The First Empty Tomb..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 The First Empty Tomb

Dr. Charles Stanley

1 Corinthians 15:35-58

Jesus is the only person who has an empty tomb. Everyone else who's died has returned to the dust, but Christ is alive and seated at the Father's right hand. Because He overcame death, His followers are also guaranteed empty tombs someday. When Jesus returns for His church, those who have died in Him will be resurrected into glorious bodies. And believers who are alive at that time will instantaneously be changed.

Knowing this, we naturally wonder, What kind of body will I have? The best way to answer that is to see what Scripture reveals about Christ's body after He rose from the dead. He didn't come invisibly in the form of a ghost but rather had a literal, physical body. He talked, walked, and ate with His disciples. Yet although He was recognizable, He was somehow different, and at times it took His words or actions to jog their recognition.

Here's one thing I can tell you about the resurrection: you will look better than you do today! God is going to give you a strong, glorious, eternal body which is perfectly fitted for your life in heaven. Believe me, you will not be disappointed, because God has far more in store for us on the other side than we can ever imagine. You will be more alive there than you could ever be here.

A more important issue we must face is how to get ready for that day. This life is just a puff of wind compared to our eternity. It's my personal opinion that the way we live here on earth will determine our capacity to enjoy heaven. The time to begin living for God is now.

Living from the Heart...... Craig Denison

 Living from the Heart

Craig Denison

Weekly Overview:

So often we view God as an enforcer of religious rules. We see the commands of Scripture as a list of to-dos rather than a path leading to abundant life. But those perceptions aren’t the truth of Scripture. Those beliefs are founded on misguided notions of God’s character. God is after the heart. More than he wants us to do right, he wants us to see him rightly. He wants going to church, reading the Bible, worshipping, serving the poor, and living righteously to come from a heart filled with a true revelation of his loving-kindness. May your heart be wholly God’s this week.

Scripture:

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:8

Devotional:    

God has formed us to be creatures of the heart. He made us to live from a place of communion with him—an eternal relationship with our hearts deeply connected. And in response to the communion you have with God you can choose to live from your heart. You can choose with confidence to think, feel, act, and believe not just with what’s logical, but with what God’s Spirit is speaking to you.

Oftentimes we disclude our hearts as if they are unfounded and fickle. We stop paying attention to our emotions because we doubt their validity and value. But God formed you with emotions. And it’s oftentimes your emotions that best reveal your beliefs. You don’t feel stress, worry, doubt, or anger without cause. You don’t experience joy, peace, passion, and purpose for no reason. Your heart is the window to your beliefs. It reveals where you’ve placed your trust and hope. It reveals what truly matters to you.

Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” God longs to hear your heart. He longs for you to so trust him that you honestly and truthfully assess your heart and pour it out before him. He cares about the way you feel. He’s not all right with you going through life stressed, angry, doubtful, worried, or unconfident. He wants your heart to be filled with the fruit of communion with him that you might live an expressive, passionate, and satisfied life.

Acknowledging your emotions isn’t weakness. Rather, it’s a sign of confidence and security that you can take an honest look at your life and assess how you’re doing. Living from the heart is a crucial aspect to authentic, abundant Christianity. God doesn’t want robots. He doesn’t just want to influence our minds or just make us work for him. He wants all of us. He wants your mind to be renewed and your hands to be set to good work from a place of wonderful, life-giving communion with him.

Take time as you enter into guided prayer to value your heart. Assess how you’ve been feeling. Pour out your heart to your loving, patient, and understanding heavenly Father. And go out today in confidence that you might live openly, receptively, and passionately.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of living from the heart.

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:8

2. Assess how you’ve been feeling. What’s been bringing you life? What’s been causing you stress, anger, or frustration. What do your emotions tell you?

3. Take some time to journal about your emotions. Pour out your heart to God on paper. Ask the Holy Spirit for revelation about anything you don’t understand. Write down his responses.

Oftentimes, if we will begin our quiet time by assessing our emotions we’ll be able to go deeper with God quicker. God longs for our time spent with him to be open, vulnerable, and honest. He longs to help us with those things that are truly robbing us of abundant life. And because emotions are often windows into our beliefs they are a great way to assess where we need a fresh revelation of what’s true. May your life be filled with the fruit of the Spirit today as you choose to live from the heart.

Extended Reading: Psalm 62

Suspicious of God..... LYSA TERKEURST

 Suspicious of God

LYSA TERKEURST

“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!” Psalm 57:7 (ESV) 

I trust God. Until I don’t.

That doesn’t feel like a very Christian thing to say. But if I don’t acknowledge this struggle, I can’t address it. And I don’t think I’m the only one.

So many of us raise our hands high as we proclaim our God is a “good, good Father,” but then we find ourselves lying in our beds at night with tear-stained pillows, facing realities that don’t feel very good at all.

It’s hard not to feel suspicious of God when our circumstances don’t seem to line up with His promises. And it’s difficult not to doubt the light of His Truth when everything around us looks dark.

Which brings us to Psalm 57 — a passage penned by David in the midst of a season when his circumstances and God’s promises appeared to be in complete and total opposition.

