Corona Devo 1877

Don't put Jesus back up on the cross.

We know the miracle of Easter.   Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and He took on the sins of the entire world...of you and of me.  He was nailed to the cross and our sins hung there with...and upon Him.

But three days later, He was resurrected from the dead, and so was our hope in Him...in forgiveness, and in eternal life together with Him in Heaven.  Jesus defeated death.

Do we know this?  Have we been enlightened about it?

Have we experienced the good things of Heaven (here on Earth) through God's presence with us here? (Which is the Holy Spirit.)  Have we shared in the Holy Spirit? (That feeling/presence/knowledge/comfort/strength that we can can explain in no other way---That's the Holy Spirit...Have we shared in the Holy spirit? )

Have we tasted in the goodness of the word of God?

Have we tasted in the power of the age to come? Or have we had even a glimpse of Heaven while here on earth?
...Perhaps when we are lost in worship...

...or away for spiritual retreat and renewal?

Maybe we have tasted in the power of the age to come when we are at complete peace

...or when we are in harmony with other Believers.

...And sometimes, we just sense the Lord's presence in an unmistakable way

Have we experienced any (or all) of these things in our faith and our walk with God? What are the results in our lives (hearts/minds) of all of this? Can we say in sincerity that we are living in light of all that we have experienced with God?  Or have we/do we regress back to worry/ignoring God/focusing on ourselves/living for self/or neglecting the people and needs that God places on our hearts and in our paths.

Have we in any way(s) turned away from God and all of the many wonderful things that we know of Him, from crucifixion to comfort, to calling?

Don't put Jesus back up on the cross today. Our sin held Him there once, but (Heaven forbid!) if our continued sin pins Him back up there again.

For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, (5) who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— (6) and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame. ~Hebrews 6:4-6

Have we experienced the good things of heaven here on Earth, and have we shared in the Holy Spirit?

Then live for the Lord today. Turn our hearts back to Him. Repent (turn back) today in the areas that we are forfeiting the Lord. Before it is too late. Please--let's not reject the Son of God any longer and in any way. If there are parts/truths of the Bible that we ignore or cut-out because we don't agree with God's stance (Law) about them...repent!

When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. (8) But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it. ~Hebrews 6:7-8

Please, let's keep soaking up the Word of God and let's continue bearing a good crop for "the farmer", who is our Heavenly Father. Don't put Jesus back up on the cross today. He will surely not die again, but we all will one day, and our today will absolutely affect our tomorrow.
But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it. ~Hebrews 6:8.

And, please--let's not feel attacked or targeted in our obedience to the Lord. These (strong) words of God are direct, but if we are living for Him (and we are!), then He is not directing such hard words at us, and rather--He gives us His verbal blessing of continuing to live for Him.

(9) Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. (10) For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. (11) Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. (12) Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. ~Hebrews 6:9-12

Don't put Jesus back up on the cross today.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ: we are meant for better things, things that come with salvation, and Christ has offered us salvation.  Let's take Him up on it, and let's live worthy of it!

Be encouraged today(!) because God sees us.  He sees the long road that we hoe for Him, and He knows the loving ways that we serve and love others for Him, and He knows us.

For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. ~Hebrews 6:9

One of my most profound spiritual ideas and faith-practices can be summed up by the saying, "Keep on keeping on". I am convinced that faith and living-out our faith, and experiencing God all occurs when we simply keep doing what we know to do for God.  And in the daily/monthly/yearly process of serving God, we will have our hearts and lives changed, and we will be a part of others having their hearts and lives changed.  And that is God's perfect plan and call for each of us.

(11) Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. (12) Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. ~Hebrews 6:11-12

Don't put Jesus back up on the cross today; inherit God's promises today.

We can read very clearly in His Word (The Bible) about what God wants and what He doesn't want from us. We know the basics, and we have our building blocks of faith. Just keep building on them.
Amen.

Blessings,

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