“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” —ROMANS 12:2

Many people have different views of the meaning of the word ‘repentance’. Some think it’s being extremely sorry for what they have done and promising never to do it again. Others think it’s turning over a new leaf, making a fresh start and vowing to do better. To some extent, repentance may involve something of this, but what it actually means is to change the mind. The word ‘repentance’ comes from the Greek word ‘metanoeo’; meta meaning ‘to change’ and nous meaning ‘the mind’ - ‘to change the mind’.

The key to God’s working in our lives is our thinking, and repentance is a change of thinking. It is not just feeling bad about sin and good about God, but changing our thinking about both. It involves turning from dependence upon ourselves to dependence on God. It’s realizing we cannot save ourselves from sin and acknowledging our need to confess it. The only way sin leaves our body is through our mouths. 

Our problem lies in the fact the only reason we commit sin is because we enjoy it, or it presents what seems to be a good way out of a situation. In due course, we may feel quite sorry and sad about it, but every sin we commit is because we wanted to at the time. If we weep over sin and not change our mind, we have not repented. On the other hand, people can change their minds about sin without shedding a tear, and they have repented. Tears are not a reliable indication of true repentance. We can shed many bitter tears over sin and failure, but not change our minds about it. 

A change of mind must lead to a change of behaviour. What we do reveals the truth of what we think, and our sins are the symptoms of an inherent sin nature, which we cannot change. This is why we do not have what it takes to live the Christian life. Hence, our need to turn from any sense of self sufficiency or self dependency, as that will eventually lead to failure. 

We are all as near to God as we want to be. We may not be as close as we would like, because we have never met the requirements of confessing our sin and turning from dependence upon ourselves to dependence upon God. True repentance is a genuine response of turning from sin, and changing our thinking to dependence upon God, which then enables Him to get into business in our lives.

Dear Lord, help me to live a godly life and keep me always dependent upon You. Thank You, Lord.

Is there sin I have yet to change my mind about?

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant…” —PHILIPPIANS 2:6-7

It is one thing to be aware of the life Christ lived on earth, but it is essential to know how He lived on earth. We can deeply admire and worship Him for the way He lived, enough to want to emulate His goodness, but all that would do is frustrate and disappoint us.

To illustrate, a young man can be a good soccer player and envied by his friends because of it, but were he to play with seasoned professionals he would soon realize he was not as good as he thought himself to be. The higher the standard against which he plays and by which his skills are judged, the more aware he becomes of his inability. It does not take long for frustration and disappointment to set in. The same thing happens again and again in our Christian lives. The more we see ourselves in the light of the life of Jesus, the more we become aware of our inabilities and failures. 

Jesus said many astonishing things about Himself. Regarding His activity, He said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing…” (John 5:19). Regarding His judgments, He said, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me” (John 5:30). Regarding His speaking, He said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am who I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me” (John 8:28). 

In all three areas, Jesus’ claim is that “He can do nothing”. It sounds anti-climatic and quite empty, yet remarkably it is an important word in the humanity of Jesus. In each of these statements, Jesus relates His dependency wholly upon His Father. He later clarifies this when He says to Philip, “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work” (John 14:10). Jesus fulfilled His role as a man on earth with the understanding that the indispensable presence of God within Him would be the source of accomplishing His work. Just as it was the Father living in Jesus, doing His work, it is the indispensable presence of Jesus Christ, living in us, doing His work in us and through us.

Dear precious Lord, thank you for your presence in me. You’re all I need and I pray for your continual work in me and through me.

Am I living every day in union with Christ, enabling Him to work in me and through me? 

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” —EPHESIANS 6:12

The vast majority would agree there is evil in this world, but far less agreed upon is the existence of Satan. Is he real or isn’t he? Scripture is unambiguous about the fact that Satan is a literal being. He is mentioned in twenty-six books of the Bible, and Jesus referred to him on fifteen occasions. He is spoken of as one who acts, thinks and makes decisions. He possesses a mind, emotion, a will and purpose.

Still, there remains a philosophical haze surrounding the existence of Satan. Why would a good God create an evil devil? The answer is God did not create an evil devil, but the most beautiful angel, adorned with precious stones and jewels. He was named ‘Morning Star’, which in Hebrew means ‘Lucifer’. Ezekiel 28:15 says of him, “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.” And in verse 17, “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.” 

God did not create robotic angels anymore than He created robotic people. He gave us freedom to choose, and Lucifer chose to declare war upon God. God hurled him down to earth, lower than the angels, and with him a league of others who joined in his rebellion. 

We need to believe in the existence of this invisible realm as much as the existence of the world we live in. There is a domain of fallen angels under Satan’s control and direction, whose primary interest is to drive the will of man to live at enmity with God. Paul writes, “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). 

Some English translations have modified Matthew 6:13 of the Lord’s Prayer to read, “deliver us from evil,” but most translations say, “deliver us from the evil one.” The night of His arrest, Jesus prayed for His disciples, saying, “My prayer is not that you take them out of this world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15). Scripture warns us we are in a battlefield with an enemy in our midst. If we think we are prepared in ourselves, we are hugely underestimating the power of Satan. If we are second guessing his existence, we will not even see him coming, but to know what Scripture says about him, we are equipped and prepared in advance to stand our ground in the strength of Christ.

Dear Lord Jesus, when temptation comes my way be my strength. Protect me from anything that attempts to lure me away from You. Thank You, Lord.

Am I prepared and equipped to counteract the lures of Satan?

“And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” —EZEKIEL 36:27

The law of God has a very interesting history in Scripture. When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, it was the only part of biblical text written by the finger of God Himself. The rest of Scripture was written by men carried along by the Holy Spirit, but the law of God came down from Mount Sinai with the highest pedigree possible.

The historical books of the Old Testament record the law as the plumb line for measuring human behaviour. The poetic books meditate on the law. The prophetic books preach the law, and when you get to the end of the Old Testament, the law is still in a highly esteemed position. When Jesus came on the scene, He affirmed the law. It remains fully intact until you get into the epistles of Paul where it suddenly becomes a harsh word with negative connotations. Galatians 3:10 says, “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse…” And verse 13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law...” The law that came from God and highly regarded for generations has now become our jailor and oppressor.

