Words Of Christ Devotions

[nChrist]

July 3

The Good Shepherd

Joh_10:1-18

Twice in the passage, Jesus uses the phrase, "I am."  He repeats each phrase twice, for emphasis.  These statements form the core of his teaching here.

I am the gate

A gate is designed to control the entrance and exit.  It is a defining point.  You were in or out of the city of that era depending on whether or not you had passed the gate.  The meaning was clear;  here is the dividing line.  What shall be the lot of the man who passes the gate named Christ?

First, he will be saved.  That's blunt enough;  the question is one of heaven or hell.  The Scripture is quite clear on the point:  Jesus is the only way.

Next, he will "go in."  He will go in to the presence of God, enjoying the sweet fellowship which comes from the very nature of God—love.

But he will also "go out."  He will go out into the world, carrying with him the power of God for righteousness and peace, and the eternal hope of salvation.  He will be the ambassador of Christ.

He will "find pasture."  His needs will be met, and peace will be his.  Not the transient peace of the world, but the eternal peace that comes from God.

I am the Good Shepherd

The phrase is so familiar that many churches have it in their name.  Here Jesus gives us the characteristics of that shepherd:

He knows the sheep.  Do you ever wonder about your salvation?  Do not worry;  he knows your name.

The sheep know him.  He is not hidden; those who do what he commands know who he is—for they find him in their prayers and works.

He lays down his life for his sheep.  All hinges on this.  It is the sacrifice at the Cross which brought this about, for this is the way God reconciled men to himself.

J. S. Bach wrote a piece entitled, "Sheep May Safely Graze."  It is a musical expression of peace and security under all circumstances.  Its melodies remind us that sheep safely graze under the tender care of the Shepherd, who gave his life that we, his sheep, might have eternal life.

____________________

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[nChrist]

July 4

Recognizing the Real Thing

Joh_10:22-39

For those exploring the cost of the kingdom, it comes up often.  They ask, "How can I know for sure that this Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God?"  We must take this in two steps:

Did he ever claim such a thing?

If he did, is there any evidence to support it?

The claims of Jesus

In this short passage, Jesus makes three specific statements which indicate that he and God the Father are one in the same.

"No one can snatch them out of my hand," he says—and then echoes that thought with his Father's hand.  He is equating himself with the Father.
He gives his sheep eternal life.  But who has the power of eternal life—except the eternal God?

Finally, he makes it explicit:  "I and the Father are one."

Some smiling heathens will tell you that Jesus never claimed to be God.  Don't you believe it;  even his enemies understood this claim.
The evidence

Claiming to be God (besides being blasphemy) could be a sign  of insanity.  Is there any evidence to support this claim?  Jesus gives us here three categories of evidence for his claim:

The evidence of the Scripture.  Over and again we find reference to the Scriptures prophesying the Christ.

The evidence of the miracles.  How does a man who is a lunatic or liar do such things?

The evidence of family likeness.  Search the Scriptures.  Find out what God the Father is like;  then see if this Jesus is not the living character likeness of Him.

The challenge to us

If you are a Christian, then you believe that this Jesus is the Son of God.  But do you act like you believe it?  Are you indeed one of his sheep?  Do you hear his voice and follow, obeying his commands?  Do you tell others of his call to salvation?  Do you show his care for the sick, the poor and the weary?

Jesus, the friend of sinners, is also the God omnipotent and omniscient.  Do you honor him both as friend and God?

____________________

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[nChrist]

July 5

First and Last

Luk_13:22-30

The question

The question is impertinent.  If you want the right answers, you must first ask the right questions.  Why is this the wrong question?

Christ is not here to gratify your curiosity.  He is not a tame lion to perform tricks at your command.  Few or many, what does that matter?

The real question is, "easy or difficult?"  That's the one that matters, and the Man who knows says, "difficult."  Therefore, you must make every effort.

