how” things work and came to be and there is no interest (at least publically) in who is responsible for it all.  For us as Christians, it seems so very strange that so much of the world today spends billions in time, effort and money to know Nature, ignoring what matters most, namely, Nature’s Creator.  Scientific answers to how nature and the universe work are very important and indeed wondrous, but for us these answers must inevitably be to the One who made it all.  To strive to learn how the watch works without seeking to know the watchmaker misses the point.  It is like sitting down to a meal and eating only the salad and leaving the rest; or starting a race and quitting in the middle.

Lord, You have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.  Amen.  Psalm 90

 TUESDAY, JUNE 22  <Read Psalm 104>   

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.  Revelation 4: 11

J.I. Packer writes: “The message of Genesis 1 and 2 is this: ‘You have seen the sea, the sky, the sun, moon and stars?  You have watched the birds and the fish?  You have observed the landscape, the vegetation, the animals, the insects, all the big things and little things together?  You have marveled at the wonderful complexity of human beings, with all their powers and skills, and the deep feelings of fascination, attraction, and affection that men and women arouse in each other?  Fantastic, isn’t it?  Well now, meet the One who is behind it all!’  As if to say: now that you have enjoyed these works of art, you must shake hands with the artist; since you were thrilled by the music, we will introduce you to the composer.  It was to show us the Creator rather than the creation, and to teach us knowledge of God rather than physical science, that Genesis 1 and 2…were written.”^[1]  The wonders of nature speak volumes about the artist, His creativity and sense of beauty as well as providence, power and character.  The purpose of the Biblical stories is that our knowledge of nature leads us to a personal knowledge of the Creator; which, in the end should lead us to worship; not of nature itself, but of the One who created and sustains it all. 

Prayer: You, my Most High Lord, are awesome; You are the great King over all the earth and my King! I will proclaim Your praise. For You, my God, reign over the nations; You are seated on Your holy throne.   Amen  Psalm 47: 2, 7–8

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23  <Read Job 38-42>

Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of his pasture.  Psalm 100: 3

A great Professor was famous for drawing two circles on a blackboard, one very large circle and one very small separate circle below it.  The large circle represented the Creator.  The small circle represented the creation (us).  It was important to see that though the creation reflects the Creator, it is absolutely separate from it.  The Creator, Himself, is infinitely bigger and more powerful than the creation.  These circles illustrate “the Creator-creature distinction,” which is basic to understanding the Biblical view of God’s relationship to His creation and to human beings.  First, this distinction stops the misunderstanding of ourselves. Human beings are not our own makers, so we may not think of ourselves as our own masters.  God’s claim upon us as Lord is the first fact of life that we must face.  Unless, we come to grips with that, we never truly find meaning, purpose or even happiness.  We need a healthy sense of our creaturehood to keep us on track with God and therefore our whole lives.

Prayer: I will remember Your works Lord; Surely, I will remember Your wonders of long ago. I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. Amen.  Psalm 77

 THURSDAY, JUNE 24  <Read Colossians 2>

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it….  Psalm 24:1

Second, the Creator-creature distinction stops misunderstanding of the world.  Some think the world came into existence through natural processes, essentially by chance.  The Bible asserts first, that the world exists by the will and power of its Maker and it history is His-story.  Therefore, the world exists in its present stable state by the will and power of its Maker and no asteroid or act of man will end it end unless its Maker wills it. Third, it is His world and we are not its owners, free to do as we like with it.  We are its stewards and answerable to Him for the way we handle its resources. Fourth, since it is His world, we must not depreciate it.  Many, including some Christians, believe that the physical world is somehow evil, and therefore to be refused and ignored as far as possible.  “The creation, being made by God, was and is good in His eyes (Genesis 1:31), and so should be so in ours (1 Timothy 4:4).  We serve God by using and enjoying temporal things gratefully, with a sense of their value to Him, their Maker, and of His generosity in giving them to us.^[2]

