I don’t know about you, but for me, this series exploring the “Easter Eggs” hidden throughout the Old Testament has been so rewarding! I can relate to these men who walked along the road to Emmaus with Jesus, recalling stories that they thought they knew so well, but now they were seeing the details clearly for the first time--realizing that this Gospel message has been weaved all throughout the Old Testament and pointed perfectly to Jesus Christ. We should continue to seek wisdom and clarity through God's word. May we never become puffed up with knowledge, but rather seek to understand who God is and what He has done for us. Lord, help us to understand your whole gospel message clearly so that we may go and tell others, and may your love burn in the hearts of all who hear of you. PASSAGE: Luke 24:32 - “They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” PAUSE: One of the goals of this series was to help you embrace Scripture and appreciate the blending of the old with the new. The early disciples described this experience as “burning within their hearts.” Ask the Lord to burn within your own heart as you read, meditate, and apply the Scriptures to your life. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, open my eyes to see and to understand Scripture better. Help me to burn within my own soul as a read and meditate on you!
What motivates you to keep working when things get hard? It probably depends on the situation, and if we’re honest with ourselves, sometimes it can be easy to quit if we don’t have a strong motivator to keep us going. If you are ever feeling tempted to give up on work that the Lord has called you to, don’t get discouraged. You’re not alone. The reason Paul writes this to his audience is because there can be a very real temptation to give up or lose our purpose. Paul’s encouragement is to remember our focus on Christ. This whole chapter focuses on the victory that has been secured because of Christ’s resurrection, and that same victory is assured for us through Christ. Let that assurance be your motivation to never give up. Keep serving the Lord in whatever capacity He has called you to! PASSAGE: 1 Corinthians 15:58 - "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." PAUSE: The resurrection changes everything! It changes our perspective as followers of Christ. As the church, it changes our purpose! The resurrection invites us to be steadfast in continuing the work of the Lord. Moving forward, our purpose should never be about ourselves but rather to serve the Lord. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for being short-sided and desiring to quit. Give me a steadfast heart; allow me to do the work of the Lord today!
Without the gospel of Jesus Christ, death and all of death’s devastation wins daily victory and final victory over everyone! But through the gospel, God reverses the curse and sting of death. And He replaces death with LIFE! Because Christ is Life and we are in Christ! On this side of heaven God gives purpose to our suffering and gives us the spiritual power to grow in victory over sin in our lives. And because of the gospel, those who are in Christ no longer live in fear of death because our eternal destiny with God has been set, and guaranteed! And so, the victory we have in this life through Jesus Christ will give way to ultimate victory in the New Heavens and New Earth where sin and death are completely removed altogether. New life with new bodies, living face to face with our Savior forever and ever! This is our victory in Jesus! It starts the moment we trust in Christ and it never ends! Never! PASSAGE: 1 Corinthians 15:57 - "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." PAUSE: Paul concludes the resurrection chapter with a shout of victory! Throughout this Holy Week, have you paused and thanked Jesus? Have you thanked him for the cross? Have you thanked him for the forgiveness of sins? Let us take a moment, pause, and thank our Heavenly Father for our victory! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I sing a victory song today. Because of Christ, I am now forgiven of all my past, present, and future sins. Thank you, Jesus!
I read a book a while back on the gospel by N.T. Wright. He makes the point that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not good advice but good news! In other words, the gospel is not advice from God on how we can live our lives better or differently in order to gain a right standing with Him. The gospel is not a formula to follow to make God happy! It is not a list of good works to perform in order to put God into our debt! The gospel is the declaration of the best news ever! The news that a right standing before God, the gift of forgiveness of sin and new life in Christ, is a standing that is received, not achieved! A person cannot be saved until they come to the end of themselves, to the end of all attempts at self-salvation. God’s salvation occurs in our lives when we place our faith in Christ alone as the One who paid the full penalty for our sins on the cross and was raised for our justification on the 3rd day. Again, we don’t achieve this by works, we receive it by faith! Have you? PASSAGE: 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 - "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve." PAUSE: Paul explained to the Corinth church that our faith is built upon the foundation of the Gospel (Good News). The good news includes both the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Stop, meditate, and memorize these essential verses. Share the good news with at least one person this week. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus Christ not only to die but to conquer death for us all. I rejoice in the living hope of the resurrection.
