Tag: Rachel Cain

Celebrate Him

*2 Chronicles 29-30

Psalm 83

2 Thessalonians 3

-Devotion by Rachel Cain (OH) – with questions sprinkled throughout

A few weeks ago my family gathered with friends to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the independence of the USA! The long and epic gathering began with a festive city parade, continued at a cookout replete with red and blue fruits, and culminated in a colorful explosion of fireworks. 

The Israelites have their own sort of Independence Day known as Passover, which commemorates when they were freed from slavery under Pharoah and began their journey to the land of liberty that God had promised to give them. In today’s reading, Hezekiah wanted the scattered tribes of Israel to reunite for an overdue, epic Passover Celebration, but because the priests weren’t consecrated in time, they decided to hold the Passover a month late. 

Better late than never! Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. An ancient Chinese proverb states, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is today.”

What is something that God has been nudging you to do for Him? Take steps to obey today! 

Hezekiah invited all the separate tribes (who were divided by more than just location – this was likely a deep cultural and political rift) to come together to worship and remember God’s provision together. Some tribes ridiculed the couriers who delivered this invitation of repentance and celebration; however, a few groups set aside their differences, humbled themselves, and joined the party. Those in attendance were not all ritually clean, but Hezekiah prayed for God to honor the hearts of those who had come to honor Him. God responded with grace and accepted the people’s repentant hearts. 

God looks deep into the intentions of our hearts. We see repeatedly in scripture that God wants people who are not just going through the motions, but who truly desire to live for Him. 

How have you seen evidence in Scripture of God looking at the heart and motives over rituals? Are there any examples of this in your life or the lives of others?

In a culture that praises pride of all kinds and promotion of self even at the expense of others, it’s refreshing to read about divided nations humbling themselves to seek God as one body. One of my favorite Sundays of the year is when a local organization called Declare joins with area churches for a worship gathering in our town square. What a fantastic opportunity to commune with a variety of believers who, despite deep doctrinal differences, choose to meet together for the sole purpose of praising God and serving our city together. 

God wants us to come together as one body for His Mission. We must set aside our disagreements so we can accomplish more together than we can apart! 

In what ways might you be called to unite and serve with others on the common ground of Faith? 

Hezekiah’s gathering turned out to be the most joyful Passover celebration in over 200 years! Even though they missed a few requirements of the law, God saw that His people were drawing near to him, and He appreciated their renewed commitment. Celebrating together reminded the people who they were – and WHOSE they were. They remembered their true identity. 

In this world of confusion and mistaken identities, don’t forget who (and Whose) you are. What steps can you take to get back to the root of your true identity as a new creation in Christ? (Read the Bible, join a small group, engage in prayer, seek wise and godly counsel, worship and seek God with like-minded believers, cut off distractions so you can focus more on God’s purpose for you…. Those are just a few ideas!). 

While we’re on the topic of Passover… I want to encourage you to experience it for yourself sometime! There is so much rich significance in all the little details of a Passover seder. Our family has celebrated Passover at a basic level for several years, but earlier this year we learned a powerful part of the Passover that we had never practiced before (and which was likely practiced at Hezekiah’s Passover), called the Dayenu. The closest translation in English that we have to the meaning of the Hebrew word dayenu is, “it would have been enough.” The original dayenu has statements representing the 15 gifts God bestowed to the Israelites; the first five mention emancipation from slavery in Egypt, the next five describe some of the miraculous ways God provided for His people, and the last five share about the closeness to God among His people. Each of the stanzas is followed by the people stating, “Dayenu” (it would have been enough). I encourage you to look up the phrases recited/sung during the traditional Dayenu. What phrases would you add onto the original dayenu to represent God’s provision throughout history and in your own life? 

