created

Our Hope in Christ

Posted on

By Linda Rex

April 20, 2025, Resurrection of the Lord | Easter—He is risen! He is risen indeed! As we come to this Resurrection Sunday, we enter into this new season with joy and gratitude for all Jesus Christ has done for us in his life, death, and resurrection. We look forward to celebrating the ascension of our Lord, and at Pentecost, the giving of his Holy Spirit from our heavenly Father.

In our first New Testament passage for this Sunday, 1 Corinthians 15:19–26, the apostle Paul reminds us that the hope we have in Jesus is not just for this life, but is also for the life to come. This begs the question—what is most important to us? Are we focused on what we can get out of this life? Are we focused on what we can experience right now? Or do we understand there is much more to real life than just this current human existence?

When God created this cosmos, he made wonderful, amazing things beyond our ability to count or fully measure. He gave us intricate, marvelous bodies and minds, which enable us to do tremendous things, especially when we work together in community with others. Our world is full of beautiful, and ugly, and strange, plants and animals, fish, and birds. The huge variety of insects blows my mind, not to mention the intricate and delicate creatures that are so small, they cannot be seen with the naked eye. But every one of these creatures and people will one day die.

We have given much to enjoy. And what a wonderful planet we get to live on! How marvelous that we have air to breathe and water to drink—when we don’t, it becomes a tragic problem. Apart from the grace of God, though, human beings have no way of ensuring that our life on our precious earth will outlast our human proclivity for self-destruction. I was looking at the Doomsday Clock, and according to Google’s AI, in 2025, the Doomsday Clock was set to 89 seconds to midnight. Our human efforts to avoid this catastrophe seem to be limited, and apart from God’s grace, we really have no hope for tomorrow.

The reason we struggle is because we really are very much like the biblical first man, Adam, who set aside his freedom to walk and talk with his Creator, in order to go his own way. He and Eve could have chosen to eat from the tree of life and all the others trees and plants in the garden of Eden. But instead, they chose to reject God’s invitation, and to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. By choosing to decide for themselves what it means to truly live, humans brought death into their world.

How often do our choices as human beings bring about death instead life! Think about your own personal history—have you made some choices in your life that took you down the wrong road? Have you experienced death to your plans, death to your dreams, even the death of those near and dear to you? If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that in our own lives, we are not much different than Adam. Death is a natural part of our human existence, and coming to the place of annihilating ourselves in some manner is not that strange a phenomenon for many of us.

This is why the apostle Paul says that if our only hope in Christ is in this life, we are pitiful creatures. Our hope is in the One who lived our life, died our death, and rose again. Jesus Christ’ bodily resurrection means that you and I not only have hope in this life, but also for the life to come. Death is the natural outcome of our human existence, but because of Jesus, we have hope that one day, we will live again. When Jesus returns in glory and ushers in a new heaven and earth, we will be given what the apostle Paul calls spiritual bodies. In that day, we will live a brand-new existence in an even more marvelous environment, in the presence of our Triune God. What a hope we have been given because Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed!

This life becomes fuller and more wonderful when we recognize and begin to live in the reality that, in Christ, we are God’s own adopted, beloved children. When we realize that we are forgiven, accepted, and included in the life and love of our Triune God, our whole existence changes. When we open ourselves up to reality that we have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, all of a sudden, we are met with the comfort and peace of a divine personal Companion and Friend, who never leaves us, but is always with us. We discover that we have a heavenly Father who adores us, and wants to be with us from now on, into eternity.

Life in this world, becomes richer, as we participate in our spiritual family, the Church. And our hope for eternity grows brighter, for we know that these relationships will not come to an end, but only grow deeper and healthier and happier in the world to come. We have great reason to hope, not just in this life, but in the life to come, because Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed!

Our heavenly Father, thank you for loving so much, that you determined from the beginning to include us in your life and love. Thank you, Jesus, for sharing our human existence, so that one day we may share in your life with your Father in the Spirit in the new heaven and earth. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for not only breathing life into us, but giving us new life in and through Jesus. May we ever celebrate our participation in Jesus’ death and resurrection, with gratitude and praise. Amen.

