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John 17:8

For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.

TO PONDER:

It was a lesson learned early on while training to be a Pastor. I was serving on vicarage, and had one of those call outs on Saturday night to the hospital where I spent four or so hours with the family of a young person who was dying, By the time I got home, it was 4am and just a few hours later I was in the pulpit sharing God's Word. I was exhausted. I could barely keep my eyes open and my mind was functioning properly. So much so, that by the time I got to the announcements at the end of the service, I think I said something like 'Join us for a wup of cloflee in the hall. In trying to correct myself, I made it even worse. Yet on the way over to a hall, a dear old lady pulled me aside and said, "Thank you so much for what you said this morning. it was just what I needed to hear because this week....'

In any given situation, God will give us the words to speak...on a phone call...in an email...in a conversation. It's not about you and I thinking that we are giving the right or wrong words, God will use our voice to speak his truth to the hearts and lives of those he has prepared for the message. Be confident of this...be certain that God is using you and sending you! Be certain that God is speaking through you! The resurrection says it's true.

PRAYER:

Lord Jesus. help me live with the certainty that every situation you push me out into today, you will also give me the words to say. Amen.

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Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

TO PONDER:

It was my first A-Grade football game as a 17 year old. The internal gymnastics were putting in a gold medal performance as I pulled on the “53” guernsey. Just before heading out, Thiels, Wildy and “Dog”, three of the most senior players, surrounded me and “Dog” grabbed my shoulder. “Just go out there and play hard. We’ve got your back. Got it!”. Only a few short words, but I ran onto the oval a little taller, because of what I knew. These guys had my back.

How confident are you as you run out into life? Do you have an abundance of confidence, excited about the journey or do you struggle to even get out of the changerooms? The Psalmist knows the journey of life is difficult. There are times when we doubt and lack the confidence required to make decisions. Times when we truly wonder if God will meet all our needs.

In those times, reflect on the faithfulness of God. God is our security and our well-being. He is near to us. He won’t ever abandon us, not even in death. Confidence comes from who you know. When life is unpredictable and uncertain, God is not. He's got your back, your front, your life, in his hands forever. That gives more than enough confidence to run out and play the game with joy, whatever might happen.

What specific times in your life can you recall knowing God had your back?

PRAYER:

Lord God, thank you for having my back throughout life. Amen.

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1 Peter 2:9-10

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

TO PONDER:

We’ve all witnessed it. Most of us have experienced it. The young boy’s hand is up so high. “Pick me.” The girl’s hand is waving back and forth, trying to get noticed. “Pick me. ” But he’s overlooked. She’s not seen. They are not chosen.

It doesn’t change as we get older. We see it played out in reality television where it is all about getting picked, being noticed, having the best room, securing the red rose, playing the smartest game. The hurt is still real when you are picked last, not noticed, overlooked or even rejected. Maybe you are hearing the constant whisper of the enemy right now that says, “I am not important. I don’t belong. I must not be good enough. Nobody sees me.”

Don’t believe the lies. God has picked you. In Christ, you are noticed. You are loved. You are accepted. You are chosen. You have a place. You have a purpose. You have an identity and a destiny. You have a ministry. You have a God who declares it is so. Let him tell you again and again until you roll your eyes because you’ve heard it so many times. Then you just might start believing it. And that’s both empowering and life-changing.

What does it mean for you that God has not only picked you but has a place and a purpose for you?

PRAYER

Lord God, don’t ever stop telling me that you have chosen me because I’m so quick to forget. Amen.

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Acts 13:32-33a

“We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.

TO PONDER

Even if you don’t follow Rugby, you would have heard of the “All Blacks”, New Zealand’s National Team. How they build the culture and ethos of the team is incredibly fascinating. When a player makes the All Blacks team, they’re given a small black book. On the first page there is a jersey from the 1905 Originals, the first tour. On the next page is another jersey of the “1924 Invincibles”. It continues on, telling the story to the present day, sharing the history, the ethos, the values that characterise those who pull on the jersey. The end of the book includes blank pages, waiting to be filled by the debutant. “This is your time…write your legacy…leave the jersey in a better place.”

Paul’s first recorded sermon here in Acts does a similar thing. He shares and passes on the story of God at work in the world that he has received. He connects Jews and Gentiles alike with his-story, culminating in the resurrection of Jesus. It’s a story that continues to shape, transform, influence, impact and give identity to each generation. It’s a story that includes you. How will you continue to pass on and leave the jersey of faith in a better place for others? This is your time.

What will you write on the blank pages of life that leave a legacy for others to know his story and discover their place in his story

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, help me faithfully write the next chapter of your story in my life. Amen.

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Ephesians 2:4-5

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (verses 4-5)

TO PONDER:

There was a knock at the front door. It was a neighbour. “Would you mind looking at my mower. It won’t start.”

On first appearance it looked alright. A few dents and scratches but okay. I gave it a few pulls. There was nothing. I checked the spark plug to see if there was spark. Nothing. Changed the spark plug. Still nothing. No spark. No life. Dead.

Paul offers the same diagnosis about people in relationship to God. No spark. No life. Dead. That’s the result of disobedience, the consequence of sin. Like the mower, we might look okay. Not in perfect condition; a few dents and scratches, but basically we’re good people. The reality is, however, when something is dead, it’s dead. I can pull the motor over a thousand times, but if there is no spark, it won’t start. If there is no life in you, you can’t fix the problem.

