Category: Devotional

Devotional thoughts for my benefit and yours from here, there, and everywhere

Contemplating the Cross: Knowing the Power of Christ’s Resurrection

~ Bob Hayton

For the next few days, I’ll be posting excerpts from Nancy Guthrie’s Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter (Crossway). Join me as I aim to contemplate the cross this passion week.

Today’s meditation is by Tim Keller, from chapter 7 “Knowing the Power of His Resurrection” (pg. 135-136 of Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross, edited by Nancy Guthrie).

…for me to know the power of [Christ’s] resurrection is to have the same power that came into Jesus and raised him up to come into my dead soul and raise me up. This is not about relationship but about supernatural character growth. When Paul says, “I want to know him,” it means, “I want to be with him,” but when he says, “I want to know the power of his resurrection,” it means, “I want to be just like him.”

Look at the deadness in your life. Look at the anger. How is that going to be turned into forgiveness? Look at the insecurity. How is that going to be turned into confidence? Look at the self-centeredness. How is that going to be turned into compassion and generosity? How? The answer is that the dead stuff gets taken over by the Spirit of God.

Many people believe the propositions. They believe the historical facts about Jesus, but their real agenda is personal success. So they go to Christ when they want to and need to. Paul says that a Christian is someone who has turned that all around so that personal success is defined by knowing him and the power of his resurrection, and everything else becomes second.

The minute you decide to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, the power of the Holy Spirit comes into your life. It’s the power of the resurrection–the same thing that raised Jesus from the dead.

… The more you know him, the more you grow into the power of the resurrection. The more time you spend with him, seek him, read his Word, the more you pray–the more it stirs up the resurrection power that is within you through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus has risen indeed! That He has points to Jesus as owning the greatest power in the universe–that which can conquer sin & Satan, Death & the grave. That same power is in us who believe! What a wonder indeed. If you know Christ this Easter morning, He is alive inside you. Let Him rule, let His power change you and mold you into the person He wants you to be. May we live for Christ rather than let Him live for us–now, this Easter, and always.

Contemplating the Cross: A Sweet Smelling Savor to God

~ Bob Hayton

For the next few days, I’ll be posting excerpts from Nancy Guthrie’s Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter (Crossway). Join me as I aim to contemplate the cross this passion week.

Today’s meditation is by Jonathan Edwards, from chapter 7 “A Sweet Smelling Savor to God” (pg.  112-113 of Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross, edited by Nancy Guthrie).

When we consider Christ’s death only as an expiation for sin, we have no consideration at all of the excellency of the act but only its equivalency to the punishment that we had deserved. But if we consider that holiness and loveliness of it in the sight of God as his voluntary act, so it doth not merely expiate our guilt but merits an infinitely glorious reward.

‘Tis thus especially that the sacrifice Christ offered is said to be a sweet-smelling savor to God. ‘Tis as there was a righteousness in it. It was as Christ in offering up this sacrifice offered up to God a heart full of divine and holy love and respect to God’s authority and command. He expresses such a love by his voluntary bearing or going through those sufferings.

This made Christ’s sacrifice not only satisfactory to appease his anger, but it was a sweet-smelling savor to merit his favor. Ephesians 5:2 says, “Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor.” By this especially it was that God was well pleased with his Son. He was not only well pleased with our surety so far that his anger was appeased, but so that he infinitely delighted in him for his righteousness’ sake. Isaiah 42:21 says, “The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness….”

… Though Christ be fully rewarded, yet there is merit for us because believers have the benefit of Christ’s merits as being in Christ and so partaking with him…. This is part of the reward that he sought and merited–that believers should be glorified with him. This he greatly set his heart on and earnestly sought this. Itwas the joy that was set before him. And this now he greatly rejoices in.    Herein consists the success of his undertaking. Christ has merited success. Herein he triumphs over Satan. Herein consists much of the glory of his kingdom of grace in bringing home souls to God and to eternal glory….

Glory be to Christ for letting us lowly sinners partake in His glorious reward. His sacrifice removed the wrath of God from us, and it also secured the infinite favor of God for us. Blessed be the Name of our Great Savior, Jesus Christ!

Contemplating the Cross: Gethsemane

~ Bob Hayton ~ 2 Comments

For the next few days, I’ll be posting excerpts from Nancy Guthrie’s Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter (Crossway). Join me as I aim to contemplate the cross this passion week.

Today’s meditation is by R. Kent Hughes, from chapter 5 “Gethsemane” (pg. 31-36 of Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross, edited by Nancy Guthrie).

