Getting More Than We Deserve
Monday, April 17, 2006
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, on this day after Easter, I thank You and praise You for the reality that Jesus’ resurrection brings to my life each day—I no longer need to fear sin or death, because Jesus’ has conquered both, and promised me eternal life with You! Fill me anew with Your Holy Spirit this day, that I may hear Your voice and gladly and willingly do Your will! I pray that my thoughts, words and actions, will be brought into alignment with Your word, and that You will guide each step I take as I trust in You. Use me as You will to glorify Yourself and to advance the cause of Your coming Kingdom. Remind me today and everyday that THIS could be the day of Jesus’ promised return, and that He calls me to be ready when He comes! I give myself fully to You and ask only that my life will be a blessing to others who need to know Your grace and power. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
God’s Word Today – Mark 16:1-18
1The next evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene and Salome and Mary the mother of James went out and purchased burial spices to put on Jesus’ body. 2Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they came to the tomb. 3On the way they were discussing who would roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. 4But when they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone—a very large one—had already been rolled aside. 5So they entered the tomb, and there on the right sat a young man clothed in a white robe. The women were startled, 6but the angel said, “Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He has been raised from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7Now go and give this message to his disciples, including Peter: Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died!” 8The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, saying nothing to anyone because they were too frightened to talk.
Then they reported all these instructions briefly to Peter and his companions. Afterward Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen.
9It was early on Sunday morning when Jesus rose from the dead, and the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10She went and found the disciples, who were grieving and weeping. 11But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.
12Afterward he appeared to two who were walking from Jerusalem into the country, but they didn’t recognize him at first because he had changed his appearance. 13When they realized who he was, they rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.
14Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their unbelief—their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
15And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. 16Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. 17These signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak new languages. 18They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick and heal them.”
Reflecting on God’s Word
What is the biggest surprise you have ever received in your life? How did it impact you in the instant you discovered it, and how does it impact you know?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
The women expected the biggest challenge they would face on that first Easter morning was how to roll the stone away. According to the highlighted Scripture, what do you think would actually have been their biggest challenge?
What specific information did the angel give the women about Jesus?
Understanding God’s Purpose for Us
What does the account you read in this morning’s Scripture tell us about God’s purpose for our lives?
Applying God’s Word to Our Purpose
The women who went to the tomb went out of devotion for a “dead” Jesus. They wanted to pay their final respects to Him by preparing His body properly for burial. What they found was that Jesus had risen. Consider this: How often as you go about your daily life, do you serve a “dead” Jesus; that is how often do you live as if He has no power to transform either you or the situations you encounter? Take some time to reflect on this question, and then ask God to fill you anew with the Holy Spirit that you, too, may serve a living Jesus today!
Thoughts—He Isn’t Here….
It’s tough to find a living Jesus in a tomb! Yet the women searched a tomb they thought would contain Him, because they saw Him die on Friday. They saw Him placed in the tomb that evening, and they knew that the one, final act of devotion they could offer was to anoint His body with burial spices to preserve it from further decay for a time. The reality is many of us look for Jesus in a “tomb.” That is we expect that Jesus’ presence is more metaphorical than real in our lives. When we have difficult decisions to make, or health concerns, or our children aren’t responding to our guidance, we find ourselves thinking that we have to deal with it all ourselves. The women arrived at the tomb under a false assumption: Jesus is dead. We often live our lives under a similar false assumption: Jesus is absent. The angel told the women Jesus was not there, that He had risen from the dead. The message itself is incredible. If it was anyone else other than Jesus, the message would be beyond belief. But we know that Jesus performed countless miracles, including raising the dead during His ministry, and we know that Jesus had promised to rise again. We also know that Jesus is the Son of God, so while the women were amazed, and while we are amazed as well, the truth is Jesus’ resurrection DOES change everything. When the women heard the words, “He isn’t here….” followed by the announcement that He had risen from the dead, everything changed—EVERYTHING! The same is true in our lives today. We don’t have to walk through life as if we are on our own. We are never alone. Jesus promised the apostles, “I will be with you ALWAYS even to the end of the age.” That promise is ours as well. The Holy Spirit lives and moves and Has His being in us, as we follow Jesus, as we open our hearts and lives to Him. When difficult situations challenge that truth, the key is to trust Jesus rather than the situations. Situations change. Jesus never does. The world throws all kinds of challenges at us each day, and Jesus’ grace is sufficient to meet each challenge. Take the time right now, to call on Jesus to fill You with the Holy Spirit that You may hear His voice and do His will every moment. As we do that we will recognize in every “tomb” we enter that Jesus isn’t here—for He has risen!