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Weekly Devotional from August 1, 2005
Women in Discipleship (sm)
Weekly Devotionals 2005
Week 30
What do fear, great joy and running have in common?
The answer is: They are all related to the most significant event of all time. The Resurrection proclamation of Jesus Christ.
Scripture to ponder: Matthew 28:8 (NAS) "And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples."
The first word to describe the moment was "fear." The ladies, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were going to the tomb to care for the dead body of Jesus, so they thought. Instead they were greeted by an angel who tells them the awesome news that Jesus has risen from the dead. That's enough to bring extreme fear into the heart. The story doesn't stop there.
Next these ladies experience great joy. Why? They did one amazing thing. They believed! These eye witnesses (I John 1:1) saw the stone rolled away and the empty tomb. They also see and hear first hand the things that we can just ponder and believe. Their instructions were clear. Jesus was alive and would meet them in Galilee. No wonder joy was in their hearts. This joy was an everlasting experience for them. They would always ponder, remember and share this joy with the believers.
Lastly we see that they ran. Walking was not an option for them. They had eye witness testimony and instructions and they delivered the message with great exuberance.
Isn't this a great testimony for us today? Are we as quick to share the Gospel message? Does fear of failure rob us of the fear of God? Is joy a permanent reflection of our salvation. Are we eager to share the good news that Jesus is alive? As we run the race of life this week I pray that we will be excited to share the report of Jesus' resurrection and His return for us one day.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;" Proverbs 1:7a May we each share with joyful hearts the truth of Scripture and the eyewitness account of the risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Enjoy the race that is set before you this week,
Sandra Davis for the Women in Discipleship team
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