His Resurrection Changed Everything! March 21 Readings: Deuteronomy 19-20, Mark 16, Psalm 37:15–21, Proverbs 8:34

Links to Today's Readings

Consider the sadness the three ladies felt as they made their way to the tomb. Jesus had more than just the Twelve following him; there were several women who had joined his cause and were devoted to him. These were some of that group. The two Marys and Salome headed to the tomb early on Sunday morning, likely to do what they had not been able to do after Jesus' death - clean and prepare Jesus' body for his burial. They had a pure and holy love for him and were determined to perform this one last act of service to the One for whom they grieved.

But they got to the tomb and something was not right. The stone was gone and no one was there guarding it. They walked into the tomb and saw a young man in a white robe sitting on a stone slab to the right.

You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He hass risen; he is not here! (Mark 16:6)

Everything was changed. Jesus had done many wondrous things in his life, and these women had witnessed many of them. But this was the greatest act of all. To conquer sickness and disease is impressive, but to defeat death itself, to break those iron bonds and rise again - that is beyond words!  What glory! What power!

And the fact of the resurrection changed everything. They went to the tomb with broken hearts, but they left rejoicing. They went in defeat and left in victory. Jesus altered everything from history itself to the course of these three women's hearts. 

Everything changed because Jesus rose from the dead. You and I were sinners, condemned before God and awaiting an eternal hell, without hope. But Jesus rose again. Because Jesus rose, you have hope today; an eternal, unending and glorious hope! This world is scary and sinful. But Jesus rose again. One day, Jesus will rule this world in an awesome peace and all will be well. You struggle with sin today and sometimes you feel that it will never change. But Jesus rose from the dead. He will raise you up and utterly redeem you from your sin. If death could not conquer him nothing can stop him. Perhaps your days are hard and sad and joyless, but Jesus rose from the dead. He can sustain you with his joy and power whatever this world throws at you. 

We sometimes forget the second half of the crucifixion equation. Jesus died for our sins. Amen. Glory, hallelujah!  And we were crucified with Christ. We die to self daily. We were buried with Christ by baptism into death. But that is only half of the story. 

Jesus rose from the dead. "He is not here. He is risen!" He was raised to a new life, a glorified body. But do not forget the second half of the baptismal verse. Yes, we were buried with Christ by baptism into death. But we were also "raised to walk a new life in him." We have been crucified with Christ, yes. "Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me." 

When we died with Christ we were born again to a new life. We became new creations. We have not experienced fully the glory that will be ours in heaven one day, but we are the dwelling of God. We display his glory. 

Oh, my friend, things may look bad, but Jesus is alive and you have been raised with him to a life of glory and power. Do not despair. Do not give up. Do not be downcast Do not be stressed out. Jesus is alive!

Father, you raised Jesus from the dead and you raised me with him. I thank you for the life you gave me in Christ, a new life of joy, power, peace and eternal significance. I rejoice in him, in your Son, my Savior. 

Learning Wisdom - March 20 Readings: Deuteronomy 17-18, Mark 15:21–47, Psalm 37:8–14, Proverbs 8:32-33

Links to Today's Readings

Proverbs is a unique book within the Scriptures. It's not primarily about theology or eternity, but about practical issues of living life here on earth. It is a book of wisdom from Solomon to his sons to teach them how to honor God, how to make wise choices and how to lead Israel well (they were, of course, the princes of the land). There are instructions about the tongue, about handling money, and a plethora of warnings about the dangers of sexual immorality. 

Chapter 8 is a summary and recapitulation of the well-organized and systematic teachings of wisdom in chapters 1 through 7. In our reading, verses 22-23, he shares a few of the keys to the life of wisdom, dropping some hints that we need to heed. 

And now, O sons, listen to me:
    blessed are those who keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise,
    and do not neglect it.

First, Solomon calls on his sons to listen and obey. How arcane that sounds. "No one tells me what to do. I do what I want." That's the way of this world, but it is also the way of folly. A wise man or woman is willing to submit to those authorities that God has placed in his or her life. God. The Word of God. Parents. Bosses. Teachers. Church leaders. The wise are not brazen and full of themselves, but willing to listen, learn and obey.