God has given us blessing after blessing, but even if he didn’t… what He has already done for us would be enough. Many of us tend to be so drawn to the things of this world, always wanting more and more, never fully satisfied nor willing to express, “it would have been enough”. But God has called us to a deep contentment and joy that is counter-cultural… almost as if we are citizens not of this world, but of a coming Kingdom (see Philippians 3:17-21). In his book Uncluttered Faith, Joshua Becker writes, “Once you become content with the things of the world that you possess, you are freed to pursue the kingdom of God. Contentment isn’t about settling. It’s about recognizing that you have enough, that it came from God, and that there are greater things to pursue than more of this world. Correctly understood, it’s acknowledgement that while you have enough, you also have so much potential in the kingdom that’s waiting to be unlocked” (p. 175).  

Write down specific ways that God might be calling you to eschew the materialism and negative mindsets that are so abundant in this culture so you can focus your time, talents, and treasures on what truly matters – the work of advancing His kingdom in unity with one another. 

Prayer

I leave you with the Priestly Blessing that was most likely spoken at Hezekiah’s Passover and is still a prayer for us all: 

The LORD bless you and keep you; 

the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; 

the LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace. 

Numbers 6:24-26

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Empty the World from Our Hearts

I Samuel 19-20

*Psalm 49

Romans 5

-by Rachel Cain (OH)

“So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich

    and their homes become ever more splendid.

For when they die, they take nothing with them.

    Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.

In this life they consider themselves fortunate

    and are applauded for their success.

But they will die like all before them

    and never again see the light of day.

People who boast of their wealth don’t understand;

    they will die, just like animals.” 

Psalm 49:16-20

So, we spend our lives “buying things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t even like” (Dave Ramsey), filling our homes to the brim, devoting our spare hours to caring for the items and chasing success, only for our family to sell all our prized possessions in an estate sale and future generations forget us soon after we die. 

Solomon, son of king David and the richest and wisest man in the world, is believed to have penned this seemingly depressing expression: “Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) Solomon of all people should be the one to love his life! Infinite wisdom AND resources?! Sign me up! And yet Solomon, in all his God-given wisdom, reiterated that nothing of this world matters. 

Well, what an encouraging devotion. Nothing matters and we’re all going to die. The end. Thanks for reading! 

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(After a devotion about hope yesterday, you didn’t really think I’d leave you hanging in this hopelessness, did you?!)

I recently had the opportunity to hear famous minimalist Joshua Becker speak at a conference. Joshua, a former church pastor, considers himself still to be a pastor of a non-traditional sort: helping people become free from excess so they can truly embrace the freedom to follow God’s design for their lives with their time, money, space, and energy. Joshua emphasized that, because our excess possessions can distract us from knowing and following Jesus, we won’t be able to truly prepare for Jesus until we begin to empty the world from our hearts. He shared that “we can’t keep the world AND gain the kingdom… we were saved for a greater purpose than accumulating material possessions.” And yet, how much more time do most of us spend acquiring and caring for our stuff than seeking and serving God? 

As mentioned above, Solomon began Ecclesiastes by calling life “meaningless.” So, is there a point to our existence, then? YES! At the end of the book, he clarifies our sole purpose in life: “Fear God and keep his commandments; this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecc. 12:13)

We were created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:8-10), not to chase all the nothingness that the world has to offer. In the words of Switchfoot, “we were meant to live for so much more.” 

“For he sees that even the wise die; 

the fool and the stupid alike must perish and leave their wealth to others. 

Their graves are their homes forever… 

Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.” 

Psalm 49:10-12, ESV

Friends, we can chase all the fortune and fame this world has to offer like a cat pouncing a laser light, but none of it will last. Let’s be sure that we are storing up the values of God and not the things of this world. (Matthew 6:19-21) 

“Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” – CT Studd

Reflection questions:


What would it involve for you to empty your heart of this world so you can be ready for Jesus? 

Are you living in such a way that people who observe your life would notice that you’re chasing Jesus more than this world? If not, what would it look like to change that? 

Prayer:


Father, keep our eyes focused on you and the things that truly matter. 

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Fully Persuaded

I Samuel 17-18

Psalm 49

Romans 4

-Devotion by Rachel Cain (OH)

An Italian Proverb states, “Hope is the last thing ever lost.” 

As long as there is hope, we can muster up the strength to endure. But the loss of hope is perhaps the deadliest possible wound to our soul. 

