Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule: Exodus 7-8; Mark 16
Devotional Thought:
The great assurance of the Christian is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is such a joy to know that the grave could not hold him, death had no power over Him, and sin’s penalty was paid in full. Romans 4:25 declare that the resurrection is proof that God accepted the blood of His Son as payment for the sin of the world. “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” The text in Mark 16 emphasizes the importance of the fact that Jesus was seen over and over after he arose. Those who saw Him had the responsibility to believe it was Him and tell others. Those who heard the good news of the resurrection were expected to believe the testimony of those who had seen Him. In verse 14 the Bible says, “Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.” How sad that so many Christians today, who have personally had their eyes opened to the truth of the glorious gospel, hide this truth from others. It seems that we, of all people, have something to talk about with others. We have come to Jesus with a repentant heart and received His gift of salvation. We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit and commanded to go and tell the world the message of the death, burial, and resurrection! Just as Moses was given miraculous power to substantiate the truth and authority of His message, these disciples were given miraculous power. In neither case was the emphasis to be upon the signs, but upon the message. In our lives, we have been miraculously transformed at salvation. However, the emphasis is still not on our transformed life. Our transformed life is just a tool to substantiate the message we are telling. My transformed life cannot change another person, but the gospel of Jesus Christ can! However, my transformed life can point a person to the message of the gospel and it should. We MUST be faithful to share the glorious message of the gospel!
Personal Requests:
• Lord, help me to not neglect the command to be constantly sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Please help me to share it with enthusiasm and with authority.
• Lord, help my life to never distract from or distort the message of the gospel, but be a source of substantiation of your power and authority.
• Lord, thank you for conquering death, the penalty of my sin, and the grave. I look forward to living with you for all eternity.