At this point, David had already been anointed as the future king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:1-13) and had faithfully served King Saul. Sadly, though, Saul “rewarded” David for his service and obedience with persecution and death threats. David was left to run for his life and then hide out in a cave.

Scripture also reveals David wasn’t hiding alone. This anointed but not-yet-appointed king was leading a pretty discouraging group of men. First Samuel 22:1-2 describes these 400 men as in distress, debt-ridden and discontented. Not exactly the positive, resourceful and hopeful type of people you want to have with you during one of the darkest seasons of your life.

I wouldn’t judge David for one second if he had cried out to God in total frustration, saying, “I don’t understand any of this. I’m leading a bunch of unsettled and unstable people. We are hiding in a cave. And I’m feeling utterly defeated and completely hopeless!”

But the words he wrote in Psalm 57 are neither exclusively a psalm of lament nor a psalm of thanksgiving. David didn’t deny the darkness of his situation, but he also refused to allow his soul to get stuck in a place of despair. Instead, David chose to declare praises about the true nature and character of God. He reminded his soul of who God is — a God who fulfills His purposes (v. 2), a God who saves (v. 3), a God known for His faithfulness and steadfast love (vv. 3, 10).

Even though David’s soul was “bowed down” by his circumstances (v. 6), he allowed what he knew to be true about God to steady him. This enabled David to declare in our key verse for today: “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody!” (v. 7).

I love knowing the story behind this psalm. In a cave that surely felt like an end to all he hoped and dreamed, David acknowledged his distress, but he also lifted his eyes to praise God. David’s praise wasn’t in vain. It steadied his heart. And his painful circumstances weren’t wasted. God used those hardships to mature David. Yes, David had already been anointed to eventually become king. But it was in the womb of the earth where God met him and birthed in him a heart ready to lead.

Darkness was the perfect training ground for David’s destiny. And those difficult places we so desperately want to be done with can become good training ground for us as well. But we have some choices to make. Will we see this dark time as a womb or a tomb? Is it a birth of something new or the death of what we thought should be? Will we fix our eyes on the Truth of God’s goodness, or will we give in to hopelessness and despair?

Oh, friend. I know the dark places are scary. But let’s choose to believe there is purpose in every season, even the ones that don’t seem to make any sense. Let’s ask God to birth something new inside of us, allowing Him to do a work in us that will better prepare us to walk out His promises. And instead of being suspicious of Him, let’s lift up our praises to Him.

Praise may not shift our circumstances, but it will definitely begin to change our hearts. We don’t always get to choose our situations, but we can choose how we live through them.

Father God, thank You so much for reminding me I am never forsaken nor forgotten. You see me in this dark place, and You promise there is purpose here. Bring Your life and light where all hope seems lost, Lord. Show me how to live authentically today, making room for both sorrow and praise to coexist together. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 103:1-2, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (ESV)

Why God Doesn’t Heal Every Sickness, Disease, and Illness..... By Chris Russell

 Why God Doesn’t Heal Every Sickness, Disease, and Illness

By Chris Russell

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5:13-15)

I am a big believer in the doctrine of healing. I have experienced God’s healing in my own life, and I have witnessed God healing myriads of people over the past couple decades I’ve been in ministry. I am greatly comforted by verses like the one in James that gives us a great hope in the power of prayer.

I do believe that God heals, but I also believe that healing is not always the only path that He chooses for us. Sometimes His perfect plan for our lives is to allow us to suffer and experience disease, illness, and hardship. The reason for this is that He can often teach us things through suffering that we would never be able to learn through a book or seminar, or through comfort and prosperity.

Paul had a problem with his eyesight that God never healed. When Timothy was sick, Paul told him to drink wine (not go to a healing service). The Lazarus who was raised from the dead eventually died later. Paul says that he had a thorn in the flesh which he prayed for God to remove over and over again, but God never removed it. Job suffered because God had a whole bigger purpose for him than mere comfort on this planet. And Job’s suffering was not the result of a lack of faith.

Some of the greatest blessings in this world come from God’s power in the midst of trials. God changes us, molds us, strengthens us, and builds us through hardship. And there is nothing like the experience of being comforted by God alone in that dark hour.

Over the past twenty-five years that I have been in ministry, I have seen people hurt greatly by the false teaching that God always wants to heal every malady. This is because that belief can cause a massive amount of guilt and disillusionment for the afflicted in those times when God actually chooses not to heal. The implication is that the suffering Christian just didn’t quite believe enough or is hiding some sort of sin. I have seen Christians destroyed in their faith over this erroneous teaching.

We must realize that sometimes it’s just not God’s plan to heal or to fix a problem quickly for us. And that’s ok. He still loves us. He still has a plan. And He still has a profound purpose for that pain that can end up blessing us beyond anything we could ever imagine.

Often God chooses to heal! But sometimes He teaches us more and draws us closer when we walk the dark mile of suffering. But to experience such blessing, it is important that we run to God and not away from Him in the midst of the storm.

