April 15
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“These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): The five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath.  They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.”  (Judges 3:1-4, NIV)

In the life of a disciple of Jesus, even one’s enemies are a part of God’s plan.
In today’s scripture reading from the book of Judges, enemies existed to teach the descendants of the Exodus how to defend themselves, and to test their devotion to God. (Please see Judges 2:20-22.)

Today, our biggest threat is not the sword (although physical threats do, indeed, exist); it is, instead, all of the influences and agents that oppose the Spirit of God within us.  Even here we must pray for our enemies as we utilize the weapons of the Spirit, which are: Truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God.

So, do not curse your enemies.  Pray for them.  Resist them with the weapons of the Spirit, which alone are adequate for spiritual warfare.  – Luther

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April 14
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“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”   (Psalm 55:22, NKJV)

The key to longevity and stability in a wide variety of aspects (e. g. moral, emotional, spiritual, relational) is the act of casting your cares on the Lord.  The more of our cares we give to Him, the more of His wisdom, confidence, and strength we receive in return.

The times we prefer to coddle our concerns in the privacy of our minds is the precise time we ought to be casting — throwing — those same concerns onto our heavenly Father.  Sharing multiplies our joys and divides our sorrows.

When we choose to keep to ourselves the very concerns that wring all of the joy from life, we deprive ourselves of a Confidant who has never revealed a secret; a Friend who has never betrayed a trust; a Defender who has never been defeated.  – Luther

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April 13
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Resurrection Monday

“He asked them, ‘What are you discussing together as you walk along?’ They stood still, their faces downcast.”  (Luke 24:17, NIV)

The evidence of the Resurrection was not accepted by Jesus’ closest disciples. In light of the empty tomb, the angel’s proclamation, the testimony of the women, the ancient prophecies come true, and even Jesus’ own words about His death and resurrection, one might think the disposition of the two disciples en route to Emmaus in today’s scripture would have been anything but “downcast,” but they were very distressed.

I am the first to admit that had I been there, I probably wouldn’t have believed,  either.  All of the disciples — except, to their eternal credit, the women — refused to accept the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.  What they were seeing was unprecedented, and denial of the evidence is always the surest way to avoid facing the hard questions that inevitably follow Revelation.

Today, we still have the empty tomb, the angel’s proclamation, the testimony of the women, the ancient prophecies come true, and even Jesus’ own words about His death and resurrection and — unlike the two disciples on Resurrection Day — more than 2,000 additional years of testimony that all of it is still true!

Does your countenance reflect this compelling evidence?

The Lord is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Hallelujah!  – Luther

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