Our New Testament scripture says that “against all hope, Abraham in hope believed…” 

Even though it seemed impossible and it didn’t make sense, “…yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” 

This word for hope, elpis in Greek, isn’t a superficial or flippant word like we might tease, “I hope a money tree starts growing in my yard” or “I hope all my favorite teams win the championships while I’m in the front row of every game.” This word elpis indicates true confidence and real expectation, without a doubt in one’s mind. How often do we possess that kind of hope?!

David’s faith in God did not waver when confronted with the Philistine giant, and Abraham’s faith did not waver even though there was no humanly way God’s promise could come true. How awesome that we serve a God not bound by the limits of humanity! Abraham’s belief and hope in God’s promises caused him to be “strengthened in his faith and [give] glory to God” rather than discouraged and straying from the faith. 

I want to have a belief against all hope! I pray that we will not waver even when God’s way doesn’t make sense, because His way is higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9) and He is able to do more than we could even imagine (Ephesians 3:20). 

Because of Abraham’s faith and hope, it was credited to him as righteousness (v. 22) – and the next verse indicates that the same righteousness extends to us, if we also choose Jesus! 

We as believers must remain focused on our ultimate hope, the return of Jesus and eternal life in the Kingdom. Keep hoping beyond hope. Keep praying. Keep the faith. God is still all powerful! May it be said of us as it was of Abraham: “and yet they did not waver!”

Reflection questions: 

What would your life look like if you truly embraced the concept of elpis?

In what specific ways might God be calling you to believe against all hope? 

Prayer:

Help us, Lord, to have a deep faith and hope that is beyond all human understanding. May we follow you even when it doesn’t make sense. 

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God’s Eyes

I Samuel 15-16

Psalm 48

Romans 3

-Devotion by Rachel Cain (OH)

They say that you can’t judge a book by its cover. 

Through the many thousands of books my bibliophile family has checked out from our local library, we’ve found some instances in which a book’s exciting cover art did not at all indicate the dull or inappropriate nature of the story, but we’ve also noticed times in which the lackluster cover did no justice to invite the reader into the truly engaging tale told within its pages. Likewise, it’s easy to make judgments about people at first glance and to label someone incorrectly, for the good or bad. 

When I was in elementary school, my youth group was invited to participate in a Billy Graham Crusade children’s choir. I thought it was so cool to perform with hundreds of other children at a local minor league baseball stadium! I don’t remember much beyond one of the musical numbers that still resonates with me: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (based on I Samuel 16:7). That scripture song encouraged my soul, which was weary from the teases and jeers of my peers. It reminded me that God cared more about who I was inside than what I looked like on the outside. 

That verse I mentioned above about people focusing on appearance while God sees deep into our hearts was spoken by God when he sent Samuel to Jesse’s family to meet the new king. David was initially not even invited with his brothers to be selected for the potential kingship, perhaps because he was the runt of the family, more stinky shepherd than warrior (even though David boasted a thorough resume of survival and sheep-protection stories that could probably put to shame the war talk of his brothers and other cowardly soldiers.) Though verse 12 indicates that David was healthy and handsome, maybe he didn’t look quite as kingly as his brothers; nonetheless, David was a man after God’s own heart and an ancestor to Jesus, our Forever King. 

God knew David had a genuine heart that was eager to serve his Lord, which was far more important in a king than being tall, dark, and handsome. If David’s photo had been on the cover of a book about kings, perhaps no one would have bothered to read such a juxtaposition! Though the culture thought David’s appearance lacked kingly features (and even though David was still a flawed human), he was a part of the greatest story ever told in the most important Book ever written. Will you, too, seek to have a heart like God’s and play a role in His ongoing story? 

Reflection questions: 

What are some ways that people have misjudged you? How have you misjudged others? 

What kinds of expectations or hindrances do you need to release to God so He can help you reach your full potential for His purposes? 

Prayer: 

Father, help us to see others through your eyes. Give us a heart like yours.

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Unredeemable?

