Category: Daily Bread

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16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. ~ 1 John 5:16-17

22 But if you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments that the Lord has spoken to Moses, 23 all that the Lord has commanded you by Moses, from the day that the Lord gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations, 24 then if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, all the congregation shall offer one bull from the herd for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the rule, and one male goat for a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a food offering to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord for their mistake. 26 And all the congregation of the people of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who sojourns among them, because the whole population was involved in the mistake.
27 If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. 28 And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. 29 You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them. 30 But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him. ~ Numbers 15:22-31

In his letter, John didn’t over-explain like Paul did. John, especially in this point, almost under-explains. Why? Because both writers know their audience. John is writing to Jews who have converted from Judaism to Christianity. So, these aren’t Gentile believers ignorant of the Law like those whom Paul taught and wrote to. Therefore, they knew and understood the hidden context behind what John was saying.

John was referring to a law in the Law of Moses that (like all the Law) has a spiritual meaning for us (the Church) today. In the Book of Numbers, Moses records a law addressing sacrificial offerings for sin. One specific sin, the unintentional sin of the people of Israel. See, when a sin was done unintentionally in Israel by the congregation, they came together and offered one offering on behalf of all. If one person sinned, they would come and make a sacrifice and be forgiven. When they sinned unintentionally, it was seen as a different type of sin, a sin that didn’t lead to death. Now that Jesus has sacrificed once for all, sins that do not lead to death can be prayed for by the congregation of spiritual Israel, the Church.

Sins that do not lead to death aren’t just sins done mistakenly, of course, but sins that are not as serious as others. Sins that lead to death? Paul names nine main sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10:

Sexual Immorality, Idolatry, Adultery, Homosexuality, Thievery, Greediness, Drunkenness, Reviling (Abusers), and Swindling (Robbers).

The interesting thing is that Paul starts off with the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God, but that word translated as unrighteous is actually not the word unrighteous, but the word wrongdoer. Which, of course, ties back to James’ letter stating that all wrongdoing is sin, but I digress.

John states in Revelation 21:8 that the sins (wrongdoings) that lead to death are:

Cowardice (The Fearful), Faithlessness (The Unbelievers), Detestable, Murder, Sexual Immorality, Sorcery (Witchcraft/Magic), Idolatry, and Lying.

These are the kind of sins that John warned that we should not pray for a fellow believer to be forgiven on their behalf, because these sins aren’t just mistakes, they are grievous sins that need to be corrected, not just overlooked. This is the importance of studying and knowing Scripture. Unless we know what sin is, we’ll never be able to know sin that leads to death vs. sin that does not. One, so that we don’t fall into either. Two, so that we know what sins need to be addressed, corrected, and brought to the forefront vs. what sins can be prayed for without confrontation.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Study All.

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A Dangerous Test

18 And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’  ~ Numbers 11:18-20

The people of Israel have left Egypt and are now on their way to the Land of Canaan, but they have complained and grieved the LORD time and time again. This time, they complained that they missed meat. They even brought up the food they ate in Egypt, as slaves, I might remind you, going as far as to say that it was better for them as slaves in Egypt. This angered the LORD so much that He didn’t just give them what they whined and complained for, He turned it into a punishment.

It’s difficult for us to understand why the People of Israel were the way they were, but the Church today, really isn’t much different at all. We, just as the people of Israel, often return to or desire to return to slavery. Not physical slavery, but spiritual slavery. Paul wrote to the Romans:

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Romans 8:15

Sometimes, we look at the things that were easy before Christ, before we were freed from the passions and desires of this world. We overlook how we were slaves to sin. Slaves to the passions of this world. And now that we have been freed, and have across to carry, a race to run, and a battle to fight before we reach our eternal Promised Land, we begin to grieve the LORD, just as the People of Israel did in the Wilderness, but instead of giving us so much meat that it comes out of our nostrils, He gives us over to our own passions. Paul gives the example of a first level of punishment:

4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 5:4-5

18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

1 Timothy 1:18-20

Then there is the final punishment from the LORD that comes from not just desiring your past sin, but justifying, affirming, and pushing those sins.

