How do these fulfilled prophecies strengthen our faith?

"In the Cross of Christ, excess in men is met by excess in G.o.d; excess of evil is mastered by excess of love."-LOUIS BOURDALOUE

APRIL 7.

"IT IS FINISHED"

When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

JOHN 19:30.

TO FULFILL THE LAST PROPHECY, Jesus drank a little vinegar to quench His raging thirst, and then it was over. From the point of view of all the people around Him, the culmination of His life came suddenly and unexpectedly. Usually, people writhed in pain for days on the cross while people watched, but Jesus had been beaten so badly and had lost so much blood when He was flogged that He died within a few hours.

His statement "It is finished" is a translation of a Greek phrase that means "paid in full." The reason Jesus came to earth was to pay the terrible price for our sins. From the moment He was born, every interaction and every decision pointed to this moment. Now, the price was paid. Totally. Completely. Once for all.

Surveys show that about half the people who attend church aren't sure they are forgiven or whether they'll spend eternity with G.o.d in heaven. How can that be? Many of us sit in churches week after week listening to the message of G.o.d's grace, but perhaps we secretly cling to the hope that we don't really need grace. We think that we can do enough to earn G.o.d's favor, and if we can do just enough, we can pat ourselves on the back. But sooner or later, in this life or the one to come, we will realize that we can never do enough to earn G.o.d's approval. Our selfishness and arrogance separate us from G.o.d, and there's only one solution: the death of Christ to pay for our sins. Not some of them; all of them. Not to make us good enough to earn acceptance; but because we can never be good enough on our own. Christ's words "paid in full" confront our pride and remind us of His grace.

How does secretly hoping we can earn G.o.d's favor by being good enough affect our relationship with G.o.d?

Take some time now to let the grace of Christ sink deep into your heart, and thank Him for it.

"The greatness of a man's power is the measure of his surrender."-WILLIAM BOOTH

APRIL 8.

"INTO YOUR HANDS"

When Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.'" Having said this, He breathed His last.

LUKE 23:46.

EARLIER, JESUS HAD EXPERIENCED the Father's abandonment as the weight of mankind's sins crushed Him. He had moaned, "Oh, G.o.d, why have You forsaken Me?" (see Matthew 27:46). But now, in the last seconds of His earthly life, Jesus expressed His utter, complete trust in the Father: "I put Myself in Your hands." Then He died.

When we are in trouble and don't know what to do, we can turn to G.o.d for comfort and direction. When it seems as if G.o.d has led us into a dark tunnel that has no light at the end of it, we may be tempted to despair, to give up and blame G.o.d for not coming through the way we wanted Him to. In those painful times, we can follow Christ's example. At the most difficult times in our lives, perhaps all we can do is acknowledge the unseen and unfelt presence of the Father and express our trust in Him. In times of struggle in marriage, with children, in finances, with health problems, and in all the other times of darkness, we may not know what to do, but we can pray, "Father, I'm in Your hands."

This statement of faith pleases G.o.d, and it may be the beginning of answers and blessings that we never expected. Sometimes, the greatest blessing is simply knowing that G.o.d cares and is present with us-even in our darkest moments.

What have been some dark times in your life?

When we acknowledge that we are in G.o.d's hands, what can we expect from Him?

"You can trust the man who died for you."-LETTIE COWMAN

APRIL 9.

CHRIST IN YOU.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of G.o.d, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

GALATIANS 2:20.

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE isn't a self-help program. We aren't given a set of exercises to perform in order to achieve results. Instead, G.o.d works in our hearts and changes us from the inside out, transforming our desires and motives so that our new choices in behavior will be genuine and not contrived.

Our role in this transformation, though, isn't completely pa.s.sive. Paul reminds us that the first step in this transformation process is a fresh perspective on death and life. He considered himself to be "crucified with Christ," which means that he applied Christ's sacrifice on the cross to his own selfish sins and, as many times as necessary, counted his selfish desires as dead. In place of Paul's selfish desires in residence, Christ Himself lived in his heart, transforming him little by little, day after day.

Even though Christ transforms our hearts, we take responsibility to recognize selfish motives and actions, consider them to be dead, and replace them with G.o.d-honoring thoughts and behaviors. The Christian life, then, is lived at the moment of choice when we pick life over death and Christ over our selfish demands.

We may be confused from time to time, and we may be disappointed that we aren't changing as fast as we'd like, but we can take heart that Christ Himself has taken up residence inside us. As we pay closer attention to His instructions and trust Him to use us, we'll gradually take on more of His character. We'll love people with His love, serve with His humility, and stand strong in hope of the future because we remember the promise of the Resurrection.

