The Second Day

For about twenty minutes, our house was silent this afternoon. Everyone else was out and about -- shopping, visiting neighbors, working outside in the beautiful 60 degree weather. Even the dog was quiet, sound asleep on the chair. It was just me sitting in the living room, sipping tea and basking in the peaceful calm.

Earlier this morning, I had read a post from Miriam Rockness on Lilias Trotter's view of Easter Eve. Titled "Holy Hush," both writers described the meaning of the Saturday -- the second day -- and how we focus so much on Good Friday and then the third day, Resurrection Sunday, that we do not often pause to consider Saturday. I had skimmed through the post, thought it was interesting, and then went about my daily tasks, pushing it to the peripheral of my busy thoughts.

As I sat a few minutes ago in the silence, the post came back to me and I started to ponder what it really meant. Granted, Resurrection Sunday is not to be diminished in any way -- it is the celebration of Christ's great victory, without which we have absolutely no hope (I Corinthians 15:12-22). Yet we should still remember Saturday, the hours where Christ's body lay in the grave in order that He might rise on Sunday morn. If there had been no death, there would have been no resurrection.

What must have the disciples thought? Did they fall into despair, thinking all was lost? Or did they remember Christ's promise that He would rise again on the third day and that death was necessary for this to happen? I love how Phillips, Craig, and Dean describe it in "Saved the Day."

Christ's death and the shedding of His blood was the necessary requirement to pay for our sins (Hebrews 9:22) and after death, came the resurrection and the triumph over Satan and death.

And so, we too, because of what Christ did for us, have been buried with Him and now are alive, walking in newness of life. (n.b., the following verses speak not of physical water baptism, but of the spiritual baptism that occurs at the moment of salvation).

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized

into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?

Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism

into death: that like as Christ was raised up from

the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also

should walk in newness of life. For if we have been

planted together in the likeness of His death,

we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection:

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him,

that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we

should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall

also live with Him. Now if we be dead with Christ, we

believe that we shall also live with Him: knowing that

Christ being raised for the dead dieth no more;

death hath no dominion over Him."

- Romans 6:3-9

 

For a few moments today, take time and be still before Christ.

 

Remember what He has done for you, what He accomplished on the cross for you and for me. On Saturday, as Robert Lowry's great hymn says, "Low in the grave He lay, Jesus My Savior, waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!" Then, on Sunday, "Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o'er His foes, He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever, with His saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ Arose!"


On Calvary's Cross

I have a Saviour; though I sought

Through earth and air and sea

 I could not find a word, a thought,

To show Him worthily.

But planted here in rock and moss

I see the Sign of utmost loss;

I hear a word - "On Calvary's Cross

Love gave Himself for thee."

- Amy Carmichael

 

 

Love gave Himself for me -- fallen, helpless, miserable, rebellious, sinful, and utterly selfish me. He was bruised for my iniquities,  wounded for my transgressions, and died alone all so that anyone could have eternal life, simply by trusting in His finished work on Calvary. As the beautiful hymn "Before the Throne of God Above" says, "Because the sinless Saviour died, my sinful soul is counted free. For God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me."

 

I deserve eternity in hell, but I will live forever in heaven. I deserve God's justice yet I walk in oceans of grace. What amazing love! Surely there is no greater kind and surely since I have been the recipient of such love, how can I not give "my soul, my life, my all" to Him?

 

It pleased the Lord to bruise Him: He hath put Him to grief.

~ Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father,

save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

Father, glorify Thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven,

saying, "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."

~ Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me:

nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done. And there

appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

~ Being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself,

and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

~ Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life,

that I might take it again. ~ For I came down from heaven,

not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.

~ The cup which My Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

~The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things

that please Him. ~ My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

~ Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteth.

 

Isaiah 53:10 ~ John 12:27-28 ~ Luke 22:42-43 ~ Philippians 2:8

~ John 10:17 ~ John 6:38 ~ John 18:11

~ John 8:29 ~ Matthew 3:17 ~ Isaiah 42:1



Peace

"The fruit of the Spirit is...peace."

 

 

"To be spiritually minded is life and peace ~ God hath called us to peace

~ Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world

giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it

be afraid ~ The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,

that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

~ I know Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to

keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day 

~ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee:

because he trusteth in Thee. ~ The work of righteousness shall be

peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance

forever. And My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation,

and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places ~ Whoso hearkeneth

unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

~ Great peace have they which love Thy law."

