Day 147 "Not everyone will be rejoicing on the day of Christ's return, lets do all we can to help."

Day 147 Matthew 17:22-23 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful. Influenced by what they had seen Jesus do and say and in love with the man they had come to know on a personal basis, the disciples naturally did not want to see Jesus die. Were they sorrowful for His upcoming suffering or the fact that He would be leaving them soon? Were they simply unable to grasp the concept of resurrection or all of the above? After all, the concept of Him being raised on the third day seems so unbelievable that, well maybe, they just couldn't comprehend the power of it. These guys had to be so in awe of everything Jesus had done and was doing. I'm sure it was very difficult to imagine, understand, or even believe in the idea of Christ being resurrected: a fact substantiated later on in the book of Matthew. However, can you imagine the excitement taking place in the heavenlies? For those whom the plan had been revealed, they understood the significance of the temporary suffering of Christ for the eternal redemption of man. They had to be excited that Jesus was about to firmly and forever establish His rule and His reign over all demonic realms, powers, and principalities, in particular, satan himself! For those who had an eternal perspective, this was to be the most pivotal of points for all time regarding mankind! You may say, well, what about the return of Christ to earth? And, yes, while that, too, will be a day in which all believers will rejoice to a certain degree, not all of mankind will be blessed by that event. For many, Christ's return will be a day of great sorrow, judgment, and pain; all of which will never end. His resurrection, however, is a day in which all men receive a hope that cannot be taken away–that of redemption and eternal life with Christ! I, for one, must confess that I have not celebrated this day with the zeal it deserves. I have been so excited about His, I believe, soon return that I have allowed His resurrection to be somewhat downplayed in my life, and today I realize the selfishness of such actions. You see, I am confident in my salvation and resurrection because of what has been done by Christ; however, I must remember the pain that some will feel upon His return and allow this to keep me focused on who and how I should be serving my Lord. How about you? Daily Prayer: Father, I confess to you that it is much easier to focus on Your return and what it means for me than it is to focus on what it will mean to those who don't know You. Teach me, Lord, to stay focused on what the future means to them that I might serve You by serving the lost. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "Not everyone will be rejoicing on the day of Christ's return, lets do all we can to help." Pastor Gene Burroughs