He has Risen!

He was not there!

Matthew 28:1-15

28:1 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

 

 

28:2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

28:3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.

28:4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.

28:5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.

 
28:6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 

28:7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you."

28:8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

28:9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him

28:10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

28:11 While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened.

28:12 After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers,

 

28:13 telling them, "You must say, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.'

28:14 If this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."

28:15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.
 

Thought for the Day

Let us rejoice in our risen Lord!

Prayer

Thank you, God, for Christ our risen Savior and for the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayer focusVisitors to Jerusalem

Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Crucify Him!

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.



Isaiah 53:5-6

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” -



Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.” -Isaiah 53:3-4

All Things New

                                                       God

made Him

who had no sin

to be sin for us,

 so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

 -2 Corinthians 5:21

Why Don’t You Help?

Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).  - Matthew 27:46 (NIV)

 We had just finished a particularly busy Holy Week and Easter weekend when our 15-month-old son was injured. He pulled a tablecloth from a table, and the cloth brought with it a square, rough-cut glass vase that sliced his nose open as it fell. It was a serious cut.

 At the hospital, we had to wait six hours for treatment; they had to delay administering anesthesia because he had eaten just before the incident. When his treatment time came, his mother and I accompanied him into the operating room to keep him calm; but he panicked anyway. As the medical team struggled to hold the mask over his face long enough for the anesthesia to take effect, they bumped his nose, starting the bleeding again. Blood was everywhere; it even ran back into his eyes.

With those blood-filled eyes he looked at us as if asking, “Why are you standing and watching them hurt me like this? Why aren’t you doing something to help me?” I told him that this was the only way to “make it better.”Then it dawned on me: God watched Jesus dying on the cross, as Jesus asked, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” But Christ’s death was God’s only way to “make it better,” to heal us and to take away the pain and the penalty of our sin.

The Author  Gavin Campbell (Western Cape, South Africa) - from The Upper Room

Thought for the Day - Jesus died to heal us of our sin and the pain it causes.

Prayer

Lord God, thank you for your power and love made visible in Jesus. Thank you for his sacrifice that makes right our relationship with you. Amen.

Prayer focus -Those facing medical emergencies

 

Colossians 1:15-23

1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
1:16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for him.
1:17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
1:18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.
1:19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
 

1:20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
1:21 And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
1:22 he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him--
1:23 provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.

Joyous Giving

 

Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.

- Leviticus 27:30 (NIV)

 

As a child, I saw that my parents believed in tithing. They gave 10% of their income to our church and to those who were needy. I remember my father often telling me, “The more we give away, the more we get back.” At the time his words did not make sense to me. I couldn’t understand how giving away money could result in having more.


But soon after my wife and I began tithing almost 20 years ago, we began to understand what my father had been telling me. The more we gave away, the more we received —

 not just from the standpoint of financial return but more importantly from the joy of knowing we had helped our church and God’s children. Whether our tithe is a small or large sum, the Lord is pleased with our offering. Attitude is just as important as the amount we give. God loves a cheerful giver!

 

The Author  George M. Smart (Ohio, USA) - From the Upper Room

 

Thought for the Day  The more we give to others, the more we experience God’s goodness. 

 

Prayer

Dear God, thank you for the resources you have given us. We pray that we will invest them in your work and service and that we will do so generously and joyfully. Amen.

Prayer focusThose trying to decide to tithe

Good Neighbors

Read Leviticus 19:15-18

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

- Romans 12:18 (NIV)

 

From the moment we moved in, we knew that our neighbors were going to be difficult. They argued loudly, their dogs barked, and their music blared at all hours. Though we asked them to quiet down, our requests did little more than provoke them.

Their lifestyle and values differed from ours, and nothing seemed to bridge the gap. So we chose to distance ourselves. Weeks turned into years. Weary and frustrated, I asked God, “Why aren’t my prayers enough? Isn’t this situation ever going to change?”



Troubled, I searched the scriptures. I came across Jesus’ admonition, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39). The verse was familiar; but in my frustration and anger, I had forgotten that these neighbors were God’s people, just as I am. God’s words pierced my heart that day, reminding me to not only recite the commandments but to live them out. My neighbors did not change, but my attitude toward them did; and we were able to live peaceably beside them.

The Author  Deanna Baird (Michigan, USA) From the Upper Room

 

Thought for the Day    Love as Jesus loves.

