SCRIPTURE
Zechariah 9:14-10:2 (NRSV)
God will save the flock
Then the Lord will appear over them,
and his arrow go forth like lightning;
the Lord God will sound the trumpet
and march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.
The Lord of hosts will protect them,
and they shall devour and tread down the slingers;
they shall drink their blood like wine,
and be full like a bowl,
drenched like the corners of the altar.
On that day the Lord their God will save them
for they are the flock of his people;
for like the jewels of a crown
they shall shine on his land.
For what goodness and beauty are his!
Grain shall make the young men flourish,
and new wine the young women.
Ask rain from the Lord
in the season of the spring rain,
from the Lord who makes the storm clouds,
who gives showers of rain to you,
the vegetation in the field to everyone.
For the teraphim utter nonsense,
and the diviners see lies;
the dreamers tell false dreams,
and give empty consolation.
Therefore the people wander like sheep;
they suffer for lack of a shepherd.
DEVOTION
Today I am touched by the imagery of God as our savior and defender! I don’t know about you but as a little girl I loved fairy tales and superhero stories. As an adult, I notice that most people share my passion. I really believe that there is something unique about human beings that causes us to long for a savior and defender. We desperately desire to know that there is someone out there who cares about us so much that s/he would leap over tall buildings, scale high mountains, engage in warfare and even fight to the death to protect us!
We read stories, watch movies, and sit mesmerized by cartoons and sitcoms all out of our great desire to find a hero on the page or on the screen.
What is so amazing about our continual thirst for a superhero is that all human beings have already been rescued by a superhero of epic proportion. His name is JESUS.
Jesus came to the earth from a far-away place. Jesus battled demons, sickness, and societal ills on our behalf and Jesus willingly offered himself as a ransom for us, dying in our place!
Oh hallelujah!
There is a real life superhero who rushes to our rescue when we are in trouble. In today’s scripture the prophet wrote, “Then the Lord will appear over them, and his arrow go forth like lightning; the Lord God will sound the trumpet and march forth in the whirlwinds…The Lord of hosts will protect [us].”
WOW!
As Christians we are possessors of the greatest story ever told and everybody loves a good story! We get to tell people—every single day—that God loves us so much that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life.
We get to tell A TRUE STORY with an infinitely happy ending! We get to introduce people to The One who is able to rescue them from the quick sands of life, beat back the demons that threaten the salvation of their souls, and usher them into a Paradise that has no end!
My friends, don’t we have the most awesome job on earth?!! JESUS is a superhero that ought to be more famous than Prince Charming, Xena, Superman, the X-Men, and Batman combined!!
Let us go out and make the name of our hero famous everywhere we go! In Jesus’ Name,
Amen…
Do you need a superhero today? If so, please pray with me:
Dear God, thank you so much for sending Jesus to be my hero. I believe—by faith—that He died on the cross to save me from my sin and gift me with eternal life. I am glad that Jesus did not stay dead, but was resurrected just as He promised. Please forgive me of my sin and fill me with the Holy Spirit. I am so grateful that you are my superhero and I want to introduce you to all my friends. Please help me to be faithful to that work. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
SPECIAL NOTE
If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! I would be so honored if you would let me know about your decision by clicking “Yes” in the poll located at the top/right of today’s devotional! I am so happy for you! Happy Spiritual Re-Birth-Day!
Next steps: In response to what God did for you just now, let me suggest that you consider telling another Christian so that they can celebrate with you! Ask them to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand so that you can learn more about your new-found faith! Ask them to help you find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make new friends who will walk with you on your new journey! You are already saved; now let God mature you by faith! Congratulations!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
To listen to audio recordings of Pastor Yolanda's Sunday sermons, please visit http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/57814 or click the widget to the right on this page!
If you would like to put all of your hope in Jesus today, please visit my blog entitled, “Putting All Your Hope In Jesus” located at
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/04/putting-all-your-hope-in-jesus.html
If you have additional questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus"
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html
Pastor Yolanda is now publishing another blog entitled, “A Spoken WORD” in celebration of Holy Hip Hop, Gospel/Christian Rap and Spoken Word. Please check it out @ http://aspokenword.blogspot.com/
You are invited to follow Pastor Yolanda on Twitter www.twitter.com/PastorYolanda
Good News has now added a Prayer Ministry. http://www.kindlejoy.com/groups/goodnews
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From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com
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