This change in perspective was not because of any problem with the law, for the law is a revelation of the moral character of God, and God does not change. The problem was that the law was given to Moses on tablets of stone and was externally applied. It could demand righteousness, but could never accomplish it. All the law could do was house train people. This is actually the opposite of faith. It’s the enemy of truth in the sense that it is the jailor that imprisons us.

The New Covenant which Ezekiel writes about does not impose a law from the outside, but places the law of God on the inside. It is no longer a response to what we will do, but what God will do. Not only is there a high priest in Jesus Christ operating for us, but there is also a new power operating in us by the Holy Spirit. It’s exactly the same law, but based on different locations. The difference between the Old and New Covenants is that in the Old Covenant, the onus was on the people to keep the laws, but under the New Covenant, God says, “I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” The onus is now on God. The first indication that God has placed His Spirit in us is that He imparts a hunger and thirst for righteousness, which is what gives us the desire to keep His law.

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for indwelling me and giving me the desire for a godly life. Help me to fulfill that more each day. 

In what ways has a hunger and thirst for righteousness changed my life?

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” —JOHN 1:14

The term “glory of God” is used in the Bible with slight variation of meaning. Whatever the precise meaning within different contexts, it primarily speaks of the nature and acts of God in self-manifestation; that is what God essentially is and does.

Paul tells us in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The word ‘sin’ comes from the ancient world of archery, and literally means ‘to miss the target’. Whether we miss the target by a millimeter or a mile is irrelevant. James 2:10 says, “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” The law James refers to is the Ten Commandments, which reveal the moral character of God. Therefore, the moral character of God is the glory of God, and the target we fall short of. This immediately rings true, because it was to express the character of God that human beings were created in the first place. It is in our failure to fulfill that purpose which constitutes our sin. 

Because the target which sin is measured against is the glory of God, it is only as we discover how we can be what God created us to be that we can deal with sin. Goodness is an absolute in which we were created, and goodness is the moral character of God. It is not an arbitrary notion in that each person has equal right to decide what is good and bad. Neither is good and bad determined by consensus. Jesus declared what is good when a rich young ruler asked Him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good - except God alone” (Mark 10:17-18). Something is only good because it is consistent with God, and conversely, something is only bad because it conflicts with God. 

In contrast to the failure of mankind, it was the constant hitting of the target that made Jesus Christ the perfect Man. In everything He did; work, leisure, family and interactions with others, Jesus portrayed accurately and consistently what God is like. The writer of Hebrews says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and exact representation of his being…” (Hebrews 1:3). What God is the Son radiated. What God does, the Son represented. And in God’s love for us, He has offered us the ultimate blessing and privilege of having the life of His Son indwell us, not simply to forgive our sin with the promise of heaven, but so that something of the glory of God may be revealed in us. 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the incredible blessing of Jesus in my life. I pray for His Spirit to fill me completely.

Do I have an accurate understanding of the glory of God?

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” —MATTHEW 6:33

The myth of our day is that happiness is found in satisfying our physical desires and appetites. These may be entirely legitimate, but the engine room of each human being is the spirit which is designed to be inhabited and governed by God. It is for this reason Jesus said, “Seek his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well”; ‘these things’ being physical necessities of food and clothing.

The Bible teaches we are made up of three parts; body, soul and spirit. Some prefer to think of human beings as bipartite, merging the spirit and soul, rather than tripartite in which the body, soul and spirit are separate. The body is the obvious physical part of us. We feed it, clothe it, bathe it, exercise it and rest it. The soul is the life which indwells our bodies; our personalities, likes and dislikes, and consists of the mind (ability to think); emotions (ability to feel), and the will (ability to decide). 

The spirit, however, is an additional dimension unique to human beings. It is that part of us which prompts us to reach outside of ourselves to something much bigger for answers that will give meaning and purpose to life. Though we are born separated from God, and spiritually dead, we retain spiritual capacity. This capacity is designed so that we might connect with God, and enjoy a personal relationship in which we come to know and experience Him.

The teaching of Jesus works from the spirit to the soul and out to the body. The norm of our day reverses this process, and tries to satisfy the deep needs of the human spirit by focusing on physical satisfaction. Satisfying the body is never the source of true happiness, because it is not the seat of our true appetites. Our true appetite is expressed in the famous prayer of Augustine, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” For this to become reality, we need to discover the kind of happiness which gives us lasting peace and contentment regardless of circumstances. 

The invitation of Jesus is, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). True happiness is found in rest for our souls, which can only be met in filling our spiritual capacity with Jesus Christ. When in humble repentance we come to Him, acknowledging “I can’t, but You can”, we make an eternal connection with God, which, as we abide in Him, dissolves the myth of our day, and meets the deepest needs of our hearts.

Dear Lord Jesus, You meet every need of my heart, and give rest for my soul. Thank You, Lord, for indwelling me.

Am I nourishing my spiritual side in a loving relationship with Jesus?

“The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” —1 THESSALONIANS 5:24

Many Christians, in their heartfelt endeavours to please God, become more disillusioned, disappointed and discouraged in time. They start off with sincere motivation and wonderful intentions, but their expectations fizzle out. Why is it that in our genuine desire to please God our endeavours often seem to fall flat on their faces? 

We know both Abraham and Moses experienced something like this in their endeavours to please God. They had dedicated themselves to serving Him, but in their eagerness, had attempted God’s work without Him. After ten years of hearing God’s promise of a son ringing in his ears, Abraham agreed to Sarah’s suggestion of sleeping with their handmaiden, Hagar. They bore a son and Hagar was told by an angel of the Lord to name him Ishmael, meaning ‘God will hear us’. Ishmael was not conceived in an act of rebellion against God, but in an attitude of agreement with God. 

