What would you record?
Today’s devotion is based on the Message: Purpose Revealed (Watch Here)
John 20:30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Yesterday and today I have been enjoying a Pastor’s conference at Camp Shiloh Lutheran Retreat Center near Pittsburg Texas. The theme of the conference centers on marking the 40 years of history of our South Central District of the WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.) Our essay today covered the history of the start of congregations in Dallas, Edna and others that were the foundation to the beginning of what we have today as over 7000 souls in our district.
As we discussed the paper, encouragement was given for us as individual congregations to save records and history to preserve the story of God’s grace and the spread of it in the communities around our areas.
One of the questions that was posed was this, “What should we save?” Another person commented, “I have boxes of council minutes and bulletins from every week for years. Do you want all that?
The one giving the essay said, “While the suggestion is to focus on the big events, you can send things in and let the archivist determine what is kept and what is discarded.
Any archivist or historian has to work their way through a lot of information to write the story of history. Every history account has a purpose in writing. (Which reminds me of a college assignment where we had to read five books or so on a part of Russian history and critically analyze the author’s purpose and bias.) Every bit of history that is recorded probably has 5-10 other events that are lost to history.
So I wonder how many signs and wonders Jesus actually did. How many did “not make the cut” of John’s Gospel? We probably will never know unless we remember to ask John when we get to heaven.
However, what is not recorded is really not the point, because even if every sign that Jesus performed WERE recorded, it wouldn’t change anything about him and his teaching. Each one of them had a singular purpose:
So that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John’s purpose was Jesus’ purpose.
Jesus performed signs so people would see the validation to his spoken message and believe he was the promised Messiah.
John recorded these signs so people would have evidence that Jesus was the promised Messiah and the Son of God.
It all had a purpose.
It all has a purpose.
John, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, wrote the things he did so that every one of us could be certain that he was who he said he was – the Messiah, the Son of God.
Our purpose for being on this earth and reading the Words of Jesus are to believe. The Lord Jesus simply wants us to put our faith in him. To trust him to be the Savior of our sin.
There is no greater thing that has been preserved for us to read: the account of Jesus our Savior, so we might read and believe!
Apply: What miracles of Jesus resonate most with you to validate he is the Messiah, the Son of God?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for not only performing the signs, but ensuring they were recorded in the history of the Gospels so that we too might believe you are the Messiah, the son of God, our Savior. AMEN.
What would you do with 40 days?
Today’s devotion is based on the Message: Purpose Revealed (Watch Here)
Jesus knew he only had 40 days.
What would you do with 40 days if you knew at the end you would be headed to heaven?
You could check your “bucket list” and try to finish things that were on there.
You probably would spend as much time with your family and closest friends.
You would probably make sure your affairs were in order.
There would probably also be things you wouldn’t do.
You probably wouldn’t spend time work a job you weren’t interested in.
You probably wouldn’t spend a ton of time being angry about the past or people from the past.
You probably wouldn’t spend effort on people that had little impact in your life.
What we see in Jesus is a laser focus to do three things with the time he had before he went back to heaven.
- Ensure his closest followers knew with certainty that he was alive.
- Communicate clearly the teachings of the Scripture and his fulfillment of them.
- Convey his trust and confidence on his disciples to carry the mission of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Jesus wanted his disciples to understand with clarity their purpose once he was gone. When he appeared to his disciples, he made six statements of their purpose:
To the disciples in the upper room the evening of the resurrection:
John 20:21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
To Peter personally:
John 21:17 Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
To the disciples:
Luke 24:44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
He was done healing. He was done teaching. Jesus wanted to make sure his followers understood their purpose: Be his witnesses that proclaim the Gospel.
His purpose for his followers hasn’t changed.
Apply: How can you embrace the purpose Jesus gives to be a carrier of the Gospel in your interactions today?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for entrusting me with the powerful message of your grace in the Gospel. Help me to carry and proclaim it with clarity and confidence. AMEN.