Prayer: Lord, You have made the stars and galaxies; You turn deep darkness into morning and darkens day into night; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the earth—the Lord is Your name. Amen!  Amos 5 

FRIDAY, JUNE 25  <Read Isaiah 40>

Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the right way?  Who was it that taught Him knowledge or showed Him the path of understanding?  Isaiah 40: 14

The Creator-creature distinction reminds us that God transcends the creation.  He is its Maker and though the creation reflects His personality and power, He is not part of it nor it a part of Him.  In the same way, we are made in His image, not Him in ours.  God does exist by our will and for our pleasure.  As creatures we are limited; we cannot know everything at once, nor be present everywhere, nor do all we should like to do, nor continue unchanged through the years.  However, our God is not limited in these ways. Therefore, we find Him incomprehensible—not making no sense, but exceeding our grasp.  Since the beginning, men have attempted to bring God down to our level, thus attempting take away God’s power over our lives and thoughts.  We do well to remember who God is and our place before Him.  We can no more take His measure than our dogs and cats can take our measure.  We must learn to be self-critical in our thinking about God.

Prayer: I know that my Redeemer lives and in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; whom I myself will see and behold with my own eyes and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Amen.  Job 19 

^[2]Packer, J. I.: Growing in Christ. Wheaton, Ill. : Crossway Books, 1996, c1994, S. 37

“The Father Almighty”

MONDAY, JUNE 14  <Read Romans 8:1-17>

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent,  nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.  John 1:12-13

When the Bible and the Creed call God Father, it has nothing to do with gender in the human sense. It points to the fact that our God (Yahweh) is the Creator of all things, and that we and all things besides depend on Him for our existence at every moment. It also points to the relationship within the eternal Trinity, where there is a family relation of Father and Son. On earth, the Son called the One whom he served “my Father” and prayed to him as Abba—the Aramaic equivalent of Daddy. A third reason why God is Father has to do with our adoption into God’s family. When we confess Christ as Lord and Savior, God adopts us as His children and gives us the right, with Jesus, to call God “Daddy.” When we join with fellow members of the family in saying the first part of the Creed, we confess our Creator as both the Father of our Lord and our own Father through Him—a Father who now loves us no less than He loves his only begotten Son.

Prayer: “Be Thou my Wisdom and Thou my true word; I ever with Thee and Thou with me Lord; Thou my great Father, I Thy true son; Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one”  Amen (Verse 2, Be thou My Vision, Hymns for the Family of God, # 468)

TUESDAY, JUNE 15  <Read Galatians 3:23-29 >                    

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  Genesis 1:27

Commenting on Genesis 1:27, a professor of mine once remarked that: “A woman reflects God’s image in a way I cannot because she is female, and I reflect God’s image in a way she cannot because I am male.” We must always remember that God is Spirit and does not have gender in the same sense we do. At the same time, as male and female human beings we are made in God’s image and BOTH our masculinity and our femininity somehow reflects who God is. This is a profound truth worthy of more contemplation as we consider who God is and who we are as His creatures. In recent times, much emphasis has been made on using “gender neutral” language about God in order not offend. Though the intent is good, in the end it is a misguided effort. First, it has the effect of making God an “it,” neutral and less personal, and God is anything but neutral or impersonal. Even more off course, it makes the discussion mostly about us, our needs and what offends us and less about who God is and how He has revealed Himself. It should always be the other way around. Calling God Father affirms His self revelation in the Scripture itself, and proclaims God as the Person who made us, provides for us, and who loves us.

