This is a video post. For my e-mail subscribers who can’t see the video, click here.

I Corinthians 14-15 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is 1 Corinthians 14:1-15:58.

“So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body” (I Corinthians 15:42-44).

The congregation with which I work has been focusing on confident living in Jesus Christ. We want folks in Christ to be confident about their salvation. We are convinced that confidence in God’s love is much more likely to produce love in us that constant doubts and worries (cf. I John 4:19). We are convinced that confidence in God’s working is much more likely to produce working out our salvation than doubts about God’s presence (cf. Philippians 2:12-13).

Paul reminds me that confident living is one thing. Confident dying is another. But where is my confidence if I’m not also confident at death. We have nothing to fear regarding death. Look at these pathetic, pitiful, perishable, dishonorable, weak, natural bodies. These are going to get put in the ground. We get to shed these bodies like a molting lizard. For those of us in Christ, we have hope beyond hope (earnest expectation, not wishful thinking) of our resurrection. This pathetic body is going in the ground but we will come out of that ground again with new bodies, with spiritual, powerful, glorious, imperishable bodies.

When the time of death draws near, why would I desperately cling to this frail flesh. Let’s die confidently, as we have lived, looking forward to the glories that will be revealed to us (cf. Romans 8:18).

Today, while I’m not hastening y death, I won’t fear it either. I’m going to live confidently so I can die confidently in Jesus Christ.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can add your input by clicking the following link: Click here.

——————————————-

*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Luke 13-14 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Luke 13:1-14:35.

“He said also to the man who had invited him, ‘When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just’” (Luke 14:12-14).

Too often we develop relationships to get something in return. We are willing to serve, but only when we think someone will return the favor. We give gifts in hopes to receive gifts. We offer hospitality in hopes to receive hospitality. We extend friendship in hopes to get something out of the friendship. Jesus suggests a different course.

Certainly this is hyperbole. Jesus is not absolutely opposed to inviting friends over for a get together. After all, we consider the feast that Levi held for a large number of his tax collector friends back in Luke 5:29. But, we must not think the hyperbole here lets us off the hook. To whom do we extend our friendship? Who do we serve? Why do we do these things? Are other people a source of something for us? Or are we offering ourselves in complete service? Are we looking for some immediate and present day reward or recognition?

How much serving do we do for those who can’t possibly repay us? How much volunteering do we do for which we will not ever get paid and never receive notice? We’ve all learned it is more blessed to give than to receive. But Jesus here points out that even more blessed is giving when there is no possible way to receive repayment. Why? Because God will repay us in the resurrection.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can leave your comment by clicking here.

——————————–

*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Today’s reading is Matthew 27:1-28:20.

“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen…’” (Matthew 28:5-6).

Is there any greater news on which to base our day? There is an empty tomb outside Jerusalem. No amount of searching is going to find the body of Jesus. Despite the lies of the guards, no one ever produced the body of Jesus. No DNA research will ever find Jesus.

I can live today, because Jesus lives today. I serve a risen Savior, not a dead prophet. I serve a risen Savior, not an imaginary god. I serve a risen Savior, not some mythical concept. I can turn to Jesus for strength and help. I can face today and tomorrow because He lives.

He is risen. Praise God.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Mark 15:1-16:20.

“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’” (Mark 16:6).

What more encouragement do I need today than to know the tomb was empty. Many go on pilgrimages trying to find the tomb. Why? He is not there. How much better to find Jesus and let Him live in my heart than to find a tomb where He no longer resides.

I can serve with faith today because that tomb was and still is empty.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Philippians 3:1-4:23.

“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (Philippians 3:12).

I’m in good company. I’m not perfect, which means I’m a lot like Paul. This passage provides me some of the most comfort I’ve had in a long, long time. This apostle who claims imperfection is the very same apostle who in Philippians 1:21-23 claimed that death would be better for him because it meant going to be with Jesus. He was going to be resurrected and spend eternity in the presence of His Savior.

WOW! He wasn’t perfect yet. That is, he still sinned. But, he was perfected by Jesus Christ (cf. Hebrews 10:14). But if he died that day, he was convinced he was saved. I’m so glad to hear that. I’m not perfect yet, but I have been perfected by the sacrifice of Jesus. If I die today, I don’t have to fear. I will be saved.

No, this doesn’t mean sitting on my backside. Because Paul knew this, he continued to press on. So will I. But it is sure a comfort to know that my imperfection doesn’t have to scare me anymore. I am free to keep pressing on because my mess ups don’t destroy my salvation.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Acts 25:1-26:32.

“They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers” (Acts 26:7).

