John 19:30

When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” then bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

“It is finished!” are the most beautiful and profound words possibly ever spoken by our Savior. Everything prophesied about Him had been fulfilled, and everything needed for our sacrifice was now complete. He had served His purpose, and the only thing left was for God to accept His sacrifice. Jesus did all He could do for us on the cross, then He gave up His spirit to death. His is the greatest example of faith we have to follow.

When Jesus died, He submitted Himself to the Father. Whatever happened next was in the Father’s hands. Jesus did all He could do for us and turned Himself over to God the Father in death. God would take it from there.

There are times when we must do all we can do and trust the end result to God. We cannot perform the actual miracle or dictate the end result. We must submit it to God and allow Him to reveal His glory in the matter. Jesus died, paying the full penalty for our sins. We can accept His sacrifice or reject it, but we cannot offer a better sacrifice. The end result of our lives and the promise of our eternal future are in God’s hands. He has the last word. We can choose to reject Christ or accept what He did for us. God blessed what Christ did, but He will not bless an imperfect sacrifice, which is all we have to offer.

Where are you struggling today? Declare by faith that “It is finished!” Jesus has already paid the price for your sins and assured your victory. Submit the matter to God, and allow Him to reveal His glory in it. Where are you hurting? “It is finished!” Accept the place where you are, and submit your spirit to God. He will either lead you out or give you the grace to overcome where you are. In order for God to move in a situation, you must die to yourself. He didn’t bring you here to leave you hanging. He brought you to this place so Christ can be glorified in you and through you. Receive and believe in His sacrifice for you; it is finished, and it is enough.

Have a blessed day!

John 20:16-17

Jesus said, “Mary.” Turning around, she said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” – which means “Teacher.”

Jesus announced His resurrection by speaking personally to Mary Magdalene. He called her by name – a concept upon which I meditate quite frequently because it speaks volumes to the soul. Instead of trumpets, huge crowds, or loud voices, He spoke privately and personally to her.

When God resurrects something in our lives, He often speaks only to us. He reveals His purpose to us by calling us by name. In that moment, every bad thing in the past begins to make sense as it points to His glory. Glorious, indeed, are those special, private moments with Christ.

Mary’s response is one we should all follow. She immediately addressed Him as “Rabbouni!” He was her Great Teacher. When His glory is revealed to us, we may have many questions. How can this be? What will happen next? Did I hear you correctly? We must look to our Great Teacher to guide us and teach us exactly what to do. He may not give us all the answers up front. We may have to take one step at a time in faith and obedience to see His purpose fulfilled in us.

Jesus told Mary Magdalene to tell her brothers – His disciples – He had risen. Here we see the first commissioning of a missionary of the gospel story. She was a woman with a past who had seen Jesus living, dying, and now resurrected. Her encounter with Jesus transformed her life, and. she was now to go and tell. Whether or not anyone would believe her was not her responsibility. She had a story that needed to be told because it revealed the glory of the risen Savior.

Whatever is dead in you that needs to be resurrected requires a personal encounter with the risen Savior. Seek Him. Whatever purpose God has for you, it reflects the risen Savior. Go and tell.

Our time of mourning is over. He is risen; He’s alive! We who believe should rejoice and live like we believe it.

Have a blessed day!

Acts 13:30-31

But God raised Him from the dead, and He appeared for many days to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now His witnesses to the people.

Our hope is not in the crucifixion of Jesus alone. The Romans killed many people on crosses, but God raised Jesus from the dead! The cross was not the end of the story, as the religious leaders and the Devil, himself, had hoped. Our hope is in the resurrection and glorious ascension to be at the right hand of the Father, where Jesus currently resides to intercede for us. The resurrection proved that God accepted the sacrifice and provided forgiveness for us through His Son.

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples for about 40 days. God allowed them to see the rest of the story so they would know full well the purpose to which they were called. Had Jesus only died, they could easily have lost hope. Because they saw Him in resurrected form, however, there was no stopping them from fulfilling their destiny because they were first hand witnesses to the miracle and knew God had certainly done something divine in their midst. They could tell their story with confidence, even if it killed them.

God often works the same way in our lives. When we’ve experienced the death of a dream, it can be as heart-wrenching as the loss of a loved one. We may seem to lose all purpose without the hope of fulfilling what we thought we were made to be. Not every dream, however, is from God. Some dreams will die simply because there is no life in them from the start. When God instills a dream in us, however, He will often let it die and resurrect it with new power. When we experience His power, we become witnesses to His divine purpose and are then able to fulfill the destiny to which we are called with full confidence. That is the hope of the resurrection. Any dream outside of Christ is dead already, but any dream with Christ at the center will live eternally.

If you are currently suffering the death of a dream or of a loved one, know that death is not the end of the story. God has new life awaiting. Your time of grieving will be very short in comparison to the power His new life will bring. Place your hope in the resurrection today, and trust God to bring to life all that He has purposed for you. The rest of your story is worth telling.