Prayer: “Now thank we all our God With hearts and hands and voices, Who wondrous things has done, In whom His world rejoices; Who, from our mothers’ arms, Hath blessed us on our way With countless gifts of love, And still is ours today.”  Amen (Verse 1, Now Thank We All Our God, Hymns for the Family of God, # 525)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16  <Read Romans 8:17-39>

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty! Walk before me and be blameless.”  Genesis 17:1

God is not only Father, He is also “almighty”—which means that God is sovereign, that is He can and will do all that He intends. He is the Lord, the King, and the all-powerful One who reigns over His universe that He has made. For many people, God’s sovereignty is a point of controversy. After all, if God is all powerful, why does He not do something about evil, pain, sorrow, waste? The fact is God is doing something about these things. As J.I Packer puts it: “Through Christ, bad folk like you and me are already being made good; new pain- and disease-free bodies are on the way, and a reconstructed cosmos with them; and Paul assures us that ‘the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us’ (Romans 8:18). If God moves more slowly than we wish in clearing evil out of his world and introducing the new order, that, we may be sure, is in order to widen his gracious purpose and include in it more victims of the world’s evil than otherwise he could have done.”^[1] Perhaps God’s sovereign should be less a point of controversy and more a reason to worship.

Prayer: “Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing, And triumph evermore: Life up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice again I say, rejoice!”  Amen (Verse 1, Rejoice, the Lord is King!, Hymns for the Family of God, # 374)

THURSDAY, JUNE 17  <Read 1 Corinthians 15:45-58 >                                                                             

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8: 38-39

We do not know the complete answers to the questions about why God allows pain and suffering and evil. However, we do know that if God is not all powerful, what hope do we have? The answer is none at all. If God is not all-powerful, then we have no reason to believe that God will be able to keep His promises of healing and salvation or even win against the evil in the world. Again, as J.I. Packer puts it: “The truth of God’s almightiness in creation, providence, and grace is the basis of all our trust, peace, and joy in God, and the safeguard of all our hopes of answered prayer, present protection, and final salvation. It means that neither fate, nor the stars, nor blind chance, nor man’s folly, nor Satan’s malice controls this world; instead, a morally perfect God runs it, and nonecan dethrone him or thwart his purposes of love.” We may not understand everything God does or does not do or the timing in which He does it. What we do know is God Himself, and in the end, that is enough.

Prayer: “This is my Father’s world, O let me ne’er forget That thought the wrong seems oft so strong, God is ruler yet. This is my Father’s world: The battle is not done; Jesus who died shall be satisfied, And earth and heaven be one.”  Amen (Verse 3, This is My Father’s World, Hymns for the Family of God, # 6)

FRIDAY, JUNE 18  <Read Ephesians 1:3-11>

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie.   Hebrews 6 :18

Does God’s omnipotence mean that He can do literally anything? No, there are many things God cannot do. God is always consistent with Himself and His character. He cannot do what is self-contradictory or nonsensical. Even more important, He cannot be capricious, unloving, random, or unjust. He cannot pardon sin without atonement, because that would not be right. He cannot fail to be “faithful and just” in forgiving sins that are confessed in faith. He cannot break all the promises he has made, for failure here would not be right either. Another way of saying this is that God will never fail to do what He said he would do because of who He is: all-powerful and good . In a world full of broken promises and disappointments, we can always count on God to come through and make things right in the end. Because of who God is, we can fully “believe into” Him and know He will never let us down.

Prayer: “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father! There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not: As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.”  Amen (Verse 1, Great is Thy Faithfulness, Hymns for the Family of God, # 98)

“I believe in God….”

MONDAY, JUNE 7  <Read Acts 2:22-41>                                                                                 

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  Romans 10:9, 10

The first two words of the creed are perhaps the most important of all.  The first is “I.” In worship, the Creed is said together as a church body, but the opening words are “I believe”—not “we”: each one speaks for himself or herself.  We must never forget (as many often do) that our faith is meant to be expressed in community and we live out what we believe as part of Christ’s body.  At the same time, our faith is personal and our journey must begin and continue with individual confession.  We each stand before God and others and say what we believe.  In doing so, we do reaffirm the bond of faith we have with those around us and as individual believers, we each proclaim our philosophy of life, the foundation on which we stand.  We also testify to our joy: for once again we place ourselves into the hands of our God and Father where we are glad to be.  When we each say “I believe,” it is not only a confession of what we actually believe, it is an individual act of praise and thanksgiving and an affirmation that we are His children both now and forever.