Acts 9-10

Devotion by Rachel Cain (Ohio)

Saul was hell-bent on getting rid of those pesky “little Christs” by any means necessary. But as he marched to Damascus to arrest any he could find, Saul was literally blindsided by Jesus. Ananias, aware that Saul was in the area to persecute The Way but willing to obey God’s call to reach out to Saul anyway, bravely befriended blind Saul, which ironically helped Saul to see more clearly than he ever had before. Just as Jesus spent three days physically dead and then was resurrected, Saul’s three days of visual darkness prepared him to be resurrected to a new kind of life as a bold follower of Jesus, one of the most prolific missionaries the world has ever known. Saul realized that though he followed the law and had an impressive resume, he was actually the worst of all sinners. It was this outpouring of God’s amazing grace that created such dramatic change. 

I always assumed that Saul’s name was changed to Paul to represent this big change in his life, much like Abram to Abraham, but in reality the two names were just different versions of the same name: Saul (or “Sha’ul”) was a Hebrew name, and Paul was the equivalent name in Roman circles. As a Jewish Roman citizen, he would have been called both names. The fact that the New Testament increasingly refers to him as Paul probably indicates his growing involvement in the Gentile world. 

Speaking of Gentiles… God gave Peter quite an obscure vision (Acts 10:9-16) which left him befuddled. Finally, in verse 28, he seemed to figure out the meaning: “God has shown me not to call any person common or unclean.” Jews had sometimes viewed Gentiles as unclean, but now Peter had confirmation from God that the hope of Jesus is for Gentiles too. 

Some Jewish people still thought that Jesus had come only for their race, their “clean” kind. This might sound silly, but some today still try to discriminate against those who can go to a church or be saved based on how “clean” their lives are. We too can be prone to unconsciously judge people’s faith by the unnatural color of their hair, the number of tattoos or piercings, clothing choices, marital status, past mistakes, etc. It’s important to remember that “man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7). I suspect that some churches wouldn’t recognize or welcome even Jesus himself if he came through their doors. 

God had created Saul with such passion, and God knew if he could just channel that passion for saving Christians instead of killing them, the wonderful Gospel could spread. What a testimony! God brings Saul to my mind every time my finite, sinful, human, faith-lacking brain tries to label someone as unredeemable. 

What if we took the time to hear the stories of people who look different from us, to listen to stories of how Jesus has changed their lives, to experience their excitement as they learn things about Jesus that we take for granted because we’ve heard it so many times? Jesus came for all of us. We all are in need of the saving grace of Jesus.

I love to hear 180 stories – people who were completely changed, “flipped turned upside down” – because of Jesus. Some of us were raised in Christian homes and grew up in church and don’t have a dramatic testimony, but that doesn’t make our faith any less valid! We as humans can tend to think that someone is too far gone, but God… God can change the unchangeable, love the unloveable, save the unsaveable – and all of those would be all of us, if not for His mercy. 

Reflections: 

Listen to this song and consider how we might overlook Jesus if he were here with us today. 

Have you had a spiritual epiphany or eureka moment? It’s probably not quite as dramatic as that of Saul, but still very important. Write it down and share it with someone to show how your life has been changed by God! 

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Ominous Lines

Acts 7-8

Devotion by Rachel Cain (Ohio)

“Marley was dead, to begin with.”

These ominous lines commence the first stave of Charles Dicken’s classic novella, A Christmas Carol, which my children and I read together for the first time last year. Such chilling inaugural language sets the tone for the serious nature of the story. The tale delves deep into the meaning of life and Ebeneezer Scrooge’s radical transformation before concluding the final stave with these hopeful words: “And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us, everyone!” 

As I read Acts 8, I was struck by the similarity between the forbidding opening phrases of A Christmas Carol and this sinister introduction to Saul: 

“And Saul gave approval to his murder” (8:1). 

Saul, a devout pharisee who kept every letter of the law and then some, was complicit in the death of the first martyr. But he didn’t stop there: Saul made it his mission to destroy the church by going house to house, imprisoning people who followed the ways of this Jesus guy. Saul thought he was working passionately for God by persecuting the followers of this heretic Jesus who claimed to be the Messiah. 