The answer

The answer gives us two pictures of the entrance to heaven:

"Every effort" must be made—the Greek implies a struggle.  So many of us think it easy;  it is often said so from the pulpit.  Our Lord never left such an impression.

Moreover, the door is narrow—which implies that a precise aim is required.  It is not good enough to be good enough.

The picture of the Master

Christ then draws an interesting picture of the householder.  It is as if he is looking on at the wanderings of the people—but the time will come when he has seen enough, and will close the door.    When that day comes, he says to those who are remaining outside, "I never knew you."  They are shocked!

Argument

How can our Lord say He never knew us?  They make two arguments to him, both of which are rejected:

We "ate and drank" with you—perhaps meaning Communion, or perhaps meaning we went to all the church potluck suppers.  In either case, attendance and ceremony are external;  God looks on the heart.

You taught in our streets—as if his presence itself somehow rubs off on the unconcerned.   It is an attempt to use influence which doesn't exist.

The shock of this will come to many who are secure in their religiosity.
They've put God in his place;  they have a nice little shrine, but of course he has no real effect upon their lives.  They see themselves as great in the kingdom of God;  God can hardly see them for their smallness.  The first shall be last, and the last shall be first, indeed.

____________________

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[nChrist]

July 6

Jerusalem, Jerusalem

Luk_13:31-35

There is a certain bittersweet sensation to watching a grown child go astray.  The heart yearns for earlier years, happier times.  The mind wants to scream warning—and the mouth sometimes does, even knowing that it will be rejected word for word.

There is something of that in this passage.  It begins with the King of Kings putting a king in his place.  Herod, like all the rest of us, is accountable to God.

God's plans, not Herod's, will prevail.  His threats are nothing to the living God.

God's timing will prevail as well.  His steps are deliberate and the days are numbered.

Even so, the end will come rapidly—and who will be prepared?

Jerusalem—the prophets' slaughterhouse

Nothing so shows the rebellious nature of man, his utter sinfulness, than this.  Jerusalem, the city where God placed his Name, designated to be the one place on earth where the presence of God could be found by anyone, is the prophets' slaughterhouse.  Those who come in the name of the Lord find a bludgeon, an axe or a saw applied to their bodies.  In this case, it will be a cross.

And what is the reaction of Jesus to this?  What does he want to do with the city which has so foully treated the prophets, and is about to crown that performance by crucifying the Author of Life?  He wants to hold them in his arms and love them.  He loves these people;  his mercy is very tender toward them, as a mother would be toward her wayward child.  But it is not to be.

The truth is very bitter indeed.  Within a few years the city will be ripped from the hands of the Jews, and they will be destined to wander the earth for centuries.  Only in our own time have they returned, in war, to the city of David.  Many feel that this is a sign of the times, signaling the imminent return of our Lord.  This may be;  no one knows that hour.  But the time will someday come, that is sure.

This follows close upon Christ's words about the narrow door.  It tells us how he will feel when he rises to close that door, keeping out the ones he never knew.  It will be a bittersweet time for Him, for he came to seek and save the lost, and he does not wish for even one to perish.  The choice is not his;  it is ours.  We make it now, as we live.  Will he grieve over us?

____________________

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[nChrist]

July 7

Invitations

Luk_14:1-11

It is the custom in our day to invite guests to a wedding and arrange the seating for them.  This is commonly done with round tables, place names at each, thus ensuring pleasant conversation and no damaged egos.  It is a reflection of how much we value pride in our land that this is necessary.   It is also a sign that politeness still is of value in a land in which the young are taught that rudeness and maturity are the same thing.

See the politeness of our Lord here:

Does he condemn this Pharisee, as he does so often in other circumstances?  No;  he teaches him, and by the gentle means of a parable.

Even the parable itself is gentle, for it  concerns a different kind of feast—a wedding feast.

