On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” - John 20:19-22

It is the Sunday of the resurrection, and we find the disciples together behind locked doors out of fear of the Jewish leaders. After all, if they had crucified their leader, what might they do to His key followers? The truth is that they could not escape the Roman Legions if they came looking for them, but the door was locked nonetheless. They had been told by Mary Magdalene that Jesus had risen from the grave, but they had not yet seen Him. Their world had been turned upside down, and they were unsure of what to do, except to be together. One wonders what their conversation was.

At that moment, Jesus appeared in person among them and His first words were “Peace be with you!” before showing them His hands and side to prove it was He. Needless to say, the disciples were overjoyed on realizing that this was Jesus.

A second time, Jesus said, “Peace be with you!” and then said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” In saying this, Jesus is giving His disciples (and us, as His disciples) the same job that the Father had given Him: To bring hope to people who are without hope, in Jesus name, to meet the physical and spiritual needs of those around us, and in all that we do and say to point them to the Father who saves, redeems, and gives our lives an eternal purpose. 

The mission of Jesus now became the mission of the disciples and every disciple who followed. That includes you and me. 

The disciples knew what that meant. Like Jesus, they would face hardship, and like Him, even death. In fact, there have been more people who died for their faith in the last hundred years than in all the years since Jesus. Every day, somewhere on our globe, people die for their faith - we call them Martyrs. I suspect that this is why Jesus said “Peace be with you.” And repeated it a second time for emphasis. Even with the Jewish leaders who hated Jesus and His disciples, they could live in peace. 

How is that possible? Because God goes with us wherever we go, through the Holy Spirit. We go nowhere without God. We face no situation without God. Regardless of the situation around us, we can have His peace, because the Holy Spirit is with us always! Through the Holy Spirit, we can overcome fear and access the power of God. We are sent by Jesus to influence our world for Him.

Picture all the places that you frequent, and picture Jesus there with you through the Holy Spirit. Think of the anxieties, fears or situations you face today and realize that you don’t face these alone, but with the Holy Spirit. That is why Peace can be with us. God is there... always. You face no challenge alone. The more you remember this, the more peace you will have. 

Father. Thank you for your Holy Spirit, who is God in us. Thank you that there is no situation we face alone. You are always here, always with us. Help us remember your presence in our days and give us your peace, knowing that you are with us today, tomorrow and always. Help us to represent You well and make Your name great wherever we go. Amen.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. - Romans 8:26-27 

There are times in our lives when we just don’t know how to pray. Our emotions are raw, we are overwhelmed by issues we face, and our situation may seem to be impossible. If you have ever suffered from depression, you know what I mean. In times of grief or uncertainty, sometimes we just cannot form the words or the thoughts. All we feel is pain or fear. In our weakness we feel powerless, even to talk to God. All of us have times like that, when hope is scarce and we are tired.

This passage is truly amazing. We are taught that we need to pray on a regular basis, but what do we do when we don’t have the strength to pray? What is amazing, is that our God actually prays for us all the time. You see, the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity along with the Father and Jesus. These three are actually one, which boggles the mind. But it is the Holy Spirit that is sent to reside within us when we come to Christ, so we have a member of the Godhead who lives within our hearts. 

And the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with the Father. And the Father is one with the Holy Spirit, so He understands the intercession of the Holy Spirit, who understands us completely. Even when we don’t understand ourselves. Not only that, but in His intercessions, he prays for us “in accordance with the will of God.” When we don’t know the will of God, He does, and that is how He prays for us. 

Almost all religions teach that one should pray to their God. But only one has a God who prays for us. That is how much God loves us, cares about us and sympathizes with our situation. He knows us because He lives in us. The Father knows the Holy Spirit, because He is also God. So in all situations, whether we can verbalize it or not, the Holy Spirit is lifting us up in prayer to the Father.

The next time you are feeling overwhelmed, hopeless or at a loss, thank the Father that the Holy Spirit is praying for you. He is praying with knowledge of God’s will that you may not know. And be sure that the Father hears the Holy Spirit, who is also God (three in one: The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit). Be confident that the Holy Spirit is praying for you. You are not alone.

Father, there are times that I don’t know how to pray. There are times when I am overwhelmed by life. Thank you, that in every situation, I can be sure that the Holy Spirit is interceding for me with the Father. And thank you that I can trust His prayers, because He prays for “God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Amen.

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” - Hebrews 4:14-16 (NIV)

Have you ever been in a time of distress and a well-meaning individual gives you a throw away comment that is totally inappropriate and reveals that they have no idea what you are going through? I was once in an ICU on a ventilator in great pain and a colleague came to see me. After seeing my situation he said, “If I were you I would just want to die.” How is that for bedside manner? Fortunately, I could not speak back because it might not have been nice! 

We long for people who can understand us, especially in times of trouble, fear, anxiety or uncertainty. We don’t want cheap words like, “There is a reason for everything.” We want compassion and understanding.

