God's PromisesSample

HE IS COMING BACK

Troubled hearts. Troubled minds.

Those words describe what the disciples felt that last night with Jesus. They sat in the upper room as Jesus rocked their world…again. He’d washed their feet. He’d told them what was to come.

In a moment of courage, Peter boldly declared he’d follow Jesus and lay his life down for the One who would lay His life down for the many. Jesus gently pushed back with a question, then a prediction: “Will you really, Peter? A rooster won’t crow until you deny me three times.”

Ouch.

Then Jesus encouraged these men of troubled hearts and minds. “Believe in God. Believe in Me. I’m going ahead of you. It’s gonna be alright.”

It’s hard to put our minds around that moment. They didn’t understand what was happening, what would happen in a matter of hours, and what would culminate at Pentecost in a little over a month. In a handful of statements, Jesus promised His return.

“I will come again and receive you to Myself.”

One of the things I love about the incarnation – God becoming man – is how Jesus does a great reversal of the ugliness of this world. Think about it. As Jesus steps down from His throne and onto this dirt called “earth,” He declares war on the ugliness that started when humankind crashed in the Garden of Eden.

As you fast and pray today, thank God that He’s reversing the troubles of this world and the troubles of your life. Then, praise Him that He holds all things together as He reverses the trouble you see around you. Lastly, join Him in the great reversal as you serve someone around you.

Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe in Jesus. He has gone ahead of you. It’s gonna be alright.

Kip McCormick, Associate Pastor