I always wonder how such heinous acts can be justified in the name of God. Did pride take over his heart? Was Saul so wallowing in his prideful Pharisee ways that he could not understand the grace and love that Jesus had shown and that his people were demonstrating? Was he blind to the prophecies that were fulfilled in Jesus? (Spoiler: In Acts 26, Saul gives some insight into his thoughts during that time, but ultimately he realizes that he was for sure NOT doing the work of God by persecuting his church.)

This is a good reminder that just because we claim to follow God doesn’t mean that everything we feel so strongly about is correct or God’s way. We can be sincere and still be sincerely wrong. Since it can be difficult to distinguish God’s voice from the myriad of opinions we hear constantly, it is important to be regularly grounded in the Word and prayer, truly seeking God’s desires more than our own preconceived notions or cultural norms. 

Just like with Scrooge’s interactions with the three spirits, all it took was one encounter with Jesus to turn everything on its head, transforming Saul’s heart and ultimately leaving us with many hopeful words in the New Testament. But you’ll just have to come back here tomorrow to read more of that story!

Reflections: 

Think about your life before vs. after you decided to fully live for God. What would be the opening line to your “before” chapter? 

What do you want the closing line of your chapter of life to be (like your epitaph)? Write it out as a guide and inspiration to keep you focused on what truly matters. 

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Ordinary People – Who Have Been with Jesus

Acts 4-6

Devotion by Rachel Cain (Ohio)

Abraham Lincoln (president), Charles Dickens (author), Steve Jobs (Apple creator), Dave Thomas (founder of Wendy’s), and Ingvar Kamprad (IKEA originator) seem like an unlikely bunch to be grouped into a similar category, but they all have this in common: each one either had little formal training or dropped out of school early, and yet became very successful. Our protagonists in Acts 4, Peter and John, also fit among this list. 

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13, ESV) Though Peter and John lacked formal training, their time of hands-on learning with Jesus probably equated to an advanced doctorate degree! Their accusers probably recognized that they had been taught by Jesus because their teaching styles and tones so closely matched that of their Rabbi. 

We, too, are disciples! We are called to share the gospel to a hurting world, following closely to the way of our Rabbi, Jesus. So remember your mission! Here are some tips from this text to help us be more like the early church. 

Share Jesus Boldly and Without Shame

Word about Jesus’ resurrection power spread, people were healed in Jesus’ name, and the number of followers was growing exponentially. The jealous religious leaders, however, did not appreciate this threat to their authority. So the council – likely the same one that condemned Jesus to death – tried to silence the ragtag bunch and ordered them to keep quiet. The disciples’ bold response? “We can’t keep quiet about what we have seen and heard!” (Acts 4:20). Their lives had been totally changed, and they just had to spread the word! 

Humans haven’t changed much – we still can’t keep quiet about the good stuff! If you compliment a woman’s new dress, she will tell you three things about it: where she purchased it, how inexpensive it was, and that it has pockets! She is just so excited that she can’t keep it to herself! Likewise, if you visit a fantastic new restaurant and they’re offering a ton of great deals, you’ll probably tell all your friends so that they can get in on it, too. We love to spread good news to other people, so why do we shy away from sharing Jesus with the same zeal? (I’m preaching to myself here. I long to have that kind of boldness that I just can’t keep quiet about all things Jesus, don’t you?) Pray for boldness to share with others how Jesus has changed your life. 

Obey Only God 

When the religious leaders tried to shut them up again, the disciples replied, “We must obey God, not men.” (Acts 5:29) It’s always been so easy for us to slowly assimilate to the culture around us and begin to obey the gods of this world or match the expectations of the people around us. The Israelites did this chapter after chapter in the Old Testament, and we still stray today. Romans 12:2 warns us about getting too conformed with the world. Though it would eventually cost many of them their very lives, the disciples in Acts were compelled to continue sharing the hope of Jesus with everyone. Jesus had cautioned: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Pray that we – the global Church – would stay faithful until the end. 