Death is hard. Hope is real.
Today’s devotion is based on the Easter Message: Hope Revealed (Watch Here)
Death is hard. Hope is real.
Wednesday I went to see a gentleman who attended with his wife as they were able for the last years. Recently God called his wife home to heaven. As with any funeral, the business of the arrangements, family coming into town and decisions of next steps happen quickly and a bit overwhelmingly. In addition to the change of losing his wife, his family decided due to his memory and the assistance he needs to move him to a care facility near one of his daughters. When I found him in his new residence, he was listening to a talk on Big Bend National Park here in Texas. While I had to interrupt him due to another appointment, we had a few minutes to sit on one of the patios and talk. Two times, large tears came to his eyes. First as he shared how much he misses his wife and second when we discussed the beauty of heaven and the joy of being able to experience the presence of Jesus and the reunion with the ones we love.
Death is hard. Hope is real.
The ladies that made their way to the tomb that first Easter morning were heavy with sadness over the death of Jesus. The least they could do was to follow up his burial with a proper applications of spices to anoint the body.
I would guess that if you encountered them on the road and asked where they were headed, a few tears would have made their way down their cheeks.
Death is hard.
For those of you who have experienced the death of someone close to you, you know the hole they leave in your heart and your life.
Death is hard.
Yet the reality of Easter morning is not simply affirmation that death is hard.
The angels had a message to share: “He is not here! He has risen!”
Jesus himself as he stepped in front of Mary simply said her name, “Mary.”
Jesus walking with the Emmaus disciples took time to explain from the Scripture all that was prophesied about him and finally revealed himself to them in the breaking of bread.
Hope is real!
The women who saw and heard the angels ran back to tell the disciples.
Mary who saw Jesus alive herself ran to tell Jesus’ followers.
The Emmaus disciples ran the miles back to Jerusalem to the followers of Jesus.
All to relate one message:
Jesus is alive!
Hope is real.
The fact that Jesus was alive confirmed he really was the the Son of God.
The fact that Jesus was alive confirmed that the payment for sin was accepted.
The fact that Jesus was alive confirmed all the Word of God is true.
The fact that Jesus was alive confirmed death would not have the final say.
The fact that Jesus was alive confirms that we too will live.
The fact that Jesus is alive confirms that we will live with him forever.
And all this gives us hope…real hope!
Death is hard.
Jesus lives.
Hope is real!
Apply: What truth of the resurrection gives your heart the most hope?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your amazing resurrection that solidifies death is defeated and life is ours by your grace. Lead us to live each day in the promise and hope of the resurrection. Because you live…we too will live! AMEN.
Clarity brings hope!
Today’s devotion is based on the Easter Message: Hope Revealed (Watch Here)
Recently we interacted with friends who received a diagnosis of cancer. With this diagnosis there is great uncertainty for the first weeks as one waits for the tests, pathology and other reports to be taken, read and returned. With the modern age of information at our fingertips, hours are spent reading up on the cancer, the possible treatments, the survivability rate, and much more.
Trying to digest all this new information disrupts emotions, work, time, and much more.
Why is it natural to seek out these answers?
Confusion brings uncertainty.
Clarity brings hope.
Once the answers are given as to exactly what type of cancer it is, where it is located, if it has spread and what the treatment options are, finally a bit of peace can begin to settle in. The information is distilled to the key components, the most of which is, “Can I survive this?” (in our friend’s case, it seems very much a survivable situation).
But we want that affirmation. We seek the confirmation. We seek clarity…fo clarity brings hope.
The followers of Jesus faced a lot of uncertainty and confusion the days leading up to the crucifixion and the day of the resurrection. Fear permeated the hearts of his followers as they fled when Jesus was arrested and huddled in a locked room the weekend that followed. Reports came in from the women (who by the way in that culture were not treated as trustworthy witnesses) that Jesus’ body was missing and that angelic beings reported he was alive. Peter and John went to the tomb to see for themselves.
