Happy Wednesday! Today is March 9th, 2022. We would all enjoy living in a lovely garden, except when it is a garden tomb that’s sealed with s stone. Our problem is that we are comfy living in the garden with the sealed tomb...close enough to God’s plans but still far enough on the other side to not be bothered. We even make sure an angel doesn’t remove the stone because then things might change. Is it an immovable stone? No … not for God. Of course not. But the sticky part is this: for many of us, the garden is fine. We are comfy there. The stone reminds us that His presence and resurrection power are close. We like that, but it might be better to keep it behind the stone! You see, then it doesn’t rock our world or shake our comfort. Hmmm … I wonder why? Read on …
Today's Reading:
Deuteronomy 10,11,12; Mark 16
Scripture
“They were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’ Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.” (Mark 16:3-4)
Observation
Often in an attempt to be a motivator, I try to tell people what they can do. I know that I must believe in people’s gifts and encourage them by saying: “You can do it!” But maybe there’s a better way! I should tell people what God can do if they allow God to do some … stone removal!
Application
In the garden of our lives, we all have one or more stones that need to be moved out of the way. It’s time to let God roll doubt aside, move the stones of my reservations, my laziness, or my work-averse tendencies! Often, I think we might be the ones pushing back against the angel because He will expect us to “do something we don’t want to do.” We have become so comfortable living outside in the garden that we don’t want the stone removed. Why?… we might see a miracle and have to live differently. We might have to change our routine!!
Prayer
Father, we have become content to live in the garden … near the tomb, so we’d sometimes prefer that you just keep that stone in place! But, you see, if it’s rolled aside, I might have to change!
But this is such a rich lesson this morning. Roll the stones aside that block Your best in my life. Some stones are much bigger than others. Please help me identify them and give you permission to remove each one so the power of the resurrection can flood my garden!
Sign up to receive Pastor Wayne's devotions daily