But God can. He diagnosed the problem and fixed it, sending his Son to save us. Jesus gives us what we need; a new heart, a new spark, a new life. It’s nothing you did or earned. God gives it to you as a gift of his grace.

As for my neighbour’s mower – a new coil and it too, roared into life again.

How are you making the most of the new life you’ve been given?

PRAYER:

Merciful God, by your grace, help me roar into life again for you each day. Amen.

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Isaiah 45:5

I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.

TO PONDER:

“What will it take?” It was the question of a husband to his wife, throwing his hands in the air as they sat opposite me. “What will it take to prove to you that I genuinely love you?”

In Isaiah 45, you can hear God asking, “What will it take?” “What will it take to prove that I love you; for you to confess that I am the Lord? The Creation of the world? Dividing the Red Sea so you can walk through and be free from slavery? Giving power to an evil king like Cyrus to enact my plans for your deliverance?”

From Genesis to Revelation, it’s clear there is no other God who acts for the sake of a world he loves and a people he will never abandon or forget. There is no other deliverer or way out of exile. Only God is able to orchestrate and weave a plan to rescue people so they can truly live with him now and forever. So what more will it take to convince the world that he is God alone? What more will it take for you to believe and live as one who is deeply loved? He’s given his own Son who died and has risen for you. Is that enough?

PRAYER

Lord God, you are God alone. Thank you for revealing the extent of your love for me. May my lips and life proclaim the truth of that love. Amen.

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John 20:16a

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

TO PONDER:

All it takes is a word. One word to change the mood. One word which throbs in your head like the subwoofer at the party next door when you are trying to sleep. One single word to blanket your world with darkness. “Dead.”

For Mary Magdalene, the grief of losing Jesus was deep. She’s distraught. Her weeping is unrelenting and unrestrained. The Gospel-writer says Mary goes to the tomb while it is dark, not dawn like the other Gospels. Her grief is so intense, she can’t sleep. It’s dark outside. It’s dark inside. In the midst of that despair, in the darkest moment of life, the Risen One reveals himself. One word changes the mood. One word draws back the curtain of darkness and allows light to flood in. One single word transforms despair into hope, sorrow into joy, a cemetery of memories into a garden of new beginnings. "Mary."

"Mary." Jesus comes to her. Jesus knows her name. Jesus calls her name. That changes everything. Resurrection is personal.

Today is your day. The resurrected Lord calls your name. There is no sorrow he cannot transform. No sin he has not redeemed. No darkness he cannot lift. No life he will not restore. Today, the risen Jesus comes with a single word. “ _________” (Fill in your name). Because for Jesus, it’s personal.

PRAYER

Risen Lord Jesus, this is the day that you have made. I will rejoice and be glad in it, because you have come and called me personally by name. Amen.

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Matthew 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.” Matthew 28:10

TO PONDER:

Go home. Move on. There's nothing to see here. That's the message of the resurrection. Everything God promised, he has fulfilled. Everything God began. He has finished. Go home. There's nothing to see at the empty tomb. Stop hangoing around it.. Stop letting the obstacles of past hurt, past circumstances, past guilt, past shame slow you down or stall your life completely. Go home and live. Go home restored. Go home alive. Go home and in the everyday, ordinary routines of life, see Jesus. In the complexities of life, see Jesus, alive and at work in you. In complications, see Jesus making a way and leading to victory.

When life has stalled, when life has you caught in a jam, look to Jesus, for he will clear every blockage that allows your journey to flow again, move again quickly. Go home and see resurrection bring healing to hurt relationships through the power of love and a willingness to forgive. See Jesus and his resurrection life flourish, as you give your life away to others rather than living for yourself. See Jesus as you choose his way of grace and humility and service rather than demanding your own way. See Jesus as you gather around your table with family and friends and experience laughter, and friendship and acceptance. See Jesus as you carry the crosses of hardship and struggle and heartbreak, knowing that they will never have the ultimate word in your life, that every cross will flower with new life, that the road ahead will clear. Go home and see Jesus. Happy Easter

PRAYER

Risen Lord Jesus, give me courage to go home and live because you are alive and with us. Amen.

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Matthew 27:57-60

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

TO PONDER

An unexpected visitor appears on the scene after Jesus’ death and provides an honourable burial place for someone tried and killed as a criminal. I wonder if there’s a lesson there – that following Jesus, the unexpected will occur.

The body of Jesus is given an unused tomb, and then blocked. With a rock. It was a big rock. It weighed between 1-2 tonnes, and usually needed two people to roll it into place. The body of Jesus is locked away. This was to keep grave robbers away. It was to keep people out. To stop the disciples from grabbing the body. No trespassers. Or was it perhaps, to stop scripture being fulfilled, that on third day, that the grave would be empty? Was it to keep Jesus in?

Is there a rock in your life preventing Jesus from getting in? He’s knocking, you know. Or is your life a little closed currently? Is it similar to the lyrics of the classic Dave Edmunds rock song, ‘I hear you knocking, but you can’t come in’?

Rock or no rock, Jesus wants to be in relationship with you. He wants to connect with you and listen to whatever is troubling you. He wants to remind you that he is the rock, and your name is on the roll.

PRAYER

As we await the blessings of Easter Sunday, prepare our hearts Lord, for that amazing story and celebration. Give us a restful night, so that we can rejoice with the world in the morning. Thank you for wanting to know us. Help us let you! Amen

Today's devotion written by Mark Simpfendorfer, LifeWay Epping.

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