But let’s focus on Mary.
John 20:11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Mary had a lot of confusion and sadness until the “Gardner” spoke her name.
It was Jesus.
In that moment, it was real. Jesus was alive!
In that moment, it was personal. Jesus lives for her!
In that moment, it was certain. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Perhaps we’d love to have Jesus personally appear to us to answer all our questions of life, give clarity on our concerns, and give us an unwavering faith.
As he told Thomas the week after his resurrection, “(John 20:29) Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
We still may have some questions, some curiosities and maybe even some doubts, but what we do know is the certainty that Jesus lived, died and rose again to give you and me certainty. And with certainty, there is hope!
Apply: What questions of faith do the events of the resurrection answer for you? Maybe raise for you?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving all of us so much that you go out of your way to ensure we have clarity as to who you are, what you came to do, and the impact it has on us. We are certain we are loved, forgiven, and made your children. This is what gives us certain hope! AMEN.
Where are you looking?
Today’s devotion is based on the Easter Message: Hope Revealed (Watch Here)
Do you have the tradition of hiding and looking for Easter baskets?
Our family has hidden Easter baskets as far back as I can remember. Somehow Dad always got them hidden before he had to go off to Easter sunrise service. As a dad, over the years, I have found the big hard baskets harder to hide. When we lived in Minnesota, we had soft small baskets which had many more opportunities to hide.
The trick to hiding an Easter basket is to hide it in such a way that the normal looking of things is not disturbed. The greatest compliment to the hider is that a person looking for their basket looks right past it because they think there is no way it can be hidden in…
If you know the size and flexibility of your basket, you may be able to find it easier because you can look in places where one might expect it to be hidden.
Finding an Easter basket is a fun tradition of our culture.
The women of the first Easter weren’t looking for Easter eggs, a basket, or an Easter bunny. They were looking for a body.
Of course there was only one logical place in that time to look for a dead body…in a tomb. Why would one look anywhere else? Especially since they had seen Jesus’ body laid in that very tomb before the Sabbath day began.
They were looking for Jesus, expecting to find his remains in the tomb.
Their perception and the reality of Easter morning were very different.
One can’t fault the women. I probably would have done the same thing.
A dead body placed in the tomb tends to stay in the tomb.
But the challenge for the ladies (and the rest of Jesus’ followers) is that Jesus whom they were looking for was not dead! He was alive!
Luke 24:5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen!
That morning they had the logical picture of Jesus as a dead person, but they forgot he had said he would rise again. A living Jesus is very much different than a dead Jesus.
Can we do the same thing?
We aren’t looking to put spices and perfume on a body, but sometimes in our faith journey, we are looking for Jesus to show up in a certain way or at a certain time. We craft the way he is to show up in our life based on the outcome we want. We want healing…he should heal us. We want relationship conflict to end…we want him to fix it now. We want financial blessings…we want him to give it to us.
While these and many other situations invite us to seek the Lord Jesus for answers, we maybe have to allow him to show up as HE determines, not always how we dictate.
In our troubles, he may not choose to show up with the end to our trouble, but our strength, peace and comfort amidst the trouble.
In our lack, he may not show up to give us abundance, but he may show up with his faithfulness to provide each day what we need.
In our spiritual journey, he may not show up with great miracles and evidence of his presence, but in the still small voice of his Word settled in our heart.
The ladies weren’t wrong in going to the tomb, they just didn’t have the right picture of the Jesus they were looking for. The angels reminded them of Jesus’ words and then they remembered (see yesterday’s devotion).
Here’s what they realized. When the living Jesus showed up in their lives it was far better and more glorious than the dead body they thought they were looking for!
Apply: What areas of your life have you been seeking God to show up in a certain way or at a certain time? Is it possible he is showing up in a different and better way that you are missing?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for showing up in the glory of your promises and presence. Help me to always be much more aware of how you choose to show up in my life instead of dictating how I want you to show up. AMEN.