“All the promises of God find their YES in Christ!" (2 Cor. 1:20). The Old Testament provides a complete foundation and anticipation for the arrival & mission of Jesus Christ! Jesus is the culminating chapter in God’s sovereign plan to which all the prior chapters point. This includes the prophecies describing intricate details of Jesus’ birth, life, death & future rule. This includes historic events like the enslavement and deliverance of the nation of Israel in Egypt that picture our spiritual deliverance from slavery to sin found in Christ. This includes the various aspects of the sacrificial system like the sacrifice of atonement and the shedding of blood to pay for sin and the role of priest as the mediator between sinful man and holy God, all of which are perfectly and finally fulfilled in Christ. May all of this further compel us to live our current lives fully consecrated under the Lordship of Jesus Christ! PASSAGE: Luke 24:27 - "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." PAUSE: The Easter Eggs of the Old Testament have enlightened our minds, but have they changed our hearts? Hopefully, these Easter Eggs have challenged you to fall more in love with Jesus. Jesus’s words on the road to Emmaus should cause us all to leap forward with a stronger faith in God! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you for always having a plan. Please help me as I look backward and always leap forward in my faith and devotion.
Join us each day for a devotional in the Easter Eggs series. Sign up for “Devotional Reminders” in The Chapel app’s notification settings. April 1 - Luke 24:27 April 2 - 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 April 3 - 1 Corinthians 15:57 April 4 - 1 Corinthians 15:58 April 5 - Luke 24:32
These are two circumstances in our lives when we’re more likely to turn to God in prayer—when we realize we need saved from something, and when we’re seeking success. If these are the only times we’re praying and going to Him with the wrong motives, this could be a bad thing. But if we are seeking to be saved from the real enemy in our lives—sin, temptation, evil—then we should continually take that to God! And the success we turn to God for, may it be success in the things that matter to God! Success in the things that further His kingdom. Success in the things that serve and love others well. Let us pray continually for these things. PASSAGE: Psalm 118:25 - "Save us, we pray, O Lord! O Lord, we pray, give us success!" PAUSE: Lord, save us and grant us success. Each new day is an occasion to pray for the Lord’s deliverance from sin, brokenness, pain, temptation, and evil. It is also a day for the Lord to grant us success in faith, obedience, and love for God. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, excuse my prayer life. Too often, I pray trivial prayers not based upon the resurrection power that lives inside me. Lord, grant me success in trusting and obeying and success with my thoughts and actions. Lord, deliver me from evil and lead me not into temptation.
Every day is a gift from God to be celebrated! As long as there is breath in our lungs, we can praise the Lord. This is all true, but I don’t want us to miss an important reality. There is a reason WHY we can celebrate each new day, and that is because of one very special day—the day that Jesus rose from the grave and defeated sin and death. Without the resurrection, there is only death without victory. Without the resurrection, we would be living each day under the condemnation of sin. Through faith in the resurrected Christ, we are set free! PASSAGE: Psalm 118:24 - "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." PAUSE: The Day of the Resurrection is the most significant day ever! Easter is the day that gives all other day’s opportunities, a reason to be glad. Too often, this is just quoted generically, but this day is about Easter. As believers, we look back instead of forward to that day, so let us rejoice and be glad in every new day. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for having days where I grumble and complain. Please help me to see every day through the lens of Easter.
After God powerfully and miraculously delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt through the power of the ten plagues and then through the split waters of the Red Sea, Moses sang a song of praise to God. One line from that song: “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. “(Exodus 15:2). As great as that physical salvation was for Israel, so much greater is our spiritual (and eventually physical) salvation in Jesus Christ! In Jesus Christ, we have a new heart and a new strength in order that we might live a new life of victory and love to the glory of God! Friend, continue to surrender daily to Christ and abide in Him as the source of your strength! And choose to sing and pray songs of praise and thanksgiving to Him for His great salvation… Go ahead, do it even now! PASSAGE: Psalm 118:14 - "The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation." PAUSE: The Psalmist had a personal relationship with his Heavenly Father. Notice carefully 3x he says my strength, song, and salvation. 3x, he says, the psalmists make it personal. Is your relationship with your Heavenly Father so strong that you can say he is your strength, song, and salvation? PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I want to have a song! A song that acknowledges our relationship together. Be my strength and be my salvation today!
Everyone has trust. The ultimate question is this, what or who are you trusting in? What or who is the object of your trust? Religious people who believe they can put God into their debt through their attempts at “salvation by works” are really trusting in themselves. They say in their hearts, “Can I create an impressive enough resume to present to God so He will grant me entrance into heaven?” Never gonna happen!! Friend, abandon all thoughts of self-salvation and take refuge from God’s judgment against sin in God’s loving provision of His Son! (Because Christ on the cross already bore your sin and took your punishment!) Thank You Jesus! You alone are my refuge! PASSAGE: Psalm 118:8-9 - "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes." PAUSE: Easter is ultimately about taking refuge in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Jesus Christ rescues us from sin, death, and the power of the evil one. If you haven’t trusted Jesus Christ for salvation, may today be the day! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I take refuge in you. Help me realize that it is always better to trust in you than my friends, family, country, or myself.