The writer of the book of Hebrews says this, compassion and understanding, is what we have in Jesus. In the incarnation, He lived among us and experienced the full range of emotions, trouble, and situations that all of us experience. The prophet Isaiah calls Him a “man of suffering, and familiar with pain.” (Isaiah 53:3). When the creator became a man so that we could know the creator, He walked the same walk as we do - only without sin. His very willingness to become like us indicates His deep love for us - His creation. 

Because of this, we are told, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Why can we come to him in confidence? Because He understands us. He can empathize with our situation. He is not some distant God but One who walked the same earth as we do. So we are invited to come to Him in confidence knowing that He gets it and gets us. 

What do we find when we come to Him? We “receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Mercy is undeserved favor while grace is the ability to deal with the situation we face. These are no cheap platitudes. Rather it is exactly what we need in a time of need. God does not promise that He will remove our difficulty but, more profound, He promises to walk through that difficulty with us.

Wherever you need mercy and grace today to deal with your needs, accept God’s invitation to kneel at His throne in prayer. Do so with bold confidence that Jesus understands you and your situation. He is the best place to go in our time of need.

Father, thank You that You chose to live among us and experience what we experience. Thank You for sacrificing Your one and only Son to boldly and confidently come before You to find help in my time of need. And thank You for walking through my need with me. Amen.

In James 2:1-13, James speaks to us about an issue that is common among Christians, as well as the population in general. It is the showing of favoritism - showing preference to those who are more important than others or wealthier than others or who can benefit us more than others. In fact, James calls this behavior a judgement of others and evil. “If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”

James defines favoritism as when we think less of those who are different than us, or who cannot do anything for us. It can be hidden in our hearts, or it can be evident in our actions. Favoritism is at the heart even of racism, where we elevate one group in our thinking or actions and see others as beneath us in some way. What we are really doing when we show favoritism, says James, is to judge those who we look down on as less worthy than we, and he calls that evil. Strong words indeed. 

He continues, “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.” The antidote to showing favoritism is to live out the royal law of Scripture to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” You see, none of us like to be looked down on or judged. None of us like to be marginalized or be invisible to others. None of us like to be treated as “less than” by others, so living out the royal law means that we will not do any of those things to others. In God’s sight we are equal. The cross of Jesus is the great leveler. 

The Apostle closes this teaching with these words: “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement.” - James 2:12-13

James reminds us that we are accountable for our attitudes, words, actions and thoughts. He is calling us to a higher standard than our world lives by. In the world, relationships are determined by what others can give back to us. In the Kingdom, we treat one another the way Christ treats us. This is the Royal Law.

And then this wonderful phrase that every one of us ought to live by: “Mercy triumphs over judgment!” Take a moment and think of all the judgmental thoughts we have on any given day or with people or populations we look down on and then listen to these words again. “Mercy triumphs over judgement.” Jesus said the same thing in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Remember today that any favoritism we show, any people we put down in our hearts, any time we don’t live by the royal law, we are passing judgment on another individual. And then remember that Mercy always triumphs over judgement. Let us choose mercy over judgement. It is what Jesus did, and does, for us.

Father, I know I have been guilty of judging others all too often. Forgive me and remind me when I have judgmental thoughts that You gave me mercy. Help me to remember always that mercy triumphs over judgment. Help me to be known for my mercy and love, not my judgment and pride. Amen.

How much does God care about one human being who does not know Him? Think about one person you know who does not yet know Christ. Keep that special individual in mind as you consider the words of Jesus in The Parable of the Lost Sheep, Luke 15:1-7:

“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

As usual, Jesus was drawing a crowd, and those most interested in His message were tax collectors (a despised bunch) and so-called sinners. The religious leaders, Pharisees, and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Here is the truth: Jesus was never shy of spending time with the riff raff of society, those that others would not dare to be seen with. And unlike the religious leaders who despised these people, Jesus always welcomed them and spent time with them. He didn’t judge but showed His gracious grace. Who doesn’t want to be around someone like that?

Unfortunately, it is possible for us to do the same thing as the religious leaders and teachers of the law. We can send subtle messages to those whose lives are a mess that they need to clean themselves up before we accept them. Many churches are not safe for those whose lives are messy because they feel judged and unaccepted. If someone told their messy story in your church would they get looks with raised eyebrows, or hugs for showing up?

But here is the point of the parable. If a shepherd loses a sheep, he leaves the 99 and goes out on a rescue mission to find and save it. He moves toward the injured and lost, rather than moving away from them as so many Christians are tempted to do. This was Jesus. He didn’t wait until the messed up came to Him, he went to them and showed them His grace. He accepted them and then shared the Good News with them. Without judgement. Without approbation. Just grace. Pure grace.

Why? Because God does not want any to spend their life and eternity without Him. And like the shepherd who finds the lost sheep and calls his friends and neighbors together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep,” so in the same way there is a party in heaven when one sinner repents! That is God.

What is our heart for those who are without God? What is our willingness to go out of our way to spend time with them and find ways to share the hope that we have? Are we ashamed to hang out with people who have messy lives and even bad reputations like the tax collectors of Jesus’ day? Seeing people have a chance to say yes to Jesus is our God given ministry. Will we say yes to Jesus so that others can say yes to Him? 

