2023-02-10
Good Morning Dear Ones,
On the evening of the first week after the Lord Jesus had been seen by Mary Magdalene and some of the disciples, the latter were in fear of people from the Sanhedrin [Jewish Ruling Council] who were persecuting believers. They sat together with the doors locked when Jesus came suddenly saying, “Peace be with you!” The disciples were overjoyed when they saw Him repeating this greeting and showing the nail marks on His hands. “The Father has sent Me, I am sending you,” He said. Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Thomas [also known as Didymus] was with them a week later. He had touched the nail marks on the Lord at His second sighting, causing his doubts to disappear. Jesus had performed many other signs while the disciples had looked on, to lead them to believe and thus, receive life in His name [JN 20: 20-30]. This demonstrated the purpose of John’s Gospel.
Imagine how blessed we are when we proclaim faith in Christ without having such physical proof before our eyes. I found it compelling that our Lord Jesus appeared to many people, lastly the apostle Paul, and there were some of them who observed His ascension to heaven. HE 11: 1, “Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Those people who study the Scriptures and come to love them enjoy the blessing of true faith. The recognition that our Lord is with those who believe in Him and enjoy His constant presence in their lives can come late in life, as it did to me. If one wants to know who Jesus actually is, one of the best ways is to read COL 1: 15-23. Please pause and read that passage now. In this excerpt, the reasons for Christ’s supremacy and His spiritual accomplishments are given.
Our Lord Jesus is the second personality of our Trinitarian God, the one visible to humans in His first advent. He did the work of creation at the Father’s behest. He sacrificed His physical life, so that those who believe in Him can be redeemed, eternally forgiven for their sins, and justified in the eyes of God. He was the first to be resurrected, and true believers will follow. God’s plan of salvation is designed to bring us back to Him. Because of our sins, we were once far from God, but the Lord Jesus makes it possible to come back to Him. It is by Christ’s Atonement that we have this opportunity by having faith in Him and standing firm in the Gospel. Our faith brings us the hope of the resurrection. It pleases God that Christ has God’s full nature and that through Christ, God will bring as many as possible back to Himself on earth and in heaven. God makes peace with people by spreading the Gospel to them.
And yes, there is a cost for this peace and by employing the free agency that we have, we can decide to stand up for our belief. Ostracism, persecution, and sometimes even violently having to sacrifice one’s physical life can result. In ancient times, believers were sometimes martyred because they believed. All the original disciples faced such an end to their physical lives, except for John. He lived to old age and was imprisoned on the Isle of Patmos (around 98 AD). It was during this time when he had the end times vision that is the book of Revelation. Many others over the span of human history beginning with the first Advent of Christ faced troubles arising from their belief in Christ. Once returned to God for eternal life with Him, I believe they would each testify to this pre-eternal trouble being well worth it. Even those martyred will be eventually blessed [REV 6: 9-11]. Our Lord has a keen sense of justice and won’t allow evildoing to be victorious.
PRAYER: O Lord, You want us to understand Who our Lord Jesus is, why He is supreme, what His relationship is to the other personalities of our One and only God, [DT 6: 4-5] the significance of His Atonement to us, and why we should stand firm in our faith in Him. Through Christ, You have created us to be able to tap into the immeasurable storehouse of His wisdom and strengthen our faith. We are designed to face the troubles which are the price of peace with You [1 COR 10: 13]. Your love for us cannot be broken, even though some people will disappoint You. We pledge our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, thanking and praising You in His holy/mighty name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit commands me to write next week a second devotion discussing the cost of peace. Anyone who had read the NT knows that the subset of the world’s population who are believers is made up of former traditionally Jewish people and Gentiles from many belief systems. God judges all believers on the same standards, with fairness, equity, and eventual justice. AC 10: 34-35, “So Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Truly I understand that God shows no partiality but in every nation anyone who has reverence for Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.’” PS 89: 14, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before You.” PS 98: 9, “Before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.” If we understand these Scriptures correctly, we can take great comfort in the Lord, even when we are being persecuted for our beliefs. 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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