Author: preacherphilstevens

I believe Jesus died on the cross…

According to the Bible, the death of Jesus was different then any other death. In His death, the sin of the entire world past and present was placed upon His shoulders. Beaten practically beyond recognition, He felt the need to tell His mother, He was her son. He was beaten by Roman guards with a whip on a post where many didn’t survive. David in the book of Psalms foretells that He would be able to see His own bones (Psalms 22:17). For 6 hours He hung on a cross and ultimately, He died.

I believe that He was buried…

When it was clear that Jesus had died, Joseph of Arimathea went to the man who had sentenced Jesus to death, Pilate and asked for His body. Men who were crucified in such a manner were rarely given a proper burial. Jesus was treated much differently. He was brought down from the cross and placed in a tomb reserved for the rich. Pilate ordered that soldiers be placed in front of the tomb. For the disciples the next 3 days must have been the longest time ever. I imagine the tears and cries were more than anyone of them could have ever imagined.

I believe Jesus rose from the dead!

Early Sunday morning something truly unbelievable happened! Women came to the tomb to find the stone rolled away. Looking inside the body is not there. Interestingly enough they didn’t assume He had risen from the dead. After a visit from an angel the go back and tell the disciples. Peter and John run to the tomb to find the same scene, Jesus is gone! Later Jesus appears to them. He is alive and He isn’t bleeding. He isn’t suffering. He isn’t hurting, He is alive and in a glorified body.

Many people wonder why Christians believe that water could be turned to wine. Why do people believe a man could walk on water. Why do we seek to live a different life that reflects Him. Why give our lives away? The answer is that Jesus is alive! His resurrection verifies that everything He said and did was from God. I believe in Hell because Jesus taught it existed and He rose from the dead. I believe the world needs a Savior because Jesus said so, and He rose from the dead. May you meet the risen Lord today, and may He change your life.

“My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye.” Proverbs 7:1,2

Even before my son was born (3 months ago) I began writing a devotional for him. It is a journal that is centered around on what I would tell myself if I could go back in time and warn myself of the pitfalls that were coming. I want my son to learn from the mistakes that I made. As parents don’t we all want our children to have a better life then we had, and avoid the pain of bad decisions? I know that simply writing a journal is not going to keep him from making mistakes. What I do want to do for him is to open all of the “doors” this life has and let him know where each one of them will lead.

Jesus does the same thing for us. He opens up every “door” that the world has to offer and shows us the pain that would be associated with each decision. The Bible gives us story after story of people and the decisions they made. David committed the sin of adultery and his life was forever changed for the worse. Joseph (of the Old Testament) chose to serve God and He found favor.

Ultimately, Jesus says that He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6) If you agreed earlier that we want the best for our children, and Jesus is the way that will lead to the best life, then the answer is clear, point your children to Jesus. There will be no greater gift you could give. For those who trust in Him, He will give “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” (1 Peter 1:8)

Romans 5:6 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”

We are all sinners. For some people this is a revelation that requires for them to be sitting to accept, but harsh reality at the end of the day is that we must admit we have sinned against a Righteous God. The “reward” for sin is death, for a Just God cannot allow sin to go unpunished. This certainly puts God in a tough position in that He has His creation whom He dearly loves and yet they have chosen sin over Him. There are two options. On one hand, He could certainly destroy the entire world, sending all of us to an eternal punishment and this would be the act of a Just God. Or he could “lower the bar of holiness,” turn His head, and through His love allow entrance into heaven anyway.

Thankfully, He didn’t do either. God’s answer is so much better. Instead, we have the cross. On the cross we have a picture of the wrath of God poured out on Jesus as he takes the full punishment of sin upon Himself on our behalf. At the very same time, the cross is a picture of the absolute love God has for His Creation. He didn’t sentence us all to death and He didn’t “lower the Bar” instead, He sent His Son to die for our sins and we inherit His righteousness. It reminds me of an old hymn.

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed me white as snow.

I was recently challenged by a professor who questioned, ““Do you believe God can do things faster, better, bigger, more long lasting, and more effectively than you can?” If the answer is “Yes!” then shouldn’t our response drive us to our knees in prayer? In the letter from James he writes, “You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith with your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18) If we have faith in a God who can unilaterally do ministry, and life, better than I can, then my faith should turn into works as I kneel in prayer inviting Him to do the work within me.

We seek to have direction in our life, but God is the One who lights the way in our life. We want to rid our life of vices that hurt us and destroy relationships, but God is the One who brings victory over sin. We want power in our ministry, but God breathes life into our ministry and it is ultimately His power we seek to see the transformation of lives in our ministries. You and I will never be able to do the work of the Holy Spirit, and there is no discipline in our life that can be substituted for prayer.

Now more than ever we need believers, filled with the Spirit of God, to intercede on behalf of our churches, families, and our nation. Billy Graham claimed, “Today the world is being carried on a rushing torrent of history. There is but one power available to redeem the course of events, and that is the power of prayer.” Forget the past and claim the future through prayer and watch God do the impossible.

Here are some resources I have come across that have helped me with my spiritual walk… maybe they will help yours as well.

The Digital Wellness Center

In a digital age where there are so many temptations and addictions that have been previously unheard of, here is a site dedicated to helping you not only understand those addictions, but overcome them as well.

**** MORE RESOURCES TO FOLLOW*****

“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” Revelation 2:4

There was a church in Ephesus that was started by the Apostle Paul. He spent more time there than any other church. After Paul left it is said that the Apostle John spent time there as well. Pretty safe to say the foundations of this church was pretty solid. From the outside looking in this was a wonderful church. They stood for what was right, and in the 1st century that was certainly no easy task. Evidently, this church worked hard and displayed patience in difficult times. They knew they needed to reach more people with the gospel and they had a strong desire to preserve the reputation of Christ. On the outside, other churches may have even envied their ministry.

However, Jesus can see the inside, He sees the heart. He had a shocking revelation, this church had lost their first love. They worked because it was expected of them. “Remember from where you have fallen…” What Jesus wanted Ephesus to know and what He wants you to know is there is no work or ministry you can do that can replace or substitute your love for God. Forgetting where we came from can happen to anyone but remember where you came from and never lose your first love.

The scene was dim, and a dark cloud of sadness was hovering over the room. Jesus had just told these men, who had given up everything to follow Him, that He was going to die. Adding to their confusion was watching Jesus, the Son of God, doing the work of a common servant by washing their feet, and then finally, Jesus reveals that someone in the room would betray Him. For the disciples It probably doesn’t get any worse than this.

Jesus understood their angst and wanted them to know something, and I believe He also wants you to know this as well. When life is difficult, and you don’t understand why negative circumstances keep happening in your life listen to what Jesus has to say, “If you ask anything in my name, I will give it to you.” If Jesus tells us something one time, you can put your life on the line for it, but what if He says it 5 different times! Yet, that is exactly what He does. In case you missed it the first 4 times, Jesus repeats again, “If you ask anything in my name, I will give it to you.”

The Apostle John was in the room that night and many years later (about 60 years) he wrote a letter, we call it 1 John. As he looked over his own past years of ministry he wanted to encourage his friends and in 1 John 5:14 he writes,

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (15) and if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

I would love to have seen John’s face as he remembers the countless times in his own ministry where he turned to this promise only to see Jesus come through for him again and again. So much so, that John with “confidence” wants you to know this promise works. When you are alone, afraid, lacking direction, and in need of help turn to Him and ask for the peace, the wisdom, and strength you need for any and all the trials this life offers, and watch as God gives you those things that you ask for.