Get ready to start a journey…a journey through the pages of the Bible and the pages of your life.
Let’s face it. We really are what we think about and desire. Our minds are the GPS that leads us to our “treasure,” and our hearts are the engine that carries us to our “prize.” Our minds determine the direction; our hearts provide the drive. That’s why the passage today is so important.
Aliens. That’s what we were before Jesus. We were “excluded from citizenship…foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God…” (Eph. 2:12 NIV). But Jesus changed that…forever. We “who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13 NIV).
My passport says that I am a citizen of the United States. I am very thankful for that. I am even more thankful for my heavenly passport. And that is all because of Jesus. Here’s what Paul says in Philippians 3:20.
Today we start a new series of devotionals called Living Hope. Our hope is secured in the living God, who always keeps his promises. While we will use many passages in Scripture, 1 Peter will be our base. So, let’s start with the first two verses of this letter.
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Friday was the day of the cross. We call it Good Friday. But from Mary’s viewpoint, “good” was not the word she would use.
Lazarus was four days dead. When Jesus said, “Lazarus, come out,” the dead man responded. Lazarus stood up and shuffled out of the tomb. His resurrected body still showed signs of death—strips of linen wrapped around his body and a burial cloth around his face.
Come out! Those are the words Jesus spoke to a man who was dead. Here’s the account in John 11:43.
Hurt. Disappointment. Anger. Confusion. Fear. Mary was probably feeling all those emotions following the death of her brother Lazarus. She made her way to Jesus, fell at his feet, and let him know exactly what was on her mind. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:32). Those words were spoken with tears running down her cheeks and between the loud sobs of grief.
Jesus has made a way to escape death, to never die. He first gave that promise to a woman grieving the loss of her brother. Today we begin following Jesus to the cross. As Jesus entered the Jerusalem area for the last time, he performed a significant miracle just outside of town. This miracle centered around a man named Lazarus—who was dead and buried. Let’s consider Jesus’ words to Martha, one of the dead man’s sisters.
Sometimes we have problems with the plan—God’s plan. We misunderstand what he is up to. That’s what happened to the disciples.
Have you ever felt like Jesus was holding out on you? Check out today’s passage.