Have a blessed day!

John 19:30

When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” Then bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Jesus suffered incredible thirst upon the cross. When He said, “I’m thirsty!” the soldiers gave Him sour wine, which would only increase His thirst. On the cross, He suffered every pain, lack, need, and void the devil can throw at us in this world. When His thirst could not be satisfied, He willingly gave up His spirit and died. He fulfilled every prophecy of the Messiah, and He finished the work God sent Him to do. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

 For what do you thirst today? Realize that anything this world can give you to quench that thirst will only make you thirstier.  It will not satisfy. Only Christ’s perfect sacrifice can quench the relentless longing of our souls. As Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:13-14, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again – ever!…”

Jesus died so your soul would not have to thirst again. He is a well of living water that never runs dry! He will not deny you or forsake you. Wherever you thirst, come and let Him refresh you today. He took the sour wine so our thirsty souls could be quenched. There is hope for your hopeless situation, and it is found in His perfect sacrifice. Stop relying upon the sour wine of this world, and turn to Jesus, a well of living water that completely satisfies! Jesus endured all the bad to pay the penalty for our sin so we could celebrate Good Friday. Our longing, thirsty soul can find satisfaction through His sacrifice. He is the gospel – our good news!

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 37:5

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act,…

Many times, Christians plead with God to act and see no result. God begins to act when we surrender a matter to Him and just serve out of a trusting heart. When we do what He has called us to do and serve others, He goes to work to meet our needs.

We cannot serve God when we focus upon our needs. We must redirect our attention to what He has called us to do. As long as we continue to look at the void or lack in our lives, we will be stagnant and fail to move forward. We need to look in another direction, trusting God to fill the void or lack. This is much like what He did for Moses when he asked to see God’s glory. God hid him in the cleft of the rock and allowed him to see His back after He passed by. Moses couldn’t see as God approached, but He knew where God had been.

Our cleft of the rock is Jesus. When we hide in Him and just do what He has called us to do, we can turn and see where God has been at work the whole time. He is not going to work while we are watching.

Turn your matter over to God, and begin to serve Him as He has called you to serve. Commit your way to Him. Trust Him, and He will act on your behalf. Like Moses, you will see His glory as He passes by!

Have a blessed day!

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word.

John 3:16 tells us about God the Father’s gracious love to us and that He expressed that love by giving us His own Son to die in our place so we might not perish and be saved eternally. God the Father and Jesus the Son encourage us and strengthen us through the Holy Spirit. They continue to communicate with us after our salvation experience to help us grow as followers of Christ.

As mothers, we encourage our children even after they have grown and left the safety of our nest. Encouragement strengthens by building confidence. God does not leave us without encouragement to grow in Christ and to fulfill our calling in Him. He will enable us to do every good work and give us every word of assurance we need to continue. He will also bring good works to us to bless us as we go. God knows our every thought and where the devil is tempting us to give up or give in. He knows what will motivate you and spark your passion to continue. His desire is to strengthen you and not to tear you down. Expect God to direct you by encouraging you and giving you hope in the direction in which He is taking you.

I once heard a comment that has stuck with me. “Today’s attack just may be tomorrow’s advantage.” I don’t remember the young pastor’s name who said it, but he is right. God can take our vulnerable places and make them strong. He can and will use what the enemy intended for evil as a weapon against him and bring good to your life, instead. The cross is the perfect example. While the cross was an instrument of death for Jesus, it carried the penalty of death for us. Therefore, we can be saved through Jesus because He died and rose again. Satan’s attack is our advantage! 

May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word today. God has not left you out on a limb or hanging from a cliff. Whatever seems to be attacking you will be your weapon of advantage tomorrow. Look for God’s work in your life, and listen for His voice. Reject any voice that tears you down. Respond to the voice of encouragement, and find good hope and grace to lead you into God’s promise.

Have a blessed day!

Psalm 37:10

A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for him, he will not be there.

I find mystery and confidence in this verse of comfort and assurance written by David. While we may be surrounded by wicked people and evil intents, God will remove those influences from our life. They will not be allowed to prevail. Those who continually pursue evil will be destroyed or removed, never to be found again. Wickedness does not triumph in the end.

How God removes the wicked remains a mystery. He may choose to bring about their public demise or gradually remove their influence. He may halt their schemes or change their direction. Better yet, He may choose to transform their lives from wicked to righteous through His Son. In any event, we can rest assured that God will remove the wicked from us. Though we look for him, he will not be found.

This verse should motivate us to carefully consider our actions. Are our motives righteous or wicked? Know with certainty God will not tolerate wickedness in His children. Are we being taunted by the wickedness of others? Rest assured that God will remove those influences, and be careful how you respond. In a little while, the wicked will be no more.