At the age of 40, Moses realized his destiny was to free his people from Egyptian captivity. When no one was looking, he took it upon himself to kill an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. When Pharaoh heard of this, Moses was forced to flee Egypt, and spent the next 40 years of his life on the back side of the Midian Desert, herding sheep. Moses would be 80 years old before God would pick up the pieces of his life.

From the burning bush on Mount Horeb, God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites; ‘I AM’ has sent me to you’.” (Exodus 3:14) God made Himself known to Moses as the Eternally Present One; not a God who was at the burning bush, giving instructions; not a God who will be at the final destination, but a God who is at all times operating in the present tense, and is always sufficient, always available. 

Paul writes, “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” This is a fundamental principle of Christian living. God is always the means of accomplishing His will through us. It is not our strategies or plans He is looking for, but our willingness and availability to implement His plans into our lives. Like Abraham and Moses, we all have to learn to wait patiently upon God. But when we live with a disposition of heart that says, “Lord, I’m willing and available”, we can be sure He will use us, but it will be at God’s calling, not our own, and in His timing.

Dear Lord, help me to recognize your timing and lead me along the path of service You have chosen for me. Thank You, Lord.

Do I attempt to initiate work for God under my own ingenuity?

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” —ACTS 2:36

Many people tend to speak in very subjective terms when talking of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We talk about “making” Christ Lord of our lives; however, the Bible speaks in objective terms. It speaks of the Lordship of Christ as an objective truth, which does not become true because we believe in Christ and submit to Him, but remains true whether we believe in Him or not.

Imagine you were driving along a road and the speed limit said “30 mph”, but you are travelling at 50 mph. A patrol car pulls you over, an officer steps out and approaches you. “Do you realize how fast you were going?” he asks. “Yes, I do,” you reply, “but I want to ask you a question. Who decided that I should not exceed 30 mph on this road?” The officer answers, “It’s government legislation.” You breathe a sigh of relief and say, “Well, then it does not apply to me, because I do not like this government, do not agree with it and did not vote for it.” Despite your adamant protests, you would be duly fined, because whether or not you agree with the government does not make its laws invalid. The laws are an objective reality, and the issue is not whether you agree with it or not, but that you submit to it.

Similarly, the Lordship of Christ must be understood as an objective reality. He is not Lord because we make Him Lord, but because God has made Him Lord, and whether we like it or not, all of history is going to end up at His feet and be answerable to Him. Paul tells us, “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). 

The Bible teaches that the Lordship of Jesus Christ is an established fact; so much so that in the course of time every person who ever lived will come to recognize this as truth. The issue is not one of making Christ Lord, but of submitting to Him as Lord. We may refuse to submit to His authority, but we are still subject to Him along with all of humanity. We have one basic choice with Jesus Christ; submit to Him freely or under compulsion when “every knee will bow and every tongue confess”. If we wait until then, it will be too late. That’s why it’s imperative everyone hears the Gospel.

Dear Lord, help me to live under your authority, and remain true to the fact You are Lord, not only of my life, but of all creation. 

Are there areas in my life in which I need to submit more fully to the Lordship of Christ?

“After Jesus had finished instructing his disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.” —MATTHEW 11:1

Teaching is primarily addressing the mind, and the end result of good teaching is that people know something. This should be the basis on which any significant response to God is made. We must be careful that we are not emotionally driven, but adequately rooted in an understanding of who God is, otherwise our faith will be short-lived. 

As teaching is primarily addressing the mind so people will know something, preaching is primarily addressing the will so that people will do something. The subject of Jesus’ preaching was ‘the good news of the kingdom’. The good news only becomes good news when the will is made to respond. Minds may be stretched, stimulated and even dazzled by impressive teaching, but lives are only changed when the teaching becomes preaching, and hearers are motivated to do something. On the Day of Pentecost, the hearers of Peter’s preaching were cut to the heart, and compelled to ask, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)

The necessity of both teaching and preaching is kept in balance throughout the New Testament. Between the first and second missionary journeys, Paul and Barnabas, on return from the meeting of the Council in Jerusalem, “remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord” (Acts 15:35). The book of Acts concludes with Paul in Rome, and says, “Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 28:31). On another occasion, Paul exhorted Timothy, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to preaching and to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13).

Teaching is the foundation to preaching, and the two must not be divorced from one another. To teach and not preach may produce a wealth of knowledge, but will leave lives dull and barren. To preach and not teach may evoke a response that is in danger of being little more than seed that springs to life, but without being rooted, withers and dies.

We can settle down with our Bibles every day, and fill our minds with knowledge of God, but without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that knowledge remains dormant. The Holy Spirit is the Good Teacher who plants the seeds of truth into our hearts, and they spring to life. The end result - good preaching…. and we are compelled to do something.

Dear Lord, I pray for a deeper work of your Holy Spirit in me so that I may be a means of motivating others to want to know and experience You. Thank You, Lord.

How did I first respond to the truths of Scripture coming alive in my heart? 

“In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” —JOHN 1:4

It is through people indwelt by the life of Christ that God intends His righteousness be revealed, and their lives become part of the message He has for this world.

When Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms, he declared him “…a light for revelation to the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32). John describes Jesus as, “The true light that gives light to every man” (John 1:9). The whole thrust of light is that it exists for the benefit of others. Putting our own interests first and finding personal fulfillment by shining in what we do has little to do with our function as light. Its function is ultimately as Jesus said; that we might be to people “the light of life” (John 8:12).

There is only one possibility of being the light of life and that is through a relationship with Jesus Christ, which allows Him to be in us what He was Himself on earth - the light of men. He does not teach us how to shine as a technique, because He is Himself the light. Jesus said of John the Baptist, “John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light” (John 5:35). John was the lamp, the instrument through which the light of Christ went before Him. As Christians, we are the instruments God uses for the light of Christ to shine in this world. 

Paul tells the Christians in Philippi to be “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe” (Philippians 2:15). In Biblical times, stars were used on the seas and on land to navigate a course of travel. We are to be like pinpricks of light in the night sky for the lost and lonely to find their way home. In the words of Paul, we then show we are “a letter from Christ… written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3).