Second, Solomon encouraged his sons to learn wisdom by hearing instruction. They needed to realize that they did not have all wisdom or knowledge and that they needed to learn more. They needed to seek that knowledge. That is a general principle - a wise man or woman reads and listens and learns about many things. But it is primarily focused on the Word of God. The wise must be diligent as students of God's Word, because it is there that God's wisdom is revealed.

As I read verses like this, I realize how successful the enemy has been in winning the hearts and minds of our world. How odd is sounds to talk about submitting to authority and learning wisdom from others, insteading of simply choosing for yourself what is right and wrong. The enemy has convinced this world that dark is light and light is dark, that good is bad and bad is good, that up is down and down is up.

We must read and study God's Word and submit our minds to its truths, to be renewed by it rather than to be shaped by the lies of this world. Solomon begged his sons, even 3000 years ago, not to neglect the wisdom of God's Word. The principle is even more true today.

Father, teach us your truth that we may walk in your wisdom. 

Living in an Evil World - March 19 Readings: Deuteronomy 15-16, Mark 15:1–20, Psalm 37:1–7, Proverbs 8:30-31

Links to Today's Readings

Check your favorite news site and read some of the headlines. Chances are that as a Bible-believing Christian you are going to see a lot that is going to make you sad, angry or scared. We are watching a moral sea-change in our land that has been both rapid and dramatic. Few vestiges remain of the so-called Judeo-Christian ethic that once dominate our land.

How ought we to react when we see the swelling tide of evil washing over our land, our cities, and even our friends and families? What should we do? David had the answer in Psalm 37, one of my favorite Psalms.

He begins by telling us how to look on the evil of the world.

Fret not yourself because of evildoers;
    be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass
    and wither like the green herb.   (Psalm 37:1-2)

Do not be agitated, he says. Remember Paul's command? "Don't be anxious about anything." Worry, stress and anxiety have no place in the life of a Christian, even in a world that is seemingly dominated by evil, where sinners seem to be winning the day. 

But how can we not? When we look at the headlong rush into sin, depravity and perversion in our nation, how can we not be upset? When we see evil prosper and sinners succeed in their plots, how can we not be angry? How can we sit back and just watch our nation descend towards its own destruction without angst? 

David tells us. Evil has an expiration date. It will not stand. It will not have the last word. God has defeated evil through the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. Right now, sin may at times have the upper hand, but that is only temporary. In the end, Jesus wins. All the works of evil are doomed. 

So, don't let it get you down. Remember, every time you see wickedness rising that it is defeated and will one day be banished from creation. Jesus Christ is Lord of all. Do not be intimidated by the enemies of God. Their days are numbered. 

But how do we live in the meantime? 

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
    and your justice as the noonday.   (Psalm 37:3-6)

It is pretty simple. Trust God and do what is good. Delight in the Lord instead of being focused on the power of evil. When that comes, God will satisfy your heart with good things. Commit your path, your life, your choices completely to God and he will act. 

Even in a world of great evil, God acts in power to bless those who obey him and do what is right. His arm is not short. God's light shines brightly when the world around is dark. 

It is easy to let ourselves be overwhelmed by the evil in the world, but we must remember that our God is greater than the evil in the world. We must trust in his power and just keep walking in his ways, trusting him to work through us. 

Thank you, Father, that you are bigger than whatever the world can throw at me. I trust in you! Help me to walk in your ways every day. 

A God More Faithful Than I - March 18 Readings: Deuteronomy 13-14, Mark 14:51–72, Psalm 36:7–12, Proverbs 8:28-29

Links to Today's Readings

As of February, I have been a believer for 51 years. God has done a lot in my life over those five decades and I hope he has used me in his work. But the thing that sticks out as I think back on half a century as a Christian is how often, how shamefully, how consistently I have failed the Lord. I've had other priorities, let myself get focused on other things, turned my heart away from him, loved the things of this world - the list could go on and on.

Fortunately, God is so much more faithful to me than I am to him!

Like hymn-writer Robert Robinson (Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing), I rely on the grace and mercy of God daily.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be.
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee. 

