April 17 – Resurrection Sunday, Just As He Said

“He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.” Matthew 28:6 (NASB)

It’s today on Resurrection Day, or Easter that many observe this day. We remember the promise (John 16:16) Jesus gave to his disciples and also to us (John 17:20-21). The Bible records important messages which were delivered on the day Jesus arose from the dead.  Of these messages perhaps none are more important than this one in chapter 28:6. It is the message an angel gave to the two women who came looking for the body of Jesus. The angel, sent from heaven that morning, rolled away the stone so the tomb where Jesus had been buried would be open. We believe that the angel didn’t need to roll away the stone to let Jesus out. He was already gone. That was the news the angel told those women looking for Jesus. The stone was rolled away to let any seeking Jesus would see that He was gone, no longer in grave dead. What a wonderful message that is for us too.  The one who had died for us, was alive again and He is still living today as a part of our lives.  Jesus, the Son of God lives today, that’s a promise He made and keeps. 

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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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January 9 – Hearts of Stone – Hearts of Flesh

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”  - Ezekiel 36:26  (ESV)

We recognize that the prophet Ezekiel was delivering God’s word to His people and the promise was what God was going to do in the future. For us it is a promise of what God does in us today when we accept the gift Jesus Christ has for us.  The gift of eternal life results in changing the hearts of all who choose to believe by faith in God.  One day as Jesus entered Jericho, He captured the attention of Jericho’s Chief Tax Collector.  Zaccheus, a powerful and wealthy man had enriched himself by cheating others as he collected taxes.  That was the graft practiced by corrupt tax collectors. So, they were despised by all the people. Zaccheus was also a short man who needed to climb a tree to see Jesus over the crowds and from above.  Jesus called him out of the tree and Zaccheus came to believe.  He received a new heart and spirit from Jesus that day.  It changed Zaccheus’  life, just as God promises to change our lives when we believe.  Let's be thankful for the new heart God has given to us when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior. 

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June 13 – Solid, Sure, and Precious

“For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.” 1 Peter 2:6-7a (NIV)

There are many prophesies in the Old Testament predicting the coming of Jesus, the Messiah. Our verse today is a quote by the apostle Peter from such a prediction in the book of Isaiah. In the New Testament we have this and other reminders of how the prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus when He lived on the earth. The prediction that Isaiah wrote and that Peter quoted was that Jesus the Messiah would be a precious cornerstone and it reminds us that this is true for us who believe.  Jesus is the foundation of our faith. As we trust Him He does become precious to us. When we face uncertainty we can trust the promise that He is our cornerstone and we really wouldn't want to try to live without Him in our lives. Today, whatever is ahead of us and whatever challenges we are facing, whatever news might cause us to despair remember and think that what we believe is built upon this cornerstone – the Truth of Jesus our Savior.

April 1 – Resurrection Sunday, Just As He Said

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” Matthew 28:6 (NIV)

We have now come to Resurrection Day, or Easter as many observe this day. The Bible reports several important messages which were given on the day Jesus was raised from the dead.  None of these messages are more important than the one read today in the record by Matthew in chapter 28. It is the message given by an angel to the two women who came looking for the body of Jesus. The angel had come from heaven that morning and had rolled away the stone to open the tomb where Jesus had been buried.  We believe that the angel did not need to roll away the stone to let Jesus out. He was already gone and that was the message the angel would tell those who came to look for Jesus. What a wonderful message that is for us too.  The one who had died for us, lived again and He is still living today as a part of our lives.  Jesus, the Son of God lives today, that is a promise He made and keeps.