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Romans 1:21-32

It’s easy to look at the sins and mistakes of others and ignore our own. The sins of the past aren’t for the judgment of the future, but so that we might learn from them. Jesus said a very simple, but powerful statement/warning while being tempted in the Wilderness by Satan.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do Not Put The LORD To The Test.

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Know Your Worth To Him

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. ~ 1 Peter 1:10-12

There’s a song that I’ve been playing on repeat called “Ordinary” by Alex Warren. My favorite lyric of the song goes:

The angels up in the clouds are jealous knowing we found something so out of the ordinary

This one line really makes me think. God has thousands of thousands of angels devoted to Him. There’s celestial beings that just say before His throne worshipping and praising Him. There’s His counsel that converses with Him and decides with Him, then worships at His feet. He has spiritual terrestrial beings praising Him and carrying Him as a horse draws a king’s carriage. Yet, all of these were not enough. All of these could never come close to the love He has for mankind.

Think about it for a second. Humans are below the celestial angels. If we see God’s face, we will die. We are literally just dust, yet God looked down on us and said, “I want to save you. You sinned. You walked away. You are weak, filthy, and unable to help yourself, but I love you. You will turn on Me, yet I will chase after you. You hate me, yet I will call to you. I do not need you, yet I want you.” No other creation has He ever looked at with such fierce love.

The angels of Genesis 6 sinned and were cast down to Tartarus. Helel of Isaiah 14 simply desired a sin and was cast into the pit, the depths of Sheol. Satan and a third of the angels in Heaven sinned, and were cast out of Heaven, and Hell was created for them. Mankind sinned, so God left Heaven, took on the form of man, allowed man to kill Him, and then rose from the dead with salvation for those same men who crucified Him. Spat on Him. Tortured Him. Mocked Him. That is love that no other creation knows. No other creation has the privilege of receiving.

It is a privilege to be human. Not because this life is easy, but because the Creator of all things, seen and unseen, loves you with a fierce and unconditional love like no other created thing. So, the next time you feel depressed, alone, discarded, abandoned, or unloved, remember that God has created you with a purpose and He loves you more than you could ever know or think.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Know Your Worth To Him.

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Pray For Their Eternity

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. ~ John 16:33

44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ~ Matthew 5:44-45

Randy Alcorn has a thought-provoking quote that goes as follows:

The best of life on Earth is a glimpse of Heaven; the worst of life is a glimpse of Hell. For Christians, this present life is the closest they will come to Hell. For unbelievers, it is the closest they will come to Heaven.

This life is filled with thorns and thistles overrunning our paths, making the race set before us a difficult one to run. Then there are giants, villains, and monsters chasing, disrupting, distracting, and intimidating us in an effort to stop us from reaching our end goal. Then we have our own flesh we must crucify daily as we carry our cross. Jesus warned us, as recorded by John, that in this life we will have trials and tribulations. Hardships and great difficulty are for the last days, Paul warns us. John said that we are in the last Days. That it started with the coming of Christ. Now, Jesus didn’t stop at His warning, though.

Jesus said don’t fear. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged, for I (Jesus) have overcome the world. We overcome because He first overcame. We overcome through Jesus. Our world is a taste of the good and the bad. The Heaven and the Hell. For us, Christians, believers, followers of Christ, these tribulations are as close as we will ever get to Hell. But for the unbeliever the blessings, joys, and good things of this life are as close to Heaven as they will ever get.