Maybe you’re like me – never been to Bible college, don’t know an ounce of Greek or Hebrew, just living an uneventful, mundane life. God can use us still! Even without special training, we can be bold lights in a dark world. God can, and will, use you right where you are to make a difference for Him! 

Reflections: 

Your prayer prompts are within the text. Take a moment to pray over those.

  1. How do you spend time with Jesus? Can others tell that you do? What can you do to spend more quality time with Jesus?
  2. How can you lovingly, humbly, courageously show the world (including, but not limited to your family, your church, your neighbors, your “enemies”, the disadvantaged, the other side of the world, etc…) what you have seen and heard and learned from Jesus?
  3. When/how have you fallen into the trap of obeying men rather than God? What can that look like? What can you do to strengthen your resolve to Obey Only God?
  4. What courageous task will you do today to obey God?

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Unmet Expectations

Luke 24 & John 20-21

Devotion by Rachel Cain (Ohio)

Unmet expectations are a leading cause of relational conflicts. 

Sometimes the expectations were simply not communicated, so the offending person had no idea what was expected. Other times the expectation was communicated but not met, such as a broken promise. Sometimes it is no fault of anyone, but life and happenstance got in the way of the anticipated outcome. 

In the case of Jesus’ resurrection, multiple prophecies and even Jesus himself foretold what would happen, but still the disciples had their expectations shattered: “We had hoped that he would be the one to liberate Israel!” (Luke 24:21). 

They were disappointed in Jesus because their expectations did not match his reality. The disciples, among others, had believed he was the Messiah, but then they were confused when he didn’t fix their political problem by conquering the Romans and establishing an earthly kingdom – even though he had never promised to do those things. He had a much larger spiritual plan to save all of humanity by conquering the sin within their hearts. Perhaps they didn’t understand God’s big-picture promise of an eternal Kingdom. 

Today we look back with disbelief on their disbelief. DUH! Of course he’s the Messiah! Why couldn’t they just listen to him and recognize him and his plan? But how many of us today fail to recognize Jesus and his mission because it looks different than we expect? 

I think sometimes we expect a clean-cut Jesus, tidy Christians, an easy life. But none of that is promised; in fact, following Jesus guarantees quite the opposite (see John 16:33). How often do we fail to recognize the gifts of God because they don’t come packaged the way we expect? Can we see the blessing of prayers that were not answered the way we asked? Do we see every person – annoying, incarcerated, stinky, unborn, elderly, troubled, or just plain “different” – as God’s precious children, and view every interaction with them as a mission for the Kingdom? 

It’s so easy to be hostile toward fellow Christians over all kinds of unmet expectations – differing doctrines or political views, whether or not Christians should be involved in this activity or celebrate that holiday, etc. We definitely should encourage each other to keep seeking Jesus in these and all areas of our lives, but if we just put half that energy we use fighting one another into uniting to spread the love of Jesus to a hurting world, united we could have a tremendous Kingdom impact. God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9), so we should always expect the unexpected. 

Reflections:

Listen to this song. How have some trials turned out to be unexpected blessings? 

What are some things that you are waiting for with expectant hope, and how can you share that hope with others around you? 

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Just Like He Said!

Matthew 28 & Mark 16

Devotion by Rachel Cain (Ohio)

He is RISEN! 

Here’s where you respond aloud: “He is risen INDEED!”

PS It’s fine to say that phrase throughout the year, not only on a specific Sunday when we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. This is the best news in all of history! Sure, every religion’s leader has died or will one day die. But Jesus? He died and was raised back to life eternal! Now THAT is the real deal and something to celebrate! 

I could end right here on such good news! … But I have a few more verses I want to point out. 

* Matthew 28:6 – “He is not here, because he has been raised – just like he said!” 

I used to read this verse in an excited tone, but now I imagine it in a slightly-annoyed, “per my previous email” tone. Have you ever had to mitigate the frustrations of people who are upset with you for something that was clearly stated, but you still have to remain professional? Like when you very clearly texted that you needed to cancel a meeting because you would be out of town – and the person acknowledged that they received the information – but they still checked in at the assumed meeting time annoyed that you were not present for the meeting, and everything in you wanted to just use the pointer finger emoji so they would refer to the previous text about your planned absence, but instead you assumed the blame and simply apologized that you’re still traveling and promised you’ll see them next week? Ok, maybe that was a too-specific run-on example, but that is how my human nature envisions the attitude of the angel in this situation. So it’s a good thing I’m not the translator for this text, because I would probably write this verse as, “GUYS! He is not here, because God raised him back to life, just like he said a gazillion times! Weren’t you paying attention?”

