Pastor Mary Haley

When we cry out to God in prayer, although it may take some time, He answers us and when he does joy just overtakes our souls (Heb 11:1). Every answer to prayer puts praise on our lips, because we know God loves us. Honestly, when we have to trust and wait for God’s Spirit to move, good comes out of that wait, because we grow more dependent upon God and become more aware of his incredible holiness.

In our passage today, we continue our reading about Hannah and her tear-filled prayer about her barrenness. Hannah has waited a long time for a miraculous move of God and she is not disappointed; God opens her womb and she has a child whom she names Samuel. Hannah deeply loves and treasures this miracle child, but after he is weaned she dedicates Samuel to the work of the Lord because of God’s great love and faithfulness revealed to her. In Hannah’s weakness, God came to make her strong. In Hannah’s distress, God came to provide her with experiential knowledge of his holiness and faithful integrity to love his children.

God’s holiness is the foundation for human security; holiness is the perfect descriptor of God’s character. He is set apart from us, because he is holy and we have a sin nature. For this reason, we praise God for the blood of Jesus that covers us and allows us to have a relationship with our holy Father. Hannah’s prayer of praise reminds us of just how precious a relationship with God truly is. So, pray for the things on your heart and place your hope in God’s love for you.

1 Samuel 2:1-5 NLT Hannah’s Prayer of Praise
1 Then Hannah prayed:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord!
    The Lord has made me strong.
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
    I rejoice because you rescued me.
2 
No one is holy like the Lord!
    There is no one besides you;
    there is no Rock like our God.
3 
“Stop acting so proud and haughty!
    Don’t speak with such arrogance!
For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done;
    he will judge your actions.
4 
The bow of the mighty is now broken,
    and those who stumbled are now strong.
5 
Those who were well fed are now starving,
    and those who were starving are now full.
The childless woman now has seven children,
    and the woman with many children wastes away.

Prayer: Lord, we humbly come before your throne of grace to receive mercy in your holy presence. We ask forgiveness for the times we have acted arrogant or disrespectful toward you or others. Continue to transform us in your image, feed us Truth by your Word, and fill us with your righteous Spirit, so we can remain strong and bold for you in this dry and dreary land. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our passage today, takes place during the time when judges ruled Israel; Eli was one of the judges. Every year Elkanah, a Levite [involved in public worship], traveled to Shiloh to offer sacrifices at the tabernacle. Elkanah, was married to Hannah who had been unable to bear children. Remaining childless was emotionally and socially painful for Hannah. Over time, she became very discouraged in her barrenness; she found her self-worth being destroyed and, for a season, tears simply filled her life. She quit eating. But she did not seek to mistreat others or act out of her discouragement in a resentful manner; instead, she continually prayed to the Lord and committed the child to the work of his glory.

As Hannah was praying in the tabernacle during the celebration of one of God’s feasts, Eli noticed her weeping and distress, but he terribly misunderstood the cause and falsely accused her. When Hannah responded with the truth and spoke of what she needed to Eli, God heard and made a promise to her. Once she was able to take the Lord’s promise to heart and believe, that Word began living and growing in her to give birth to her promise.

Spiritual barrenness leaves a person dry [poor in spirit] with little hope to give birth to a promise or dream. Certainly, barrenness goes with a time of long-suffering and waiting. Sometimes God’s people can get weary of the wait: not bringing to birth those things for which our hearts most greatly desire. Like Hannah, we may be hoping for a child; however, barrenness might be waiting for the restoration of a relationship, the ability to get ahead financially, success of a business venture, the ability to advance in God’s plan for your life, or the vibrant growth of a ministry. Waiting is a part of the spiritual journey [a wilderness] and we cannot give bitterness room to grow; we must keep eating the Word of God, because provision comes from God. Hannah’s promise gives us hope as we continue to trust God.

1 Samuel 1:9-18 NLT Hannah’s Prayer for a Son
9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh [religious center of the nation], Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”

12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”

15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”

17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”

18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for our lesson today from Hannah. We can all experience a sense of spiritual barrenness; life can be very difficult and we may even be weary of the wait, today. Yet, we know you are faithful and as we pray and pour our hearts out to you, we know you hear our prayers and will fill our lives with good things. We also know it is your delight to give us the desires of our hearts. So, Holy Spirit, please help us to press on and resist the desire to stop feeding on your Word. Thank you for the Living Word who is our salvation and Hope. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I enjoy hiking and exploring, but I hike established trails during the day and I take a map to keep me going in the right direction. I always hike with family or friends. We learn a great deal by personal discovery, but we also learn from listening to everything and everyone around us. Sharing experiences, in God’s creation, is a wonderful part of life.

