Thursday, April 9, 2009

Devotional 090409

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. It suddenly dawn on me that tomorrow is Good Friday. Today is Passover when Jews celebrates their liberty from slavery. Up to this day, Jewish community still come together to give thanks to God for delivering them from Egypt. They don’t want to forget what God has done for them in the land of Egypt. Many ‘first born children’ were sacrificed for the rebellious heart of Pharaoh. It was the death of the first born that delivered the people of God from slavery. In the same token, it was the death of ‘The First Born Child of God’ that delivers us from the bondage of sins. We don’t focus so much on the ‘Passover,’ which means avoiding or skipping from the judgment of God. We focus more on the ‘Crossover,’ which means reconciling our broken relationship with God because of the Cross. It was the death of Christ on the cross, which gives us a new relationship with our Creator God. He took our sins and nailed them on the cross on our behalf. Without Christ and His cross, we are still lost and doom to eternal hell. Praise the Lord for His loving mercy.

"Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country" (Mark 16:12). Being saved and seeing Jesus is not the same thing. Many are partakers of God's grace who have never seen Jesus. When once you have seen Jesus, you can never be the same, other things do not appeal as they used to do.

Always distinguish between what you see Jesus to be, and what He has done for you. If you only know what He has done for you, you have not a big enough God; but if you have had a vision of Jesus as He is, experiences can come and go, you will endure "as seeing Him Who is invisible." The man blind from his birth did not know Who Jesus was until He appeared and revealed Himself to him. Jesus appears to those for whom He has done something; but we cannot dictate when He will come. Suddenly at any turn He may come. "Now I see Him!"

Jesus must appear to your friend as well as to you, no one can see Jesus with your eyes. Severance takes place where one and not the other has seen Jesus. You cannot bring your friend unless God brings him. Have you seen Jesus? Then you will want others to see Him too. "These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either" (v. 13). You must tell, although they do not believe.

Open my eyes so that I can see you, Lord. My heart is too pre-occupied by earthly things that I seldom focus on the things above. I am reminded once again by your words to Paul, “Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died (with Christ), and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col 1:1-3). The ‘Crossover’ reminds me again for what you have done for me. I don’t deserve what you did, but I certainly indebt to your act of mercy on me. Help me see you in the midst of your people. You are always at work in the life of the Church because she is your body and your bride. Just as Apostle Paul said, “No one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church – for we are members of his body” (Eph 5:29-30). Indeed, You love and care for Your Church as much as you care for yourself. How blessed we are to have a Bridegroom who will love His Bride in such a manner! Nurture our passions for you more and more each day.

Love you with His passions,Lawrence

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