Father, I pray today for the individual that came to mind earlier who does not know You. Give me Your heart so that I will be intentional in spending time with them and sharing the hope I have with them. I pray that they will be in heaven with me one day. I want to be there when they throw a party. Amen.

We started this devo series by looking at creation and the amazing fact that we were made in God’s image. We saw how that image was marred by the fall when sin entered our world and how the story of God with mankind has been to rescue images that were broken and reimage us in His image once again. 

As we conclude this Big Word’s of the Bible series, I want us to be reminded that the Jesus who created the world, came into the world in the incarnation, died for our sin on the cross, is one day going to return to fully eradicate evil, and usher in His eternal kingdom. It is His second coming.

When He returns, there will be the resurrection of the dead and our souls will be united with our body, only this time a spiritual body like Christ’s. It will be an amazing moment. The Apostle John says, “Dear Friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure”. (1 John 3:2-3)

Think about that. We will be like him because we will see him as he is. In Revelation 7:15-17, that day is described this way: “They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; and he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”

No more struggle with sin. No more disease, sadness, depression, relational conflict, injustice, racism, famine, war, or any of the illnesses that plague our planet. We will be with the One who made us and we will be at peace with everyone around us. Satan will no longer have any impact on our lives. There may be tears when we see Him, all those things in life that we may regret, sorrows we have, pain and scars that we have accumulated. There may be tears but God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Once and for all. 

There is endless speculation over when Jesus will return. We have been living in the last days since the day he returned to heaven. If He wanted us to know when He would return He would have told us. 

What He really wants from us is what the Apostle John said above:  “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” He wants us to be living in light of His return, purifying our lives and ready to receive Him when He comes. As you walk through your day today, consider whether you are living in a way that pleases Him when He returns. That is our goal.

Father, I look forward to a day when I am truly like you because I will see you face to face. There will be many tears that you will wipe from my eyes and with those tears wiped away, I will be made whole. And eternally alive in the joy of your salvation. Thank you and help me to live in light of that day. Amen.

You were created for a purpose. You were created to join Jesus in His work in this world. It matters not that you don’t have a Bible degree of some sort. There are no first and second bench Christians. We are all called, all gifted, all designed to join Jesus in His story in our world.

Paul says this in Ephesians 2:8-10 and it should encourage you. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

The word for workmanship here means a unique piece of art. You are unique and the work He created you for in His kingdom is unique. It was prepared before you ever were because He has good works designed just for you. One of the fallacies of our thinking is that we need special training to do something for God. Not so. We just need to be available and use the gifting He has given us with those around us. If one of my gifts is the ability to write, I should write to encourage others. If yours is the practical gift of helps, you should use that to help others. He created you uniquely. Not to be absorbed in yourself but to contribute to His work. 

In other passages, these are called spiritual gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, Paul writes, “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”

The giving of spiritual gifts is a divine gift. It comes from the Holy Spirit and it is directly related to the purpose with which God created us. The interesting thing is that it also means that we need each other. My gifts compliment your gifts and your gifts are integral to the whole. This is why Paul calls us the body of Christ, and “each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Further he says, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

I need you and you need me and we all need one another, and it is in the combined giftings that come from the same Spirit that we are a true body of Christ. It means that we need to show up. And it means we need to use the gifts God has given us because that is what makes the body of Christ healthy and whole. You are a part of that body. Let’s be the body together!

Father, I am amazed that you would create a work for me to do long before I was. A part that contributes to your work in our world. Thank you- and encourage me today to show up and use those gifts you gave me. Amen.

Our world is deeply divided. Politics divides. Race divides. Social economic status divides. Even theology divides. Our personal preferences divide. The sad fact is that the church is not immune to these divisions but increasingly is being divided over the very same issues that divide society. Increasingly we have less and less tolerance for those who see things differently than we do. In fact, it is often impossible for fellow believers to even have honest dialogue over our differences in a civil manner. And rather than seek to understand or resolve those issues we often simply leave and look for those who agree with us. Or we ignore and gossip about those we disagree with.

In the letter the Apostle John wrote in 1 John, he directly links the love of Christ with the love of one another. In fact, he talks about those who love their brothers and sisters and those who hate their brothers and sisters. To hate others is to refuse to love them as Jesus loves us and commands us to love. It is a strong word but it is an accurate word when we choose not to love as Jesus loves. 

Here is John: “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them”. (1 John 2:9-11)

Again. "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love…Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us...God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them…We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” (Passages from 1 John 4)

Those are strong words and deeply needed today in a divided world where division is so ubiquitous. Think of these characteristics of real love from 1 Corinthians 13. “Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

I find those words to be deeply challenging and I am sure you do as well. The quality of our relationships with others, especially those we don’t naturally like or agree with is a priority to God. And it is a large part of what it means to walk in the light. 

Father, as I think about this teaching of loving one another my mind goes to whose who I find it most hard to love in your family. I pray that your Spirit would help me to love better, be more patient, more kind, more gracious and more generous and more like you. Amen.