When I step out to explore the spiritual mysteries of God’s Word, I must invite the Spirit to bring me understanding, so I will properly interpret the directional ways and will of God. Remember, according to Peter, no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding or from human initiation (2 Peter 1:20-21). Our understanding of Scripture must be accurate, because we are illuminating lights listening to God and following the truth.

In our passage today, Jesus wants his disciples to know they are examples of the revealed Word; they must listen in order to understand. As well, they must use their faith to put the Word into practice, because in doing so they will gain more and more understanding. When we apply God’s Word accurately, we become lights for others to see God.

Today, as Christ’s disciples, we are to be examples of the applied Word. We must use what we have been given and put Christ’s teachings into practice. Don’t let the enemy snuff out your light. Gain understanding by being still in the Spirit, as well as sharing and talking about spiritual things with mature Christians who are on the righteous path with you.

Mark 4:21-25 NLT Parable of the Lamp
21 Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. 22 For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. 23 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

24 Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. 25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the light of Truth living in us. We are to be illuminating the reality of your presence in us every day by how we live. Help us listen and do as you command, so we can continue to grow in our understanding. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Unfortunately, many people in our world do not understand the power of Oneness; the unity of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit to lovingly work on behalf of all God’s creation. If we did, we would gather together and cry out to the Eternal to rescue us and bring the help we need to live in His righteous will instead of demanding our own way. The Spirit pleads with the Eternal for our hearts to be aligned with the will of God (Romans 8:27).

The great power of the Spirit can move a grace covered communal request from God’s children and place it before the Lord. When God’s people begin praying for one another and being real with the need for human hearts to be healed, that faith puts things into action inviting the God of perfect love to respond with tremendous power (James 5:16). Oneness in the Godhead is supernaturally powerful; oneness in God’s people, in whom the Eternal dwells, is also abundantly powerful! We must always remember, Christ makes us more than conquerors in his love; because of Christ we have sonship [oneness] with Father God (Romans 8:37). Believe!

In our passage today, David calls for oneness in God’s people before the Eternal [which is a posture of worship]. This oneness of prayer and worship reveals the people’s hearts; they have chosen a posture of submission before God. They are confident God not only loves them, but will respond to make them victorious in the battle against their enemy. Who’s humanity’s greatest enemy? Satan the author of all evil. So, may the Eternal hear our plea for help with our hearts, this country, and the nations of the world.

Psalm 20 VOICE For the worship leader. A song of David.
1 
May the Eternal’s answer find you, come to rescue you,
    when you desperately cling to the end of your rope.
May the name of the True God of Jacob be your shelter.
2 
May He extend hope and help to you from His holy sanctuary
    and support you from His sacred city of Zion.
3 
May He remember all that you have offered Him;
    may your burnt sacrifices serve as a prelude to His mercy.

[Lift up]

4 
May He grant the dreams of your heart
    and see your plans through to the end.
5 
When you win, we will not be silent! We will shout
    and raise high our banners in the great name of our God!
May the Eternal say yes to all your requests.
6 
I don’t fear; I’m confident that help will come to the one anointed by the Eternal:
    heaven will respond to his plea;
    His mighty right hand will win the battle.
7 
Many put their hope in chariots, others in horses,
    but we place our trust in the name of the Eternal One, our True God.
8 
Soon our enemies will collapse and fall, never to return home;
    all the while, we will rise and stand firm.
9 
Eternal One, grant victory to our king!
    Answer our plea for help.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please rescue us and help us align our lives with your will. As we do so, Holy Spirit, please help us pray for our country to align with the will of God. We place our confidence in you and know your love will lead us into victory. Thank you that believers can never be separated from your love. Empower us with your perfect love, Lord. We will keep our eyes upon you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Memorial Day is a day to remember those who died in service to the United States of America. The sacrifices that have been made for our national freedoms are priceless; with sincere gratitude may we remember the men and women who paid the cost for these freedoms with their very lives. On Monday, may we cooperate in a National Moment of Remembrance and at 3 PM pause to honor these precious lives.  “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).

Scripture brings a great spotlight to freedom, because it is dear to God’s heart. The biblical definition of freedom is the capacity to obey God—the ability to freely choose to walk in the Spirit every day. Jesus, our Liberating King, served to bring the world this freedom; he laid down his life for those who would love, serve, and follow him (John 15:13). In Christ, we can know true freedom from sin and death, because the grace we gain through faith in Christ, leads us toward victory. Although many people may not understand or even really appreciate the unfathomable gifts we enjoy in this country of both national and spiritual freedoms, for many of us, we know these two provisions of God’s ordained work orchestrates the ability for human lives to enjoy peace and security. With Jesus we can have love, liberty and a life of purpose!

Without Jesus, human beings are spiritually dead and will work to destroy one another for power; we are shackled to our flesh with no hope to connect in the holy life of God—we remain enslaved to our self-centered and ungodly ways. Because of sin, this selfish and ungodly condition disrupted God’s holy plan for his world. But, God so loved the world he gave his Son and we can enjoy the Christ-life—a life of freedom and love—in exchange for dead and ungodly living. Oh, that the world would choose Jesus! “For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Cor 3:17). Remember, whether we are talking about national freedom or spiritual freedom, we need to treasure and protect our liberty; otherwise, it will either be stolen or simply one day gone.

Romans 8:9-11 NLT
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Prayer: Father, we thank you for our spiritual freedom in Christ. May we remember the cost of his sacrifice and choose to live in the liberty and love he died to provide humanity. May the world wake up to Jesus and call upon the name of the Liberating King. This weekend, may we remember the sacrifices made by our military who chose to serve this country to ensure our freedoms, but never made it home to be celebrated and appreciated. You know who they are, Lord, and we thank you for their lives and their sacrifice. Help us to treasure and protect their gift to us. Holy Spirit, help us to have the right attitude and respect for these heroes as we head into our weekend. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Humanity needs a Savior, because every human being has sinned against God. Therefore, we must either pay the penalty for sin—which is death—or we must ask Jesus to share his redeeming blood and cover us with his righteousness. A blood sacrifice must be made: Christ’s or ours. Then, we need the indwelling Spirit to be our Helper. Seriously, our flesh is way to weak for us to live right before God without the work of the Spirit. His work is to liberate us and break the chains and power of our flesh that hold us back from Christlikeness.

God has promised to complete his work in our lives. In fact, Christ died and became the sacrifice for our sin, so we could be empowered by the Spirit to live for God. If we listen and follow the Spirit toward a holy life, we please God. This is the Christian life. However, if we listen to our flesh and follow its demands, we are not control by the Spirit and our lives are not centered on the Lordship of Christ to rule in our hearts.

If we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, then we can know the empowerment of the Spirit who has the strength we need in every circumstance. We are the equipped, my friends. The world without Christ is not equipped to pay for the wages of its sin against God; it is not willing to give up the pleasures of this world to find salvation in Christ. There is a consequence for that choice and the pleasures of the flesh are not worth the eternal cost. Choosing to obediently follow the Spirit is how we express our sacrificial love for Christ and our appreciation for the mercy and grace we have been given.

Romans 8:1-8 NLT Life in the Spirit
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature [flesh]. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for our life-giving Spirit who brings us the power to overcome our flesh. We desire to please you, Lord, so continue to liberate us from the temptations of evil; help us to resist evil and choose to walk with you. We know to belong to you is to hunger for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A nation insensitive to sin is destined to lose vision and hope, but Almighty God still offers a fresh start! We learn throughout Scripture God uses humanity’s fallen condition—the inability to glorify and enjoy God—to reveal a new way to live. Because sin makes us insensitive, we must identify sin, face our sin, and repent of sin. When we do, God is faithful to forgive us.

If we honestly examine our lives and desire to make things right with God, we are offered a new life, a new heart, and the indwelling life of the Spirit to navigate through this sin-polluted world. Sin, not the burning of fossil fuel, is the biggest issue changing the world, impacting human health, and bringing instability to society. We need God!

In our passage today, God calls attention to sin and the ramifications of it from his perspective. Although Israel had a covenant with God, his people became intrenched in the world making them insensitive to their sin—their hearts had grown hard and dry. So God provided a vision for Ezekiel and sent him with a message for Israel. Ezekiel was to prophesy and speak life back into dry bones. How can life come from death? By telling the bones to listen to the word of the Lord and by receiving the breath of God. In the vision, Ezekiel started with a valley of dry bones, but through God’s supernatural word and Spirit, in time Ezekiel formed a spiritual army of vibrant worshipers of the Most High.

This message was for Israel, but it is also for us, today. May God bring this nation and the nations of his world back to himself. The world has become insensitive due to sin and needs the life of Christ. We know when we are alive in Christ, because we are sensitive and responsive to the truth—God’s Spirit brings life to the word (John 16:13).

Ezekiel 37:1-14 A Valley of Dry Bones
1The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. 2 He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. 3 Then he asked me, “Son of man, can these bones become living people again?”

“O Sovereign Lord,” I replied, “you alone know the answer to that.”
4 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! 6 I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

7 So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons. 8 Then as I watched, muscles and flesh formed over the bones. Then skin formed to cover their bodies, but they still had no breath in them.

9 Then he said to me, “Speak a prophetic message to the winds, son of man. Speak a prophetic message and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’”

10 So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.

11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’

12 Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. 14 I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your patience in drawing people to yourself. We pray for us to have a right perspective of sin and our hearts. As believers stay in your word, Lord, please breathe the breath of life into us through the Spirit and cause us to rise up as a mighty army filled with the life of God! May the world desire what we have with you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I treasure the call of the Lord on my life and the privilege of loving and guiding people into an ever-deepening and transforming relationship with God. My heart is filled with joy when people connect with the Lord and gain greater understanding of his love and will for them to receive and live the abundant life by grace through faith. I am so blessed, because I know God has positioned me to help people understand the difference between a religious life and the Christian life. Trust me, there is a difference in the mindset.

A religious life is about: A) Rules—God is honored when we ALL APPEAR HOLY on Sunday); B) Regulations—God is OK WITH SOME SINS and the religious hierarchy will let you know which ones; and C) Reputation—what we alone can do for God because he DESPERATELY NEEDS our help. Religious goals are based on human cognition and consumption: 1) How many members can we gain for funding a big building? 2) How many programs for all ages can we offer to make everyone happy so they keep coming? 3) How big can we grow the campus, because size makes a statement others in the community respect and more people will come which brings more funding? My comments may sound critical or even judgmental and I don’t mean them to be so, but religion is always focused on inward desires and gratification for our human achievements that we think will please God and, therefore, take us upward in holiness. It doesn’t work that way! It is possible to hold a worship gathering of thousands of religious people who are going nowhere with Christ.

A Christian is a person who places faith in Christ alone to make one holy and seek a growing relationship with him—the one who died and paid the penalty for the sins of the world as the Living Lord and Judge of all creation. The Christian life is about what God has already done for us and how we can spread out in the community to share and model his message of love (agape) with others. Christianity is focused outward as we each connect by grace through faith while Christ himself lifts us upward. Then, Christ is exalted in our lives. The Christian life is about being led by the supernatural Spirit of God into revealing the Truth of God with us!

In our passage today, we see an example of the religious life, because Satan and human flesh tends to try and highjack God’s real purpose for his children which should be to bring glory to God. The people built a tower to draw attention to human achievement, but it was not a monument to glorify God. Instead, the efforts of the people actually displaced God’s vision and replaced his glorious power. So, God divided them up by confusing their languages.

On Sunday, we celebrated Pentecost—the Feast of Weeks—when the Father sent the Holy Spirit to indwell his children. The Spirit would now provide a way for God’s children to be connected in his will, purpose and power; to live the Truth that actually honors and glorifies the Lord. “Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted” (Ps 127:1). The Christian life is about Christ building a spiritual family—the Church!

Genesis 11:1-9 NLT The Tower of Babel
1 At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. 2 As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.

3 They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) 4 Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

5 But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. 6 “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”

8 In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why the city was called Babel,[confusion] because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.

Prayer: Lord, there is a temptation to blur the lines between the Christian life and a religious life, but they can be so very different in focus and purpose. Please help us to stay focused on Christ and the work of the Spirit to grow us in Christlikeness. We are called to live in a way that glorifies you and only you can provide a lasting change in us. We do not need to pretend to follow religious rules, because you regulate grace as we need it to produce godly and eternal spiritual fruit. May we live by faith in an obedient way that honors and glorifies your amazing and holy reputation. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I view very little of what this world offers me as something dependable; supply may be here today and gone tomorrow, so I place my hope and trust in God. I love and pray for this country, but I don’t place my trust in it. This country’s stability and economy is only as stable as the people governing are righteous…and that is a scary thought as we face inflation, rising interest rates, record high cost for groceries for less product, crime and theft tolerated and dismissed, and let us not forget we are sinking deeper and deeper into federal debt. I pray for those who are just barely getting by and seek to help those in my care who are financially struggling. How is this going to end well when, as a nation, we keep dismissing, dishonoring, and deposing God and his wise guidance for living?

I am sure grateful God’s economy—his distribution of grace to the faithful and obedient—is a sure thing. God alone is trustworthy; he is Truth. In our passage today, the psalmist reminds Israel, the fear of the Lord—adoration and obedient respect to his Word—is what brings good things to a nation. Think about it, God’s Word still sustains creation and people who honor the Lord dwell in his presence as he watches over all who live by his counsel (Ps 32:8). Trust is easy when you have Someone who truly loves and cares for you.

Today, we continue our 10 Days of Prayer; to pray for salvation and peace to come to Israel and the Middle East (Homs, Syria). Syria has struggled with great civil war and children have paid a terrible price. As well, we pray for our country to find itself “under” God.

Psalm 33:12-22 NLT
12
What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,
    whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.
13 
The Lord looks down from heaven
    and sees the whole human race.
14 
From his throne he observes
    all who live on the earth.
15 
He made their hearts,
    so he understands everything they do.
16 
The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
    nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
17 
Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
    for all its strength, it cannot save you.
18 
But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
    those who rely on his unfailing love.
19 
He rescues them from death
    and keeps them alive in times of famine.
20 
We put our hope in the Lord.
    He is our help and our shield.
21 
In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
22 
Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
    for our hope is in you alone.

Prayer: Lord, we adore and worship you; there is no one like you in all the earth. You extend love and mercy to every human being and you call for us to love you wholeheartedly and love our neighbors like we love ourselves. This is such a selfish world. Please forgive us as a nation and help us, Holy Spirit, turn to your righteous guidance. We pray for Israel and Homs, Syria, as they deal with the remnants of civil war. Send your Spirit to wake us all up in Jesus’ name. Amen.

I love fresh fruit and/or vegetable salads of all kinds. When I was a child, we either had a small garden, a family member had a big garden, or we would stop at roadside stands where people sold their crops; we were always able to get fresh produce. Although they are very convenient, I have noticed bagged or prepackaged salads perish very quickly. In fact, the ones I have purchased from the grocery store rarely make it to their “best used by” date without signs of spoilage.

We may try to forget this little fact, but these physical bodies of ours are also prone to decay or “spoilage.” It is part of being human with natural bodies that are subject to sin and death (1 Cor 15:53). But, Jesus came to bring us eternal life not just natural life (Jo 3:16). In fact, these decaying bodies are not the believer’s end result; our hope in Christ is not limited to this life.

Jesus came to bring us spiritual life; he preceded us in death and resurrection. Christ is the first of a great harvest of all who have died (1 Cor 15:20). Unless Christ returns before we die, our earthly bodies will return to the ground, but one day will be resurrected into transformed immortal spiritual bodies (1 Cor 15:44). Our natural bodies will be sown into the ground, but will be raised in glory! Do you ever wonder what our spiritual bodies will be like?

According to Scripture, our spiritual and glorious bodies will never be susceptible to sickness, disease, or death. In fact, our new bodies will be perfect for serving and worshiping God; no longer hindered by natural law. Our resurrected bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, so we need a body that is basically suited for heaven.

Think about Jesus after his resurrection and how he appeared to the disciples; his wounds were still visible, and his disciples could touch his physical form, yet He was able to travel effortlessly and appear and disappear at will. He could go through walls and doors yet could also eat and drink and sit and talk. Our spiritual bodies will be the perfect host—fully alive—with the Spirit of God. No more hindering or grieving, just honor and yielding.

1 Corinthians 15:42-49 NLT 42 It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. 43 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. 44 They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.

45 The Scriptures tell us, “The first man, Adam, became a living person.”[ But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. 47 Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for not only these physical bodies you have designed for us, but thank you for the promise of a future perfectly transformed body. No more weakness, just glorious strength and power in the Spirit to live righteously for eternity. What a glorious hope for your children! In Jesus’ name. Amen.