Yes, God pours out blessings on both the righteous and the unrighteous, but those little blessings today cannot compare to the blessings and good things in store for us in eternity. Paul said these minor afflictions are nothing compared to what God has for us in eternity. I wanna put into perspective the kind of Hell Paul endured on this earth, He was stoned and left for dead. Shipwrecked. He received the 39 lashings on his back. Five times. At the hands of his own people. He was disowned by his own people. Chased out of cities and nations. Then he was martyred in Rome. His Hell on this earth was more than just hurt feelings. It was more than just afraid of offending someone or losing his friends or job for spreading the Gospel. Paul put his life on the line,

There’s people right now enjoying the blessings of God on this earth. Enjoying the good things that God has given them, but never knowing the good things that God has for His people in eternity. Good things that we can’t even think or imagine. How sad of a thought it is that they will never know the good things that God has for His people. That this life is as close to Heaven as they will ever experience.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray For Their Eternity.

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Love God First

34 Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ~ Matthew 10:34-39

These words are hard to grasp. In fact, I’d venture to say this is one of the hardest teachings Jesus has given us. It’s not just denying our own flesh but choosing Him above all others, including those we love most. See, a common theme we have in the Church today is Christians standing firm on the Word, until a loved one decides to live in sin. So, instead of loving the person, not the sin, they embrace the sin and begin to justify it, even by twisting and cherry-picking Scripture. Their love for that person overrides their love for God. When we choose others over God, we end up causing ourselves to never truly love anyone.

God is love. Without loving the LORD above all, we fail to truly love anyone. That love we feel we have for our loved are living in Sin that causes us to affirm their sin, isn’t true love. True love doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but in Truth. Christ is Truth. Teaching what the Spirit of Truth authored through the Scribes of the Scriptures is Truth. Someone’s feelings, emotions, thoughts, or desires aren’t Truth. And affirming these things isn’t love. It is hate in disguise.

Hatred will disguise itself as love and lead many to Hell. It will convince you that to do anything other than to accept and affirm is hatred. False love. Loving others more than the LORD God leads to a reprobate mind. The LORD demands we love Him above all, not because He wants to divide the family, but because He understands that He alone is perfect and is love itself. So, when you love Him first and put Him first, you will learn how to truly love others, just as God loves the World.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Love God First.

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Remember Whom You Serve

23 “Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord. “No, I am far away at the same time. 24 Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the Lord. ~ Jeremiah 23:23-24

Ancient Israel and the modern-day world and Church are complete opposites. What do I mean? In today’s world, we are constantly preaching that the LORD is near. That He isn’t far away. That He is close to us. Ancient Israel, the LORD had to remind them of the opposite. Why? Because God interacts with us today differently than He did back then. In the days of Ancient Israel, God would come down in the cloud when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies. If they were unclean, fire would come out from the Ark of the Covenant and consume them. The LORD was physical when He spoke to and responded to Ancient Israel’s actions.

Today, God works less blatant. He works in us. He doesn’t physically come down in a cloud or fire. He changes us from the inside to the outside. Ancient Israel felt that if God was in one place, then He could not be in another, all at the same time. So, they felt they could sin in secret, and the LORD wouldn’t know. That He was in the Temple or even the synagogues, but not their private dwelling. Not their secret places. So, the LORD had to remind them that He wasn’t just near, but far off.

We today, need the opposite reminder. We need the reminder that the LORD isn’t just far off but close. That He dwells in us and through us. That He walks with us and talks with us. That He is close by. He may interact with us differently today, but who He is has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is a God who is near and a God who is close by. He is a God who fills the Heavens and the earth. He is the Almighty.

Therefore, don’t be like Ancient Israel by forgetting one quality of the LORD for another. He is far, but He is close. He is unseen, but He is seen in all that is around us. He does not change.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Remember Whom You Serve.

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Identify To Root

25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” ~ Mark 9:25-29NKJV

I have really bad allergies. I suffer all year round with no break. From Spring to Winter, allergies. So, I always have allergy tablets with me. In fact, usually, three different kinds at all times. Why? Because one size does not fit all. It all depends on the root of my issues in that moment, whether it’s pollen, some type of grass or plant, trees, or even food. Different root issue, different tablet. It doesn’t matter how many tablets I take; if it’s not the right kind, it will not work. The symptoms might all be very similar or even the same, but the source or root is the key.