The next words express the heart of my problem, the problem of my heart.

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. 

Like Israel of old I find my heart deceptive, drawing me away from devotion to God to a love of the things of this world. And when I think of how much time I've wasted, how many opportunities I've squandered, how many sinful choices I have made, I feel some of the despair that Mr. Robinson felt as he wrote that hymn.

But there is good news for guys like me. God is faithful. I must never use God's faithfulness as an excuse for sin or a way to rationalize away its gravity. My sin is serious. But God's grace is always greater than my sin. God's faithfulness is stronger than my infidelity. Look at the Psalmist's words in Psalm 36:7-9.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
    and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light do we see light.

It is God's faithful, steadfast love that gives refuge to sinful people like me. He fills me from his abundance. I drink from the refreshing stream of his love - a fountain of the water of life. He lights my path so that I can see the way to go. I love that last phrase in verse 9. "In your light do we see light. Enlightenment comes only through him.

Yes, I have failed him so often, but his grace renews me daily. My eternal hope is built on Jesus' blood and righteousness, not my own goodness. I am secure in Christ and in the knowledge that sin will not have the last word in my life. He forgives and cleanses. He lifts up and restores. He renews and strengthens. He empowers and uses. And he does all of that with ordinary, unworthy sinners like me.

Praise God! Father your faithfulness is baffling, mind-boggling. I've been ready to give up on myself a hundred times, but you never give up on me. You are good, faithful, loving, merciful, holy, and relentless in your pursuit of my holiness. Thank you Lord, that is more about who you are than who I am. 

He Earned Our Love! March 17 Readings: Deuteronomy 11-12, Mark 14:26–50, Psalm 36:1–6, Proverbs 8:26-27

Links to Today's Readings

Why should I obey God? Why should I love him? Why should I turn my back on my own desires, my own ambitions, my own will, and give myself wholly and completely to God. The Israelites asked themselves this question repeatedly. Why should we love and serve the Lord? Why can't we be like all the nations around us?

God answered this question clearly in Deuteronomy 11. The chapter begins with a call to love God and to demonstrate that love through obedience. True love for God is evidenced by a submissive, obedient heart.

“Therefore, love the Lord your God and always keep His mandate and His statutes, ordinances, and commands." Deuteronomy 11:1

Moses then explains clearly why Israel was obligated to love God. 

His greatness, strong hand, and outstretched arm; His signs and the works He did in Egypt to Pharaoh king of Egypt and all his land; what He did to Egypt’s army, its horses and chariots, when He made the waters of the Red Sea flow over them as they pursued you, and He destroyed them completely; what He did to you in the wilderness until you reached this place; and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when in the middle of the whole Israelite camp the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, their households, their tents, and every living thing with them. Your own eyes have seen every great work the Lord has done. Deuteronomy 11:2-7 

Israel had witnessed the glory, goodness and power of God on their behalf and that obligated them to loving obedience. God had earned their love. He had stretched out his hand to deliver them from Egypt, had preserved and protected them in the wilderness and now was going to give them the Promised Land. God had also disciplined those who sinned against God in their midst.

God's mighty hand of power on behalf of Israel was so awesome that Israel was obligated to love him back. 

It is amazing that God want our love. He is self-existent, not dependent on anyone or anything. He needs nothing because he is everything! But yet, in spite of all that, he desires his people to love him with all their hearts and souls and might. 

And he has earned that love. Not only did he create us by the word of his mouth but he gave his own Son as the payment for our sins. By the Blood of the Cross he redeemed us. He sealed us with the Holy Spirit who not only guarantees our inheritance eternally but also empowers us daily to live for Christ. 

How could I not love a God who has done all of that for me? How could I even consider serving myself or anyone or anything else after God's mighty display of power and grace in my life. He has earned by love and devotion. Too often I fail to give it, but it is his right because of all he has done for me. 

Father, you loved me eternally and sent your son to purchase my redemption. No one loves me like that. That you for your grace and mercy, for all your love and goodness. 