The virtue of politeness, especially as a guest, is hereby proclaimed.  One of the reasons politeness needs to be taught so well is that it helps us over our pride.  Are you the lowest of the guests at the wedding?  This can really hurt if you thought you deserved an important place.  But if you are not a family member or long time friend, you understand that you will be at the outer tables—and are therefore not offended.  Politeness can be used to control our expectations, and these must often be kept in check.  Being the lowest only hurts when you expected to be the highest.

Our Lord is the same kind of guest.  When we first take him into our hearts, it appears that he is the lowest and meekest of guests.  Does he insist on perfect sinlessness in behavior immediately?  No, he begins his gentle (but firm) work upon our souls with polite persistence.  At first it is the very noticeable sin that is remedied, but as time goes by we note that he brings up one thing after another, only as we can bear to deal with them, correcting them gently, as is His nature.

But see what this does to us!  We come to him with the sense of awe which is the natural result of meeting the Living God.  As we grow in the faith, we go "higher up."  Our place at the banquet becomes closer to the Host.  We should lose none of the sense of awe, but we should grow in the familiar sense that here is the Friend of Sinners, the one in whom love is completely perfect.  As we grow, we come closer to Him.  As we come closer to Him, we become more like Him.  We start at the back of the hall—but our Lord calls, "Friend, come higher up."

____________________

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[nChrist]

July 8

Dinner Guests

Luk_14:12-14

The good hostess works hard at inviting the "right" guests for the party—those who will be pleasant in conversation.  If the dinner is a political occasion (whether of party politics or business) then the guests will be selected carefully to construct relationships which will further the purposes of the host.  All this must be done carefully.

But there is more:  the meal, the entertainment, the table settings, all must be "just so."  Nothing must be left to chance;  the exactly correct impression must be presented.  The show must go on—and perfectly.

Not so with our Lord.  Consider some of the people he invited to be among the twelve:

Some were fishermen;  of such fiery temper they were known as the "sons of thunder."  Inviting a guest whose mouth is open before his brain is engaged is not wise.

Some were of the radical persuasion.  In this time Jesus included a genuine revolutionary, ready for bloodshed.

Consider how well that radical got along with Matthew—a toady for the Roman regime, a tax collector, a man hated as a traitor to his own people.

These were some of the people Jesus gathered around him,  and to whom he promised rich rewards.  These were the honored, first guests at his eternal banquet.

We are his disciples;  therefore we are to be his imitators.  Does the circle of our friends include such disreputable characters?  Or do we confine ourselves to those who are respectable?  Those whose reputations will enhance our own?

It is easy enough to give money to feed the poor;  there are any number of agencies willing to collect it and use it properly.  This is good.  But a better thing is that we, ourselves, take up the cross and deal with the matter directly.  The beggar by the roadside looks filthy, but he is made in the image of God.  Will we pass him by?  Or will we feed him?

If we feed  him, we feed the least—and our Lord tells us that as we treat the least, we treat Him.  It takes imagination of the spirit to see Christ in that beggar by the roadside.  The Lord of all reality, who spoke and all things began, assures us that it is so.  Have pity on the poor;  lend to the Lord;  he will repay—and with rich interest.

____________________

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[nChrist]

July 9

Courtesy

Luk_14:15-24

Under the mask of politeness much evil may be done.  We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that a polite failure is better than a rude success.  Consider the excuses presented:

Real estate needs looking after;  such are the cares of this world.  But what care in the world matters against eternity?

The deceit of riches often appears urgent;  after all, I have gained so much wealth I must look after it.  But money is a poor master, and will soon consume you.

The pleasures of this world—including those sanctioned by God, such as marriage—are argued as well.  Will I ever have a chance to replay today's pleasures?  All eternity is before you, and you are worried about today's pleasure?

But see how God deals with this situation!  Does he give up, or strike in condemnation?  No, his reaction is characteristic of his grace:

First he calls those who have no cares for this world, for they are poor;  who are not deceived by riches, for they have none;  who cannot have the pleasures of this world, for they are crippled or blind.