Everything happened just as Jesus said it would and as numerous prophecies had stated – his death, burial, and resurrection – and yet people still were surprised when he showed up alive. Maybe it was because they were too close to the situation and still felt the trauma of seeing their best friend and leader brutally murdered. Maybe it didn’t play out the way they had envisioned or hoped. Maybe they questioned whether or not they’d heard correctly. For some reason or another, maybe they really weren’t expecting the tomb to be empty. 

* Matthew 28:20 – “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations… and surely I will be with you always…”

This eternal hope is for ALL nations, everyone! 

Most likely, the Jewish people would have assumed the Messiah to be only for them, or at least not for the whole world. But Jesus came to bring life to all people who would choose to follow him, not just the descendants of Israel. In this passage, called The Great Commission, Jesus gives the charge to carry on his mission for all time to the ends of the earth. I believe that the “go and make disciples” command still applies to us too. We can make disciples right where we are: in our own jobs, school, communities, homes, and cities.

I’ve always found great comfort in his promise to be with us always. Sometimes, this world seems so hopeless, but we have assurance that we are never truly alone! Praise God that Gentiles are welcome in the Kingdom, too! 

Reflections: 


How do you think you would have reacted if you had found the tomb empty? 

In what ways might God be calling you to actively make disciples? Pray that He would send people into your life to disciple – and you would faithfully disciple them.

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“The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” 

Luke 23 & John 18-19

Devotion by Rachel Cain (Ohio)

What a true idiom. I never cease to be amazed at how large a small minority can seem when given a message and a platform. The media spins the truth to sway unsuspecting observers one way or another, leading us to disregard critical thinking and become emotionally attached to the perceived (and sometimes invented) injustices. We begin to see this small, vocal group as representative of the entire population. This happens on both sides of the political spectrum. Even niche groups can seem large if they’re loud and persistent enough. 

In Luke 23 it seems like “everyone” wants Jesus punished! The chapter begins with an emotional interaction between the Sanhedrin (the religious court) and Pilate, the governor of the Roman province of Judaea. The very first verse indicates that “the whole Sanhedrin” brought Jesus before Pilate, hoping for a death sentence.  A text note in my Complete Jewish Study Bible for Jews and Christians (p 1513) clarifies that “this literally means, ‘the multitude of them’- namely, the whole of those present… this reflects not the whole of the Jewish people but instead some members of the religious court…” 

This small-but-loud crowd succeeded. Even though Jesus had been healing multitudes, teaching with authority, and relating the people to God in no way they had ever experienced before, all it took was a small, mad mob to fuel the emotional fire that would cause the crowd to exclaim, “crucify him!” and end Jesus’ life.

We all know these actions fulfilled God’s plan; this is how it had to happen, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn a lesson from the chaos. We need to be aware of fallacies in arguments that aim to sway us away from God’s Truth. We must be watchful to notice the sly work of the deceiver who “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). We should constantly compare the cries of the culture to the ways of God so we will not be conformed to the world, but “test and approve what God’s will is” (Romans 12:2). It would behoove us to remember the words of Jesus, that his life-giving way is straight and narrow, not the broad path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). 

So, as Christians, let’s be the WD-40 on the “squeaky wheels” that are leading people astray from God. We must help encourage other Christians to stand for what is right, even when it seems like we’re standing alone. Also, we should be a different kind of “squeaky wheel”: unashamedly sharing God’s love to the world around us and shining His light everywhere we go. The world is watching. 

Reflections: 

How have you been influenced by the world around you – or resisted that influence and stayed true to your faith? 

In what ways can you be WD-40? Or be the squeaky wheel for Jesus? 

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