Prayer

Dear Lord, open our hearts to love those you have placed in our lives. Amen.

Prayer focusNeighbors in conflict

Life’s Seasons

 

Read John 3:1-17

Jesus [said], “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”

- John 3:3 (NRSV)

 

The day after my brother’s funeral, a “Nor’Easter” blizzard blew in with winds that whipped the snow into twisting funnels. That was in April. The following day I trudged through the cemetery. It all seemed surreal: my brother’s death, me at his grave, and mounds of snow burying the flowers. Where was spring — the season we associate with rebirth, regeneration, and resurrection? When my brother died, I entered a season of severe depression. I was 40 years old and didn’t attend church or even worship God. But God still heard my desperate cries for help.


 A desire to attend church came over me, and I began searching the telephone directory. I made an appointment with a pastor for grief/spiritual counseling. In compassion, God had led me there, and I entered a new season of life when I heard the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.




My life and my spirit were transformed. I was born again.

Our loving and merciful God “desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4).
No matter what we’ve done, God offers each of us rebirth through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hope, redemption, and eternal life are God’s priceless gifts to us.

 

 The Author  Debra Pierce (Massachusetts, USA)  From the Upper Room

 Thought for the Day  No one is beyond the reach of God’s redeeming power.

Prayer

Thank you, loving God, for seeking us before we knew that we needed you. Amen.

Prayer focus   Someone grieving a recent death or about to

Do you have the right tools?

The Right Tools

Read 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

- Psalm 119:105 (NRSV)

 

I arrived at the kindergarten with my daughter and was asked to assemble some new furniture for the children. The screwdriver they gave me was too small and unsuitable for the job. It slipped out of the screw head several times and injured me. I went home and brought back more appropriate tools and completed the work without problem.


I often try to use the “wrong tools” in life, too. I try to handle tasks in my own way, relying on my own experience and knowledge, without direction from God. Too often things don’t work out; even worse, I get hurt. But when I use the right tools — reading and acting on the word of God and seeking God’s direction in prayer —

I can complete my tasks with pleasure. God has given us the tool of holy scripture as “a lamp to [our] feet and a light to [our] path.” It is a primary tool to help us keep our life together and make us strong and useful for God’s work.

The Author   Yevgeni Tarasov (Moscow, Russia) from the Upper Room

Thought for the Day

The Bible is a useful tool as we face life’s tasks.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for your word. Thank you that it gives answers to the questions we face and wisdom to preserve us from being overcome by the hurts and disappointments of life. Amen.

Judging Others

Read Romans 14:1-12

Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own Lord that they stand or fall.

- Romans 14:4 (NRSV)



 

My husband and I traveled to Israel with a Christian tour group. On the eighth day of our trip, we visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The Western Wall is a massive limestone wall where people come to pray. Men, women, and children of all ages and different religious traditions, dressed in all types of garb, were slowly moving to and from the wall.





 As I made my way to the wall to insert my prayer list in one of the crevices between the stones,

I noticed with great dismay a woman talking on a cell phone. Just like home, I thought. Here we are in a holy place, and she’s talking on the phone! Suddenly the woman moved the phone from her ear to the wall, held it there for a few moments, and then left quietly. She had been helping someone who couldn’t be present to be part of praying at the wall with others. I had just witnessed an expression of the faith of two individuals and a loving act. I often recall this event, and I’ve recounted it to others on several occasions. How many times in the course of a week or even a day do we judge before knowing all the facts? And for that matter, what right do we have to judge another at all?

 

 The Author -Diane Haviland (New Jersey, USA) - The Upper Room

Thought for the Day - Love one another -- and leave judgment to God. 

Prayer -

Dear Lord, help us not to judge but rather to listen and to help others. Amen.

Prayer focusFor peace in the Middle East

No law Against

“But the fruit of the Spirit

is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” -Galatians 5:22-23

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” -Colossians 3:12

Amplified: Clothe yourselves therefore, as God's own chosen ones (His own picked representatives), [who are] purified and holy and well-beloved [by God Himself, by putting on clothing representated by your behavior marked by] tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of yourselves, gentle ways, [and] patience [which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper]. (Amplified Bible - Lockman

Faithful Hearts

Read Acts 1:12-26

The king will answer them . . . “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”- Matthew 25:40 (NRSV)
 

My daughter, Kendria, asked, “Mom, who took Judas’s place after he died?” I answered confidently, “Matthias.” She considered this for a moment, then asked, “What did he ever do for Jesus?” I was stumped by the question of a six-year-old. I searched the Bible for other mentions of Matthias’s name but found nothing. However, when the disciples were discussing Judas’s replacement, they chose from those who had been with the group since the baptism of Jesus until the day that he ascended into heaven. They narrowed it down to two people, Justus and Matthias. Why were they considered? Scripture tells us that they had been with the group from the beginning; they were faithful — not flashy, just faithful.