Prayer: Lord, help me see that confession of truth is much more than acknowledging facts, it is an act of worship in praise and honor for who You are and what You have done. Amen.

TUESDAY, JUNE 8  <Read Mark 5:25-34>    

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  Hebrews 11:1            

The second word is “believe.”  The Greek word for having “faith” (pisteuo) means literally “believe into.”  It means to treat a person or a thing as trustworthy and committing oneself accordingly. Thus, we can believe that a certain medicine will make us better, but we do not have faith in it until we take it.  We can believe in God and that He exists, but we do not truly have faith until we have accepted His claim to rule and manage our lives; until we have received Jesus Christ, his Son, as our own Lord and Savior; and until we rely on His promise to bless us here and hereafter.  In other words, Christian faith means hearing, noting and doing what God says.  It is a pledge of allegiance.  It means trusting Him for our very lives, both now and forever.  It is a declaration of who is the very Lord of our lives.

Prayer: Lord, it is easy to simply believe facts about you, but not really trust you with all that I am and have.  Help me grow in real faith, faith that is about trust, faith on which I can truly stand. Amen.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9  <Read1 Kings 18:20-40>

Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”   1 Kings 18:21

Many today think that the difference between one faith and another means little.  Atheism is the great enemy, as they see the conflict between those who say “I believe in God” in some sense, and those who cannot say it in any sense.  We must be very clear.  When we stand in church and say, “I believe in God!” we are not simply aligning ourselves against atheism, we are declaring that there is some God as distinct from none.  We are confessing faith in the God of the Creed itself, the God of the Bible.  In the Bible, the conflict was never between believers and atheists; it was between those who believed in Yahweh and those who served other “gods,” whether metal or mental.  The same conflict is with us today. There are very few genuine atheists, but there are a multitude of other “gods,” whether philosophical, scientific, religious, material or self-invented.  When we confess “I believe in God” in church, we not only proclaim the God in whom we “believe into,” we decisively proclaim that there are many other Gods that we reject, that we do not and cannot “believe into.” In other words, we take sides and the side we are on is the Lord’s.

Prayer: Lord, it is easy to treat all opinions as equal when they are not. Help me to never compromise with the truth of who you are and the commitment you call me to have. Amen

THURSDAY, JUNE 10  <Read Psalm 63>

God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.  Exodus 3:14

What kind of God do we “believe into?”  To be sure, God is so huge, powerful (“almighty”) and mysterious that He is quite beyond us.  After all, if this were not so, He would not be God.  At the same time, one of the core truths about the God of the Bible and of the Creed is that He is personal, that is He has made and actively continues to make Himself known to His creatures. When we confess, “I believe in God,” we are confessing much more than belief that God exists, we are confessing a relationship to a God we know personally; a God who has made Himself known to us by speaking and acting; has shown His character by keeping promises, forgiving and redeeming; a God who has a proper name (YAHWEH); a God who has entered history and our own loves through the person of His Son and the power of His Spirit.  How well do you know God?  What are you willing to do to know Him better?

Prayer: Lord, help me to continually grow in my relationship with you. Give me a longing for you that I may now only learn more about you, but I may learn to love you more and more. Amen.

FRIDAY, JUNE 11  <Read John 17>

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….  Matthew 28: 19

If you and I were advertising executives and we were charged with selling a new conception of God, we probably would never start with the Trinity, that is, that God is one being, yet three distinct persons. Yet, the fact that God is triune is a core truth to which the Scriptures and the Creed bear witness. What are we to make of it?  First we must admit that like many if not most truths about God (including God’s eternity, infinity, omniscience, and providential control of our free actions, etc.) complete understanding is quite beyond us for now.  We can, however, grasp some of it: worshipping God the Father above us and knowing the fellowship of God the Son beside us, both through the prompting of God the Holy Spirit us; or seeing cooperative activity of the Three in saving us—the Father planning, the Son procuring and the Spirit applying redemption.  We may never understand the Trinity completely in this life, but we can see glimpses of it and in so doing, grow in our understanding of God’s essential three-in-oneness.

