May 31
Leave a comment
Uncategorized

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever — the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  (John 14:16-17, NIV)

I’ve forgotten my wallet.  I’ve forgotten my cellphone.  I’ve forgotten my attache case; but I’ve never once forgotten my heart, my lungs, or even my “who knows what it does” appendix.  All of these latter-named items are securely within us.

So it is with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus tells us that He is here to help us forever; that He lives with us; and that He lives within us.

How cool is that?  We have an eternal helper.  He lives with us.  He lives within us; as surely and securely as our physical organs.

The Holy Spirit is not merely a gift from God; He is the gift of God.  We can never lose this gift, but we can choose not to allow Him to help us; but why would we do that?  – Luther

Tagged , ,
May 30
Leave a comment
Uncategorized

Ascension Day

“And he led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.  And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.  And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God.  Amen.”  (Luke 24:50-53, NIV)

For the disciples of Jesus, Jerusalem had been the site of many tragic events over the previous days.  In fact, with the death of Jesus, it seemed that all of their dreams had been dashed; and that all of their plans had been trashed.

In the light of the Resurrection, however, they “returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” We can only imagine what the outsiders must have thought about the disciples of Jesus as they saw them in the temple; joyful and praising and blessing God.  Perhaps they thought: “Aren’t these the disciples of the man who was crucified on Friday? Why is it that they are now so bright and optimistic?”

The answer, then as now, is this: He lives!

The Resurrection of our Lord trumps every sorrow and redeems every failure. The Resurrection enables us to return to the scene of our greatest humiliation with great joy and confidence.  To live in the light of the Resurrection is to truly live!  – Luther

Tagged ,
May 29
Leave a comment
Uncategorized

“‘Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.  My Father will honor the one who serves me.'”  (John 12:26, NIV)

To serve Jesus is to follow Jesus. To follow Jesus is to be with Jesus.

It is not possible to truly serve Jesus without also following Him.  If our service consists only of isolated acts — even sacrificial isolated acts — without a commitment to also go where He goes; and to do as He directs; that service is deficient.

To be a true servant of Jesus is to voluntarily subordinate our will to the will of the One being served.  This type of service cannot be rendered at a distance.  It is intimate.  It is persistent.  – Luther

Tagged , , ,
← Older posts
Newer posts →