Devotional Thoughts for Today
Matthew 28:1-7
Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead….
The dawning of the first day of this particular week was a spectacular day, because it followed the death of Jesus. The old things have passed and new has come (1 Cor. 5:17), as Jesus’ body was not in the tomb. When Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, arrived at the tomb to endow spices upon the Lord’s body, an angel tells them, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said…” (v.6). Then he instructs them to go quickly to tell the disciples that He is risen! Jesus had resurrected as promised.
This is glorious news, because the power of His resurrection also privileges us today. It has given us a new life through Him, as well as granting us access to the power of the living risen Christ! What does this mean? For one, the penalty of sin has been completely paid, and we are no longer slaves to its power (Rom. 6:14). We can overcome sin and temptation and choose to live out of the Spirit of God in us. Jesus has deemed powerless sin’s power by taking on all of its effects on the cross and making us the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). We are on the winning side. Secondly, the resurrection power of Christ overcame death and death will no longer have any sting on us (1 Cor. 15:55). Eternal life is a promise that we are beholding even now—not only when we die. This means that we ought to live everyday from an eternal perspective.
Finally, Christ’s resurrection has given us access to its very power to carry out the Great Commission and the work of God, which has been prepared for us to do in advance. Ephesians 1:19-20 says, “…and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.” We are now able to partner with the Holy Spirit to carry out the work of God in the same way that Jesus did: preaching the gospel, healing the sick, and casting out demons (Luke 9:2; Matt. 10:8). We are able to do this because the very Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is living in us (Rom. 8:11).
These are privileges we have inherited because of our Savior’s victory over the grave, and when we access its presence in us, our lives will testify that Jesus has indeed risen!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the finished work of Christ on the cross! Thank You that this is truly the good news, and its power of resurrection has been made alive in me. Please help me to not keep it to myself but allow its power to be activated in my life by sharing with others that the Lord has risen. Thank you! Amen.
Bible Reading for today: Ephesians 1
Joseph of Arimathea was a righteous man, who appears to have had a private allegiance to Jesus. He was most likely a seeker, being that it is noted of him as “…waiting for the kingdom of God” (v.51). Joseph was also a wealthy, respected person in society who was a notable member of the Sanhedrin, a local court. Upon Jesus’ death, he requests for the Messiah’s body and carefully prepares it for burial. It is believed that he used his personal money to purchase a weighty amount of myrrh and aloe to properly prepare the wrappings on Jesus’ body. He, along with the help of another man named Nicodemus, carefully laid our Savior’s body in a brand new tomb located in a garden. Interestingly, garden tombs were often used for the burial of kings. Criminals would never be given such a tomb or such an intentional burial. Clearly, Jesus was not to be remembered as a condemned criminal; rather, His royal essence was being honored.
It was exactly three times that Pontius Pilate made known to the people that Jesus was an innocent man. “I have found no reason for death in Him,” (v.22) he shouted. “But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.” (v.23). It was a somber and grim day when an innocent man was condemned to die by the very people for whom Jesus spent years loving and ministering.
There is a Chinese video I ran across several years ago that profoundly remained with me. Perhaps you have seen it. It is about a mother who lives remotely in the mountains, many miles away from her daughter. Upon finding out that her grown and married child was tired, the aged mother, who is ill with cataracts, rummages into the mountains to pick some vegetable so that she can make her daughter some soup. She then begins her long journey to visit her child in the city by buying a bus ticket with the little money she has. She faces many challenges on the way due to her poor eyesight and her lack of familiarity with the city. Fortunately, despite all the obstacles, the mother manages to arrive at the daughter’s apartment; and finally, fumbles her way to making the soup she had set her heart to make.
God created the human body to be a miraculous mechanism, possessing the ability to self-regulate. One of its most important processes in self-regulation is its extraordinary ability to cleanse and detox itself. Without detoxing, the toxins in the body will get absorbed into the bloodstream, on setting pollution and damage. This would ultimately lead to death, if it is left unaddressed. Therefore, cleansing is a vital function for the body, which also is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). It keeps us whole and able to have a vibrant, healthy life. This concept of cleansing is even more important when it comes to our spiritual state.
The AMI QT Devotionals from March 26-April 1 are provided by Hee Jung Lee. Hee Jung, a graduate of Biblical Theological Seminary, serves at Catalyst Agape Church (New Jersey) along with her husband Pastor Sam Lee. They have four beautiful daughters.
“It feels like I’m always chasing you, Lord,” I recently said to God in my prayer time, retrospectively recollecting on my constant pursuit to experience more of His power and presence. It’s not as if He has ever been farther than the breath on my lips, but without question, I have sought Him; and I continue to invest my heart to seeking after the Lord. I have relentlessly pursued Him in the private, and I have sought to encounter Him in the public.
I imagine that it was a bright, sunny, and glorious day. One of those picture perfect days when Jesus was mounted upon a donkey, riding into Jerusalem with a massive crowd exalting Him. Yet it would be this very week that He would be betrayed by the same people and face an agonizing crucifixion. The King of Kings entered into His fate and purpose for which He came into the world with great meekness and mercy. His entering into the world also was of the same manner: born to ordinary citizens in a place unfamiliar to the glamorous and powerful. Yet as Jesus enters into Jerusalem, the crowd rejoices greatly, with an unrestrainable acknowledgment of His majesty. It was as Prophet Zechariah spoke: “… Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Are you a young parent? Let me share a tip on how to have a great family time—without spending hardly anything. Not interested? Oh, money is not the issue? Okay, I get it, but don’t you know by now that money cannot buy happiness, and costly family vacations do not guarantee pleasant memories? Well, let me share a lesson I learned as a young father 18 years ago, when my kids were nine, six, and three years old—at the time were living in Southern California.
Trevor Hoffman, who played in the Major League Baseball for 18 years, mostly with San Diego Padres, was an incredible relief pitcher who saved more than 600 games! In 1998, Hoffman was at his best as his success ratio of saving games was nearly perfect—98 percent. So it was long over-due that Hoffman was finally elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year. Ironically, it was that year—the 1998 World Series—that the whole world witnessed his imperfection. Pitching to a Yankee player named Scott Brosius, who hit about .200 that year (very pathetic), Hoffman gave up a home run that won the game for the Yankees.
Gloucester, Massachusetts was historically known for being an important shipbuilding center. More than 100,000 Gloucestermen died at sea due to severe storms from 1663-1923. In 1925, the town designed and built a sculpture famously known as the Man at the Wheel. On a small plaque it reads, “Memorial To The Gloucester Fisherman, August 23, 1923.” On the front plaque there is an inscription taken from Psalm 107:23: “They that go down to the sea in ships”. In 2000, there was a movie titled The Perfect Storm that was based on a true story dedicated to the Gloucestermen lost at sea.