 Taking a meal to a sick person, visiting someone in prison, serving in the church, volunteering to help with vacation Bible school, or spending time in prayer for church leaders may not seem like much. But these acts meet needs in the kingdom of God. God isn’t looking for people who make headlines; God is looking for those with faithful hearts. So, to paraphrase my daughter’s question, “What are you doing for Jesus?”

 

 

The Author - Diane Godair (North Carolina, USA) - from the Upper Room

Thought for the Day - What am I doing to honor Christ?

Prayer - Dear Lord, sometimes our efforts seem small. Help us realize that anything we do to help someone in need is done for you. Amen.

 

Prayer focusVolunteers

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.


For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” -2 Peter 1:5-8

Throw It Away?

 Read Hebrews 11:1-7

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

- Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

 

The African violet on top of my refrigerator had bloomed, and the purple flowers were beautiful. My son gave me the plant when he was eight years old, and the violet had never bloomed before. Many times over the years I thought I would throw it away because of its hopeless condition, but I didn’t.



Tears ran down my face as I thought about what God had done for my son. Five months earlier, he had entered a Christian recovery center for drug addicts. The transformation God has made in his life is miraculous. Jeremiah 29:11 says that God plans a future for us that is good and full of hope

I compared my son to the violet. As I had cared for the plant over the years, I had cared for my son by praying for him. Eventually, life and beauty came forth from both. If we throw away our hopes and dreams because the situation looks grim or change takes too long, we may miss what God is about to do. When we continue to trust, God works faithfully to accomplish good.

 

 The Author:  Suzanne Cooper (Missouri, USA) - The Upper Room

Thought for the Day:  In God’s kingdom, each of us will blossom and bear good fruit

Prayer:  Eternal Father, you promise that the desert will blossom and we will see your glory (Isa. 35:1-2). Help us by faith to see hope in the midst of gloom and to know that you can transform any life. Amen.

 

Prayer focus:  Families of those with addictions and cancer

Soul Tonic

Read Psalm 119:129-135

[Those who delight in the law of the LORD] “are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither.”

- Psalm 1:3 (NRSV)




 

As an older adult, I have set a goal to read more. My favorite reading material is the Bible. I firmly believe that reading scripture keeps my mind fresh and revitalizes my soul. For Sunday school, I read chapters related to the day’s lesson, though often I read them in a hurry. However, when I want to meditate on those chapters, I make it a point to start with a brief prayer. Then, with a dictionary nearby to help me find the meanings of words, I delve more deeply into the scripture. I take my time, often rereading a certain text several times to understand what God is saying to me. I find this reading to be a tonic for my soul. My thoughts continue to be nourished by the stories and promises of God — promises that require my commitment so that God’s work will be fulfilled in me. My prayer is that God’s Spirit will dwell in me and guide my actions as I live each day obedient to what I hear as I reflect on God’s word.

 

The Author:  Maria Refugio Quevedo (California, USA) -from the Upper Room

Thought for the Day

Reading scripture revives the soul. Link2Life: Check to see what your church can do to insure that Bibles in large print are readily available in local retirement or assisted living centers.

Prayer:  Thank you, God, for your word. Grant us hunger to read it more and joy as we read. In Christ’s name. Amen.

 

Prayer focus:  For greater hunger to read the Bible

Where Is Your Samaria?

Read Luke 6:27-36

Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
 
upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea

 and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

- Acts 1:8 (NRSV)

 

I think Jesus deliberately included Samaria in the commission given in today’s quoted scripture. Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along. In fact, Jews of Jesus’ time avoided traveling through Samaria even if it meant a much longer journey. Samaritans were people Jews wanted to avoid. So it could not have been an accident that Jesus told the disciples to reach out to them.

 Considering this, I ask myself, Who are the Samaritans in my life?

