God-granted Faith

# 765- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.” The word “rebuked” here is not strong enough. In modern terminology, it means that He got on their case big time. He was not happy with their refusal to believe the witnesses that He kept sending their way. Trusted men and women of their entourage had testified that they had seen Jesus, touched Jesus, eaten with Jesus, and yet they disbelieved. What was their problem? Their problem was the same problem that unbelievers have always had....hardness of heart. As human beings, our minds and actions are nothing but slaves to our souls. Something has to happen to our souls, in order for our minds to comprehend and confess what we believe. This is a good thing, because sometimes our minds become faulty through temporary or permanent disability, and they are not able to outwardly express their God-given faith. This is not the case for our souls. Only God can touch our souls. Only God's grace can enter in and produce life-saving faith.. Decisions to follow Christ must come from a soul that God alone knows and has granted the gift of faith which overcomes our natural state of hardness or unbelief. God has provided His church with some vehicles for delivering saving faith to individuals. We have come to call these vehicles, “means of grace.” (Word and Sacrament) The chief means of grace is His Word, for without His Word, the Sacraments would be powerless. They can only deliver what is promised through them in His Word. What a blessed assurance for the church, knowing that no matter what the mental state of an individual, God can still deliver His gift of faith through these means. . Always remember, we are not in the business of saving minds. We are in the business of saving souls. We are only instruments of God's grace. Proclaiming His Word and believing all that His Word promises, and trusting Him to produce faith.Faith

Something Special About the Way Jesus Broke Bread

# 764- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. The disciples did not believe Mary Magdalene, and now we are told that they did not initially believe these two disciples who had walked with the resurrected Jesus (who appeared to them in another form) as they walked on the road to Emmaus. The gospel of Luke has the full account of this encounter in Luke 24:13-35. I have always been fascinated with this encounter on the road to Emmaus, and I find one of the features of the story especially powerful. It is the fact that they didn't recognize Jesus in this form until He took bread and blessed it. There was always something special about the way Jesus broke bread and blessed it, something memorable. Don't you wish you could've been with the disciples when Jesus broke bread? I certainly can't prove it, but I suspect His table blessing was special because of a display of sheer gratefulness to the Father for providing it. Sometimes I think our table blessings would be more memorable if we truly grasped the concept that everything we have comes from the Father. Our daily bread should never be taken for granted. This memory of Jesus blessing the bread and wine at the Last Supper has stirred thankful hearts in Christians everywhere as they participate in the Lord's Supper. I love the use of the word eucharist to describe the Lord's Supper because the word means “thanksgiving.” When we consider that Jesus gave up His body and blood for our sins, it seems like thanksgiving should be the proper response. May we receive it in the manner that Jesus blessed it....with gratefulness to the Father. It is He who has made this blessed provision for us for the strengthening of our faith and the forgiveness of our sins. By the way, don't miss the fact that Jesus appeared to these two disciples in an unrecognizable form. It will go a long way in helping you understand what He meant when He said "This IS My Body, and This IS My Blood.

The Necessity of Witnesses

# 763- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. As we piece the account of this incident together with the account in the Gospel of John, it went something like this: (1) Mary Magdalene and the other women come to the tomb and discover that the Body of Jesus is missing. (2) Mary Magdalene finds Peter and John and they run to the tomb and make the same discovery. They don't know what to make of it and return to their homes. (3) Mary lingers at the tomb and Jesus appears to her. (4)She runs back to where His followers had gathered. (5) They likely are aware now that the body is missing and this just adds to their grief and she finds them all in tears. (6) Then Mary bursts in and tells them the Good News! Jesus is not dead! He is alive! She has seen Him with her own eyes! Touched Him with her hands! And their response?????? “Yea right Mary.” They did not believe her! Why not? Did they perhaps think she was having some kind of an hysterical relapse back to her pre-deliverance days? It wouldn't surprise me. Emotions were running high and human nature being what it is....... well, just sayin' But let's not be too hard on them, for the Bible explicitly states that a matter must be affirmed by at least two witnesses. This is a very important biblical principle which unfortunately often gets forgotten, especially when we allow our emotions to be the lead dog. If God wants something established, He will provide witnesses. In the case of the resurrection of Jesus God produced quite a few. 1Co 15:4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