 

 

Galatians 5:22 ~ Romans 8:6 ~ I Corinthians 7:15 ~ John 14:27

~ Romans 15:13 ~ Isaiah 26:3 ~ Isaiah 32:17-18 ~ Proverbs 1:33

~ Psalm 119:165

The Divine Sieve

 

It was nine o’clock last night and I was seeing the error message for the umpteenth time. Nothing I tried was working. I was frustrated.

One lucent example of our Father’s love is how He often first teaches us the lesson and then provides the practical situation for us to live out what we have just learned.

Mere moments after I had posted yesterday on blessings and the importance of being thankful, the Lord tested my grateful heart and I am ashamed to say that my gratitude drained away quite fast.

You see, Microsoft Word on my laptop proceeded to quit working. Granted, I did not really need it last night, but my next three block classes start soon. While Microsoft Office is certainly a wonderful tool and probably falls in the category of luxury for most people, it is somewhat imperative for online students. We do nearly everything in Word: discussion posts and responses, lecture notes, papers, and so on.

So, yes, I panicked.

Then my conscience pricked me. It’s not the worst thing in the world by a long shot. You just finished counting your blessings. Is there anything you can be thankful for here?

Yes, I had to admit there was. First, I am on spring break. There are no assignments that need to be completed. Second, the semester does not start until Monday. That gives me four days to solve the problem. Third, God is still in control. He allowed the malfunction.

In my devotions yesterday morning, I read Chapter XII in Hannah Whitall Smith’s The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life. The title of the chapter?

“Is God in Everything?”

Mrs. Smith writes that Christians have a tendency to submit easier to trials and tribulations they know come from God, but difficulty in submitting to trials that come through other humans.

We know that God is obviously not the author of evil or confusion (I Corinthians 14:33), but He does allow these things to touch our lives.

The solution, Mrs. Smith states, “is to see God in everything, and to receive everything directly from His hands, with no intervention of second causes; and it is to just this that we must be brought, before we can know an abiding experience of entire abandonment and perfect trust. Our abandonment must be to God, not to man; and our trust must be in Him, not in any arm of flesh, or we shall fail at the first trial.”

Psalm 16 says, “The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot” (vs. 5). The Lord maintains our lot – He makes it secure. He is the divine sieve through which everything that touches our lives must first pass. “To the children of God, everything comes directly from their Father’s hand, no matter who or what may have been the apparent agents.”

Mrs. Smith continues, “Second causes must all be under the control of our Father, and not one of them can touch us except with His knowledge and by His permission. It may be the sin of man that originates the action, and therefore the thing itself cannot be said to be the will of God; but by the time it reaches us it has become God’s will for us, and must be accepted as directly from His hands. No man or company of men, no power in earth or heaven, can touch that soul which is abiding in Christ, without first passing through His encircling presence, and receiving the seal of His permission.”

Is that not incredibly comforting? We can rest in utter peace, knowing all is under our Father’s control. Nothing that reaches me has not passed through His hands first.

Furthermore, this truth applies to all of life, right down to the tiniest little disappointments, frustrations, and trials that we face. “He, who counts the very hairs of our hands, and suffers not a sparrow to fall without Him, takes note of the minutest matters that can affect the lives of His children, and regulates them all according to His own perfect will, let their origin be what they may.”

The Apostle Paul commands us to “walk in love” (Ephesians 5:2) “forbearing one another” (Colossians 3:13), doing all things “without murmurings and disputings” (Philippians 2:14), and letting “the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15). If we adopt the perspective of knowing all comes to us through the sieve of His love, we will be better equipped to live out these commands.

“Nothing else but this seeing God in everything, will make us loving and patient with those who annoy and trouble us. They will be to us then only the instruments for accomplishing His tender and wise purposes toward us, and we shall even find ourselves at last inwardly thanking them for the blessings they bring. Nothing else will completely put an end to all murmuring or rebelling thoughts. Christians often feel at liberty to murmur against man, when they would not dare to murmur against God. Therefore this way of receiving things would make it impossible ever to murmur. If our Father permits a trial to come, it must be because the trial is the sweetest and best thing that could happen to us, and we must accept it with thanks from His dear hand.”

We must also remember, that when He allows things to flow through His sieve, He also gives us the grace and strength to confront them. His grace, ever-flowing and all-sufficient, is always there. With that perspective, we can truly “in everything give thanks” (I Thessalonians 5:18).

“Lord, may I today go quietly about the work You have set me to do, trusting your absolute control of my life, unafraid of what happens today or what may happen tomorrow. I worship You,  my Lord and my King. You are my strength.”

- Elisabeth Elliot