Today’s reading is 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:20.

“…and to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

What an interesting perspective on Jesus and the wrath to come. Most of the time, I think of the wrath to come as something Jesus is going to bring on me because of my sinful actions. But Paul grants us a different perspective. The picture here is not that Jesus brings wrath. Rather, wrath is where I’m heading all on my own. Jesus doesn’t have to bring that wrath, I’m walking headlong into it.

Instead of bringing wrath, Jesus is bringing deliverance from wrath. He is bringing peace, safety, reward. He is not bringing wrath to punish my way, rather, my way just leads to wrath. He is bringing forgiveness so that I don’t have to face the wrath I deserve. He is showing me a new way so I can avoid wrath. Why would I go any way but His, if He is offering that victory and deliverance?

My way is leading to wrath. I think today, I’ll choose Jesus’ way. I’m sure it will work.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Today’s reading is Mark 5:1-6:56.

I guess the story of Jairus’s daughter hit me today because Mark 5:42 says the girl was 12 years old. That is how old my oldest daughter is. 

I spend a lot of time worrying about my kids. One reason I worry is because I know their dad so well. Anyway, even though I know it is not the purpose of the story itself, I just couldn’t help but be comforted about my daughter by what happens here.

If Jesus can raise Jairus’s daughter from the dead, He can take care of my daughter. I’m not saying everything will always go the way I want. I’m also not saying she’ll never face anything bad. I mean, after all, Jairus’s daughter died. But Jesus can get her through it. He can even get her through having rotten dog for a dad like me. I just need to entrust her to Jesus and parent her through faith in Jesus (cf. Galatians 2:20).

***Question: How do you entrust the raising of your children to Jesus?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

Right out of the starting gate I was struck in today’s reading. John 11:6 says, “So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was” (ESV).

What is up with that? His friend is sick. He could stop it. Why wait?

By the time Jesus shows up in Bethany, Lazarus is dead. Everyone was thinking the same thing, “You’re too late, Jesus.” It seems He had waited too long.

But then Jesus pulls a turn around on everyone. He wasn’t too late at all. He simply had a different agenda than everyone else. Everyone else wanted Jesus to keep Lazarus from dying. Jesus wanted to glorify God by showing that He could raise the dead.

Here is the take away for me. Jesus is never late. Jesus doesn’t have to respond by my time table. He is always right on time for His agenda and His glory. My job is not to persuade, cajole or manipulate Him into doing my bidding on my timetable. My job is to learn His agenda and strive for it. I need to recognize that Jesus’ plans are greater than my own and trust that He will never be too late to accomplish what is truly important on His agenda.

What hit you in today’s reading?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. If you would like to listen to a lesson I preached about Thomas from these chapters. Click the link below.

Encountering Thomas at His Greatest