Prayer: Lord, help understand the trinity more, if not in my head, at least in heart, that I may see you more clearly and in so doing know you more and more. Amen

ARE YOU HIS FRIEND?

MONDAY, MAY 17 <Read 1 Corinthians 13>

Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”  “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said  John 21:16                                                                                  

The Greek language has four words for love, two of which appear in this passage. The first is agapao (agape) and refers to the total self giving love. It the love we should have for our enemies and the love we should have for God. The second is phileo (e.g. Philadelphia-the city of brotherly love). Phileo is love that is like the warm affection that a person would have for a best friend. It is an amazing exchange. In the first two questions, Jesus uses agapao, essentially asking: “Simon, do you love me with the total self giving love you should have for God?” But Peter will not say he loves Jesus in this way. Instead of agapao, Peter answers with phileo, essentially saying: “Lord, I love you like my best friend.”  Why does Peter refuse to say He loves Jesus totally? As we shall discover, it is because Peter had learned some things about himself and even about love itself. Even more amazing is the third question. Jesus changes the verb to phileo and asks, Peter, “Do you love me like a friend?” What do you think Jesus wanted Peter to first be His friend?

Prayer: Teach me what it means to be your friend Lord and help me grow in that friendship day by day. Amen

TUESDAY, MAY 18 <Read Mark 14:27-31>                                                                                                                                             

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”  John 21:15

Jesus’ first goal is to force Peter to be honest with himself and his brothers. When Jesus predicted that his disciples would desert him (Mark 14), Peter was adamant. “Not me,” he declared. “Even if everyone else deserts you, I won’t!” Now Jesus confronts Peter and asks him before his brothers, “Do you love (agapao) me more than these?”  Before, Peter would have answered with bluster. But his experience has changed him. He has been humbled. In effect, he says: “I can’t love (agape) you totally the way I should, but I can and do love (phileo) you as your friend.” Peter has come to see himself as he really is. He failed miserably and he knows it. The irony is that when Peter considered himself strong and courageous, it was a lie and in his personal dishonesty he would have never been an effective servant of His Lord. Now he is ready to lead and serve. Christian maturity and strength and commitment never come through our own power. They come through the Lord’s power. There are no super Christians, least of all us. Like Peter, when we are honest with ourselves and others and know we are powerless to stand alone, then we can become powerful indeed.

Prayer: With fear and trembling Lord, I ask that you show me how I really am, knowing that I may not like what I see. Yet, I ask it, that I may grow in my honesty, my faith and my maturity. Amen

WEDNESDAY, MAY 19 <Read Mark 10:35-45 1 Peter 5: 1-4>  

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”  John 21:15                                                                        

The Lord’s second goal was to reinforce that Peter was just one servant among many. When the Lord first called him, Peter had been merely Simon. But the Lord changed his name to Peter, which meant “rock,” and declared that on the truth of your preaching I will build my church. However, in this exchange, Jesus does not use the name of “Peter.” He uses “Simon.” In effect, Jesus is saying to Peter, there is only one “Rock” and you are not it. Yes, you are a leader. Yes, you are to build my church. But always remember that in the end you are one among many. Too often in the history of the church, there have been leaders who thought too much of themselves, pastors guilty of ecclesiastical elitism or others who thought that they knew the Lord’s will exclusively. Did Peter get it? Yes, he did. In his own letter, he introduces himself not as the “rock,” or head of the church, but as a “fellow elder.” Yes, there are many among us called to lead, and they are worthy of respect, but all of us are always one among many, fellow members of the body of the one Lord.

Prayer: Lord, help me to respect my leaders, but also help me to pray for them, that they might not be tempted to pride. Help me too to remember who the “rock” is in my life. Amen.

