Celebrate Resurrection!

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Monday, April 13, 2009
Devotions: Ps 66, 93, 98; Jonah 2:1-9; Acts 2:14-32; Jn 14:1-14

Let everyone sing praise to our God! Let us bless the Almighty One, Who has preserved our lives. Lord, I come to You in awe and gratitude. God has listened and has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me. Thank You, my Lord! You are awesome and majestic; the Lord on high is mighty! So I sing to You a new song this day, my God. You have won the victory, and I celebrate Your triumph. Let all creation join in praise and thanks to our Creator and Sovereign Judge.

Jonah prayed and confessed from the belly of the great fish: ‘I was lost, but You have heard and answered me and brought me up from the Pit, YHWH! Deliverance is Yours, my Lord.’ And the fish vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter addressed the crowd which gathered to hear the disciples as they spoke in tongues. ‘What you see is not intoxication—it’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what Joel prophesied—that in the last days, God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh, and everyone would prophesy and have dreams and visions. There will be wonders in heaven and signs on earth—and whoever calls on YHWH’s name shall be saved. Jesus of Nazareth was attested to you by God through mighty works and miracles which God did through Him in your presence. Yet, you crucified and killed Him by the hands of men without the law. But God raised Jesus from death. And just as David foretold, death could not hold Jesus, and God did not let His Holy One see corruption. His presence gladdens God and us! Now David died, but he prophesied about the Messiah’s resurrection. God raised Jesus up, and we are all witnesses of that!’

Before His crucifixion, Jesus told His followers, ‘Don’t let your hearts be troubled; don’t be afraid: believe in God and in Me. In My Father’s house are many rooms, and I Am going to prepare one for each of you. Then, I will return and will take you to Myself, that where I Am, there you may be also!’ Thomas asked Jesus to explain the pathway and destination of which Jesus was speaking. Jesus answered, ‘I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. From now on, knowing and seeing Me, you know and have seen God! Believe Me: I Am in the Father, and the Father Is in Me. I speak His words; He does His work through Me! Believe what I tell you, or believe what you have seen—but in any case, believe! Whoever believes in Me will do what I have been doing—and even more than these deeds of Mine, because I Am going the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it, so the Father may be glorified in the Son.’