When Francis of Assisi sent his men out to evangelize, he would tell them to preach Christ by every means possible, but if necessary, use words. It’s our actions and attitudes that gives evidence of Jesus Christ living within us, and that gives credibility to what we say. In other words, people will see our good deeds, but what they will recognize is Christ within us, and their focus is drawn to God. Our behaviour then ceases to be explained in human terms, but is the consequence of deity at work in and through us.

Precious Lord, I pray for a deeply enriching work of your Spirit so that your light in me will guide many people to You. Thank You, Lord.

Am I seeking opportunity to serve as a light for Christ?

“I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed you are still not ready. You are still worldly.” —1 CORINTHIANS 3:2-3

John describes the essential nature of being worldly when he wrote, “Do not love the world nor anything in the world… For everything that is in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:15-16). The more poetic language of other translations, ‘the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life’ describes the disposition that is in conflict with Jesus Christ. 

Being worldly is an attitude to be resisted at all costs. It seeks fulfillment of our own desires, satisfaction in our own agendas and the feeding of our egos. This has very little to do with the environment in which we live and work, but has everything to do with the attitudes that govern us within them. It is a mistake to see our main battle grounds as external, because they are internally sourced. 

We may so engineer our circumstances to live in isolation from the world at large, yet be completely worldly. The motivation for detachment from the world may even be the ‘pride of life’. Worldliness is to be resisted, but the world itself is our workshop. It is in our places of work, at home, in our schools, communities, churches and social circles where our attitudes, relationships and behaviours become an exhibition of either the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives or the absence of Him. 

For some people, isolation from the world has been what they believe to be a feature of the Christian life. They could not be more wrong. In every age bracket and sect of life, Christians have withdrawn from the world rather than be characterized by a true sense of mission. It’s safer to be defensive rather than venturing into new territory with God, and far less demanding to be re-active than pro-active. Paul tells the church in Corinth, “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.” They were believers who were still living their own way, bickering and quarreling amongst each other, and causing dissension within the church. 

Like the church in Corinth, we need the centrality of Jesus Christ in our everyday lives. The Christian life is lived in union with Him, and He came into this world not only as Saviour but as Lord. When we have shown that we have made Him Lord and dispensed with worldly concerns, we are likely ready for solid food, because it’s then our lives have become characterized by an everyday sense of mission for Christ.

Lord, give me self-control and the discipline to stay away from anything that lures me away from You. Grant me “a sense of mission” every day of my life. Thank You, Lord.

Have I tasted solid food in my union with Christ? 

“…he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” —PHILIPPIANS 2:7

Most people cannot help having a reputation, but it is wise to keep distant from it. Once we become interested in establishing a reputation, we then have to work at maintaining it, and therein lay the seeds to hypocrisy.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us to be careful not to do acts of righteousness to be seen by men. He rebukes the hypocrites in their giving, praying and fasting for the purpose of being honoured by men. Rather than acts of righteousness, it becomes a performance for self-gratification, and Jesus says of them, “they have received their reward in full” (Matthew 6:2); their reward being a reputation they worked hard to establish with people, but leaves them bankrupt where it really counts before God. 

After Jesus’ baptism, He was led by the Spirit for 40 days in the wilderness, and was both tested by God and tempted by the devil in His attitude towards reputation. On His 40th day, Satan took Jesus to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God, he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone’.” (Matthew 4:5-6) In other words, “Get yourself on the map, Jesus. No one knows who You are. Jump down from here and it will spread like wildfire who You really are.” But reputation was of no interest to Jesus. He answered, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’.” (4:7) 

The devil’s intent was to weaken Jesus by getting Him to act independently of His Father, but God’s intent was to strengthen Jesus for what lay ahead. During the course of the next three years, Jesus’ reputation would be torn to shreds. He would be abused, scorned, mocked, betrayed and crucified, but Jesus had proven in the wilderness that He did not care what others thought of Him, only that the will of His Father be done.

And that is God’s intent for us – that His will be done, regardless of what others may think. Any act of righteousness we do to be seen by others glorifies ourselves, and will not win favour with God. Caring about reputation and trying to maintain it will only serve as a ball and chain, weighing us down. It becomes a tiresome obligation that leads to hypocrisy as it maligns God’s true intent and purpose. Our concern should always be for the will of God, and we leave our reputations in His hands.

Dear Lord Jesus, help me to be focused on your will being done, and not in acquiring and maintaining a reputation that pleases me. Thank You, Lord.

Am I hindering my walk with God by trying to maintain a reputation I like?

“And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die’.” —GENESIS 2:16-17

As we were created in the image of God, which is His moral character, then something has gone drastically wrong in our world. Were we to arrive on planet earth as complete strangers, knowing only that God had placed on earth a creature called ‘man’, which He had made in His own image, we would be in for a startling shock.

Being very keen to discover what God is like, we would watch people in action. We would walk their streets, go into their homes, read their newspapers, watch their televisions, and become increasingly disillusioned. What we would discover is that God is often greedy, full of anger, hatred, envy and jealousy. He sometimes rapes, kills, lies, steals and fights. He is proud, often prejudiced, and His first concern always seems for Himself. Why such a distorted picture? Was this not supposed to be a God of love, kindness and compassion? Why does man’s attitude and behaviour bear a consistently false witness about God?

The answer lies in a missing ingredient, which is God Himself. This goes right back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose to eat of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They chose disobedience rather than obedience and independence rather than dependence on God. As a result, “in Adam all die” (1 Corinthians 15:22). God was not speaking of physical death alone, but of spiritual death. He withdrew His Spirit from man, and while remaining physically alive, man would be spiritually dead. This death is what Paul describes as “the wages of sin” (Romans 6:23).

The entire human race died in Adam, and all born ever since have been born in a state of being spiritually dead, separated from the life of God. It is not correct to speak of people having to die for their sin as some future event, because death for sin took place in Adam. However, it is true to say that although we cannot die for sin, we can die in sin. That is we remain in our condition of alienation from God, and suffer the eternal consequences.

