Today’s scripture: Luke 24:1-12 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Lynnette Pullen):
I have read the story of Christ’s death and resurrection many times. As I read it again this time something completely different really stood out to me. Luke 24:1-12 describes the reaction of Jesus’ followers and the apostles on the days following his death. What struck me was that the women brought spices to the tomb to anoint his body, and when he was not there they did not rejoice. They grieved that his body was now missing, but it never occurred to them the Christ’s prophecy had come true until an angel of the Lord speaks them in verses 5-7:
In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The son of Man must be delivered in the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. Then they remembered.
At first I was thinking “Man, how could you forget it was the third day? Why weren’t they waiting at the tomb with robes and food waiting for Christ to emerge?” As I read the rest of the passage it was clear that none of the apostles really expected to see Christ. They even doubted the women’s account of what happened and thought they were full of nonsense. What could have caused them to forget the promises of God? Probably the same thing that causes me to forget too: the “Never Lies.”
The Never Lies are constant nagging thoughts that directly contradict the promises of God. It is a manipulation of the mind that plants the seeds of doubt and disbelief causing us to falter in our faith in God. I imagine Satan whispering to each of Christs’ followers’ subtle suggestions like: “That was so much blood, he’ll never come back from that.” “No one can come back from the grave, he’ll never make it.” “Maybe he isn’t the Savior. You’ll never see him again.”
I heard a TV evangelist preach about the “Never Lies.” You’ve heard them before: “You’ll never get a better job, this is it for you.” “You’ll never lose that weight, you’re too far gone.” “Maybe God blessed others in the past but God will never do it for you.” “You’ll never be as good as them no matter how much you try.” Admittedly, I have believed many of these Never Lies and as a result grieved the loss of something that was promised to me by God, just like the apostles. I wonder if the apostles fell prey to the Never Lies too. In the absence of Christ and in only a matter of days, Satan was able to convince them that Christ is never coming back.
So, then the next logical question is: How do we deal with the Never Lies? In my own life as I recognize those nagging thoughts, I try to combat them by using scripture. It even helps to write out the lie and identify scriptures that state God’s truth. Here are a few that I rely on: Jeremiah 29:11, Psalm 23, Psalm 119:140, Isaiah 54:17, Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 37:1-7, Philippians 4:6-7, Luke 12:7 and Philippians 4:19. There many more verses in the Bible that are full of encouragement and promises. I urge you to identify those Never Lies in your life that are contradicting God’s promises to you. Write them down and write down one or two verses along side of it that state God’s truth about your situation. Whenever those thoughts emerge recite those verses until the thoughts go away.
Thought for the day: God, I know I have listened to the Never Lies too many times in my life. This has kept me from believing your promises and reaching my goals. Forgive me. Help me to use your word to cast down these misleading thoughts. Help me to remember and rely on you.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.