We are all inclined to work for the kingdom once God has called us to do something for Him, but how do we spend our time beforehand, or after God has called us out of what we have been doing? How do we spend our time after a calling is complete and we are waiting for Him to use us again? Is this simply a time of rest or retirement?
In what do we rejoice? Are we taking personal satisfaction in the number of souls we bring to God? Are we celebrating God's victories or the power He has given us? Would it surprise you that Jesus said don't do these things?
What is our role in performing those things that God calls us to? Are we working for God, self-employed in our endeavor, or working in concert with Him and Jesus Christ? The answer might surprise you because when I introduce someone who is under my employment, I always say "I would like you to meet Jane/John Doe… we work together." You might be surprised to know that God does the same with us. There is no conceit in him or need to demonstrate dominance over us. If the job is to be done we must work together towards its completion.
The result of our faith is a realignment of our lives and those within it. Are you seeing this occur, and are you willing to let it happen? Are you being transformed into a new person? At the moment when we first confess our faith in Jesus and ask Him to be the Lord of our life something incredible is released in us and our entire world begins to change. The friends who were once so dear to us begin to withdraw and the places we used to frequent suddenly lose their appeal to us. A change is beginning in us that is reshuffling our lives.
Do we ask the right questions of Jesus, and if by chance we do, are we listening intently to His answer with the right heart? The apostles studied under Jesus day and night, and yet, even they struggled to ask the right questions of Him. We see this when Philip asked if Jesus could show them the Father. Was it the right question to ask? Some say no, but let's listen to Jesus as He replies...
Easter morning has arrived, and the tomb of Jesus Christ stands empty; the sorrow of Good Friday, and the solemn silence of yesterday is over because Jesus Has Risen! This moment is the pinnacle of our faith on earth. Can we carry it with us always; even into our various valleys… into the valley of the shadow of death?
In celebration of today, a day when the body of Jesus rests sealed in its tomb, and tomorrow’s awakening to find the stone rolled away and an empty tomb is yet to come. I wanted to do something a bit different. Instead of my typical devotional message I want to share something special I have written with you that I hope will bring you peace and joy as you contemplate what this day means. Today is a day of waiting that comes between the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday, and the realization of His resurrection on Easter morning. It is a quiet time known by many names… Christians throughout time, and around the world refer to this day in many ways such as Easter Eve, Easter Even, Holy Saturday, Black Saturday, Great Saturday, Low Saturday, Hallelujah Saturday, Joyous Saturday, The Saturday of Light, Mega Sabbatun, Good Saturday, Sábado de Gloria, The day of silence, The day of Reflection, Resurrection Saturday, or simply as The Saturday before Easter, but whatever we call it this is a day of earthly silence as the body of Jesus lies wrapped in its burial shroud and before the morrow’s dawn reveals that He has risen from the dead. Today is a glorious day for all believers… a day when the promise of eternity is at hand, and God’s grace is witnessed in full.
Today is Good Friday, and as we approach Easter Sunday let’s look at what God called Jesus to do and ask ourselves if we could answer that same call to suffering. In fact, this is a very important question today because we have in fact been called to Calvary with Christ. Have we ever considered this during Holy week before? Perhaps we haven’t because we feel that we are too weak to accomplish such a task, but like Jesus we receive help when asked to do the hard things. Let’s consider this today.
When God calls us He usually does this suddenly, and typically without any preannouncement. Will we be ready to answer Him at a moment's notice, or will we need to prepare ourselves and make life adjustments before answering His call? Will we instantly reply, "Here I am!" when He calls, or will we need to think about it? I find it interesting that most of the great prophets and leaders in the Bible answered instantly when God called them. In most cases there was no hesitation and no consideration as to why they were being called. There might have been some trepidation and uncertainty like there was in the case of Moses when he felt his ability to speak would be an encumbrance, but for the most part there was an instant positive response.
When was the last time that you instantly dropped everything you were doing and rushed to see something, or someone without consideration for what you were leaving behind? Have you ever abandoned everything you owned to pursue a dream, or to experience hope in something? How about your faith? After the resurrection of Jesus, He appeared to Peter and several others while they were fishing. He yelled out to them to cast their net on the right side of the boat and when they did this their nets were filled with fish. They really didn't know it was Jesus who had instructed them, but when the one He loved said it was Him, Peter immediately dressed, threw himself into the sea, and swam to meet him.
This morning, I am sifting through my life and identifying those things which God has asked of me that remain undone. For the most part I have done the big things, but what about those details that didn't seem too significant or relevant to the big picture... did I gloss over them and leave any of them undone?
What does it mean to be yoked with Jesus? This is our concentration for the day. Will we find a life of leisure, hardship, joy, suffering? What will this life mean to us spiritually and physically? When we read the scripture in which Jesus invites us to become yoked with Him, we hear descriptions that sound appealing... restful, gentle, easy, and light... let's read this again:
There are many gifts that are given to us by God, but eternal life and power are not among them. You are probably asking how I can possibly say such a thing. Aren't these part and parcel of the promise we have been given by God? Well, in a way, I am dealing with semantics. God doesn't give us eternal life, but we do experience it when the life that is Jesus comes into us. I like the way Oswald Chambers put it when he wrote "Eternal life is not a gift from God, eternal life is the gift of God." When we accept Jesus, and He enters into us, we have no choice but to live forever because that is His nature.
In my April tenth devotional message, I concluded that we can, and should, find ourselves crucified with Jesus, so this morning let’s ask ourselves a very similar question... are we resurrected with Him too, and what does that mean to our faith and our lives.
We are another day closer to Holy Week and Easter Sunday, so my mind continues to dwell on, and further recall, the activities that were about to transpire in the life of Jesus at that time. This morning, I am concentrating specifically on the Garden of Gethsemane and the sorrow and agony that Jesus faced there. I pray that you will join me in reliving what occurred there and pray with me as we do this together. Let’s jointly recall the prayers and obedience to God’s will of our Lord Jesus Christ.