Arrogant Beggars - March 16 Readings: Deuteronomy 9-10, Mark 14:1–25, Psalm 35:21–28, Proverbs 8:24-25

Link to Today's Readings

Why did God call Israel to be his own? Was it because they were better than other nations, because their armies were stronger or their people smarter? Were they just simply more righteous, more godly than other nations? God answers that question in no uncertain terms in Deuteronomy 9:1-6.

He begins the passage with a wonderful promise - that he was going to give them the land, chasing the powerful enemies out.

But understand that today the Lord your God will cross over ahead of you as a consuming fire; He will devastate and subdue them before you. You will drive them out and destroy them swiftly, as the Lord has told you. Deuteronomy 9:3

But then he gave Israel a warning. 

When the Lord your God drives them out before you, do not say to yourself, ‘The Lord brought me in to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.’ Deuteronomy 9:4

Do not fall prey to unwarranted arrogance, God admonished them. It would not be the righteousness of Israel that would be the root of their conquest of Canaan. It would be the power of God. In fact, God goes a step farther in verse 6. 

Understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people. Deuteronomy 9:6

Israel was a stiff-necked, rebellious and sinful nation, chosen by God's grace and kept by God's power. They were spiritual beggars who only succeeded due to the mercy of God. But too often they became arrogant, looking down on other nations as if it was their own goodness that won them favor with God. When God did amazing things among them they often took credit and acted as if they had accomplished it by their own strength.

I am prone to that same flaw, arrogantly forgetting that I am just a spiritual beggar who has received life by God's mercy alone. God saw no merit, no righteousness, no inner qualities that caused God to love me. In fact, like Israel I am rebellious, self-centered, wayward - all sorts of sinful things.

But God has worked in me, changed me, used me in his work. I am all too prone to behave like Israel and take credit for what God does in me. I am always a beggar, living on the mercy of God, but sometimes I forget that and become an arrogant beggar.

God's warning to Israel is also his warning to us. "I did not choose you because of your greatness, but because of mine! I will display my power through you but you must never rob me of my glory or take credit for my amazing deeds."

Father, I am a beggar - a sinner unworthy of your love and mercy. But you have blessed this beggar with life and hope and all good things. Forgive me for when I have credited myself with your goodness, when my arrogance has caused me to forget my beggarliness. Thank you for all you have done. 

Signs of Summer - March 15 Readings: Deuteronomy 7-8, Mark 13:24–37, Psalm 35:14–20, Proverbs 8:22-23

Links to Today's Readings

This past week has given Sioux City some of the best weather it has ever had in the middle of March. We've seen sunny days and record-breaking temperatures. The snow is gone and the ground is thawed. If you look at the grass there are hints of green and I can see buds beginning to form on the trees. Spring is springing.

What does that mean? It means that soon, the summer will be here. In the meantime there will likely be some bitter days still. There might be some snow days and the cold wind will still blow. But its coming. The Iowa winter is dying and the summer warmth is on its way.

Jesus made a similar observation about the fig trees of Israel in Mark 13:28.

From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.

The knowledgeable person can see from the signs he reads on the branches and leaves of the fig tree that summer is near. In the next verse (29), Jesus makes it clear what he is saying. 

So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.

There are certain signs that one can look at in the world around to discern that perhaps the time of the end is drawing near. Jesus tells us in this passage and in several others what those might be. But he also makes something else clear in the passage that follows. It is not the Christian's duty to be a date-setter or to spend his or her time trying to figure out whether this is the day that Jesus will return. In fact, in verse 32, Jesus makes it crystal clear that we will never know for certain when Jesus will return. 

But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 

No one knows that day except the Father. (I believe Jesus' statement that he didn't know the day referred only to his time on earth, but that is a discussion for another day.) Life is not about trying to figure out whether this is the day or not. Jesus sets a different standard, in verses 33-37.

Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.³⁵ Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— ³⁶ lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

We don't know when Jesus is coming back, so we must live every day as if it might be today. The standard is simple. If we are walking in Christ and in the power of the Spirit, it ought not change our lives a bit if we knew that Jesus was returning tomorrow. We ought to be about the work of Christ every day, every moment. 

Father, help me to live daily in wakefulness, readiness, and obedience, that I might be ready when Jesus returns.