Before we experience Easter there must be Good Friday

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Good Friday

Good Friday, and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. We like to focus our eyes on the resurrection story of Easter morning, and sing of the blood that has washed away our sin, but what of the body that was scourged, and hung outside the walls of Jerusalem just days prior? What of the corpse that laid in a dark tomb far from the temple mound? Do we relate to the true suffering, and understand what was required of Christ as He became our sin offering? When Jesus tells us to pick up our cross and follow Him it isn’t to the whipping post where His blood was shed... it is to Calvary, a place of ridicule, shame, and suffering unto death; a desolate place, separated from the gold candlesticks, and far from the altars of the temple.

The Crucifixion, and the torn Temple Veil

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Easter

Do you fear God when you enter your prayer closet to speak with Him, or when you feel His presence as you worship? When Jesus was a boy there was a veil in the temple that separated all men from the Holy of Holies except the high priest, and this man was only allowed to enter into this sacred place once each year. The fear of God was so great that they would tie a rope around his waist so that if he were to die while behind the curtain, they could drag his body out. Yet, today we enter in and out of God’s presence without fearing death because Jesus paid the price of our admission with His life. At the moment when He breathed His last the veil was ripped asunder, our bodies became the temple, and the divine presence of God was made available to every believer.

Is our Faith the vessel of love that holds the blood of Jesus?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Sacrifice of Love

Before coming to know Christ, acknowledging Him as the Son of God, and accepting His sacrifice for our sins, our consciences convict us, and to ease it we seek to be moral, and do good things. We do this in an effort to please, and appease, God. Some of us want to earn His acceptance like a man gains another’s friendship... as an equal. But, our God is above all things, and only our faith in the blood of His Son Jesus Christ can redeem us, make us righteous, and bring us into a true relationship with Him.

Suffering our Cross now, so others might find Hope

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Suffering in Life

When Christians are afflicted in this life the unbelievers say “Look, there can be no Jesus or God in them because they suffer the same as we do!”, but they say this because they don’t understand why Jesus suffered and died for them, and that we are his disciples who have picked up our crosses and now follow after Him... even unto death. What we should show the world is not a glorious life of ease, but a life in which we might suffer, yet still love them, even as our Lord loves us all.

Earning Trophies in the World, or Preparing for Eternity

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Training in Faith

How hard do we train ourselves in preparation for our life’s spiritual journey, that is in righteousness, abiding with Jesus, and a focus on eternity with God? When we go to the altar for the first time to accept Jesus we most likely aren’t in the best spiritual condition, but our goal should be to train in the ways of Christ, and to listen to the Holy Spirit, as we strengthen our faith and belief, so that we will continue to become pure, righteous, and deserving to be called children of God. Is this how we speak of ourselves... “I am training hard in faith each day!”?

Christ’s Cross on Calvary - our “Thermos Paradox”, and the Battery of our Faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , The Cross

As Easter draws closer day by day does the power of God rise up in us as we contemplate Calvary, and the cross on which Jesus was nailed for us? How is it that these two pieces of rough wood, and three Roman nails, can become the battery that electrifies one’s faith, and saves those who believe, yet means nothing to others who are dying in their disbelief?

Where does my help come from?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Help

Are you troubled right now? Maybe you were unable to sleep last night because of worry? We all find ourselves experiencing hardship or uncertainty at some point in our lives, but as Christians we have a source of help that gives us amazing peace, and returns joy to our days. When Jesus abides in us He brings with Him the presence of our Heavenly Father, because God abides in Jesus, and Jesus in Him. In this way God is with us in our sorrows, troubles, mourning, and every aspect of our lives... and He is our help; our comfort and cheer.

Jesus, the fulfilled law, and becoming children in the New Jerusalem

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Grace or Law

Do we live in the fear of failing to adhere to the old written law, or have we grasped hold of the new message of Christ, that is... we are to live in the hope and love of God by serving Him in the way of the Spirit? Woe are we who depend on our own abilities by attempting to follow the letters of the law rather than by partaking of God’s grace through Jesus Christ who has fulfilled the law, and through whom we are now the children of God.

Living out the seasons of our lives, and faith

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Dying With Jesus

Have we truly died with Jesus Christ? Have we died to sin, and found a new and renewed life with Him, or are we still hanging on our cross, and struggling to hold onto the life we were meant to lay down? Frequently believers who have confessed their sins, and been baptized into death with Christ, find themselves holding onto the remnants of their old life, and who they once were. It is hard to face suffering, death, and to let go of that last breath so that we can die to this world and be resurrected with Jesus into the next. So every Christian needs to honestly ask himself... am I truly dead with Christ, resurrected into a new life, or am I continuing to hold tight to a certain season, or vestige, of my old life?

Forgiveness, Grace, and the Greatest Blessing

Richard Forbes
Daily Devotional , The Greatest Blessing

Believing that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and is our Savior and Redeemer who has made restitution for our sin, and cleanses us of them while conquering death through the power of His life, brings the greatest blessing ever pronounced upon us. Once we, who now believe in Christ, were lawless creatures; not merely disobedient of man’s laws, which could be forgiven by repaying our debt to men, but of God’s law of which we ourselves were unable to make restitution by works, or our own ability.

Easter Songs - Singing to God, and weaving our lives of faith

Richard Forbes
Daily Devotional , Tapestry of Scripture

When someone attempts to take something from us how do we react? If a thief holds us at gunpoint and says “Give me your money!” What is our response? Do we hand him our wallet because, after all, it is worth far less than our life, and because we can always make more money? In doing this are we acting out of a fear of death, or do we trust in God that He will see us through this moment of need? In scripture David sings of being delivered from traps, suffering, and certain death, but I love one verse in particular because it leads me to Jesus...

Do we hear the will of God, and where are we in it?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , God’s Will for Us

Have we completed God’s will for us? Perhaps we don’t understand His will for our life well enough to know when we have started working at it, have reached certain mileposts in the effort, or completed it. One thing is for certain, Jesus knew what God’s will was for Him, and He stayed the course until at last that will had been accomplished in full. How wonderful it must have felt to have done all that God had asked. So how do we come to know the will that God has for us, and to know it well enough that we can work it to completion?

Can my faith endure its ultimate trial?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Feeling Abandoned

We talk about wanting to be like Jesus, and this should be our greatest desire, but do we really know all that this means? We want to be righteous, a teacher, humble, and to be free of sin, but when we say we are ready to pick up our cross do we really know what awaits us? There is more to this than just shouldering a cross for a long walk to Calvary. There is more that awaits us than just physically dying.

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