May 23 – Truly Only One, None Other

“He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone.  And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”  - Acts 11-12 (NASB)

Peter was on trial before the same court that had condemned Jesus.  He is bold and unafraid because he knew the promise God had given for salvation and eternal life.  We have another kind of promise in our verse today.  It’s the promise that the very person who was rejected by the leaders of Israel as their Messiah and was put to death by them, was the chief cornerstone of a new spiritual "building", His Church.  We have become a part of that new building through Jesus. Jesus Christ is the only name under heaven that gives eternal life to all who believe.  There were many other names that the people hoped would be their Messiah. Today, many others lay claim to be the one way.  But their way is to a god that is a false god that demands much work from their followers.  We can rejoice, if we have believed in the name of Jesus, because we have been adopted by the only true God.  Our God is the only one who can save and the only one who has done everything necessary for our salvation. It is ours by faith when we believe in God. 

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May 8 – Rejecting is Risky

“Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.”  - Numbers 14:30-31 (NIV)

The promises we consider, most days are promises which encourage and affirm how much God loves us and helps us to live according to His Word.  But there are promises which the Lord God makes in the Bible which have severe and harsh consequences.  The children of Israel, led by Moses from Egypt to receive the Law from God were promised life and land in Canaan.  However, 10 of the 12 who spied out the land became frightened, faithless, and fickle.  They turned all the company of the people against going into the land God had promised.  As a consequence, God promised something else.  That generation would wander around the wilderness until all were dead and buried.  The land was then promised to their children, the next generation after the faithless who had feared their children would die if they entered the land.  Joshua and Caleb the 2 faithful spies were also promised blessings the land.  When we know what God wants of us, His children, being fearful and faithless and refusing his commands and help is a risky business.  God expects us to believe and to follow and as we do, will receive the blessings He promised.  

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April 15 – Following God's Great Plan

“He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” Mark 8:31 (NIV)

We look back in the timeline of Jesus' life on earth before this week and find that Jesus had prepared his disciples.  Isn’t it amazing that Jesus had foretold what would happen? He had told his disciples all about what he had just gone through and had assured them that after His death at the hands of the leaders he would rise from the dead and come out of the grave after three days. Even the enemies of Jesus remember that prediction when they went to Pilate to ask for special guards to be stationed at the grave.  Yes, God’s plan was to raise his Son again the third day and nothing could stop Him from carrying out this plan. So the time Jesus spent in the grave was only to follow God’s great plan. Let’s remember that God has plans for each of us too. We can trust Him to do what He wants in our lives – let’s do that.