Pastor’s Bible Reading Schedule: Jeremiah 43-44; Matthew 28
Devotional Thought:
Persuading someone to tell a lie to try to cover the truth will never work. The truth will always come out in time. How sad it is that as the greatest event in the history known to man has happened, there is still a desire, by the hypocrites, to cover up the truth with a lie. Jesus had spent three and a half years proving that He was indeed the Messiah, the Son of God, who had come to take away the sin of the world. He was indeed Jesus, who would save His people from their sins. (Matt. 1:21) Now the time had come when He proved victory over sin, death, and the grave by His resurrection, but the Pharisees gave large sums of money to the soldiers to spread something that just was not true. The religious hypocrites also assured these soldiers that they would protect them from the consequence of letting a prisoner escape while under their watch, and they began to spread the story that Jesus’ disciples came while the soldiers were asleep and stole away the body of Christ. (vs. 13) It is interesting that Jesus never takes the time or spends the effort to confront their lie or expose their false story, but rather appears, and gives His time, to his eleven disciples with a clear command. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (vs. 19-20) Jesus is clear about the command and He is clear about the source of power. In verse eighteen Jesus declares “all power is given unto me in heaven and earth.” (vs. 18) The reaching of the world with the gospel happens by the power given to Jesus Christ who is always with us! We cannot reach the world without the power of Christ resting upon us. We are to teach, those who we reach, the things that Christ taught, and again we do so in the power of Jesus Christ. Without Christ there is no reaching and no teaching! It reminds me of John 15 where Jesus declares, “I am the vine and ye are the branches… without me ye can do nothing.” (vs. 5) Oh how there are so many frustrated and defeated Christians who have tried to witness and teach in their own strength only to find defeat and emptiness. God never intended for us to live the Christian life without Him. Our devotional time is so critical as is our prayer time. We must show by our actions how dependent we are upon Christ. Church is such a critical part of the Christian’s development. We need the accountability and opportunity that the local church allows. The unapologetic preaching of the word of God and declaration of its ultimate authority is critical to our growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Savior. (2 Peter 3:18) We must all seek to know Him [Christ] and the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His suffering, so we can be made conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:10) Are you living in the power of the resurrection, obeying the clear command to witness and disciple? The responsibility is ours, while the source of our power is Christ.
Personal Requests:
• Lord, please help me to remember that without you I can do nothing. I will crash in my Christian life without you and your power. May I seek to draw from your nourishment every day, all day!
• Lord, thank you for dying on the cross in payment for my sinfulness and rising again to demonstrate for me your power to not only keep me for all eternity, but to give me power to obey your commands. Thank you for the strength you provide for me to do the work you have called me to do.
• Lord, please help me to remember that the source of strength and results come from you; therefore, you deserve and must receive all the glory. Thank you for the privilege to be used as your servant in your program.