We live in a world filled with wicked people and evil schemes. Jesus has promised He will return, and His coming appears more imminent every passing day. While evil seems to have a stronghold now, in a little while, we will see it no more. God has a plan for the wicked plans of men, and His plan will prevail. Christ has risen, and He is coming again – soon! Don’t miss it!

Have a blessed day!

Romans 8:24-25

Now in this hope we were saved, yet hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

Have you ever wanted to do something but saw no way it could ever happen? Have you ever had dreams fade simply because there was never time and/or money to fully pursue them? Have you ever had a need linger so long you lost hope it would ever happen? If you answered, “yes,” to all three questions, as I just did, there is something for you in this passage.

Hope has a twin named patience. They work together, and you rarely find one without the other. If you are hoping for something, you need patience to endure until the proper time comes for fulfillment. If you are having to endure a wait, hope will energize you and motivate you to continue. Waiting is inevitable; hope and patience make it bearable.

Lost hope looks for an alternative. If this dream won’t happen, what other thing might fill my longing? Losing hope can make the heart sick and bring depression and barrenness. If God has put something in our hearts, we must learn to hope and believe that He will do what we can’t do for ourselves. If we could see it all up front, we would be acting from knowledge, rather than faith. God responds to faith, which operates through hope to direct us to our destiny.

The devil would like nothing more than for you to lose hope and give up. While he can’t stop God’s plan for you, he can certainly steer you off course and delay God’s promises. If you can’t see any way your dream could happen or your need can be filled, hope a little harder. Wait a little longer. Expect God to open a door you didn’t know existed. Hope is the eager expectation of good, and you can count on God to be good to you! In fact, if your dream doesn’t require some divine intervention, your dream isn’t big enough. You are settling in some area of life. If you can’t see it, hope for it and wait with patience. Sooner or later, God will decide to reveal His glory, and your hope will be proof of His existence. Don’t lose hope, but protect it will all your might. The testimony that awaits is powerful!

Have a blessed day!

Luke 19:43-44

For the days will come on you when your enemies will build an embankment against you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you and your children within you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in you, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.

This is the proclamation Jesus made over Jerusalem as He wept for the city immediately after His triumphal entry. They did not recognize the fact that their Messiah had come, so they were doomed to defeat by the enemy. Salvation was in their midst, but they rejected it. Everlasting peace was theirs for the taking, but pride and jealousy prevented them from entering God’s rest. They did not recognize the time of their visitation.

How tragic it is not to recognize your time of visitation. Today, we have an open invitation to dine with Christ at any time. We can sit at His feet and simply learn from Him. We can commune with Him and have close fellowship with Him. We can find victory over every enemy by following Him in obedience.  Sadly, many are just too busy to accept the invitation to come and dine. One day, the enemy will build an embankment and surround you on every side. When we don’t let Jesus into our busy lives, the enemy will find an open door into our lives, move in, and build a stronghold to defeat us. We must learn to recognize our time of visitation and take time to enjoy God’s presence.

Have you ever been in a place where you could not find God? Maybe, He didn’t seem to be working in your life at all. Perhaps, the enemy seemed to have control of your life or your family. Think back to the time preceding the battle. Did you take time to fellowship with Christ on a regular basis? Did you sit at His feet and just learn from Him? Many apparent victories of the enemy occur because we did not recognize our time of visitation, and we dismissed Christ for other things. 

Don’t miss your time of visitation today. We still have the opportunity to sit at His feet and learn from Him. We can still commune with Him and meditate on His word. Spend time with Christ today. It will be your strong defense tomorrow!

Have a blessed day!

1 Corinthians 15:38

Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Paul gave this instruction to the Corinthians after some had come to falsely believe there was no resurrection from the dead for Christians. Paul explained in verses 13 and 14 that if there was no resurrection for us, then Christ has not been raised from the dead, and we have no forgiveness of sins.  Without His resurrection, our preaching and faith are in vain. They serve no purpose without the hope of His resurrection. Christ was raised from the dead on earth and now lives with the Father in heaven.  Because of His resurrection, we have hope in this life and in the next.

The truth of the matter is that we do have hope today because Christ died and rose again, and we will one day rise again from the ashes of our dead bodies to a new glorified body. That physical resurrection, however, will not happen until Christ comes again. In the meantime, we are to be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work and knowing that our labor in Him is not in vain. We have that blessed promise of new life.

We also have hope for this earthly life in Christ Jesus. When we lay down the dead, unproductive places in our lives and submit to Him, He can raise us to live a new, vibrant, flourishing life here on earth. He can resurrect something from our deadness that reveals His glory as a picture of the life in Him to come.  We are not without hope because he died and rose again. His miracle can create a miracle in us.

Where do you feel dead? Surrender that place to Christ. Where do you need to feel alive again? Give it to Him. You cannot create life on your own, but by faith, God can resurrect you from the ashes of your old self. Be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. You have a resurrection coming!

Have a blessed day!