Is Doubting a Sin?..... by Debbie Holloway

 Is Doubting a Sin?

by Debbie Holloway

And [Jesus] said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? (Luke 24:38)

There’s no doubt about it: faith is a gift. To be more specific, faith is a gift… and not all of us are born with this gift. Many of us have been through trials and struggles that make blind faith and unwavering belief difficult, almost impossible. Have you ever been lied to by a trusted friend? Let down by a parent? Abused by someone who was meant to care for you? Chances are, the answer is yes. Chances are, doubting God is sometimes (or often) something with which you struggle.

Many of us grow up hearing the refrain from James, “the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6). Many of us are told over and over again that there is no room for doubt or skepticism in the Kingdom of God. But is that truly the message portrayed in Scripture? Should we really feel the sting of shame over asking questions and expressing hesitation?

Jesus’ response to doubt was often, why? He proposed neither a condemnation nor an accolade, but a dialogue. Jesus cared about the hearts, motives, and fears of those who questioned him, who struggled with unbelief. Practically everyone to whom Jesus ministered expressed genuine doubt or asked provoking questions. But Jesus healed them anyway. Jesus answered their questions (John 3:1). Jesus told them things about themselves, causing them to look at life in a new way (John 4:7). When extraordinary faith was shown (Luke 7:1) Jesus was astounded and overjoyed. But he certainly did not condemn all others of lesser faith. He knew that it takes time for people to overcome cultures of fear and questions.

God has big plans for us, plans to bless us richly through belief and faith. This is evidenced by what Jesus told Thomas:

"Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).

Christ doesn’t deny Thomas’ belief or turn him out on the street in penalty for his doubt. Rather, he stresses again the blessings that will be available to all men through the power of faith and belief. God has such rich things in store for us – but we cannot see them all yet. Jesus wanted to drill that into his followers since he knew he would not be with them physically for much longer.

Take heart and remember, doubting can be a step toward faith – it is not the opposite of faith. And remember also,

“Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting” (Jude 1:21).

Intersecting Faith and Life: Are you struggling with doubts? Is a fellow brother or sister dealing with hard questions? Remember, God calls for mercy for the doubters, not judgment.

Further reading

Psalms 31:1

A Prayer for New Mercies This Morning..... By: Victoria Riollano

 A Prayer for New Mercies This Morning

By: Victoria Riollano

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23

Every day I need them.

More than I need food, water, church, or to hang out with friends, I need the Lord’s mercies.

Here is the truth: I often miss the mark. I get hung up on words, behave in ways that are displeasing, and do not always love others the way I should. The funny thing is, from the outside looking in, I qualify as a “good Christian.” Going to church weekly, reading my Bible, and seeking to be kind to those I meet, I desire to do what is right. Yet, in those secret moments, like many others, I struggle with fear, shame, and a host of qualities that don’t reflect my Father in heaven.

Like all who have come before me and will come after me, I struggle with sin and need daily repentance. Yet, the Lord chooses to love me past my disqualifications and mistakes. So much so, that every morning He extends his mercy to me and it's His good pleasure to do so.

Yet, you and I aren’t the first to feel like we don’t quite measure up. The Apostle Paul found himself in a struggle between right and wrong. In Romans 7:15, he says, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” Yes, even the person responsible for writing half of the New Testament was in desperate need of a forgiving God! He was transparent about his shortcomings and knew it was by Christ alone that he could ever overcome them.

We serve a holy and perfect God. The truth is, He has every right to turn His eyes away from us. However, His love is steadfast, immovable, and never changing towards us. As described in Romans 8:39, no height, depth, or circumstance could ever separate us from this unending love.

It's out of his unconditional love that He can say, “I offer you another chance.” Every single day, He does so. We simply can’t outrun His love and the accompanying mercy. Our job is to receive them.

Unfortunately, many of us struggle to receive God’s mercies. We become stuck between our spiritual desire to do what’s right and our fleshly desire to satisfy ourselves. We convince ourselves that our struggles with sin disqualify us from God’s love.

The shame of our situation (past or current) leaves us defeated and unable to genuinely enjoy the benefits of being a child of God. All the while, the Lord wants to remind us that He died for us before we ever dishonored God.

God’s mercy and love were never affected by the depravity of the sinner; it was always backed by the truth of His Word. Truly, the one He has set free from sin, shame, and guilt, is free INDEED! His mercy is anew for you, if you choose to receive it.

Let’s pray for that mercy today:

Lord, I thank you for your steadfast love, for your mercy toward us that is renewed for us each morning, no matter the sins of yesterday. Thank you for choosing to love me more than I could ever love myself. I praise you for your goodness and faithfulness towards me. Even when I don’t deserve it, you show your kindness towards me relentlessly.

Lord, forgive me for yesterday’s sins and shortcomings. I grieve over anything I have done that makes a mockery of your merciful love. I give myself completely over to you. Lord, I ask that you show me when I’m operating out of shame and guilt. I ask that you forgive me for the times I’ve rejected your mercy towards me and have chosen to walk in shame. I receive your new mercies over my life right now.

Thank you, God, that I can walk forward today confident in your love for me. I am free from the bondage and stain of sin! Thank you love for your steadfast love that never ceases and for your mercies that never come to an end.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.