Take the next Step

Tuesday November 25, 2014

Have you felt the crushing weight of despair? Perhaps a performance review was negative, a cancer screening was positive or your spouse wanted a divorce. Suddenly, your life seemed pretty much over.

Joseph of Arimathea had one of those days. Having been a secret follower of Jesus, he apparently was there when his fellow council members condemned Jesus to death (Luke 23:50-51). He thought Jesus was going to establish His kingdom on earth. But that hope was quickly dashed when Joseph witnessed Jesus´ death on dark day.

Then Joseph did something that didn´t seem worth the risk. It was a small gesture, yet it turned out to be part of the salvation story. Late that afternoon Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. If Joseph had fled with the rest of the disciples, the Saviour´s body would have been tossed on the rubbish dump with the other crucified criminals, to be eaten by dogs and vultures. There would have been little left to rise from the dead and Jesus´ prophecy about His burial would have been false (Matthew 12:40). But Joseph buried Jesus in his own tomb, and so fulfilled another prophecy found in the Old Testament (Isaiah 53:9).

Emergency responders tell disaster victims to focus on the task at hand. Just do what you need to do to survive and wait for help to arrive. Help will surely come, if you believe in the Lord who saves. It may come in two days, as it did for Joseph, or not until this life is over. But it will come, for the same Spirit who raised Jesus will also "give life to your mortal bodies" (Romans 8:11).

Are you waiting for deliverance? Take the next step. It might be the very thing God uses in your rescue. - Mike Wittmer

Read
John 19:28-42
Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus´ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken  and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled. "Not one of his bones will be broken," and as another scripture says, "They look on the one they have pierced."
Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate´s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy five pounds. Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.
At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Psalms 3: 1-8
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years and bring your prosperity.
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones

Question to Ponder
What predicament in your life seems hopeless?
What small step can you take to express your confidence in God?

**Article taken from ODJ (Our Daily Journey with God) Sept - Nov 2014 issue