The Lord deliberately chose Gethsemane. John’s specific mention of it as a “garden” in John 18:1 suggests that the apostle has in mind a deliberate comparison with the original garden of Eden. The symbolism is this:

  • The first Adam began life in a garden. Christ, the second Adam, came at the end of his life to a garden.
  • In Eden Adam sinned. In Gethsemane the Savior overcame sin.
  • In Eden Adam fell. In Gethsemane Jesus conquered.
  • In Eden Adam hid himself. In Gethsemane our Lord boldly presented himself.
  • In Eden the sword was drawn. In Gethsemane it was sheathed.

This symbolism is not accidental or incidental to Jesus’ death. It was an assurance for future generations of readers that Christ was in control….

The surroundings of Christ’s final hour clearly displayed his sovereign control. The intensity of his agony and his sovereign resolve to bear it, his control over his captors, his protection of his own, his grace to the wounded, all proved he is an omniscient, all-powerful God. Christ was in control when life was falling in, when things looked the worst….

Gethsemane was not a tragedy, and neither are our Gethsemanes. This does not do away with the wounds of affliction in this life, but it is encouraging to see that behind human tragedy stands the benevolent and wise purpose of the Lord of human history. Life may be dark at times, tragedy may come, and at times the whole world may seem to be falling apart. The wheel may appear ready to crush us. But this is not the end. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28), even in Gethsemane.

How wonderful it is to see Christ undoing the wrongs that befell us in Eden. How glorious our Savior truly is. May we follow him through dark times in our lives, confident that He is always in control.

Contemplating the Cross: They Spit in His Face

~ Bob Hayton

For the next few days, I’ll be posting excerpts from Nancy Guthrie’s Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter (Crossway). Join me as I aim to contemplate the cross this passion week.

Today’s meditation is by Charles Spurgeon, from chapter 7 “Then Did They Spit in His Face” (pg. 44-48 of Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross, edited by Nancy Guthrie).

If we want proof of the depravity of the heart of man, I will not point you to the stews of Sodom and Gomorrah, nor will I take you to the places where blood is shed in streams by wretches like to Herod and men of that sort. No, the clearest proof that man is utterly fallen, and that the natural heart is enmity against God, is seen in the fact that they did spit in Christ’s face, did falsely accuse him, and condemn him, and lead him out as a malefactor, and hang him up as a felon that he might die upon the cross….

…But could I feel as I ought to feel in sympathy with the terrible shame of Christ, and then could I interpret those feelings by any language known to moral man, surely you would bow your heads and blush, and you would feel rising within your spirits a burning indignation against the sin that dared to put the Christ of God to such shame as this….

If ever anybody should despise us for Christ’s sake, let us not count it hard, but let us be willing to bear scorn and contempt for him. Let us say to ourselves, “Then did they spit in his face. What then, if they also spit in mine? If they do, I will ‘hail reproach, and welcome shame,’ since it comes upon me for his dear sake.” See, that wretch is about to spit in Christ’s face! Put your cheek forward, that you may catch that spittle upon your face, that it fall not upon him again, for as he was put to such terrible shame, every one who has been redeemed with his precious blood ought to count it an honor to be a partaker of the shame, if by any means we may screen him from being further despised and rejected of men.

May we feel the affront that sin is to Christ’s glory. And may we joyfully desire, like Paul, to share in Christ’s sufferings.

Contemplating the Cross: True Contemplation of the Cross

~ Bob Hayton

For the next few days, I’ll be posting excerpts from Nancy Guthrie’s Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter (Crossway). Join me as I aim to contemplate the cross this passion week.

Today’s meditation is by Martin Luther, from chapter 1 “True Contemplation of the Cross” (pg. 11-14 of Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross, edited by Nancy Guthrie).

The true contemplation is that in which the heart is crushed and the conscience smitten. You must be overwhelmed by the frightful wrath of God who so hated sin that he spared not his only begotten Son. What can the sinner expect if the beloved Son was so afflicted?…

Take this to heart and doubt not that you are the one who killed Christ. Your sins certainly did, and when you see the nails driven through his hands, be sure that you are pounding, and when the thorns pierce his brow, know that they are your evil thoughts. Consider that if one thorn pierced Christ you deserve one hundred thousand.

The whole value of the meditation of the suffering of Christ lies in this, that man should come to the knowledge of himself and sink and tremble. Pray to God that he may soften your heart and make fruitful your meditation upon the suffering of Christ, for we ourselves are incapable of proper reflection unless God instills it….

…Herein we come to know both God and ourselves. His beauty is his own, and through it we learn to know him. His uncomeliness and passion are ours, and in them we know ourselves, for what he suffered in the flesh, we must inwardly suffer in the spirit. He has in truth borne our stripes. Here, then, in an unspeakably clear mirror you see yourself. You must know that through your sins you are as uncomely and mangled as you see him here.

May Christ’s sacrifice on account of our sin, chill us to the dreadfulness of sin. And then warm our hearts to the glory that Christ would suffer in our place.