See, my symptoms often present as a cold or flu, but again, no matter how many cold and flu tablets I take, my symptoms are not going away because they are never addressing the root or source of the problem. The spiritual realm is exactly the same way. No matter how many times you pray, if you do not fast, that mountain is not going to move. No matter how many times you pray, if you never worship, that harassing spirit is not going to loose you. No matter how many times you go to church, if you never spend time with God, you are not saved. There is no one-size-fits-all. No, one verse for every situation. You need to first identify the issue and then the source or root.

Too often, the Church just blindly says let’s pray about it and nothing else. Or come to church, and Jesus will fix it all. Yes, the Church is intended to be a hospital, but just like a physical hospital, you cannot cure each sickness, each illness, with the same prescription. You have to first identify the issue and then attack its root or its source. You can’t just say a prayer and expect everything to be fixed. Some things take fasting, some worship, others Scripture, others communion, others confession, and all overcoming is rooted in faith, prayer, and a relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Identify To Root.

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Let God Define You

John 20:24-25 ESV

[24] Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. [25] So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

A lot of the time, one moment. One action or reaction. One statement will follow you for your entire life, regardless of how you’ve changed or grown. Regardless of how far you’ve come, that one mistake will mark you to the world. Thomas was marked by the stain of one statement of doubt:

Unless I see … I will never believe.

These words have followed him after death, even adding to his name as “Doubting Thomas.” Nothing else about him is remembered.

Thomas’ sorry doesn’t end there, though. When he sees the resurrected Christ, Thomas makes a bold statement:

My LORD and my God.

The doubt that once plagued him no longer had a hold of him. He was filled with faith. And according to tradition, he willingly died for his faith. It’s believed that he travelled all the way to India to preach the Gospel. To preach Jesus. He converted many to Christ. In fact, in South India there are still a strong group of followers who are called “St. Thomas Christians.” His death? Stabbed to death by spears. A gruesome and cruel death, but he never recanted. He never denied. He never lost faith again.

He died a hero of the faith, yet that one moment of doubt has been what he was remembered for. Here’s what I’m getting at. Mankind remembers Thomas for doubting, but God remembers him for believing. The world will label you by your mistakes but God does not. God doesn’t hold us to our past once we come to Him. He removes our past from us. He remembers them no more. You become a new creation in Him.

Even if the world keeps your mistakes alive. Even if they memorialize you as your sin. God does not. He never will. So, they might be here on this earth in the here and now, but in eternity, they will be no more. Why? The blood of Jesus has cleaned you and His Word has washed you clean. Your sin no longer defines you, instead He does.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Let God Define You.

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Walk Blindly

1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where Helay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. ~ Matthew 28:1-8

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. ~ Mark 16:1-8

1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ~ Luke 24:1-9

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. ~ John 20:1-10

It’s now Sunday. Early Sunday morning. The dawn hasn’t even fully set, but the women are up. They’re awake, and they’re heading to the tomb. It doesn’t say any men went with them, just the women. To do what? Properly prepare Jesus’ body for burial. What’s interesting about that? Well, who was going to roll away the tomb? Remember, Jesus was laid in the tomb, and a great stone was rolled in front of the tomb, so how would they have gotten in?

Honestly, I believe the women didn’t quite know either. I believe they went in faith that they would somehow get the stone rolled away; they just needed to try. I doubt they slept much the last three nights. But it didn’t matter; their LORD was in that tomb, and He needed a proper burial. When they reached the tomb? The stone was rolled away, but Jesus’ body wasn’t there.

I can imagine the fear shooting through their bodies as they approached the empty tomb. The guards had abandoned their posts. And there before them sat an unknown man. And what does he tell them? Jesus has risen, just as He had prophesied many times. This group of women was the first to see the empty tomb. The first to hear of the good news that their Messiah had risen. That they were not wrong. That He indeed was (and still is) the Great Redeemer. Jesus was alive.

