I had never been part of a drama before, but when our pastor pleaded for more men to participate in the Easter play, I couldn't say no. After months of set building, rehearsal, and preparing all the special effects necessary to present a realistic re-enactment of the death and resurrection of Christ, I found myself the recipient of a very special gift from God, which was to experience Christ's death, looking up from the foot of Golgotha.

I don't know how to explain it so that you may see what I saw, and feel what I felt, but I will do my best. Was it perhaps the realness of the fake blood that flowed down his face and neck from the crown of thorns? Was it perhaps the way his flogged and bloody chest heaved, as he gasped desperately for enough breath to speak his final words?

All I know is that no acting was required on the part of those who shared my vantage point. Our groans and weeping were unrehearsed. We watched, and shed real tears, as we looked up, from our hiding place among the papier mache rocks clustered at the foot of our Golgotha, at what was taking place on the centre cross. It was real enough for me to know that I can never make up for what my sin made Jesus suffer on that day. It was real enough to make my tears flow again, as I write this now. I only wish that everyone could have shared this heart-rending experience. Reading the crucifixion account will never be quite the same.

1 Peter 2:24-25 – He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (NIV)

Prayer: O Jesus, what You suffered for us! Father, forgive us for what we have done. Holy Spirit, keep the cross, the blood, and the pain fresh in our hearts and minds always. Amen.

Ezekiel 9:4-6 – And the Lord said to him, "Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it." And to the others he said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him, and smite; your eye shall not spare, and you shall not show pity… but touch no one upon whom is the mark". (RSV)

The word of God doesn't mess around, does it? Whenever God has witnessed all the corruption He can endure, the consequences are bound to be awesome. But didn't God have a just measure for judging hearts, before this particular time of judgment, as foretold to His prophet Ezekiel? God's angel simply marked any who were sick at heart over the state of unrighteousness in God's holy city, thus sheltering them from the coming destruction.

Matthew 5:3-4,6 – Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (RSV)

To the child of God, all unrighteousness is a cause for sadness. It not only brings hardship and disappointment upon those who are the victims of the unrighteousness, but it brings reproach upon the sovereignty of God, and opposes His will to have all His human creation walking in the blessed joy of a godly life. If Jesus Christ cried tears over Jerusalem, should we be any less grieved over the world of unrighteousness awaiting destruction at the end of the age?

Prayer: May we cry along with You, Father, as You weep over your lost and rebellious children. May we speak boldly of Your love to any who might listen, a love which brings only joy to all who will accept it. Today is the day of salvation. Let us use today, first to weep, and then to act, that one more might be saved through the life-giving blood of Jesus Christ. How blessed we would be, if today we were to become a messenger of Your love. Amen.

Whenever I read this account, I immediately think in my heart, "there but for the grace of God go I"! Isn't it true that even though we have been washed in Christ's blood, and tasted of God's Holy Spirit, we shrink back in fear to the spirit of this world, where money was our god, the thing in which we put our greatest trust? Perhaps we should be thankful that we still live "distanced" from God, as, like Ananias, we might not be tolerated any closer to His presence, if we have tried to approach Him with deceit in our hearts. Could there be a better time to come to God, and confess our lack of faith, our idolatry, and pray that the Holy Spirit cleans us, washes us completely clean in thought and deed? If we don't, and we pretend a faith that isn't true, someday we may be carried out like Ananias and his wife.

Prayer: Father, may you strip us of everything we possess, and leave us as Job, rather than us lying to You, and pretending we have given You our all. We have held back, and have not trusted in You completely. Please, Lord, remake us, give us a pure heart, that we may speak truth when we say, "I have given everything to the Lord." Amen.

Exodus 15:7 – In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble. (NIV)

I must reluctantly wonder whether the average person checking in on a daily devotional seeks praise instead of reproof, and a pat on the back instead of a kick in the pants. However, I'm finding that I'm continually judging myself, attempting to reprove myself, as sometimes there is no one else around to do it, except the Spirit. When it comes to daily devotionals, I believe that reproof is as much needed as praise, and, personally, I would prefer reproof most of the time, over being schmoozed. I know I'm a sinner in need of daily realignment and continual growth, and I would hope that's how everyone else would feel too. God scourges those He loves, and these days a good spiritual scourging is so hard to come by. You're more likely to get, "Oh, that's okay, don't be too hard on yourself. God loves you anyway, knowing you're the product of a dysfunctional family." Who will discipline us in righteousness, if not the church? We love to bask in the warmth and mercy of the "suffering servant", but have we repressed the reality of the approaching "conquering King", whose holiness consumes sin like dried stubble? Has the church become too soft, too conciliatory in our day? Is righteousness and obedience being promoted as strongly as they should be?

