Daily Devotional from Pastor Mary 03-30-24

Let’s remember from the beginning of time, God’s first act of bringing order out of chaos in the world was to use his Word to separate the Light from the dark!

Genesis 1:1-5a NLT The Account of Creation

1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw 

that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.  

5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”  

And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

John 1:1-5 NLT The Word Became Flesh 

1

In the beginning the Word already existed.

    The Word was with God,

    and the Word was God.

He existed in the beginning with God.

God created everything through him,

    and nothing was created except through him.

The Word gave life to everything that was created,

    and his life brought light to everyone.

The light shines in the darkness,

    and the darkness can never extinguish it.

Out of the darkness, the Light of the World came to reveal the heart of Creator God for his creation, but not everyone wanted to receive him. Wicked humanity thought the cross was an instrument of death, but God made it a symbol of LIFE that would bring LIGHT to those who wanted to see!

John 3:13-19 NLT 

13 Jesus said, No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life [in Him].

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.

Luke 12:49-51 VOICE

49 Jesus said, This is serious business we’re involved in. My mission is to send a purging fire on the earth! In fact, I can hardly wait to see the smoke rising. 50 I have a kind of baptism to go through, and I can’t relax until My mission is accomplished! 51 Do you think I’ve come with a nice little message of peace? No way. Believe Me, My message will divide.

John 19:28-30 NLT  The Death of Jesus  28 Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19:38-42 NLT The Burial of Jesus 38 Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. 39 With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. 40 Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. 41 The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. 42 And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

Jesus, the Son of God, lived to help us see God’s mission. He died to fulfill it, because we are sinners—we struggle to believe God exists and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. Faith initiates a fight with our human flesh. The name Israel means “One who struggles with God.” For those who hate Israel—God’s people—they have simply allowed the message of Christ’s commands of love–Love God wholeheartedly and love our neighbors as we love ourselves–to divide them. There is a lot of power involved in this one CHOICE!  

God did not make the choice to divide, human beings who want to be their own God by rejecting Christ have done it themselves. When we judge our sin and choose to live in the light with the Son rather than the dark, God does not judge us. Remember, throughout Scripture, every biblical character struggled at some point to believe God, but many turned to ask for help with their unbelief. Please don’t let God’s division find you on the wrong side of the Son, because Sunday is coming…

Prayer:  Lord, you have made your plan clear for those who have eyes to see. The sin of the world was placed on you, so humanity could be free to choose a righteous life with you! We spiritually wait in that tomb with you, because much like Lazarus…we want to walk out of dead living and into life in the power outflowing the resurrection!

Please plan to join us Easter Sunday @ 9:45 A.M. for the musical celebration… “Resurrection!”