A New Beginning

A New Beginning

by pastor Brenda El-Talabani

Note: This week’s devotional entries all pertain to the events of Passion Week, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

Read Luke 23:44-49

“All those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.” (Luke 23:49).

Can you imagine Jesus’ closest friends, the disciples, standing there beholding their Teacher, their Friend, hanging on a cross, their hearts and minds not fully being able to understand that this was not the end of Him?  I am so glad that God knew what the rest of the story would be!  God knew and Jesus knew that this was changing history; this was demonstrating the love and power of God over sin.  As you celebrate Easter, I hope you will take time to reflect on the following passages of scripture.  I hope that you will pray and allow the Holy Spirit to speak deeply to your soul, realizing the sacrifice that God made in sending Jesus to die on the Cross.  I want God to make it so real to me, that I can understand more deeply of how it was the beginning not the end.  Believe with me that Jesus rose from the grave; He is Risen indeed!

Luke 24:5b-6 “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!”
Luke 24:23 “They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive!”
Mark 16:6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said.  “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.  He has risen! He is not here.”
Romans 8:11 “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
I Corinthians 15:4 “He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.”

 

Blessings to you and your family as we celebrate that He is Risen indeed!  Take time to reflect on the questions below as you think of and cherish the Father we have in heaven, who wanted so much to bridge the gap between you and Him that He would send His only Son, Jesus, to bridge that gap giving each of us a new beginning.

My prayer for you today is Ephesians 1:18-21 (ERV):

 “I pray that God will open your minds to see his truth.  Then you will know the hope that he has chosen us to have.  You will know that the blessings God has promised his holy people are rich and glorious.  And you will know that God’s power is very great for us who believe.  It is the same as the mighty power  he used to raise Christ from death and put him at his right side in the heavenly places. He put Christ over all rulers, authorities, powers, and kings.  He gave him authority over everything that has power in this world or in the next world.”

Reflect on these questions with someone else or on your own:

  1. What do I need God to reveal to me today about my readiness to open my mind to see His truth?
  2. Do I truly believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection was a new beginning for me?  Have I laid myself and my all at the foot of the cross?
  3. Reflecting on your answers to questions above, where do I go from here? If this is my new beginning, what is the Holy Spirit revealing for my life, my actions, my words, my . . . ?