Not Exactly Mother Theresa

# 762- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:9 “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. The first person that Jesus shows Himself to after His resurrection is Mary Magdalene. Why does He choose her? We really aren't told, but the fact that He had delivered her from severe demonic possession should tell us something. What kind of life had Mary Magdalene been living while being controlled by these agents of the devil? We can infer that she was not exactly Mother Theresa! Likewise some of the other women who had become followers of Jesus had been delivered from demons and infirmities as we read in Lu 8:2, “ and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities--Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,” Mary Magdalene seemed to be “chief of these “restored” sinners if you will, just as Peter was an example of a restored sinner, and later on the Apostle Paul also wore that badge. Paul, put it this way: 1Ti 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. All three of these fallen individuals were singled out with special appearances by Jesus. What message is Jesus trying to show us here? I think it's pretty obvious. He is willing and able to forgive and restore the most vile of sinners including you and I. Beloved, there is no sin that you have committed that Jesus will not forgive. He stands at the door of your heart even now, asking to come in and restore you to a right relationship with God. Completely forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ. Father, thank You for driving this point home through Your holy Word. Open our hearts to receive it.

The Common Theme Is Go

# 761- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:9-11 “Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. This portion of Mark all the way through verse 20, has generated much controversy over the years because some manuscripts do not contain it. Some Bibles end at Mark 16:8. Why would some, copyist remove these final verses? We really don't know. Perhaps there were some things in the original manuscript that didn't sit too well with them. Copyists aren't perfect. But I think it's safe to say that the most trusted manuscripts include verses 9 through 20. There is a common thread theme to these verses and one that the Holy Spirit really wants us to know. This theme is present in the writings of all the other gospel writers as well. The theme is simple. Go! In the Gospel of John Jesus appears to the disciples when they go fishing. His mere appearance and prophecies concerning Peter and John serve as a reminder that they are to be fishers of men....not fish. “Go!” Luke continues his story of the ascension in the Book of Acts where Jesus reminds His disciples that they were to “be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Go!) And of course Matthew ends with the great commission, Mt 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, These last verse in Mark emphasize the same thing! Go! With the reminder that even as we go, we will be met with unbelief, but don't worry, there will be enough signs following believers that many will hear and be converted. Go!

Don't Dilly Dally

# 760- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. You gotta love the obedient response of these women. They didn't question the angel. They didn't press him for more details. They went out quickly on their mission of telling the Good News! How quick were they? Well, it wasn't a brisk walk...they fled! They ran to tell the disciples and Peter, just as they had been instructed. Wow, could we learn from them today. When our spiritual ears pick up on a command from the Lord, don't dilly dally! Do it! Have you ever been so ecstatic over a piece of news that you literally shook as you waited to tell someone? Well, that's what's going on here. But even though they were bursting with joy, they kept their cool enough to keep on task. They were to tell the disciples and Peter. No need to tell anyone else they might bump into along the way. Besides, they still weren't sure of what this all meant and no need to stir up others who might be enemies of Jesus and seek to put Him back in the grave. Let us learn from these obedient women. We might argue that we would be better at obeying if God sent angels to us with day by day instructions, but the reality is God has given us something better. An indwelling Holy Spirit and His Word. These two work together to produce opportunities for the same kind of quick and faithful obedience. God says this about the Holy Spirit. Joh 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” And He says this about His Word: 2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, We need nothing more but a willing heart.

When Hope Poured Into Peter's Heart

# 759- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:7 "But go, tell His disciples--and Peter--that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." A messenger of God has told these women the Good News. Jesus has risen from the dead! Now he instructs them to go and tell His disciples AND Peter the Good News as well. Remember, this messenger is speaking as if God were speaking. It's one of the things angels do. They are messengers. These women are given the privilege of breaking this news to the other disciples and Peter. Further, God has told them that they and the disciples will actually see Him again in Galilee! Great news! But don't miss the mercy in this statement as it concerns Peter. God makes special note of his name in His instructions to the women. God has included Peter in the same breath with the other disciples. Put yourself in Peter's shoes when the women come to relay the message. “Hey Peter, God specifically told us to pass this word on to you! Jesus is risen! God has not forgotten you! He is not holding your denial of His Son against you! You are still one of His children.” What hope poured into the heart of Peter at this moment! Friend, if you have grievously sinned against God, may this hope spring up in your heart as well. Put your name in place of Peter's here. God knows of all your denials, He knows all of your sins, and know that God still desires to have you as His child. He wants to mention you in the same breath that He mentions His disciples. He wants you in His family! Just humbly bow before Him, asking for His mercy. He is more than willing to give it.