“If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death.”   1 Corinthians 15:19–26 NASB

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing and her people for gladness. I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; and there will no longer be heard in her the voice of weeping and the sound of crying. No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days; for the youth will die at the age of one hundred and the one who does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought accursed. They will build houses and inhabit them; they will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build and another inhabit, they will not plant and another eat; for as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, and My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, and their descendants with them. It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,’ says the LORD.”      Isaiah 65:17–25 NASB

[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/olitour-hope-in-christ.pdf ]

[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]

[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]

This entry was posted in Blog Site and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

The Power of a Word

Posted on

By Linda Rex

September 15, 2024, Proper 19 | After Pentecost—When we are in a situation that requires tact and diplomacy, it is so easy to say the wrong thing. We so often create problems for ourselves by the things we say to other people, and to ourselves for that matter.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve had to deal with the consequences of many a misspoken word—whether from me or from someone else. As the Message Bible says, “It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell” (James 3:5–6). I’m sure you can identify with this, because this is a common human experience. Every one of us is guilty at some point of saying the wrong thing, or saying something that cut, hurt, or shamed someone. Many an adult reflects back to that word from a parent or a teacher which framed the rest of their life in a positive, or a negative, manner. And many a relationship lies broken and severed today, due to hurtful or destructive words which were spoken and soon regretted.

In our New Testament reading for this week, James 3:1–12, the apostle James addresses this issue of the misuse of the tongue. James wanted all of those who were seeking to elevate themselves to a place of teaching within the Body of Christ to reconsider their motives and the consequences that went with being in this position of responsibility. No doubt, James was quite familiar with what happens when people do not guard what they say, and wanted the peace and unity of the Body of Christ to be maintained rather than disrupted.

Looking at the indicatives or spiritual realities within this passage, we are reminded that we each are made and are being remade by the Spirit in the likeness of God, our Lord and Father. Because this is the truth of who we are, and who every person around us is, there is an innate dignity and worth in each person we encounter. Even the worst person to be around is still someone who bears a reflection of the divine Trinity, albeit hidden or obscured by the sin which so easily darkens our glory as image-bearers of our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the psalms for this Sunday is Psalm 19. Notice what the psalmist says about God’s creation: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:1–4 NASB). Isn’t it interesting that all that our Father created through Jesus in the Spirit tells of the glory of God. The creation is simply being what it is—a creation which speaks of the glory of God. It’s not speaking a bunch of other things. No, it is simply speaking that which it was created to speak—of the glory of God.

So often, we as human beings go way outside what God created us to be and to do. We are ever eating of that tree where we decide for ourselves how things are going to be, and what is right and what is wrong. With this going on in our hearts, it is no wonder that what comes out of our mouths ends up being not helpful, but destructive or hurtful. We desperately need God’s wisdom (Proverbs 1:20–33), but we often resist or ignore it, and willfully choose our own way. Is there any hope for us sad humans?

The good news is that God “has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all this and through whom he made the universe” (Heb. 1:2 NASB). God’s Word to us is Jesus Christ, and he has taken all our words and our unruly mouths up into himself, cleansing them and making them new. He speaks even now in and through us by his Spirit, as we yield to his lordship over our tongues. And his grace covers all our failures, offering us healing, restoration, and renewal as we turn to him in faith.

This is a journey we take with Jesus, inviting the Spirit moment by moment to take control of our tongues. The Spirit reminds us that those people we are talking to are also taken up in Jesus. When we speak to them we are speaking to Jesus—by God’s grace our words will reflect this reality. As Jesus is the source or wellspring of our words, we draw from the pure source, the Spirit, so that our words are healing, helpful, and holy, whenever we speak. It is Jesus, then, who is our words to God and others, as he is his Father’s Word to us. Thanks be to Jesus! And, best of all, he gets all the glory!

Thank you, Father, for speaking to us through your Son, Jesus. And thank you for giving us your Spirit so that we can participate in Jesus’ own conversation with you and others. Please grant us the grace to submit our speech to your Spirit in every moment, so that we always tell of your glory. Amen.

“Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.”       James 3:1–12 NASB

[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/olitthe-power-of-a-word.pdf ]

[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]

[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]

This entry was posted in Blog Site and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

He Bore Our Sin

Posted on

by Linda Rex

April 30, 2023, 4th Sunday in Easter/Resurrection—Sin. Such an old-fashioned word. Is there even room in our world today for such a concept? One would gather from what we read and see today that many believe we have no need to discuss sin anymore.

But when we talk about Jesus Christ, the discomfort associated with sin must be addressed, for the reason Jesus came was so that sin might be eradicated once and for all from our human flesh and our cosmos. Even though Jesus was sinless, the apostle Paul wrote, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21 NASB).

Karl Barth, in his Church Dogmatics, says that the mere fact of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins tells us that we are sinful people, in need of redemption. This goes much deeper than a particular deed we may have done at some point in our lives. It goes down to the depths of who we are as those who have turned away from the One who made us and called us to be his very own. This has to do with our broken relationship with our Creator and with a denial of our identity as human beings made in the image of this God who ever lives in other-centered, self-giving love and oneness.

Sin has to do with us as God’s children living a lie, no longer living in the truth of God’s creative genius. God made us persons who could share warm, close fellowship with the God who is three Persons—Father, Son, and Spirit—in one Being. God meant for us to walk and talk with him, to do everyday life in relationship with him, as we care for and tend the world he created and placed us in.

Each of us has, in some way, turned away from our center in our Triune God and turned to ourselves, this earth, the creations of our own hands, and to one another. We rely upon ourselves, and consider ourselves the master of our destiny. Our will and passion reign supreme. There is no room for our loving Father, his Son, or his Spirit in our lives. It is when we become the center of our existence that death enters in, and begins to slowly but surely diminish our life. Darkness begins to overtake the light. And we suffer.

The apostle Peter reminds us that when we suffer because of our bad decisions, poor choices, and our rebellion against God, we really don’t have any right to complain. Indeed, we are only getting what we deserve. Grace, however, is when we receive from God what we don’t deserve. And this is what God gives us in the gift of his Son Jesus Christ. Christ’s life and death are a gift to us—for he did not sin, yet offered himself to us to be sinned against, to be beaten, reviled, and crucified, even though all he ever did was love, heal, give, and serve.

That God would come himself in his Son Jesus, to live our life, die our death, and rise again, and send the Spirit for our salvation, invites us to walk away from sin, darkness and death and to enter into life, life in relationship with God now and forever. To be sure, in this broken human existence, turning from sin to Jesus Christ can mean embracing suffering rather than escaping it, for the natural response of our social systems is to ridicule and reject followers of Christ. But wouldn’t it be better to suffer for the sake of being true to who God says you are in Christ rather than to suffer the consequences of sin? Wouldn’t it be better to face up to the things you need grace for than to continue down a path which inevitably will destroy you and others?

The Shepherd and Guardian of our souls, Jesus Christ, is worthy of our trust. He has shown us our loving and forgiving Father, and given us the gift of his blessed Spirit, by whom we may know and believe we are God’s beloved children. Today, this day, won’t you embrace the truth of your belovedness and turn away from sin?

Dearest Father, Son, and Spirit, I admit that I have turned away from you to the things of this world, to my own self, and to others. I find I am rebellious, stubborn, selfish, and indifferent. On somedays, it seems like I’m okay, but you know my heart, how far it wanders away from you. I confess my sin and receive your forgiveness with thankful heart. Thank you for bringing me back home, Jesus, and for washing me clean, and for giving me your blessed Spirit. Heavenly Father, from this day on, grant me the grace to live my life your way, the way you always meant me to, in obedience to your will and purposes, through Jesus my Lord, and by your Spirit. Amen.

“For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you can example for you to follow in His steps, ‘who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in his mouth’; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”     1 Peter 2:19–25 NASB

[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/olithe-bore-our-sins.pdf ]

[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]

[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]

This entry was posted in Blog Site and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .