Podcast (daily-devotion): Play in new window | Download | Embed

Philippians 2:9-11

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so 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.

It started with a kiss—an act of compassion…driven by hell. In the darkness of the night, it identified the man. His friends ran. He stood alone. The soldiers dragged him away…to trials…beatings…mockery…a crown of thorns. It started with a kiss…of death.

It continued with a cross. Lifted and dropped in a pre-dug hole. Spikes pinned hands and feet. Shoulders separated as they jolted into place. Body bruised. Face beaten and bloodied. His back, laid open by the scourging, scraped against the beam as he pushed up to fill his lungs. The pain mysteriously magnified by the weight of man’s sin. It was a cross…of death.

It ended in a tomb. Cold and damp. A hard slab of stone for the final sleep. The smell of death mixed with perfume. The body was prepared and delivered, wrapped like a cocoon. The rock rolled into place. The tomb sealed. Stillness. Darkness. Finality. It was a tomb…of death.

It was Friday…but Sunday was coming!

Heavenly Father, thank you for the resurrection of your Son, our Savior! Thank you that every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that he is Lord. May we confess that truth every day of our lives. In the name of the resurrected Lord, we pray. Amen.

Today’s Journey Message:

The Need for Nathans