40 Day Devotionals 2014 Day 8

I love surprises, my wife, not so much. needless to say, pregnancy is a challenge. :-)

Today we went for a big check up on Baby B. All is well. Baby is growing well, measures are all great and everything is "within expectations." We actually will find out the gender on Sunday. We gave the note that the ultrasound tech wrote the gender on to one of our youth who will reveal it to us. You can call her a youth, she is a very trusted individual at this point. Hey, what's life without whimsy, right? Now we are in the planning stages for showers and people to invite and stuff that is tedious but exciting. All this just gets me all pumped up. 

So here is another daily dose of Jesus for you. It is a big one. Hope you enjoy it. I enjoyed putting it together. If nothing, it will definitely stir up some feelings and opinions and make everyone reflect.

Day 8

Scripture

1 Peter 1: 3-5

-          ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Wisdom

-          Jesus Christ’s resurrection is not open for theological debate. This is what separates our faith from the beliefs of other religion.  The resurrection validates everything that Jesus did; His miracles, ministry, teachings, and leadership. If His life didn't end and begin again with the resurrection His life would not have mattered. That may sound like a controversial statement, it really isn't. It is a cornerstone to our faith. Just like Jesus is God in the Flesh.

-          Because of this blessed assurance we are given through God we have hope. People who choose to follow other paths to immortality or eternity miss out on something; hope. Because without Jesus there is no hope. There is more and more popular belief that those who follow a righteous path can get to Heaven, nirvana, or enlightenment. I don’t really know, and Thank God I am not the judge. What I do know is that Jesus is the son of God; He died for my sins, so that I could have a clean life that God can be in the company of. Without Christ, no amount of good works, prayers, or repentance will get you to God. Can you know Him through loving actions? Can you experience Him through prayer and meditation? Yes, I believe so. I liken it to a runner running a relay race; you can take off the mark, run with all of your might, but if you don’t have the baton in your hand, you don’t win the race. This isn't to say I do not respect other faiths. I absolutely do. I have family that is Hindu and Muslim. I love them dearly and completely respect their belief.

-          We face death, our end, as a beginning. Not something to fear, but just a short trip home to be with our father. I pray that all of my friends and family learn to know and accept Christ as their savior so they can one day experience the freedom and bliss that I have only experienced through Christ.

Apply

-          Have you ever viewed Christ’s death as just a magic trick? Something that may never have happened?

-          Take a moment and think about what our Faith would mean if Jesus had not resurrected?

-          Since the day you accepted Jesus (and if you haven’t, I would love to share my story with you) have you stopped to think about what Jesus has done for you?

Prayer

-          Praise God for the sacrifice of His son. Ask Him for the guidance to be a better representative of the sacrifice he has made. Reflect on what your relationship will be like with God when you are in His company in Heaven.