Sometimes, faith needs us to walk blindly. Not necessarily that we don’t see anything, but that we don’t see everything. They had no idea how they were going to get the stone rolled away, yet they went. Not empty-handed either, but with herbs and spices prepared to prepare His body properly for burial. They didn’t know what state His body would be in. Remember, Isaiah said He would be (and He was) beaten beyond recognition. Lazarus was in the tomb for 4 days before Jesus came to raise him from the dead, and Martha warned Jesus the body would have begun to stink when He ordered the tomb to be opened. So, imagine the smell of a body that had been beaten beyond recognition. That had been tortured and destroyed.

The women didn’t care, though. They had one mission and one mission alone. Give the LORD a burial He deserved. And when they arrived, the stone had been rolled away. Jesus wasn’t there, but two angels were. Two angels were before them, confirming what they had seen. Jesus has risen. He is risen, alive, and has come into His glory.

Faith requires us to trust. To walk without always knowing where, why, or how. To move even when it doesn’t really make sense. To act when we’re not sure how it will be done. Faith requires us to trust blindly. But, unlike the world, we aren’t trusting in men who can’t see what’s next. Or in demons who can’t assure our welfare. Or in princes, thrones, dominions, or rulers whose power is not their own. We put our trust. Our faith in the LORD God Almighty, who knows beginning and end. Who was, is, and is to come. Whose power is His own, and whose authority known can take away. He who made Heaven and earth. Who established them by His own might and strength.

We may not know the end. But He does. We may not know the how. But He does. All that we don’t know or understand. All that worries us and concerns us. All that keeps us up at night is all in His hands. He holds all things. So, let this Resurrection Sunday encourage you. Let it lift you up. Let it give you hope and strengthen your faith. Jesus did not abandon His followers then, so He will not abandon you now. You have not been left as orphans. You have not been forgotten. He is watching over you. He has and still is preparing a way for you. You need only follow it.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Walk Blindly.

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Know What To Hope For

Luke 24:25-26

[25] And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”

Jesus had just been hailed as the Son of David just a few days prior, and now, their Messiah, their Christ, was dead. Two days have passed. It’s now the Sabbath. And it’s been just silence. No whispers. No shakings. Just silence. A heavy silence. Their hope had been shattered. Now, keep in mind, Jesus had prophesied His death three or so times before it actually came to be, but because that wasn’t what they wanted the Messiah to be, they didn’t understand when He told them.

See, they wanted the Messiah to restore Israel to its rightful glory. To restore the House of David. To overthrow the Roman Empire. To be the military force they had so hoped for, but instead of silencing His enemies, Jesus seemingly was the one who was silenced. And their hope was crushed. See, His disciples couldn’t see what He was doing. Their spiritual eyes were closed just as Elisha’s man-servant’s eyes were closed to the Heavenly army surrounding them. They couldn’t see what Jesus was doing in the Spirit.

They didn’t realize, at the time, that Jesus was acting as the goat that took the sin of Israel (now the sin of the whole world) away from the presence of God. Away from the people of God. Jesus’ seemingly horrid failure was actually a great victory. In His death, we too died (to sin). In His death He killed sin and took it far away. In His death, that moment of despair for His disciples, He was able to give the entire world what they lost that day. Hope.

Hope is easily killed when you don’t know what it is you are hoping for. The disciples were hoping for a military leader that would lead a great conquest to restore Israel to its former glory under King David. The Son of David was to take His rightful place on His father’s throne and rule, but instead they received the opposite. They received a Messiah that didn’t come for physical victory, but spiritual victory.

Jesus, in His death, made a way for all people of all walks of life of all backgrounds to be saved. To be redeemed. To be reconciled to God. That is a great military conquest. He fought and overcame our spiritual enemies, so that we might be able to be with Him in the spirit. And one day, when He comes back, we will be with Him in the physical as well.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Know What To Hope For.

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