2023-02-03
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week I wrote about the walk to Emmaus taken by Cleopas and his companion [LK 24: 16-24]. They encounter Jesus but don’t recognize Him until He has discussed the Scriptures about the prophecies of His resurrection. When they do recognize Him, He suddenly disappears. We next see the Lord appearing to the eleven remaining disciples (by this point Judas Iscariot’s betrayal has already taken place). The disciples were on the way to dinner with Mary-- Christ’s human mother, Joanna, and Mary Magdalene. They told Him they had seen a vision of angels, who said Jesus was alive. Then, some of the disciples had gone to the tomb only to find it empty. LK 24: 25-26, “He said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?’” They asked Him to stay with then and spend the evening with them. When He was at the table with them, He broke bread and gave thanks, giving it to them. Suddenly, their eyes were opened in recognition of Who He was! Still questioning the reality of this, they returned to Jerusalem and saw Him again. This time, He said, “Peace be with you” [LK 24: 26; JN 14: 27]. They were startled and troubled, as said, “Why are you troubled, and do doubts raise in your minds? Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself! Touch me and see, a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” [LK 24: 28-29]. Later, He asked for something to eat. They gave Him boiled fish and He said, “This is what I told you while I was still with you. Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms” [LK 24: 44].
Now to the cost of being a disciple (follower) of Christ: JN 20: 26 gives us another detail, “A week later His disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them…” What followed with the famous story of how Jesus invited this doubter, Thomas, to touch His wounds and believe. Why were the doors locked? It was fear of opposition from the Sanhedrin (Jewish ruling council), a body that employed its members to persecute Jewish Christians-people like Saul of Tarsus before His conversion on the road to Damascus [AC 9: 1-6]. The latter became known as Paul after his conversion. By far, this was not the first time there was religious and cultural persecution. The traditional Jews have been experiencing it since soon after God set them apart from Gentiles. Now they were persecuting Messianic Jews and others themselves.
COL 1: 16 -20 is frequently either forgotten or not understood. “For in Him [Jess Christ] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him, all things are held together. And He is the Head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the Firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.” Before going on after this lengthy citation, let me share EPH 2: 22-22, We are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief Cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.”
There is a lot to unpack here and not a lot of space remaining, so I’ll begin here and end in next week’s message. Repeatedly, I have written that we are all born with the sin inherited from the original sin of Adam and Eve [GN 3: 1-6] in addition to our own sin added to our inheritance. RO 3: 23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” RO 6: 23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal lie in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” Our sinfulness is why there is automatic fear of the unknown, impatience about what to learn, how to prevent forming snap judgments, and avoiding bad behavior by mankind. The devil loves these facts and opposes anything God desires. If we all knew the consequences of letting the evil one take control of our lives, none of us would allow him to do this. Believe it not, God has asked us to understand that our troubles are not unusual, and through Christ, He has given us the power to make tough choices, choices that will loosen and overcome the stranglehold the devil wants to have over us. Much more next week; hang on to the citations given here…
PRAYER: O Lord; some stories have so many ramifications that they refuse to be told in shorthand ways. Such events as cited in this devotion are in this category. God’s task in bringing us to reconciliation with Him means that we must clearly understand the significance of these events to our salvation. When the word “our” is used here, it means people of every nation, race, language, and culture---not just those who are followers of Christ only. We know that the Father’s rightful authority and power should only be exercised by You. No human or angel has that right to decide the fate of another. Father, we ask you as believers in Your Son to teach us to employ the powers given to us to make wise decisions on matters within our rights to decide. We should never usurp Your rights. Knowing the difference between the two comes from opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit. Christ has often said for us to, “Love one another as He loves us” [JN 13: 34-35]. We ask that You continue to teach, give perspective to, and bless us every day of our lives. Your intervention in them makes the difference and sends us on the path to eternal life. We offer our praise and thanks to You, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: As mentioned above, I am commanded to continue writing about the cost of peace next week. If it seems that I am taking the position that just because I’ve been called to write these devotions because I know so much, that is not the truth. I am learning right along with you what the Holy Spirit wants us to know. The only difference is that He is using my hands and putting ideas to share in my mind. We live in a messy, complicated world—one made so by the evil one’s activity. It is he who leads some politicians to take wrongful actions against their own people, makes them take the path to unrighteous decisions, confuses people with lies, causes people to be unethical, greedy, be materialistic, engage in criminal behavior, and does all kinds of evil deeds. Remember: 1 COR 10: 13, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will provide you a way out, so you can endure it.” You already know that way out is through Jesus Christ! Blessings, thanks, and praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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