Who dares call anything sin any more? It's as if we now believe in universal salvation, because everything has an explanation, and is justifiable in its own relative context. God has been reduced to the one who cleans up all our messes. He is our servant, who makes things right again, after we have allowed ourselves to experiment with unlimited self-fulfilment. God has become the icing on the cake, not the bread of life. And then there are those who believe godliness is the end point of man's own spiritual evolution, as if all we needed was enough time to get there on our own, with Jesus, Buddha, and whoever else we might admire setting the example to follow. All interesting psychology, but erroneous theology. How does one incorporate original sin, moral depravity, and sanctification into a light and fluffy devotional? The kind of devotional we need should be entitled, "Your Daily Kick In The Pants"!

Prayer: Father, we invite You, in Your great love for us, to discipline us into the ways of Your holiness. "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24). Amen.

Could there be a better time for us to buy as much stock as possible in Jesus Christ, even if it takes everything we have, even though he may be "out of favour" in this wicked world? Sure, I know he wasn't the kind of king mankind expected, and most people only put faith in what is powerful here and now, but let's consider some of the underlying value that makes Jesus, God's "suffering servant", the investment opportunity of our lifetime.

The future reward is unlimited – Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. (John 6:68 NIV)

This investment pays great dividends – "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields — and with them persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life". (Mark 10:29-30 NIV)

This investment will humble every rival – Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-10 NIV)

Security in insecure times – On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive at what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your salvation is drawing near. (Luke 21:25-28 NIV)

Only available for a limited time – In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2 NIV)

No one is too poor to invest – That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NIV)

I don't mean to make light of our Saviour by comparing him to an investment, but in reality, Jesus Christ is an investment choice that every one of us must make. Let us not be deceived, for there is not another name under heaven by which we can receive salvation and everlasting life. If we have not done so already, we must make our investment today, while there is still time.

Prayer: Father God, we claim Jesus as our Lord and King. We freely admit our wretchedness, and bow before You, seeking mercy through the blood of Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your patience, Father, for allowing time for each of us to come to this moment of realization, that nothing else in heaven or earth is as precious as the life-giving blood of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.

There have been times in my life when God has "long been silent", not because He had nothing to say to me, but because I was not in the mood to listen. My Bible, while sitting on the bookshelf, had little ability to either inspire or restore.

Likewise, when we fear what unbelievers many think or say and thus remove God entirely from our conversations at work or school, or with our neighbours and family, we act falsely to God, and deny others the opportunity to be inspired through us. By bearing witness to the blessings of God we have experienced in our own lives, we influence others to "remember" Him and to ponder the blessedness of having God in their own hearts.

Acts 4:20 – For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard. (NIV)

Prayer: Father God, may we prove true to You before mankind, bearing witness both to Your presence in our lives and to the righteousness of Your nature. Let the nations see that we both fear You and love You. Give us courage where we are weak, in Jesus' name. Amen.

In reading further through the book of Second Chronicles, one sees how this promise was fulfilled repeatedly throughout the long succession of Judah's kings. God blessed those who sought his face, but abandoned those who fell to the worship of such things as created images, human sexuality, and military security, instead of the exclusive worship of the Lord God, their creator and saviour.

In today's world, what is the condition of human worship? Western society, at large, would appear to be worshipping something other than God, perhaps the stock portfolio, the television remote control, or the fleeting passions of youth. What does this tell us? It reveals a society that has no genuine belief in a living God of the past, present, and future; a culture that has given up any reason for hope that this life is not all there is. It lives for the present, because it sees no future, and worships only what it can see, taste, and feel.

Hebrews 11:6 – And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (NIV)

I don't know about you, but the reason I have hope for the future is the supernatural beauty found in the life and words of Jesus Christ. In Christ, I find supernatural love, supernatural justice, supernatural mercy, supernatural wisdom, and supernatural resurrection power. I have read the wisdom of other great religious and philosophical leaders, but nothing compares to the incomprehensible wisdom of salvation through faith in God's "suffering servant", the one rejected and despised by those possessing power, the one spat upon by the self-righteous, yet worshipped by tax collectors and redeemed whores, the one who rose in victory over death. We are either saved or rejected, by our own heart's response to this unlikely King, Jesus of Nazareth.

Matthew 11:25-26 – I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. (NIV)

Prayer: Father God, perhaps our minds cannot understand why our hearts can see the perfect wisdom of salvation in Jesus Christ. We may not know why love, justice, mercy, and truth are things we still care about, even when many around us have stopped caring. It may be a mystery why our hearts are drawn to You, and why nothing else can satisfy our longings. We don't know why, but thank You, God. You have given us both a way to live, and something to live for, in Jesus Christ. Amen.