Daily Readings at Southeast

  ON SUNDAY It had been three days since the crucifixion. Jesus had promised that on the third day he would rise (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:34). Friday was day one. Saturday was day two. Friday evening was quiet. Saturday was sad. On Friday the devils danced. On Saturday the demons feasted. On Friday the disciples fled. On Saturday they wept. On Friday heaven’s finest Son died and was buried. On Saturday he spoke not a word. On Friday the angels lowered their heads. On Saturday they kept their vigil. But on Sunday, on the third day, in the predawn hours, in the heart of Joseph’s tomb, the heart of Jesus began to beat. Oh, to have seen the moment. To have heard the sudden intake of air. To have observed the eyes of Jesus blink open and seen a smile. Don’t you know a smile spread across the Victor’s face! The first breath of Christ meant the final breath of death. Scripture:  Mark 10:34

  TWO DISCIPLES As the sun set on Friday, two disciples prepared the body of Jesus for burial: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Both men were affluent. Both were city leaders. Both were stealth followers who went public with their faith in the final days. They had nothing to gain in this act of service. As far as they knew, they would be the final people to see their Savior. They prepared a dead body for burial, not a soon-to-be-risen body for a miracle. They doused linen strips in a hundred pounds of burial spices (John 19:39), which was “enough spices for the burial of a king.” Then they swaddled the corpse until it was tightly secure. Upon completion of their work, the two men carried the body to the graveyard and placed it in an unused tomb. At the insistence of the religious leaders, Pilate stationed guards at the tomb. They were told to keep the disciples out. No one mentioned the need of keeping Jesus in. Scripture: John 19:38-39

  A MUSTARD-SEED CONFESSION Do you believe this, Martha?” Look to whom Jesus asked this question: a bereaved, heartbroken sister. Look at where Jesus stood as he asked this question: a cemetery. Look at when Jesus asked this question: four days too late. Lazarus, his friend, was four days dead, four days buried. Maybe she answered with the conviction of a triumphant angel, fists pumping the air. Give her reply a dozen exclamation marks if you want, but I don’t. I hear a meek “Yes, Lord . . . I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God” (v. 27 NLT). Martha wasn’t ready to say Jesus could raise the dead. Even so, she gave him a triple tribute: “the Messiah,” “the Son of God,” and “the one who has come into the world.” She mustered a mustard-seed confession. Her expression of belief was enough for Jesus. Yours is too. Scripture: John 11:25-26

  KING OF EVERY SITUATION When crowds of people came to Christ for healing, “ One by one  he placed his hands on them and healed them” (Luke 4:40 MSG, emphasis mine). Had Jesus chosen to do so, he could have proclaimed a cloud of healing blessings to fall upon the crowd. But he is not a one-size-fits-all Savior. He placed his hands on each one, individually, personally. Perceiving unique needs, he issued unique blessings. A precise prayer gives Christ the opportunity to remove all doubt about his love and interest. Your problem becomes his pathway. The challenge you face becomes a canvas upon which Christ can demonstrate his finest work. So offer a simple prayer and entrust the problem to Christ. Believe that Jesus is king of each and every situation. Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

  WHAT’S IN YOUR BASKET? Jesus didn’t have to use the boy’s bread. He could have turned the nearby bushes into fruit trees. He could have caused the Galilean sea to spew out an abundance of fish. Instead, he chose to use the single basket of the small boy. What’s in your basket? All you have is a wimpy prayer? Give it. All you have is a meager skill? Use it. All you have is an apology? Offer it. It’s not for you and me to tell Jesus our gift is too small. God can take a small thing and do a big thing. God used the whimper of baby Moses to move the heart of Pharaoh’s daughter. He used David’s sling and stone to overthrow the mighty Goliath. He used three nails and a crude cross to redeem humanity. If God can turn a basket into a buffet, don’t you think he can do something with your five loaves and two fishes of faith? Scripture: John 6:8-9 John 6:11

  OUR PROBLEMS MATTER TO HEAVEN Jesus was at a wedding when Mary, his mother, came to him with a problem. “They have no more wine” (John 2:3). Folks in first-century Palestine knew how to throw a party. Weddings lasted as long as seven days. Food and wine were expected to last just as long. So Mary was concerned when she saw the servants scraping the bottom of the wine barrel. We are not told the reason for the shortage. But we are told how it was replenished. Mary presented the problem. Christ was reluctant. Mary deferred. Jesus reconsidered. He commanded. The servants obeyed. The sommelier sipped and said something about their squirreling away the best wine for the farewell toasts. Mary smiled at her Son. Jesus raised a glass to his mother, and we are left with this message: our diminishing supplies, no matter how insignificant, matter to heaven. Scripture: Ephesians 3:20

  THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE John’s gospel could well have been subtitled  That You May Believe . Why tell about the water-to-wine miracle? So you would believe that Jesus can restore what life has taken. Why tell about the lame man who took up his mat or the blind man who washed the mud from his eyes? That you might believe in a Jesus who sees a new version of us and gives new vision to us. Why walk on water, feed the thousands, and raise the dead? That you would believe God still calms the storms of life, still solves the problems of life, and still brings the dead to life. Need grace? Jesus’ work of redemption is still finished. Need reassurance that it’s all true? The tomb is still empty. Need a second chance? The coal fire is still burning on the Galilean shore. All these events stand together as one voice, cheering you on, calling on you to believe that this miracle-working God cares for you, fights for you, and will come to your aid. Scripture: John 2:11

How to Pass the Test The natural water supply in Laodicea was neither hot, like the springs of Hieropolis to its north, nor cold, like the springs of nearby Colosse, but rather it was a tepid and lazy stream. The church in Laodicea was wealthy, but spiritually it was like its water supply: lukewarm, because the people didn't feel they needed God. In the eyes of God, Laodicea had been tested and found wanting. Christian financial planner, author and CEO Ron Blue relates how money can test our faith. “Money may also serve as a test - financially, practically, and spiritually. The writer of Proverbs grasped the significance of this truth when he wrote, '[Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God]' (Pr 30:8-9). Thomas Carlyle, the British historian and essayist, said, 'Adversity is hard on a man, but for ...

Rule of Love In this chapter Paul has drawn the outline of the new self that each Christian is to put on. It is a self ruled by the love of Jesus (see Col 3:14), characterized by forgiveness, harmony, peace and thanksgiving. Paul's overarching rule of life is that every word and every deed be done in the name of Jesus (see Col 3:17). Following such a rule affects our outlook on life. We begin to wake each morning with the sense that we are serving Jesus himself. It is this rule of love that Clement of Rome (c. 40-c. 97), a first-century contemporary of the apostles, describes. “Who can describe the [blessed] bond of the love of God? What man is able to tell the excellence of its beauty, as it ought to be told? The height to which love exalts is unspeakable. Love unites us to God. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love beareth all things, is long-suffering in all things. There is nothing biased, nothing arrogant in love. Love admits of no schisms: love gives rise to no seditions; lov...

Stewards of God's Good Things Paul is cautioning the Colossians not to stray from the gospel of freedom in Christ and not to listen to those who would submit them to restraints of man-made religious rules. For example, Paul warns against asceticism (see Col 2:21), a renunciation of the material world that denies the body and holds that bodily pleasure is a source of sin. For Christians today, as in Paul's day, the issue is complex. How does one live in the world and properly steward physical pleasures? The culture in the current Western world tends more toward hedonism rather than asceticism. Hedonism is the philosophy that people should deny themselves nothing because the material world is all there is. The answer for Christians is balance. Neither extreme is acceptable nor Biblical. We can enjoy the good gifts of God, but we are to use them in ways that glorify God and that conform to Jesus's commands to love others and ourselves. But what does that look like, practically...

Stewards of Unity Paul is asking his readers to live together in the unity of the Spirit, to be a fellowship of believers who love, support, encourage and help one another. Author, speaker and church planter John White (1924-2002) says, 'It is not possible to exaggerate the importance of your fellowship with you fellow Christians. You need their love. You need their discipline. They need yours.' White cites the prayer of Jesus in John 17:20-23, in which Jesus prayed specifically for the unity of his followers. Jesus' reason? 'That the world may believe' (Jn 17:21). White continues: “For the church was to be left on earth for that purpose; that the world might believe. Power in testimony is evidently not something that the church can possess as a sort of separate package; it cannot exist alone. The church that convinces men that there is a God in heaven is a church that manifests what only a heavenly God can do, that is to unite human beings in heavenly love. Whereve...

Regular Giving In this passage Paul is speaking to the Corinthians about two of his greatest passions: providing for the ministry of the Word and caring for the poor. Paul is particular about the principle of regular giving; he asks the Corinthians to set aside a certain amount every week in proportion to each person's prosperity, so that the money will be ready and available when he arrives. This principle is still valid today. Christian stewardship and fundraising professional Wesley K. Willmer explains why this discipline is important.  “Once we establish the importance of giving to God first, we need to set up practical ways to ensure that we are faithful in our resolve. Often we have good intentions, but are tripped up by a lack of discipline in our method of giving! We can order our lives to set aside a portion of our money for God, a portion for our savings, and a portion for spending. In fact, some people open additional bank accounts in order to separate money to be given ...

Stewards of Worship Paul gives instruction to the Corinthian church so that all can be edified. After the opening verse of the passage, the rest of the text seems to stress the need for and manner of evaluating the use of spiritual gifts. That, too, is crucial to Christian stewardship. Early church father Justin Martyr (c. 100-c. 165) provides a portrait of the early church service that is characterized by order, inclusivity and generosity. “The memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits. Then when the reader ceases, the president in a discourse admonishes and urges the imitation of those good things. Next we all rise together and send up prayers. And, as I said before, when we cease from our prayer, bread is presented and wine and water. The president in the same manner sends up prayers and thanksgiving according to his ability, and the people sing out their assent saying the 'Amen.' A distribution and participation of the element...