Do you accept the proof?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ©

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.
(Acts 17:31 (NIV))

Far too many people simply think of Jesus as the baby in the manger. They see the sweet innocence and gladly embrace a child. Some even fully embrace that He was sent by God.

Some see more than this.

Some see a teacher. Some see a prophet. Some see a martyr. Some see even more than this.

I fully embrace the description that the Bible gives to Jesus. This is a combination of Old Testament prophecy that is mirrored in New Testament fulfillment. I see Jesus as all of these things and more. He was a sweet and innocent babe. He was a teacher. He was a prophet. He was a martyr in that He came to die for our sins. But, there is more.

He is God’s only begotten Son. He is the son of man. He is both fully God and fully human. Jesus came to teach us. He came to show us God’s plan for salvation. He came to die so that plan of salvation could be realized. He died and was buried. On the third day, He arose again to being hope and fulfill the promises that had been made. He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father, and He will return to judge the world.

There, I said it. Too many people simply do not want to admit that God’s plan also includes a day of judgment. They don’t want to admit that there will be consequences for their actions.

Think about that for a moment, though.

Who would you rather be judged by – a perfect Creator in God, or God who became human so that He could fully understand our temptations? In order for God to set a day of judgment, He had to have appointed someone to act as judge. He had to appoint someone to act as a mediator between Himself and sinful man. He had to come into this world to live as we live and to set an example for each of us. He had to face the same temptations that we face. He had to overcome them and offer Himself as a replacement for our punishment.

Judgment is something that we all dread. It is something that we would rather not think about. It is something that we will face if we do not turn to the One whom God sent.

The first time that Jesus came into this world, He came to offer salvation. He came to show us how to avoid judgment. We can accept this offer or we can face judgment.

Do you accept the proof?

Copyright 1998 – 2020 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What is the backbone of your hope and your salvation?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
(Romans 6:8-9 (NIV))

This is the backbone of our hope and our salvation. Death is the ultimate winner in our lives if we do not accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.

Spiritual death is the eternal separation of creation from Creator. There is nothing that we can do on our own that will keep us from experiencing both a physical death and a spiritual death. Yet, there is someone who has overcome the physical death, and by doing this, has also overcome the spiritual death.

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to die for us. But death did not hold Him. On the third day, He arose to defeat the power of death and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. All who call upon the name of Jesus have the assured hope that they too will overcome death.

This does not mean that we will not face the physical death, for even Jesus faced this. It does mean that we who place our faith in Jesus Christ will have a mediator who will intercede for us and keep us from the spiritual death that comes with the physical death.

These bodies that we now know as ours are only a shell for our true selves. They will pass away, but we shall live eternally with God and Jesus because we have placed our faith in Him!

Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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