THURSDAY, MAY 20                                                                                       

A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”  Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”  John 21:17

Jesus’ third goal is to restore Peter to his service. Twice, Peter refused to say that He loved Jesus with a total commitment. It was as though he was saying: “Not that kind of love, Lord. I am simply your friend.” Perhaps we might expect Jesus to exhort Peter to greater commitment, or to a stronger faith. Instead, Jesus changes the whole question and asks: “Peter, do you love me as your friend?” And Peter, at first a little hurt by the question a third time around, but perhaps with growing wonder as he realizes what Jesus said, answers once again: “Yes, Lord, you know I love you as a friend.” Often we think that God will only use the good, or the committed or the talented, but Jesus shows us that the only qualification for service is friendship, not goodness, not talent, not purity, not even total commitment. In the end, Jesus accepts Peter’s friend love and gives him the task of taking care of others. Are you Jesus’ friend? Then, that is enough and you can serve Him.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for using the excuse that you only call good or talented people to serve you. Grow my friendship with you that I my desire to serve you. Amen

FRIDAY, MAY 21 <Read Matthew 10:16-25; 1 Peter 4:12-19>

I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.  John 21:18 

A fourth goal is to remind Peter of the cost of following him. To “stretch out hands” was a Greek way of describing crucifixion, so Jesus tells Peter plainly that a cross will be in his future. In his fear of the cross, Peter had denied Jesus three times, but now Jesus reminds him that what he ran from would still be there. Peter is not unique. Jesus says often that His follower can expect suffering. After all, if we are His followers and the world treated Him this way, how can we expect any different. Paul talks often about sharing in Christ’s sufferings, and Peter himself will say that as Christians we should expect tribulation. Jesus never lies to us about the cost of following him. The real question is not whether there will be crosses or not. The real question is whether we are willing to take them up or not? When commenting the two thieves crucified between Jesus, “Everyone is on a cross.” Some ask to be taken down like the thief on the left. Some ask to be taken up, like the thief on the right. The question all of us is which will we be?

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for running away from the crosses you have called me to bear. Give me the will and the courage to bear them. May I desire to be one that is taken up and not taken

ENGRAVED INVITATIONS

MONDAY, MAY 10  <Read John 21:7-14>     

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.  John 21:12

It is tempting to over spiritualize Jesus’ invitation to breakfast. Some have seen the breakfast episode as a reference to the Lord’s Supper, while others have spilled much ink exploring the secret meaning of the 153 fish. The simple meaning is usually the best. First, Jesus invites the disciples to be with Him after a long night’s work. In the same way, Jesus invites us to be with Him in the ordinary things of life, in working and resting and eating, not just in what we might think of spiritual settings of church or retreat. Second, Jesus meets their immediate needs of rest and food. In the same way, Jesus is just as concerned with meeting our everyday needs. Going a little further, we can see the same message that is repeated time and again. The disciples had fished all night and caught nothing, but when Jesus showed up, they caught more than they could use. In other words, Jesus tells them and us, “Without me, you cannot do much of anything (no fish), but with me you can do anything in abundance (a boatload of fish). What we have to do is accept the invitation.

 Prayer: Lord, help me to say “yes” to the invitation to be with you in the everyday times, not just the sacred ones. And help me Lord to remember that with You I have life abundance. Amen. 

TUESDAY, MAY 11  <Read John 1:35-49>                                                       

“Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.  John 1: 39

One of the first invitations we hear is the invitation to “Come and see!” It is an invitation to salvation, and we see this invitation given time and again in many different ways. The message is indeed the same, but Jesus tailors it according to what people need. For example, for Nathaniel, Jesus provided a glimpse of His supernatural power by telling him what he had been doing before Philip called him. For Nicodemas, Jesus provided theological arguments. For the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus gently revealed her sinful life and showed her the path for a new life. For the nobleman (Ch. 4), the multitude (Ch. 6) and the man born blind (Ch. 9), Jesus reach them through their physical need. For Thomas, the doubter, he invited him to see through empirical proof of His resurrection. God is not touchy. He comes down to our level, meets us where we are, and invited us to see message in a way we can understand. It is what our Lord did and what we are called to do too.