The only alternative to remaining spiritually dead is to come alive in Jesus Christ. This is the Gospel invitation; to exchange death for life and sin for righteousness. With the indwelling Spirit of Christ, we are enabled to live the way God intended, and that paints an entirely different picture. God is love. It’s His core, His very being, and when His presence is restored in active union with Him, He begins to spread His love abroad in our hearts. And through Jesus Christ we are empowered to show what God is like.

Dear Lord, I pray for your love to fill my life, and to help me portray to others what You are like. Thank You, Lord. 

How can I better demonstrate the love of God in my heart?

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness….’” —GENESIS 1:26

Many people resign themselves to a low quality experience of God because they have never sought to find out what God actually wants to do in their lives. Consequently, they do not expect very much to happen. When we expect little more than the forgiveness of sins in the past and prospect of heaven in the future, it is not surprising that the Christian life seems flat and dry.

God’s purpose for humanity has not changed. His reasons for creating humankind in the beginning remain His reasons for perpetuating humankind in the present. The first declared words by God about man are: “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.” This simple-sounding statement constitutes the ultimate role of man from which he derives his dignity, his significance and his right to be alive. The image of God in which we were created is, of course, not a physical one, but a moral one. 

Before knowing the actual content of Christian experience, it is essential to consider its purpose. Our understanding of why a person should become a Christian will have a great bearing on our ability to appreciate and enjoy the means to fulfilling the Christian life. Man’s character, behaviour patterns and ambitions were designed to be a portrayal of what God is like. That is the character of God in all its beauty, kindness and compassion were intended to be visible in the lives and conduct of those created in His image. But God did not create us to function and fulfill our role in independence from Him. He created us to be inhabited by Him, so that the very presence and life of God Himself would be our enabling to live the Christian life. 

In Ephesians 4:18, Paul diagnoses the present condition of men and describes them as being “darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God.” Earlier, he had written to those who were now Christians and says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live” (Ephesians 2:1-2). Although physically alive, he speaks of them as having been “dead”, for it is spiritual life, which is nothing less than the indwelling life of God that equips us to fulfill the purpose for which He created us… to be a revelation of Him.

Dear Heavenly Father, I am so grateful for the immense gift and privilege of being indwelt by your Spirit. Help me day by day to become more of a revelation of You. Thank You, Lord.

In what areas of my life do I need to pray for a deeper work of God in enabling me to express more of His likeness?

“Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying….” —MATTHEW 5:1-2

The Sermon on the Mount is the most concentrated of Jesus’ teaching recorded in the New Testament. It is not presented as a collection of thoughts and ideas at different times, but as one address given at a particular time, in a particular place and to a particular people.

It is important we understand to whom Jesus was speaking. This was not an evangelistic sermon for unbelievers with a view of bringing them to discipleship. There are certain things Jesus said that do not apply to those who were not yet disciples, such as “You are the salt of the earth… you are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-14). Although a crowd was present and went away amazed at what Jesus had said, He was not addressing them, but teaching His disciples.

The three chapters, Matthew 5, 6 and 7 of the Sermon on the Mount, can be legitimately divided into two main sections. In Matthew 5:1-16, Jesus talks about the character of a Christian, which includes the Beatitudes and being salt and light. From Chapter 5:17 through to Chapter 7:27, Jesus talks about the conduct of a Christian in relation to the law, to reputation, to treasure and to priorities. The first part concerns what we are intended to be, and the second part concerns what we are intended to do.

The teaching on conduct only makes sense in light of the teaching on character. We do not evolve from good conduct to good character by doing the right things. Rather, it is the reverse; by becoming the right person we do the right things. Jesus is always Saviour first before He is teacher. He changes what we are on the inside before changing what we do. If we fail to understand this, His teaching on conduct becomes legalism, an external imposition, rather than an internal transformation. Teaching on conduct alone will only produce frustration, because in and of ourselves we do not have the capacity to live the Christian life. 

It is this central principle of Jesus changing us on the inside first which lifts Christianity above every other religious or philosophical system. Jesus did not come to preach ethics or to refine a moral code, but to invade the life of ordinary human beings with the life of God, and consequently transform our behaviour from within.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the incredible gift of your Son and His work within me. I pray His life fills me more and more every day. 

Am I trying to live the Christian life under my own steam, or am I dependent on the transforming work of Christ within me?

“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ… Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them.” —1 JOHN 3:23-24

Faith in God enables Him to work in us and through us, but what is needed on our part to constitute faith so that His working becomes experiential in our lives? There are two vital ingredients we need to have in place: obedience to what God says and trust in who He is.

These two ingredients must be understood separately, yet never detached from one another. Obedience to the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ without a corresponding trust in Him as our source of strength and ability, which the commands require, will only lead to frustration and temptation to hypocrisy. If we take the teaching and commands of Jesus seriously without an understanding of His role in their fulfillment, we can only become discouraged and disillusioned. His commands are humanly impossible. This is why Christendom is such a fertile field for hypocrisy and pretense, because people try desperately to obey the commands, but without drawing on the resources of Christ’s enabling to fulfill them.

On the other hand, to be trusting Christ without a willing and active obedience will lead us into a realm of mysticism that has been known since the 17th century as ‘quietism’. Quietism, as the name suggests, is a quiet, passive, wholly subjective resting in God, doing only what one feels constrained and moved by the Holy Spirit to do. The Christian life is not a passive life, but involves active participation in God’s agenda whereby we become the means of bringing benefit and blessing to others. 

Both positions are unhealthy and fall short of what it means to live by faith. Obedience is an issue at the basis of all genuine Christian experience. The Christian life begins with surrender to and the acknowledgment of the authority of Christ as Lord over our lives. The initial surrender must be followed by active obedience to the general instruction of Scripture and the particular direction of God over our personal lives. 

God’s power is available only for God’s purposes, and our experience of the power and sufficiency of God in our lives will only be in the context of obedience and trust. Like two wings on an aircraft, one will not function without the other. The foundation of a life of faith is obedience. Move outside of that and we move outside of the resources of God.