If you can imagine the expression on God’s face as He looks at you, what kind of expression would He have? For many, the etched image of God’s expression toward them personally is the scowl of anger and judgment over our sin or the frown of disappointment because of our failings. May I suggest that these are lies from the pit of hell!!! The expression on God’s face that flows from the depths of His redeeming heart is the tender smile of love and invitation! His loving invitation is this: “My active, never-ending love for you was on full display at the cross of My Son. Receive my free forgiveness (paid for by Jesus!) and join me in the new life I have for you. And My love will hold you and continuously transform you as you abide and rest in me.” PASSAGE: Psalm 118:1 - "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!" PAUSE: As Easter weekend approaches, have you thanked and praised the Lord for his goodness and steadfast love? Every Passover, in celebration of their departure from Egypt, the Jews would sing this Psalm as their final song before the Passover. This hymn was probably sung at the Last Supper. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you for your steadfast love. Your goodness overwhelms me, and I am overwhelmed by your undying and loyal love for me!
Join us each day for a devotional in the Easter Eggs series. Sign up for “Devotional Reminders” in The Chapel app’s notification settings. March 25 - Psalm 118:1 March 26 - Psalm 118:8-9 March 27 - Psalm 118:14 March 28 - Psalm 118:24 March 29 - Psalm 118:25
When we are hired to do a job, we expect to be paid fairly. We deserve the wages that we've worked for -- it's what we've earned. Now consider the Apostle Paul's words in Romans 6:23 -- "the wages of sin is death..." It's what we've earned! You might say, "I don't want to be paid fairly anymore!" Well, there's good news, because Paul doesn't stop there. Death may be what we deserve, but someone was willing to take our wages and give us His. The wages of Jesus' perfection is eternal life in right standing with the Father. He was willing to take our wages in order to extend His to us. Only through Christ can you receive the free gift of eternal life--not because you've earned it, but because of His loving sacrifice. PASSAGE: Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." PAUSE: As we journey closer to Good Friday and Easter, we may realize that the wages of sin are always death. Paul reminded the Roman believers that sin always leads to death. When you are tempted to sin, consider the cost of sin. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank You for the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. As we consider the agony of the cross, help me embrace the gift of salvation in Christ Jesus. Grant me opportunities to share this good news!
I don't know about you, but it's painful for me to think about Christ suffering on the cross. We all know this: Christ died on the cross for our sins -- but we might say and hear this so often that we've become desensitized to what that experience was like for Jesus. Let's slow down and reflect on what He experienced for us--let's not forget that He experienced suffering and pain to the point of crying out with His final breath. There is a painful and ugly reality to what He went through, but also the most beautiful act of love. Knowing what He was about to walk through, He willingly took this punishment upon Himself--taking my place, and your place, on the cross. He yielded in perfect submission to this plan to extend His righteousness to you and me. Let's never forget the full weight of what Christ experienced for us, and may that self-sacrificial love motivate you to share this free gift with others! PASSAGE: Matthew 27:50 - "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit." PAUSE: One final cry; after exasperating pain and anguish, Jesus cried out one last time to the Father, let Your will be done! The debt had been paid in full. Christ died to set us free from the penalty of our sins. Notice He yielded up His spirit. This yielding was a sign of submission and obedience to the Father. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I cry out and yield my spirit to You just like Christ. I beg You that it is not my will that gets done, but Your will be done!
This darkness was from noon to 3 pm. One ancient scholar points out that 3 pm was when the Jews of Jesus’ day offered their daily sacrifice. On this day God was offering His own sacrifice, once and for all, for the sins of the whole world! We make little of our sins. We call them mistakes. We blame others. We minimize their impact. But sin is our utter rebellion against God. It is the spirit and energy in each of us that shakes our fist against God and says to God, “I do not want to serve you, I want to serve myself!” This high-handed rebellion against God must be judged by our holy God! But because of His love, God poured out His judgment against our sin upon His own Son on the cross. The darkness that occurred in that moment, for those 3 hours, was a supernatural act of God, displaying His displeasure and judgment upon humanity for crucifying His Son. PASSAGE: Matthew 27:45 - "From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land." PAUSE: Have you paused this Lent and taken the time to consider the pain, the agony, the heartache, the torture, the loneliness, the blood, the darkness, and the overwhelming suffering of the crucifixion? The penalty for our sins is dark. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, today, I grieve your pain and suffering. Help me realize the gravity of my sins and your suffering to save my soul.