We live in a fractious and hateful time, one filled with harsh language that often vilifies people who are on the other side of an issue. But Jesus demonstrated a different way. He went through Samaria, not around it. He visited with a Samaritan at a well (John 4). He held up a Samaritan as a model for being a true neighbor (Luke 10).

In other words, he looked for opportunities to build bridges of understanding and love rather than building walls of division. Where is my Samaria? That’s where I need to go. Am I building bridges of understanding and love, as Jesus calls me to do, or am I saying and doing things that help to build walls of separation? And what about you? Where is your Samaria? Read more from Dan on The Upper Room blog today.

 

The Author  Dan Johnson (Florida, USA) from the Upper Room

Thought for the Day Where is Jesus sending me?

Prayer   Dear Jesus, help us to follow your command and reach out in love to those we would rather avoid. Amen.

Unending

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God,




keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” -Deuteronomy 7:

Heart transplant

The psalmist wrote, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.”

- Psalm 51:10 (NRSV)

I saw a television news story about a 68-year-old Israeli man who, after 10 years of serious heart disease, had received a heart transplant. The donor was a young Russian man who had died in tragic circumstances. He had been killed on the street. A year after the operation the man was able to meet with the mother of the person who had given him life. The meeting was very emotional. The woman asked if she could press her ear to his chest so that she could hear the beating heart of her son.


 Twenty years ago I was also dying — but in a spiritual sense. Then I, too, had a heart transplant. Here is how the prophet Ezekiel described my operation: “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezek. 36:26). My donor, my Savior who gave his life for me, is Christ Jesus.

He also died in tragic circumstances. He was killed on the cross. I received from my donor a new heart. Now the heart of my Savior beats in my chest, and I sing praises to the risen Christ!

 

 

The Author  Irina Ivanova (Pskov, Russia)  from the Upper Room

Thought for the Day -  Listen for Jesus above the noise of the world.

Prayer

Lord Christ, you saved us. You gave us eternal life. Praise and glory be to you forever. Amen

Wherever life may take us

Always Home

Read Psalm 139:1-10

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.

- Psalm 90:1 (NIV)

 

When someone asks our sons where they are from, they have no quick and simple answer. This is because their father’s career sent our family packing every few years — from Hawaii to California to Texas to Virginia and several points in between. We really have no place we can call our hometown.




Yet in all these places we consistently felt the presence of God, finding our true and permanent home among fellow believers. The buildings, sizes of the congregations, and worship schedules varied; and the local speech patterns and accents changed. But these differences were slight compared with the common bond we shared. The fellowship we find with God’s people has given us stability, comfort, and security wherever we have lived. Society seems more transient than ever with continual changes in location, careers, health and financial circumstances, and family structure. Few people manage to live long without enduring some major life changes and the stresses that come with them. Like the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness, we may feel as if we are strangers in this world. What a comfort to know that we cannot move beyond the reach and love of God!

 

 The Author Julia Denton (Virginia, USA)

Thought for the Day  Wherever life may take us, God has been there before us.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help us to feel your presence wherever we go and to find our true home in your love with your people. Amen.
 

Prayer focusThose facing relocation

Who’s Keeping Records?

 

Read Matthew 18:23-35

[Love] keeps no record of wrongs - The Upper Room

- 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)

My husband is a careful record keeper. He tracks our monthly expenses and his students’ grades. He records the scores of his favorite football team year by year. Some records are important to keep; others are fun to keep.

However, I’m glad that some records God doesn’t keep at all. When we repent of our sins, God forgives us and removes our transgressions “as far as the east is from the west” (Ps. 103:12). I love to think that God has wiped my sin record clean, but sometimes I’m reluctant to do the same for others. It’s easy for me to keep a mental list of grievances. I recall times that people have hurt me with unkind words or actions. I see their faces; I remember what they said. Am I a secret record-keeper?

When God has blotted out my transgressions, why do I hold on to hurts done to me? By God’s grace, I resolve to stop my record keeping and to forgive as God has forgiven me.

 

The Author Marion Speicher Brown (Florida, USA)

 

Thought for the Day

Because God is willing to forgive me, I can and will forgive others. Link2Life: Keep a record of God’s kindnesses to you this month. (See Ps. 51:1; Isa. 43:25.)

Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for blotting out our sins. Give us grace to erase the record of wrongs done to us, as we pray, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us” (Luke 11:4). Amen.