But these are not enough;  once all the poor have been called, he goes to the ends of the earth to obtain a full house.  Neither status nor geography stands in his way.

Note, too, that his servants are ordered to accept no excuse—to compel them to come in.

You're too sinful to come to God?  Hah!  It is an absurd thing that your sins could possibly be greater than the omnipotent mercy of God.

Later?  What is later to the God of eternity?  He is always "now," and now is when he calls you to come.  The past is his;  he controls the future;  only "now" is yours to give to him.

Don't know enough yet?  What is that to the omniscient God?

His objective is clear:  that his house might be full.  If it will not be filled with the respectable righteous, he will fill it with the prostitutes and thieves;  he will fill it with the desperate murderers on death row and the mothers of abortion.  It is said that nature abhors a vacuum;  the same can be said of grace.

____________________

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[nChrist]

July 10

All or Nothing

Luk_14:25-26

In many a movie you will find the villain, the evil genius, sitting at the keyboard of the organ, thundering away as the heroine shrieks in terror.

Phantom of the Opera  comes to mind;  picture Claude Rains behind the mask.  But give an ear to the music for a moment.  It is almost always Bach;  it is usually his Toccata  and Fugue in D Minor.  It is a piece of great complexity and thus loved by performers.  Melody plays against melody, building higher and higher.

If you can grasp the concept of melodies which support each other to a grand climax—even though they seem to be different—then perhaps you can see the root of Christ's words here.  The problem is simple:  everywhere in Scripture I am commanded to love my father and mother.  Everywhere, and by everyone, but Christ.

Let us begin with that melody.  Where did that command originate?  From God Himself.  So then, the authority my parents have over me (and I over my children) has a source:  the love and authority of God.  And in all matters of authority, any authority which is rightly derived is derived from a higher authority.  So by accepting the commandment to love my parents, I must also accept the authority that gave it—and acknowledge that authority as higher than my parents.

Add another melody.  Suicide is, often, a form of murder, self-murder.  I am commanded not to commit murder.  Indeed, for the healthy mind, such a command is buttressed by love of self.  But again, the command comes from the higher authority.  So even my love of self (see how Christ adds, "even his own life?") comes from a higher authority—a ruling melody in the piece.

That ruling melody is Christ himself, for all authority is given to him, in heaven and earth.  All rightful authority is derived from his authority.

Therefore, anything—commanded or not—which attempts to usurp his authority is indeed evil.  Even if that something is someone I love.  The Old Testament commanded that even your wife was to be stoned if she tried to lead you into idolatry.

The choice may come:  Christ or the ones I love, Christ or my own life.  If we think with our emotions, this is difficult.  But if we clearly understand who is Lord, who holds all authority, the matter becomes simple.  It does not become easy, just simple.  In all matters of emotional pain it is wise to prepare beforehand.  That is what Christ is having us do in this passage.

____________________

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[nChrist]

July 13

The Prodigal Father

Luk_15:11-24

Thinly veiled, this is the story of God's love for the repentant sinner.  It is also the story of the outrageous God, the Prodigal Father.

Consider the illogical actions of this prodigal Father of ours:

When the younger son demands division of the estate, does the father refuse?  No;  like our heavenly Father, who causes his rain on the just and the unjust, he treats him in perfect fairness , despite what might come of it.  Does our Father force us to behave?

When the young man returns, he barely hears the confession of sin and unworthiness.  Is it not the case that he already knew the facts?  Knew them, and considered them of little consequence and no notice now that his boy was home.  Our Father in heaven acts likewise;  the angels rejoice at the repentance of even a single sinner.  This despite the fact that the boy is right;  he has sinned against heaven and his father.  Our Father took this principle to the point of the Cross.  Our sin is forgiven;  the sinner has come home;  we must rejoice.

One might think the father would have the dignity to put the boy in his place.  But no!  He brings out the best robe for him, as if to make sure he understands that he's back in the family.   Not just a clean robe, the best robe.  He treats this young man not as the humble and repentant sinner he is, but rather as an honored member of the family.

