Devotions from Missionary Pastor Kath
EASTER (1)-OT
TEXT: Jer. 31:1-6
TITLE: The Family of God
“At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.” Jer. 31:1
Christianity is all about families. God recognizes its importance in the verse above. On the one hand, because of sin that dwells in all of us, families are not important. We are all just going to die anyway and be food for the worms, who cares about families! On the other hand, it is where God shows the believer first-hand what He is like in the love, nurture, and admonition of Christian parents.
Jesus says in one place, the Father is greater than I, yet in another place He says I and the Father are one! Those verses describe perfectly the relationship of a husband to His wife. That is, in one sense He is the spiritual head of the family and above His wife in authority. But on the other hand, they are equal for they were created equal. Bible says, ‘And man and woman’ He created them. What a blessing it is to be part of God’s universal family as well as His intimate family of the Trinity!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for families and the fact I’m a part of Yours! Help me in sharing You with unbelievers so we all can be one big happy family! in Jesus Name, Amen.
EASTER (1)-Epistle
TEXT: Col. 3:1-4
TITLE: Set Your Mind on Jesus
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Col. 3:2-3
Dear Reader, what do you have your mind set on right now? It could be these verses above, or it could be the stock market, or an illness you are suffering from or death itself. On the one hand, in our sinful nature we constantly have worldly things on our mind and we can’t help it! On the other hand, those who believe, God has us constantly setting our minds on heavenly things where our lives are hidden with Christ Jesus our Lord!
I think it’s fair to say that even unbelievers have thoughts of God, especially of where they are going after they die. Someone once said, “It takes more faith to not believe than it does to believe.” For God has made Himself known everywhere! In His creation (see Psalm 19:1), in His Word, and especially in the historical fact of Jesus who lived and died (see historian writers Tacitus and Josephus). It’s words above that make it known to us where the best place is to set our minds!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for setting my mind on You. Help me in setting it on others, in Jesus Name, Amen.
EASTER (1)-Gospel
TEXT: Matt. 28:1-10
TITLE: Our ‘Imaginary Friend’ Jesus
In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. Matt. 28:1
Close personal relationships! Jesus had one with a prostitute! The other Marry a devout Jew. Both were followers of Jesus. On the one hand we are all prostitutes for we ‘prostituted’ our faith with the ways of the world and the devil by giving into his temptations. On the other hand, by faith, we are ever in a close, personal, and intimate relationship with the Triune God and it doesn’t get any better than that.
The world would say we are crazy and that Jesus to us would be like ‘our imaginary friend,’ for we talk to somebody (in prayer) we don’t see! But we say, let them scoff all they want for we know He is as real can be and is ever walking right by our side and within us! It is the presence of His Spirit within us that gives us a peace that is beyond our understanding as well as all the fruits of the Spirit (see Gal. 5:22-23). Each morning we say to our imaginary friend, “Well, what are we gonna do today, Jesus!” As real as real can be!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for our ‘imaginary friend’ Jesus. Help us to share Him with others, in His Name, Amen.