What a turn around for Paul. For a long time his hope was in his ability to live according to the strictest party of his religion. However, on this day, he was on trial because his hope had changed. No longer was his hope in himself. No longer was it in his religious party. No longer was it in keeping the law. His hope was in God’s promise of eternal life in Jesus Christ, the resurrected Savior.

Where is my hope today? In me? In my church? In keeping God’s law? Or is it in the promise of Jesus Christ? When it is in Jesus Christ, what will that look like in my life? Today, I need to put my hope in the resurrected Savior and live like that is where my hope is.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading Acts 13:1-14:28.

Two things hit me today.

First, I normally don’t like the verse divisions because I think they cause an artificial reading instead of just reading it like a book or a letter (I do appreciate how it makes referencing scripture easier). However, there is one division in this reading that really grabbed me–the division between Acts 13:29 and Acts 13:30. 

Acts 13:29: “And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.”

Verse break. End of story. Over. Done. Jesus is dead and buried. The story ends. But wait, there is another verse:

Acts 13:30: “But God raised him from the dead.”

The story wasn’t over. Jesus was raised from the dead. He was victorious and I can be victorious through Him. Which leads to my “second.”

Second, Acts 13:38-39 really struck me.

“Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”

Because Jesus was freed from death, I can be freed from death. Because He was resurrected, I can be resurrected from the spiritual death I have caused. I can’t help but think about what Paul says in Romans 7:24-25, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” My body is filled with death because of my sin, but God can and will raise me up from that death through Jesus Christ. In fact, He already has.

Then Paul goes on in Acts 8:2-4.

“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be filled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

My story is not over. God is still working on me. I don’t believe this means I was baptized, now I’ll never sin. Rather, this is a progressive victory over sin. This is an increasing putting off of the flesh and its passions. I’m peeling back the layers of the onion to get down to what God wants in me. I am reminded every day that God will set me free and resurrect me as He did His Son, Jesus.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What struck you in today’s reading?

Today’s reading is Matthew 27:1-28:20.

The story of the soldiers at Jesus’ tomb grabbed me today. 

The Jews asked Pilate to provide soldiers to guard the tomb. He granted that request. Some suggest that he actually said to the Jews, “You have your own guards; you see to it without mine.” However, the fact that the Jews might have to smooth things over with the governor if he found out about Jesus’ body being gone says to me that these were his soldiers. He did, in fact, grant a guard for the tomb.

After the events of that special Sunday, these guards told the story that the disciples came and stole the body while they were asleep. What an amazing story. Was anyone really to believe that soldiers who would be killed for such an admission really fell asleep on the job and allowed the disciples to steal the body? Further, are we really to believe that a bunch of ragtag fisherman and assorted rebels were willing to stand up against a guard of Roman soldiers? On top of that, who thinks it is possible for this group of disciples to roll back the large stone without waking any of the soldiers? Not to mention, this whole story sounds like something cooked up in an Encyclopedia Brown story. I can see now as Encyclopedia’s dad tells him the story, perplexed about getting to the bottom of this mystery. Encyclopedia closes his eyes, thinks deeply and then smiles. We all know the answer is coming out now. “Dad, the soldiers must be making up this story. If they were asleep, how do they know it was the disciples?”

Here is what grabbed me about this story. If I’m looking for reasons to doubt, the devil will supply them. The devil will always throw out some possibility that makes it seem like the story of Jesus just didn’t happen. And God has allowed these stories to go on. Why? Because as Philip Yancey points out in his books, if there is no room for doubt, it wouldn’t be faith. Regrettably, some people can’t handle the idea of faith. Therefore, if there is any room for doubt, they’ll doubt. That’s a sad state. 

Why not take God at His word? Have faith in Him. I know the world will think you are foolish…for now.

***Question: What do you do to increase your faith?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

There were a couple of things in today’s reading that stood out, but how can I bypass these chapters without following the command at the end of them to comfort and encourage you with these words:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to me the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

I Thessalonians 4:13-17 (ESV)

There are two things that comfort me in this passage. 

1. If we live by faith, we can die by faith.

We do not have to face death with fear. We believe Jesus died and was resurrected, we know we will be as well. We know death is not an end, but merely a transition. We are not abandoned by Jesus when we die. Rather, we go to be with Him and will always be with him. What a comfort.

2. There is more than this life.

Some days life is just frustrating. I wonder why anyone would remotely want to keep on dealing with it. The reason…there is more to life than this life. There is something worth striving for when this life is over. I don’t want to give up because a victory is coming and I want to be on the winning side when it happens. 

Be comforted. Life is tough, but the goal waiting for us is worth everything we go through. Death may be hard, but for us it is a victory.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC