Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Reign with His Followers (2/26/26)

After the war Jesus justly and rightly wages against all opposing nations and individuals, He has Satan bound. He then reigns for a thousand years with His faithful martyred followers. This is what some believe is the “millennium” on this earth before the new heaven and new earth come.  

Revelation 20:1-6 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. ² He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. ³ He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

⁴ I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ⁵ (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

It seems only those martyred during the tribulation come to life for this millennium reign with Jesus. This is great encouragement, though. Those who face and endure the worst persecution will be the first to be rewarded. All other followers of Jesus will still experience the New Heaven and New Earth for all eternity, which we will cover in future weeks.

With all the evil in the world, I’m encouraged knowing Satan will one day be bound. Then, as we will see next week, he will eventually be thrown into the burning lake of sulfur, never to deceive anyone again. How else are you encouraged by the promises in these verses?

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Offering Peace in Fear (5/23/24)

 Who do you and I know that lives in constant fear?

I think Thomas was living in constant fear that first week after Jesus’s death, which led to his doubts. He was so confused by Jesus’s death and probably afraid for his own life, too.  

John 20:24-29         ²⁴ Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus’s resurrection offered peace in fear! Jesus offered peace to doubting and fearful Thomas. Jesus met Thomas where he was, offered for him to do the very thing he requested, and showed he heard Thomas’s words from the previous week.

We can extend that same peace to those around us who are also living with doubts and fears. Many people lack true peace and joy that can only come from a relationship with our all-knowing, all-powerful Creator who rose victorious over death! Because Jesus rose, we can have peace knowing those who believe will also rise from the dead and join Jesus for all eternity.  

How will you and I tap into this blessing of peace today, especially with any fears faced?

Thursday Devotional - Jesus is Truth – Turning Grief to Gladness (4/18/24)

James wrote “He is Alive!” on the end of our driveway for Easter this year! I wonder if Mary was shouting that all the way to the disciples after Jesus appeared and spoke to her!

John 20:14-18         ¹⁴ At this, she [Mary Magdalene] turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Mary was so distraught after Jesus’s crucifixion and it grew worse when she found the empty tomb! She assumed someone had taken Jesus’s body. Jesus’s appearance, though, changed everything. He revealed He had risen from the dead in a glorified, yet bodily form. She could physically touch Him, but she wasn’t to cling to His earthly presence because He would later ascend back to the right hand of God. God the Father was His Father and her father! Jesus turned her grief to gladness.

Where are you and I experiencing grief, pain or suffering? When will you and I open our eyes to Jesus and let Him instruct our next steps like He did for Mary?

Jesus’s future ascension offered Mary hope for her future ascension. Is that same hope steering your and my daily priorities and perspective?

Thursday Devotional - God is With Us, to Dispel Doubts 7/14/22

 Have you ever doubted if something would work, but you tried it anyway?

Some of Jesus' disciples doubted Jesus' resurrection, but went to meet Him anyway.

Matthew 27:16-17 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

We know Thomas was as least one of the disciples that doubted at one point (John 20:24-31). I think there may have been more than just Thomas, though, because it says "some doubted." From the other Gospels it is clear that some of them doubted the report by the women (Mark 16:9-11), doubted the witness of those who had seen Jesus (Mark 16:12-14), and even doubted Jesus himself when he appeared to them personally (Luke 24:36-43).

We know they didn't stay "doubters!" Mark 16:19-20 says "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up in to heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it."

Even though some disciples doubted, they still did as Jesus commanded and went to meet Him in Galilee. They took their doubts to Jesus and then He was able to give them the confirmation they needed. What if they hadn't obediently gone to Galilee? Some of them may have remained doubters.  

We can do the same today with our doubts. We can go to God in prayer and ask our questions. We can then study and search the Bible for answers. If we have doubts, but don't go to God and His Word, then we can't expect to receive answers. 

What doubts do you have? What doubts do those around you have?

How will you and I take those doubts and questions to God and ask for the Holy Spirit to help us know the truth as we study the Bible? Then, we can proclaim the truth with confidence, as God dispels doubts!

Thursday Devotional - Sin and Death or Victory and Life?

We just remembered Jesus death on the cross this past Friday and celebrated His resurrection on Sunday!

After a Good Friday service, we came home and got baths and then had our evening Bible reading and prayer time in a dark bedroom (instead of in the well-lit den). I used a flashlight as we read the crucifixion story together from the book of Luke. It’s a new tradition we started last year, remembering the utter darkness God sent while Jesus hung on the cross to pay for our sins. The kids had clear memories from a year ago (when we read the account from John)!

It’s hard for us to grasp all Jesus did in those dark hours on the cross. His death freed us from the penalty of sin and His resurrection freed us from the power of sin.  

Romans 6:1-5                     What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.

Are you and I truly living in the new life Jesus provided and looking forward to our resurrection someday?  Or, is there some habitual sin that reflects a lack of union with Jesus’ death? Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us overcome those sins, living in the victory Jesus has already won!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Firsthand Experience

John 20:2-8  ² So she [Mary Magdalene] came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” ³ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. ⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.

Peter and John could have taken Mary at her word, but why not see the evidence firsthand? Seeing and experiencing the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection not only helped their immediate belief, but I’m sure it strengthened their confidence for the rest of their lives.

How do you and I seek firsthand experience with God’s evidence? One way is by reading and studying God’s Word personally, looking to know and understand the truth. For starters, you could re-read each day’s devotional passage (or read the verses in the context of the whole chapter) and journal about what you read. Answer questions like: What does it say about God? What does it say about people? What lesson can I apply? What do I find encouraging?    

We can learn from pastors and priests and speakers and podcasts and devotional writers, but nothing takes the place of firsthand experience!

Alice