Surely, however, the father would not give the son any responsibility in the family business—right?  Wrong.  He puts a ring on his finger, a sign of authority and power.  Is it not the case that Christ has given authority to his church on earth—composed entirely of repentant sinners, please recall—and charged them to do even mightier things than he did?

And, instead of a trial and judgment of the young man for squandering the family fortune, the father throws a party!  We have not seen our Father's party—yet.
But it will come, when our Lord returns.

By our standards, the father is irrational.  He should sit in judgment over this son of his, and let him know just how evil he has been.  Certainly the son expected it.  But God's ways are higher than our ways, and He turns judgment into joy.

____________________

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(My Note: I give thanks that none of God's children get what they really deserve. JESUS CHRIST took in His own body on the CROSS what we really deserve. Thanks be unto GOD for HIS unspeakable GIFT - JESUS CHRIST, our Lord and Saviour forever.)

[nChrist]

July 14

The Older Brother

Luk_15:25-32

There is a deep tension between righteousness and love.  Righteousness demands that all be perfect;  love demands that all be forgiven.  The tension is only reconciled at the Cross.

It is interesting to see the older brother and his reaction to the return of the other son.  One can understand the resentment.  The appearance is that the younger son is being rewarded for his evil behavior, and the older son's behavior—which the father acknowledges as being righteous—never got such a celebration.  But in this, the older brother misses the point.

The celebration is for the father, not the son.  The celebration is not being given to acknowledge the worthiness of the younger son, nor of the righteousness of his repentance, nor anything else relating to the son.  It is being given to celebrate the joy of the father.  The younger son is not worthy of such a celebration—but the father's joy certainly requires it.

So it is with us.  We sometimes mistake our repentance for true righteousness, and begin to imagine that God "owes us."  In fact, we can do nothing which would put God in our debt.  It is his love for us that brings us home.

Interestingly, we can see this love in the way the father treats the older brother.  As he had compassion on the younger son, he had compassion on the older son.  He does not rebuke him for his lack of understanding.  When the older son refuses to come in, he goes out to him, just as he ran to the younger one.  His words are gentle and kind.

Even though the older son replies in terms of anger and scorn, the father does not turn on him.  He does not resent the insult, but gently instructs the older son in the matters of a father's heart.

We see love in a small and relative sense;  only God is love, absolutely.  For that reason his actions sometimes appear strange to us, as if he did not reason through the matter.  Wisdom is justified by her children, however.  Think what the love of God has done for us on the Cross!

Many of us see things the older brother's way.  We want to go to church with the right people, and want no contact with the filth of our society.  We substitute respectability for righteousness.  The cure for this is not another set of rules and regulations, but the love God pours out.  As he was merciful to the younger son, the profligate, he was also merciful to the older son, the refrigerator.  Perhaps there is hope for all of us.

____________________

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[nChrist]

July 15

The Unrighteous Steward

Luk_16:1-9

My father expounded to me—early and often—the principle of the trapeze.  "Never let go of one trapeze," he said, "until you have a firm grip on another."  By this he hoped to encourage his irresponsible son to think ahead, plan for the future and (most importantly) not leave one job until another had been secured.  The point is generally well taken, but he also allowed that at times the only proper thing to do was to choose an honorable unemployment over a dishonest job.

Something of the same sense is in this story from Christ.  He is not commending the dishonesty of the steward, but his shrewdness in planning for the future.  The shrewdness in this instance was the use of dishonest means for the end—but at least the fellow was planning for the end.  So often we give the end no thought.

Our Lord encourages us to a parallel application here.  He is not encouraging us to be dishonest.  He is encouraging us to think ahead.  In particular, it might be put this way:

You have a certain amount of money in this world.  Some have a little, some have a lot.  That's not the point.

You will not always have that money.  When you die, it will go to another, and you will face your heavenly Father to give account.