Dear Father, I want to experience more of You, and pray for a deeper work of your Spirit in me. Help me in the obedience areas, Lord, and to become more dependent on your enabling. Thank You, Lord. 

Does my faith reflect obedience to Christ and trust in who He is?

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” —PSALM 139:13-14

Many people have someone in their lives they secretly envy; a teacher, a friend, an older sibling; someone who always seems to have it together, and excels in everything they do. As hard as we try to be like them, it simply does not work. We are who we are and that is not going to change… “end of story” as some would say.

But actually it’s the beginning of a precious story the moment we see it from God’s perspective. Psalms 139:16 says, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” We are not the teacher, the friend, the older sibling, but we are who God created us to be; each of us uniquely different and with a plan for our lives God had in mind long before we were born. We were not meant to be like anyone else. We were meant to be indwelt by Christ, which means becoming a Christian. 

We do not become Christians because we are born into a Christian family. No one can simply be named a Christian, or be baptized into being a Christian, or hang around with Christians to become a Christian. We can attend church, adopt the Christian ethic, know all the doctrine, and become totally Christianized without being evangelized. Being evangelized is experiencing the indwelling life of Christ to such an extent we are motivated to pass that experience on. It’s knowing we are not fearfully and wonderfully made without divine purpose.

The only way divine purpose becomes a reality in our lives is on the basis of a personal meeting with Jesus Christ in which I become a Christian. It’s coming to Him with empty hands, confessing our sin, receiving forgiveness and seeking the best God has to give us. It’s acknowledging we do not have what it takes, and allowing Jesus the control of our lives. Being a Christian is to experience the very life of Christ in our souls, and it does not get more precious than that, because He is the source of life itself. 

As we give Christ freedom to work in our lives, the Holy Spirit takes us to His Word, and we are no longer opening our Bibles for an inspirational pick me up. We are given a hunger and thirst to know Christ more and to fellowship with Him. It’s an act of worship, in which Christ is speaking to us and our hearts are responding. Intimate communion with Jesus is what sets us free, and makes us excited to be Christians.

Dear Lord, thank you for indwelling my life and giving me all the wonderful blessings that are found in You. May I always seek to pass the Gospel on.

Do I hunger and thirst to know more of Christ?

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” —MATTHEW 5:17

Under the Old Covenant, there are three categories of law God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. The ceremonial law concerned the rituals and regulations of animal sacrifice by which a person could approach God. These were abolished and fulfilled by the work of Christ on the cross. The civil law was constitutional for ordering the national life of Israel as a theocracy. It concerned responsibilities, marriage, family, crime, punishment and many other laws that would enable a society to function in a wholesome manner.

The third category, the moral law, concerns the Ten Commandments and is the law Jesus was referring to when He said, “I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” The basis of conduct is enshrined in the moral law of God. They may appear to be unrealistic from a human perspective, but from a divine perspective they are utterly realistic, and as relevant today as they were when first given to Moses. Jesus said, “Until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18). The law is more secure than the earth on which we stand and even more secure in the heavens. 

The law is realistic, relevant and also right. Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). The Pharisees were renowned for their discipline and strict observance of the law, but had failed to personally connect with God. Their righteousness was externally imposed and dealt with outward activity, but the righteousness of Jesus deals with the internal from which attitudes and behaviours derive. 

Jesus goes right to the root cause of sin, which is not what we do, but what we are. We are sinners, but not because we sin. Just as a plum tree cannot produce anything but plums, because it’s a plum tree, we sin because we are sinners. Jesus sets Himself in the midst of this and works to change us from the inside. For example, it’s anger from within that causes a murder; lust from within that causes adultery, and greed from within that causes theft and coveting. 
 
Anger, lust and greed are the root cause of most sin. By human effort, these sometimes deeply embedded poisons are impossible to eradicate from our lives. It is only by the indwelling Spirit of Christ that righteousness is produced in us… a righteousness derived from Christ alone. When we understand this, we know what Jesus meant when He said, “I have come to fulfill the law.”

Thank you, Lord, for creating within me an appetite for righteousness. I pray for a deeper work of your Spirit so that my life may reflect more of what You are like.

How has the righteousness of Christ revealed itself the most in me? 

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” —HEBREWS 1:1-2

The author of Hebrews takes one key thing for granted in his writings and that is the fact that God speaks. In the opening two and a half chapters, he talks about four means by which God has spoken in the past, and why these four means are actually inadequate in themselves, because in each of them Christ becomes the superior revelation.

The writer first talks about God speaking through the prophets who were the aristocracy of the history of Israel. In Jeremiah 23:28, God says to the prophets, “…let the one who has my word speak it faithfully.” That was their role, to listen to God and convey His message. Secondly, God speaks through the priesthood whose task it was to make their appeal to God on behalf of the people. Their primary function was to approach God for the purification of the sins of His people. This was based on the blood sacrifices of animals for atonement of sin, but their work was never finished. Day after day, they would offer sacrifices, first for themselves and then for others. But of Jesus, Hebrews 1:3 says, “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” The work of atonement for sin was finished, and Christ as the Priest who was Himself purification for sin, rose to His position in heaven.

Thirdly, God spoke through angels. The word ‘angel’ literally means ‘messenger’, and their role was to carry messages from God, which were always binding. At various times, angels also appear as ‘ministering spirits’, as they were to Jesus after 40 days in the wilderness and in the Garden of Gethsemane. Fourthly, God spoke through Moses. “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future.” (Hebrews 3:5). We are told that the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11). It was to Moses God gave His laws and these served as the plumb line by which the Hebrew people were to live.

Why does Christ become superior to the prophets, priests, angels and Moses, the chief legal authority in Israel? Was He a better preacher? Did He have a better message? Was He more trustworthy? He may have been all of that and much more, but Jesus Christ was superior, not for these reasons, but because He is Himself the message. He is Himself the Truth to whom one day all of humanity will bear witness.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the ways You have spoken to us, especially through your Son. My prayer is for all those who have yet to know the Truth and experience You. 