Prayer: Lord, help me to say “Come and see!” to those around me in a way they can hear it. Amen.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12  <Read Mark 6:30-32>                                                                                    

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28          

Once, someone came up to me after I said a prayer at an Army function and said, “Thank you. You have a way of calming things down with your words and presence.” In this case, I was not tempted by pride to what this person said because I realized quickly that what he saw and felt was not me, but Jesus working through me; what he meant by calm was simply the rest that Jesus brings. Rest is a constant theme in the Bible. We see it at the beginning when God Himself takes a rest on the seventh day and we see it in the very requirement of the Sabbath Command. It is also one of the main promises given in Scripture both for now in this life and the life to come. True rest begins with Jesus. It is the confidence the Lord is in control; that no matter what happens He is in charge. It is also an assurance that we are forgiven and belong to Him no matter what happens whether bad or good.  It is the expectation that the Lord will make all things right and will one day brings us into His everlasting kingdom.  It is the very fact that we know Him and love Him and in doing these things our purpose in existing is fulfilled. When we have this kind of rest in Christ, others see and want it too.   

Prayer: Lord, help me rest in You in such a way that others can see it and want it and You too!

THURSDAY, MAY 13  <Read Matthew 11:25-30>                                                                           

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”   Matthew 11:29

The start of any relationship means starting with the facts about that person. “Where are you from? What do you do for a living? What do you think about this or that?” These are questions we often ask when we begin to know someone. However, for a relationship to deepen and grow the facts are only the beginning. For example, as we live with our spouses over the years, we grow to know every part of them, spiritually, mentally and physically. Some spouses grow to know one another so well, they not only know how the other thinks, but what they will do in most situations. When Jesus tells us to learn from Him, this is the process He has in mind. We start with the facts: who He is (Savior, Lord, God), what he has done (the cross, the resurrection) and what He requires (faith, discipleship). The goal of this learning is knowledge, and it is a necessary part of being a follower of Jesus. But the Lord wants more. He wants us to know Him personally: What does He like and dislike? What makes Him laugh or cry? How He thinks? The goal of this knowledge is trust and love. This is the kind of relationship that we are to have with Jesus. We are to learn about Him for sure, but we are to know Him as well.

Prayer: Lord, give me a desire to learn of You more and more, that I may not only know about You, but know You as I might know a friend or a spouse. Amen.

 FRIDAY, MAY 14  <Read 1 Peter 1: 3-12>                                                                     

 Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.”  Matthew 25:34

The last invitation is to the inheritance of eternal life. So often in daily conversation someone will remark about how bad the weather is or talk about a hard situation and then say something like: “Well, it beats the alternative.” The alternative is of course death and everyone nods and agrees there is nothing worse than that. But as Christians we have a different response. The fact is that because of the resurrection of Jesus, death has been conquered. Death no longer has a sting. Death in fact has become a door into a new life we cannot really imagine. Suppose we were to win the biggest lottery possible, only multiplied by 100,000. It might be like that except that eternal life is not won by chance, it is an inheritance given by our Father in heaven, a father’s gift to His children. This does not mean we should want to die before our time, but it does mean that we know what is next, and knowing what is next should fill us with anticipation and wonder and joy and confidence and purpose.

Prayer: Lord, help me to look forward more and more to the inheritance You have planned, and may that looking forward fill me joy and strength to life well my life now. Amen.

WHY WE NEED JESUS!

MONDAY, APRIL 12  <Read: Matthew 6:25-34; Acts 4:8-20>

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews….   John 20:19a

The story of the disciples is really a before and after story. The before story can be described in one word: fear. They had seen Jesus die horribly on the cross and the main purpose of their lives was that the same thing would not happen to them. The after picture is remarkable. These fearful, anxious and cowering disciples became the personification of lasting courage. Later, Peter found the courage to face his own crucifixion. James found the courage to be run through with the sword. John found the courage to face imprisonment. All the rest found courage as they were martyred. They found such courage in the risen person of Jesus. This is the bottom line of life. Though we continually try, we do not find lasting courage anywhere else.  

