Devotional thoughts for Tuesday

Tuesday 3. February 2015 

Septuagesima

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ... waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the Glory of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.  (Titus 3,11.13-14 ESV) 

I read an article this morning from the British newspaper, The Guardian, that the Icelanders are building a temple to honor and worship the old Germanic and Scandinavian gods, Odin, Thor and Frigg. You can read the article here. 

Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, high priest of Ásatrúarfélagið, said something interesting about this: “I don’t believe anyone believes in a one-eyed man who is riding about on a horse with eight feet. We see the stories as poetic metaphors and a manifestation of the forces of nature and human psychology.”

Many churches, pastors and lay people make believe the same about Christianity and Jesus: It is all a poetic metaphor and not really historical. Thus, many do not believe in the virgin birth, the resurrection of Jesus, or any of His miracles. We've had this deistic viewpoint for some time in our culture. Thomas Jefferson edited his Bible by cutting out all the things he thought were fanciful and untrue. His editing removed all the miracles and the resurrection of Jesus. 

The Apostle Paul, however, encourages Bishop Titus to believe the exact opposite. He speaks of Jesus as a historical person who did spectacular deeds. In other epistles, the Apostle Paul is adamant that if we lose the reality of Jesus' resurrection, then we cease to be Christians and are just as hopeless as all the other pagans or atheists in the world. 

Paul teaches that Jesus really exists. He is not some poetic metaphor meant to inspire us to be better people. Jesus is God who became man in order to redeem us from our sin. He did this through His death and resurrection. These are real events with real consequences. Since Jesus rose from the dead, then He will raise us from the dead too. That is the gospel, and it has real power, power to create faith and inspire us to be bear good works. 

Prayer: O LORD, we pray that Your grace may always go before and follow after us, so that we may continually be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.  Amen. (H76, Treasury of Daily Prayer)