Give account of what?  Your stewardship of the things he has given you on this earth.  If he has blessed you greatly, he will ask what you have done with his blessings.

So the question comes down to:  what did you do with the temporary blessings God gave you—in eternal terms?  Did you use those blessings for eternal purposes, or temporary ones?

We understand this, in a sense.  How often have you said, "People are important, money isn't?"  But do you really believe it?

Here's a test:  if people are important, what have you done to help those people whose supply of money is much less than yours?  There are such people all around us.  We cannot solve all problems, but we can solve the ones God gives us to solve.  He would not hand them to us if we could not.

Are you using the wealth of today to obtain things eternal?  "He is no fool if he would choose to give the things he cannot keep to buy what he can never lose."  Sometimes we need to review our investment strategies for eternal gain.

____________________

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[nChrist]

July 18

The Temptations of Lazarus

Luk_16:19-31

Much can be learned by listening to what is not said.  We know little of the character of this Lazarus, except this one thing:  when he died, he was found to be in paradise with Abraham, the father of the Jews.  It is a signal honor.  From this we may conclude that Lazarus was indeed a righteous man.  We may therefore consider the sins which would be common in his case, and that he overcame them.

Envy.  Imagine yourself just out of reach of luxury, living in poor health and poverty.  The man could not move;  he had to be laid at the rich man's door—and see all the wealthy guests going in and out of the lavish parties.  As he starved, how he must have been tempted to have the bitter heart.  "Why should he have so much when I have nothing?"  But that is a sin;  for it tells God he was mistaken in giving you so little of what you value so much more than He does.

Blasphemy.  Most of us don't want to know why bad things happen.  We want to know why they happen to us.  When we can't see a reason for our suffering, the temptation is to blame God for it.  This too is sin, for it says that the holy and righteous God brought evil upon you for no reason but his enjoyment.

In this suffering we can imagine that Lazarus built up certain strengths.  Like the blind man whose hearing becomes particularly acute, his spiritual senses became strengthened by his ordeal.

Slander.  He would certainly know how to deal with this.  Why?  Because of all the "righteous" people who would walk by knowing that he must have done something terribly evil to have deserved such punishment.  They'd probably quote the book of Job to him, too.

Consolation.  Through all his troubles, he would be led to seek the consolation of the one who would never fail him.  The very difficulties that others would see coming from God would drive him towards God.  He who goes towards God is indeed headed in the right direction.

Suffering produces character, your mother told you.  She was probably referring to your vegetables, but the point remains.  Life is but a stage, we the actors;  but sometimes we do not know the parts we are really playing.  One of these two was made a rich man for eternity.

____________________

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[nChrist]

July 21

Go, and Die With Him

Joh_11:1-16

It is one of the most curious remarks in the Bible:  "Let us also go, that we may die with him."  It is said by Thomas, later known as Doubting Thomas.  It shows us the view from before the Resurrection, and gives some light on our own faith.  Consider for a moment how things appeared to Thomas:

First, there is the apparent contradiction of Lazarus' illness.  Here is a man that Jesus loves;  he sickens and eventually dies.  Have you ever asked yourself why some particular saint was taken home, particularly at a young age?  If Jesus really loved Lazarus, how could he let him die?

Indeed, Jesus not only permits it, he waits for it.  Although Bethany is not far away, Jesus remains right where he is for two days.  Can you see how this must have appeared?

Then—after the man is dead—he decides to go.  Thomas would have understood not going at all;  remember the Jews are trying to kill Jesus.  His safety would be a good reason to stay where he is.  How absurd it must have appeared that he decides to go now.

But Thomas is a man capable of height and depth.  He doubts the other disciples, but leaps from denial to complete understanding when he proclaims Jesus "my Lord and my God."  We see something of that here.  Thomas does not understand; Christ's actions puzzle him greatly.  He doesn't "get it."  For this he has been criticized (after the fact, of course) for a lack of faith.  But please note:  our Lord does not rebuke him for this.  For whatever Thomas lacks in faith he puts into loyalty and courage.  Jesus is going to his death?  Then let's go too, and die with him.

How about the rest of us?  It's easy to look back upon the story of Lazarus and criticize this lack of faith—because we see the end of the story.  Thomas didn't.  But he did face some of the puzzles we face today:

When God has his own timing, do we wait for it—or complain about it?
When God has his own direction, do we follow—or grouse?

When all appears lost and over, are we complaining—or do we continue to be loyal, like Thomas?

If God has not given you the faith to understand his timing, direction and power, use the faith you do have to remain loyal to Him.

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[nChrist]

July 22

Confession

Joh_11:17-27

One of the great tests of the faith is found in the corridors of the hospital.  What does one say to the grieving?  When a loved one dies, it is hard to be the counselor.

We see that here.  It is fitting that Martha, the pragmatic one of the two sisters, comes out to Jesus first.  Is there a touch of reproach in her voice when she says that Lazarus would not be dead had Jesus been there?

Jesus first reply is rather cold.  The Jews, with few exceptions, believed in the resurrection of the dead on the last day.  But this doctrine was of little comfort;  that day was a long way off;  no one knew much about it — a theoretical concept, if you will.  Martha has been crying in the corridors of the hospital, she is worn out, and grief has taken hold.  The resurrection of the dead is cold comfort to her now.

But Jesus does not rest on that.  "I am the resurrection and the life."  It may be the most stunning statement ever uttered on earth.  The man claims to be supreme even over death itself.

There is only one true question:  "Who do you say that I am?"  There is only one true answer, and this is it.

I am

It is the name of God by which he introduced himself to Moses.  No other name could hold such power.

The Resurrection

There is no other.  No other power can triumph over the grave.  No one else can do this.

The Life

Life?  True life, life in himself.  Not life derived from parents, but the genuine source of life.  The one and only, the original.

The Son of God

God in the flesh, walking the planet with us, as human as we are and divine in every way.

Who Was To Come

Not the afterthought of God, but the central part of his plan, revealed through the prophets.

In one sentence Jesus has transformed the remote, impersonal doctrine of the resurrection of the dead into the living presence of God.  Because He lives, we shall live and never die.  The theory became flesh, and walked among us.  The resurrection is real because he is reality itself.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
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[nChrist]

July 23

Reasonable People

Joh_11:28-44

The world is full of reasonable people.  There were a lot of them at this miracle.  What do reasonable people make of Jesus?

Reasonable people know something about God

They know he is loving;  see how Jesus wept!

They know that reality is stronger than God

If you move that stone there will be an awful stench.

They put limits on God's power

If Jesus had only been here, he could have prevented this tragedy.  He could do good things.

But he couldn't do all good things—like raising the dead.

They reproach God

When things are painful, it must be God's fault.  Why did God let Lazarus die?

Reasonable people have to be commanded by God

They won't move out on faith.  Jesus has to tell them to move the stone.  Even when they see Lazarus rise, they have to be told to remove the grave clothes.

Reasonable people will ultimately see the glory of God.

They may not discern the time of its coming, but come it will.  Being reasonable people, they will be sure that God timed it wrong.  After all, they weren't quite ready yet, and that couldn't be right, could it?

Christians are often accused of being unreasonable people—starry eyed dreamers with no true concept of reality.  That's one view the world has of the Christian.  Reasonable people don't look at things like that.  They look reality right in the eye—and fail to see Reality itself.

The Way, the Truth, The Life—the Resurrection and the Life—walks into a small Judean town and raises a man from the dead.  Reality has just changed.  That same man rises from the grave to give us eternal life.  Reality is now revealed for what it truly is.  Let us be unreasonable—and rejoice.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
Full Featured - Outstanding - Completely FREE - No Strings Attached

(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
of charge, and that goal gets closer by the day.)
____________________