Prayer:  Lord, transform me into a person of courage, no matter the obstacles, no matter the cost, no matter how I feel.  May I remember that the fact that Jesus is risen has changed everything. We no longer need to fear.  We only need to follow.   Amen  

TUESDAY, APRIL 13  <Read John 14: 23-27>  

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  John 20:19b

When something is repeated in the Bible, we should take notice. Twice means it is very important. Three times means “Don’t miss this!” This is vital, life changing stuff!  Jesus said to His disciples, “Peace be with you,” three times. The word for “peace” does not mean being free of anxiety. It means instead, “May God give you every good thing. May He surround you with His perfect protection and well-being.”  Jesus’ clear message is that God’s protection-God’s well being-God’s peace is not found in circumstances. Neither is it found in things or anything in this world. It is found in the person of Jesus Christ who is now with them and us as well.

Prayer: Lord, as with love, I look for peace in the wrong places; the right crowd, the right person, the right look, the right knowledge. Help me to remember that just as you are the personification of love, you are also the embodiment of peace, and no matter what is going on, I find it with you. Amen.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14 <Read:  John 16:19-24>

Then he showed them his hands and side. The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant.  John 20:20

Pastor Steve Brown asks: “Do you know the essence of Christian maturity? It is the recognition that gladness comes when you see the Lord … because that is why you were created.”  Steve is exactly right. Coming to the realization that we are not our own; growing in the knowledge that one of the main reasons we exist at all is to love God; and then finding that real and lasting joy is found in getting to know God.  These are the keys to Christian growth. Therefore, finding Christ is like coming home. It is a joy that no one can ever disturb or take away. It is the reason we were created. It is a joy in His presence that never changes, no matter the circumstances. The disciples were without joy … they found it when they found Jesus. We do too. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to remember that joy is not just a feeling that I experience, but something I am commanded to do—to “Rejoice in the Lord, always.” Show me more of what this means and then give me the will to do it. Amen.

THURSDAY, APRIL 15  <Read: Colossians 3:15-17>

As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.  John 20:21b

Most of us have heard of GWOT, short for the Global War on Terror. As we were getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan, we came up with another acronym to describe some of the training were experiencing. We came up with CWOT, or “Complete Waste of Time” training. Most of what we did was good and helpful, but some of it defied any sense of purpose at all. Life seems that way sometimes. We wonder what is the purpose.  With Jesus that is no longer true. Like His disciples, we have the greatest of purposes. We are sent! Sent into the world; sent to people around us; sent to our friends; sent to our families to tell them that He is alive.  He loves and He forgives us when we ask. What can be greater than that?

Prayer: Lord, much of what I do in life seems so trivial. Perhaps I need a change of heart? Perhaps I need a change of direction? Help me see the greater purpose to which You have called me. Most of all give me the desire and the courage to carry it out.  Amen.

FRIDAY, MAY 16  <Read Luke 24:47, 48; Acts 2:38.39>

If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.   John 20: 23

There is a story about a man who had been found to be a coward in battle during WWI. He was court-martialed and punished, and then returned to his unit. His Commander said to another officer, “We must now show him that we still trust him or the lad will fall to pieces.” A few weeks later, in a very difficult battle situation, the Commander put this young man in charge. He went on to win medal after medal. Later the young man said, “What else could I do? I failed him and he still trusted me.”    We too have failed our Lord and yet, He still entrusts us with His message, His Mission and His world. Maybe right now, you have failed miserably and are thinking, “I can never be of any use to Him or to anyone else.” But Jesus says to you and me, “Get out of the mess. I still forgive, use and trust messy people.”   

Prayer: Lord, thank you for using messy people like me to do your work in this world. I do not understand it sometimes, but I am glad you do. Use me Lord, as messy as I am, to do Your will and work in this world. Amen.