What speaks to me most clearly about Jesus as the Truth? 

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” —HEBREWS 12:2

When many people first become Christians, there is the initial thrill of discovering Jesus to be alive and relevant. They experience excitement in learning new truth about His purpose and ability to bring meaning and quality into everyday life. Often, they are overwhelmed with an exhilarating feeling of a fresh experience of God. But soon it tends to slip away. Why does this happen and how is it rectified?

Before we become Christians, it is the Spirit of Christ who draws us to Him, enabling us to become Christians. Many know Him to be the “Author” of our faith, but fail to recognize that He is also the “Perfecter” of our faith, or as some translations say, “Finisher” of our faith. They have allowed Jesus to begin His good work in making them Christians, but believe it’s their job to finish the work. As a result, many people continue to struggle, trying their best to please God. Again and again, they are frustrated, unable to maintain that initial momentum, and are left with an underlying fear that nothing is changing. 

Paul writes to the church in Colosse, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him…” (Colossians 2:6). Our ability to continue to live in Christ is on the same grounds as those upon which we received Him; that is through a genuine attitude of repentance and faith. To the church in Philippi, Paul writes, “I always pray with joy… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). 

The Bible is intensely alive with statements that speak about Christ as the life and source of all true spiritual activity. It is this that makes Christianity far more than just another religion and far more than a never-ending struggle to live a quality of life, which in our honest moments we recognize to be humanly impossible. It is not an escape from reality, but a plunge into reality where, by the indwelling presence of Christ, we begin to live as God intended. The Christian life is not what we do for God, but what God will do for us. We still go about our everyday business, but with a difference. Just as we received Christ in faith, we bring Him into every aspect of our lives, seeking His will in all things, and trusting His sufficiency. Dependence on the very life and activity of Christ within us, not just as the Author, but as the Perfecter of our faith is the essence of Christian living.

Thank you, Jesus, for drawing me to You, and indwelling my life with your presence.

Am I allowing Jesus to live His life in me?

“’Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” —JOHN 20:25

Thomas had not been present when Jesus first appeared to His disciples. When the disciples told him they had seen the Lord, he would not believe. There are three basic aspects of the human psyche that lends itself to either a “doubting Thomas persona”, a rejection stance, or to a solid conviction of belief in Christ through experience of Him.

Intellectually, people perceive living in a physical world, which is subject to physical laws, and the laws say that ‘dead men don’t rise’. The evidence is clear that Christ’s tomb was empty, and that He appeared to many after His resurrection. This naturally defies physical laws, and seems an assault on rational thinking. But what if there are other realities beyond the natural? Can there not also be a supernatural order where the God who created the natural order chooses to intervene at His will?

Secondly, people doubt because of emotional reasoning. Our moods, passions and our pain may sometimes express themselves masquerading as factual doubt, but are really an expression of the way we feel. Our thinking is subjective; we think what we want to think, and avoid what we want to avoid. Christ is then interpreted through our moods, our histories and experiences. Something has happened within one’s heart which has created an attitude that won’t accept. Emotional causes are not good reasons to doubt, because they can render us both blind and deaf to the real issue, which is Christ Himself.

The third reason people doubt is volitional; that is their will is set against the evidence. There are those who believe Christianity is true, but will not accept it because they choose to pursue their own will and not the will of God. Truth does not conform to what we want, and denying it in our lives could close us off to the greatest message on earth. Thomas did not say, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands… I cannot believe.” That would have been a rational reason for doubt, but he said, “I will not believe.” It was his choice, his will. For whatever reason, our minds can be set against believing.

Knowing Thomas doubted, Jesus let a week go by before appearing to him. Sometimes it’s necessary we take time to adjust our minds and dispositions and open our hearts to the possibility we may be wrong. When Jesus appeared to Thomas, he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” That was not an, “Okay, I believe,” but a total surrender to Christ. Jesus having risen from the dead is not a mere tenet of belief in the Christian Gospel. It is the indispensable fact of the Christian Gospel.

I pray, Lord Jesus, for all those who have yet to seek You. I ask that You lift their barriers so they will be drawn by your Holy Spirit. Thank You, Lord.

How did I first come to believe in the risen Lord?

“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay’.“ —MATTHEW 28:5-6

The combined death and resurrection of Jesus Christ brought about the greatest event in human history. Matthew’s account of that Sunday morning says, “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it” (Matthew 28:1-2). 

The angel, clothed in snow white, his appearance like lightning, had so frightened the guards they shook and became like dead men. The angel announced to the women Jesus had risen and showed them the place where He had lain. He then sent them quickly on their way with a message for the disciples, saying, “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.” Afraid yet filled with joy, the women left, and suddenly Jesus met with them. They fell at His feet and worshipped.

Despite the fact Jesus had told His disciples He would be crucified, and raised to life on the third day, they did not believe the women. Luke 24:11 says, “Their words seemed to them like nonsense.” Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. He saw it was empty, looked at the strips of linen, and went away wondering. On that same evening, Jesus appeared to His disciples still hidden behind locked doors. “Peace be with you,” He said, and thinking He was a ghost, they were terrified. Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your mind?” (Luke 24:38).

The reason the disciples did not initially believe is the same reason many of us do not get it today. We operate within a rational world; things we can touch, smell, see, hear and explain. But we cannot reduce the Christian life to a predictable pattern where the supernatural, which can only be explained in terms of God, becomes redundant in our lives. We will never truly experience the power of the living Christ until we step beyond the physical and material world. 

Christianity either stands or falls based on the fact of Christ having died and been raised to life; so much so, Paul writes, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). All four Gospels record the resurrection of Jesus Christ not as symbolic in any way, but as a literal, physical fact. Though we may believe in a historical Jesus being raised from the dead, we need to equally believe in a living, active Jesus who brings us into relationship with Him.

Precious Lord, this day is so special. Thank You for all You endured so that You could be raised to life again by our Heavenly Father, and indwell us by your Spirit.

How would I counteract any doubt as to the supernatural power of Christ in my life?