Describe what it means for Christ to live in you.

What's your responsibility for change, and what's Christ's responsibility to change you?

"People who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks: (1) They are facing only one direction, (2) they can never turn back, and (3) they no longer have plans of their own."-A. W. TOZER "When your number one goal in life is to die to yourself and put G.o.d first, you can rest a.s.sured you have a goal that will last a lifetime."-ZIG ZIGLAR

APRIL 10.

A CAUSE WORTH DYING FOR.

Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, "Let the LORD be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant."

PSALM 35:27.

IN OUR CULTURE, many self-absorbed people focus their energies on doing the newest activity that promises the most pleasure and on getting the latest technology that's supposed to make life easier. But those things don't satisfy for very long. G.o.d made us so that our hearts long for a transcendent purpose. We want to live for something much bigger than ourselves.

Causes come in every stripe and color. Some people get energized for a political candidate who promises to change a city, state, or nation. Others devote themselves to preserving the planet or helping the homeless. In war, soldiers fight and die for the freedom of those back home.

Many causes are n.o.ble, but most of them have only temporary results. Taking the message of Christ's love not only to the ends of the earth but to the family members in our homes and coworkers at our jobs is important, eternal work. Beyond even those n.o.ble intentions and actions, however, the cause for every believer is to know Christ and to honor Him in everything we do. While the cause of Christ involves reaching the lost and changing lives, ultimately the goal is to please the One who gave His life for us. That's the cause that makes us shout for joy!

What are some causes your friends are excited about?

If an objective observer looked at your life, what would he or she conclude that you are devoted to? Explain your answer.

"Many persons have a wrong idea of what const.i.tutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."-HELEN KELLER

APRIL 11.

WINGMAN.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O G.o.d! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

PSALM 36:7.

SINCE G.o.d ISN'T LIKE ANYONE or anything else in the universe, the writers of the Bible used many different a.n.a.logies to explain His amazing attributes. In this psalm, David praises G.o.d for His mercy, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice (see 36:5-6). The tender care G.o.d gives each of us is precious to David. He seems carried away by the greatness and goodness of the Infinite G.o.d. It seems to him that G.o.d is like an eagle protecting its eaglets under its enormous wings in the nest.

In a fallen world, bad things happen to all of us. Some Christians believe that G.o.d should protect them from any trouble, and they are devastated when they experience even relatively mild difficulties. Like a mighty eagle, G.o.d is dedicated to the growth and strength of His "eaglets," and He uses our difficulties to help us grow stronger. In fact, struggles are stepping-stones of growth, so G.o.d wouldn't be a loving parent if He protected us from all problems.

But consider the many difficulties we don't experience. Every minute of every day, G.o.d protects us from all kinds of pains, from attacks by the enemy of our souls to "accidents" that we barely escape. Most of us enjoy prosperity, pleasure, and health far beyond anything known in earlier generations.

We live "under the shadow" of G.o.d's mighty wings, and He protects us with His love and power, but sometimes He nudges us out of the nest so we can learn to fly.

What are some ways G.o.d has protected you?

How has G.o.d nudged you out of the nest?

"To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else."-BERNADETTE DEVLIN

APRIL 12.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?.

Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.

PSALM 39:7.

THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE, we see many examples of waiting on G.o.d. We see Abraham waiting on G.o.d to bless him with a son. We see the nation of Israel waiting for someone to deliver them from slavery in Egypt, then waiting for hundreds of years for the promised Savior. In the New Testament, we see the disciples waiting for Jesus to become King (they didn't understand that He had to die first), and we see the church waiting for Christ to return. Waiting, it appears, is an integral part of G.o.d's design for our lives.

Why, then, do we hate waiting so much? Waiting requires us to trust in the unseen, to be a.s.sured that the invisible G.o.d will accomplish something good in the physical world. And we have to trust that He will do it when He is ready, not when we want Him to do it. Waiting demands trust, and we'd much rather have our blessings right now, thank you.

As we wait, G.o.d purifies and refocuses our hearts. We may have longed for a particular answer from G.o.d; however, as He delays, His Spirit works deep in us to change our desires. Our hope may have been in a person, a promotion, or a pleasure; but in the crucible of waiting, G.o.d shifts our hearts' attention to Him so that we desire to know Him above all else. Then we can say with David, "Lord, my hope is in You!"

How does G.o.d change our desires and focus them on Him by causing us to wait?

Are you waiting on G.o.d for something right now? If you are, how much of your hope is in Him?

"Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe."-SAINT AUGUSTINE