He lives, and I in Him

New Guest: Like this one, most entries are devotional. Those related to Car Biz can be located by searching the blog archives for that title. You might start with 'Welcome,' the first entry, dated November 12, 2008, where I introduce myself and the blog. I hope you'll record your responses as you read, since these entries serve best as the first remarks in a coversation.

Blessings and best wishes,
Dr. Will

Thursday and Friday, July 29 and 30, 2010 Devotions: Ps 23, 27, 71, 74-76; Jdg 4:4-5:18; Acts 1:15-2:21; Mt. 27:55-28:10

YHWH shepherds me; He provides refreshing rest and solitude, and restores me, body and soul. He guides me in righteous ways, to His name's glory. Even when I face the darkest times, death and danger, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and staff comfort and encourage me. You prepare a feast for me, right in front of my enemies; You anoint me with Your Spirit; I am boundlessly blessed. Goodness and love surely will pursue me all my mortal life, and I will dwell in YHWH's house forever. YHWH is my Light and my Salvation, the Stronghold of my life, so why should I fear anyone or anything? When I am assailed by the wicked, they will stumble and fall. I will be confident in all circumstances. I want only to abide in God and live with Him forever. I seek to inquire in His temple and offer shouts of praise and joy in His tabernacle. Show me Your face, Lord, and I will be content. Teach me Your ways, and guide me through this troubled life. I will see the goodness of t he Lord in the land of the living, and I will abide in You, strong and encouraged, for ever. You are my Hope and my Assurance, and I will trust You forever. Keep me in my old age, as I proclaim Your goodness to everyone. You will multiply my honor and comfort, and I will praise You with all my strength. You have delivered me from all enemies, and I honor You always and for ever. Give me strength and courage to abide in times of trouble and challenge; keep Your covenant, Lord, and protect the weak from the predations of the evil. I know You will judge in Your time, and I leave that judgment in Your hands. I will rejoice and praise God, and abide, awaiting Your vindication. How great You are, YHWH! You are awesome and terrible—awesome to the faithful, terrible to the wicked.

Deborah, a prophet and wife of Lappidoth, judged Israel from the hill country of Ephraim. She summoned Barak, son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and commanded him to lead 10,000 troops from Naphtali and Zebulun, at YHWH's command, to Mount Tabor. Deborah said YHWH would draw out the army of King Jabin, under his commander Sisera, and would give Sisera and his forces into the hands of Barak. Barak agreed to the mission, but only if Deborah would go with him. Because of this condition, Deborah predicted that Sisera would fall, not into Barak's hands, but into those of a woman. Thus they proceeded. Sisera called out 900 iron chariots and a large army, and moved to the river Kishon. Barak and his forces attacked and routed their enemies. But Sisera escaped and fled on foot. He made his way to the tent of Heber the Kenite, near Kedesh. Heber's wife Jael came out and met the fleeing general. She encouraged him to take refuge in their tent, and when he asked for water, she gave him milk instead. She concealed him under a cover, and he fell asleep. Jael took a tent peg and hammer, and drove the peg into the temple of Sisera, pinning him to the ground and killing him. Soon, Barak arrived, pursuing Sisera, and Jael told him to come and she would show him the man he was chasing. He went into her tent, and there was Sisera, dead, with the tent peg driven through his temple. From that day, Israel continued to press Jabin of Canaan, until they destroyed him and broke his yoke over them. Deborah and Barak sang together, commemorating the great victory YHWH had given—blessing God and telling of the parts Deborah, Barak and Jael had played in God's victory, and describing the varied responses of different tribes of the Israelites—praise for Ephraim and Benjamin and Zebulun, and chiding Dan, Gad, Reuben and Asher. [May we not falter or fail when God's call comes to us!]

As the disciples awaited the Holy Spirit, united in prayer before God, Peter spoke to the group, about 120, saying 'Brothers and sisters, the scripture had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, as the Holy Spirit inspired David. He was numbered among us, but fell away. Judas had bought a field with the proceeds of his betrayal of Jesus; falling headlong there, he burst open, his bowels gushed out, and he died. To this day, that field is known as Akeldama, Field of Blood. David wrote, 'Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it, ' and 'Let another take his office.' So, Peter continued, one of the men who have been alongside us from the beginning, from the time John baptized Jesus until He was taken up from us—one of these men must become an apostle, a witness with us concerning the resurrection of Jesus. Two men were nominated, Joseph Barsabbas Justus and Matthias. The group prayed, asking God to direct their selection, and the lot fell to Matthias, and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles. When the fest of Pentecost arrived, all the disciples were together in one place. Suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and filled the house where they were sitting. Tongues of fire appeared, resting on each one, and all were filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Because of the feast, Jerusalem was filled with believers from all the known world, and at the sound of this manifestation, the multitude congregated around the disciples. They were amazed, because each heard Jesus' disciples speaking in his own language: though the speakers were Galilean, they were heard by Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, Judeas, Cappadocians, those from Pontus and Asia, Phrygians, Pamphylians, Egyptians, Cyreneans, Romans, Jews, Cretans, and Arabians. All were perplexed; some mocked, joking that the disciples were drunk on new wine. But Peter addressed the assembly: 'Men of Judea and visitors in Jerusalem, pay attention to what I tell you. These men are not drunk, as some of you suppose—it's only 9 AM, after all. What you witness here is what the prophet Joel foretold: “And in the last days, God declares, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. On my servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. And I will show sings and wonders in heaven and on earth—blood, fire, smoking vapors—and the sun will be turned dark and the moon bloody red before the great and manifest Day of the Lord comes. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”'

Many women witnessed the crucifixion and death of Jesus, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and Zebedee's wife, the mother of the apostles James and John. At evening, Joseph of Arimathea came to Pilate and requested the body of Jesus. He was wealthy, and a disciple of Jesus. Pilate ordered that the body be given to Joseph, and Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, hewn in the rock nearby. And Joseph had a great stone rolled across the door of the tomb, and eparted. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sate there, opposite the sepulcher. On Saturday, the chief priests and Pharisees came before Pilate, and asked that the sepulcher be made secure to protect against the theft of Jesus' body, so that His followers could falsely claim fulfillment of His prediction that He would rise from death. Pilate gave them leave to set the guard themselves, so the chief priests and Pharisees sealed the tomb and set a guard over it. At dawn on Sunday, the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulcher. There was a great earthquake, as an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his raiment was white as snow. Fearing the angel, the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, 'Don't be afraid. I know you are seeking Jesus Who was crucified. But He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He lay. Then hurry and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead and is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him. Now, I have told you!' So the women departed quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. Along the way, Jesus met them and said, 'Greetings!' And they came to Him, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. Jesus said, 'Don't be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.'