“The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’ “ —MATTHEW 21:9

During the annual Passover celebration, Jerusalem was filled with people. Every Jewish adult within a twenty mile radius was obligated to attend, and their number greatly increased with many thousands flocking in from more distant areas. 

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem is something of a climax for which anticipation has been building ever since the disciples had identified Jesus as ‘the Christ, the Son of the living God’. Matthew 16:21 states, “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law…” Not only is the place significant, but the timing of Passover is extremely significant as for 1500 years it was a clear foreshadowing of Jesus as the Passover Lamb who would be sacrificed.

Before entering Jerusalem, Jesus sends two disciples to retrieve the colt of a donkey for His use. On all other occasions, Scripture records Jesus travelling on foot, but this was to fulfill prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, which says, “See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The crowd spread their cloaks on the road and lay branches before Him, praising and shouting, “Hosanna in the highest!”

Just a few days later, Jesus may have appeared as a helpless victim of the Sanhedrin Council and the Roman Governor, but by no means did He come as a victim. He came as King and first demonstrates control of His situation by requisitioning the donkey, a right which belonged to royalty and claimed by the Rabbis. As He enters the city, it is to the mass acclamation of great crowds declaring Him as Messiah and King. He does not dispute this, but in fact, demonstrates it by overturning the tables of money changers and driving out all who were buying and selling in the temple, which He tells them is ‘the house of prayer for all nations’ (Mark 11:17).

While in Jerusalem, Jesus taught every day in the temple courts and healed the sick, adding more fuel to the conspiracy of Jewish leaders to kill Him. They question His authority and endeavour to trap Him with trick questions, but all attempts to discredit Jesus not only fail, but incriminate His accusers, excluding them from entering the kingdom of God. Members of the Sanhedrin Council become increasingly threatened, and expedite with a sense of urgency their plot to rid the world of Jesus. What they unwittingly did instead was set in motion God’s divine plan for saving the world to which Jesus was fully committed.

Dear precious Jesus, thank you for entering Jerusalem, knowing all that lay ahead of You. You are my King and I will forever praise and worship You.

Does Jesus reign as King in my life? 

“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.” —MATTHEW 27:51-52

At the moment Jesus died three events took place. The temple curtain being torn in two from top to bottom was of great theological significance. It separated the ‘Holy Place’ from the utmost ‘Most Holy Place’. Only the high priest could penetrate that curtain, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement, carrying shed blood as a token of sacrifice for sin. 

Behind this curtain was the presence of God, hidden to the ordinary person. The curtain torn apart was symbolic of God breaking out from behind it, and making Himself available to all people. From that moment, there was no longer a need for a mediator between God and people. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men...” This is dramatically portrayed by a divine act within the temple the moment Jesus died.

The second event describes an earthquake, a physical phenomenon accompanied by three hours of darkness. The work of Jesus on the cross was not only for the redemption of humankind, but of all creation. Paul says in Colossians 1:20, “…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.” The moment Christ died the physical world responded.

The third event tells us tombs were opened and holy people experienced a mass resurrection, but did not appear until after Jesus was resurrected on Sunday. They then came to Jerusalem and were seen by many. Several speculations surround the implication of this event, but nothing more is recorded. Scripture does tell us, however, that after Pentecost, the Sudducees were greatly disturbed, and seized Peter and John because they were proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead (Acts 4:2). It is entirely possible the Sadducees were greatly disturbed because they had been witness to this third event, having seen one or more of the resurrected in Jerusalem. 

Four people attended the funeral of Jesus; Joseph of Arimathea, in whose tomb Jesus was laid; Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Other than the burial of Jesus and placing Roman soldiers to guard the tomb, the Bible does not tell us much about the next day. As for the Sanhedrin Council, we do know they were witnesses to three hours of darkness at midday. They would have felt the earthquake and have known about, if not seen, the torn curtain to God’s most holy sanctuary.

We have to wonder what thoughts would have run rampant in their minds that night and the entire next day. Would Saturday still have been a day of triumph?

Dear Lord Jesus, I am so grateful for the Bible. Thank You for giving us an account of what happened at such a crucial time. 

Do I relate to how events in Scripture affect me personally?

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished’. With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” —JOHN 19:30

In the days before His crucifixion, Jesus is in the temple courts in Jerusalem. His teaching and actions have demonstrated the corruption of God’s chosen people, their rejection of Him, and His consequent invitation for all people to participate in His kingdom. In this, Jesus has been on the attack. He has placed the Jewish hierarchy on the defensive, and exposed them as excluded from the kingdom of God by their rejection of the Messiah. The door to God’s kingdom has now been opened to those who were on the outside.

This provoked the religious leaders who took up the offensive, and laid plans to arrest and kill Jesus. The plot to kill Him was implemented two days before Passover, and with a sense of urgency as they did not want it to take place during the celebration. The arrest and crucifixion of Jesus happened very quickly. It will take the High Priest and Sanhedrin Council a little over 36 hours to accomplish their deed.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to Peter, James and John, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38). He then prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (26:39). His disciples failed to keep watch and slept while Jesus made the same request of His Father two more times. The soldiers came and arrested Him. During the course of that night till the early morning hours, Jesus endured six mock trials. The first was with Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest, then to Caiaphas, to Pilate, to Herod, back to Pilate, and finally to the people. As an act of good will at Passover, the Roman government allowed one criminal to go free, and the people were given a choice between Barabbas, a notorious killer and insurgent of the people, or Jesus. They chose Barabbas.

Jesus went willingly to the cross, but He did not waltz to it. He went in great anguish and sorrow, not only because of the horrendous brutality He knew lay ahead, but the far more significant and painful transaction of “him who had no sin to be sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). At the ninth hour, He cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” - which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). We cannot fathom what Christ endured on the cross as God turned His face away. In His last breath, He said, “It is finished.” 

The Sanhedrin council is triumphant over an apparent victory, and has one weekend to enjoy their success.

Dear Lord, may I always be mindful of what You endured on the cross for me. Thank You, Lord, with all my heart.

What does the cross of Christ mean to me?