42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. 46 So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. (Mark 15:42-47)
Good Friday changed the course of human history. For those who were actual participants in the events, when Saturday came many would have been without hope. Even those close to Jesus didn’t know what was coming. Often we also find ourselves in circumstances that seem hopeless. Unlike the contemporaries of Jesus though, we know that Sunday came, resurrection came, eternal life came and hopelessness is dispelled. Tomorrow we celebrate the foundation of salvation for disciples of Jesus. We also celebrate the basis for hope in all our circumstances.
You will recall that when we started our journey we assessed where we were in the practice of the Disciplines using the table below.
| Level of Discipline | ||||
| Discipline | What success looks like | High | Medium | Low |
| Bible Study | A habit of regular Bible study. | |||
| Prayer | A habit of praying in all circumstances. | |||
| Worship | A lifestyle of submission to God. | |||
| Fellowship | Commitment not to “go it alone” but rather to grow with other believers. | |||
| Fasting | Periodically sacrificing our natural desires for a deeper relationship with Jesus. | |||
| Creation | An attitude of enjoying God’s creation. | |||
| Stewardship | Daily choosing to submit to God’s agenda since he owns everything. | |||
| Spiritual Warfare | Recognizing and resisting temptations. | |||
| Service | Daily choosing to go where Jesus would go and do what Jesus would do. | |||
| Sabbath | Commitment to setting apart a day for rest. | |||
| Counsel | A humble spirit which leads to seeking and receiving wise advice. | |||
I encourage you to keep assessing yourself throughout the year, and remember that in this regard there is great hope as well. We can look forward to living the Disciplines 365/366 days of the year with renewed vigor, through the power of the resurrection, and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for participating in this Journey. May God richly bless you as you use the Disciplines as a tool to strengthen your love for God and man!
Please read the passage above and consider the request below.
Today’s Request:
If you feel led please share your thoughts on the Resurrection and your commitment to practice the Disciplines for God’s glory.
March 26, 2016 at 6:15 am
A few days ago I was visiting Israel and I’m always a little surprised that many who live there still don’t believe in the resurrected Messiah. After going a few time I’m caught off guard by my own lessened sense of awe of the Holy Land at times. The axiom goes familiarity breeds contempt” and I think if I’m not careful I can get so caught up in knowing I am saved through grace by a resurrected Christ that loose a sense of how spectacular that is.
This week I read this account when Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain from the dead (Luke 7:11-15). I didn’t remember this one. But I’m sure in that day, each time Nain saw her son she remembered Christ.
I pray that I will remember afresh each day what Christ did for me through the resurrection.
March 26, 2016 at 10:11 am
In taking the time to put some thought into it, the resurrection is a BIG deal! It has given us hope. Children of God always remember to mention, “Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins.” Yes, this is true, but if He wasn’t miraculously resurrected, I truly think many people would take Jesus’ death as death that is going to happen to everyone. They would see it as a death like any other.
Knowing Jesus died, is resurrected, and is alive in our hearts is an incredibly awesome truth that brings joy, peace, and hope to myself and many others. I look forward to celebrating His resurrection tomorrow.
The above Disciplines will be a checklist/reminder of how I should live on a daily basis. Striving to live as Christ would, will help each person who makes the effort, keep their commitment to practice the Disciplines.
March 26, 2016 at 9:47 pm
I am always excited about the resurrection of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ! The Apostle Paul has a profound discourse on the Resurrection in the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 15 (all 58 verses) in which he argues irrefutably, based on sound evidence, that Christ was raised from the dead and we too shall be raised from the dead. He states in verses 13 & 14 “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” In v 17 he underscores his point, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.” The entire chapter is an exciting masterpiece on which our faith as Christians is inexcusably and securely anchored.
From the day of Jesus’ resurrection until now there have been sceptics and doubters but even those who tried to tamper with the evidence to make it out to be a lie had to rethink their strategies (Matt 28: 12-15) and still could not convince except the gullible that Jesus did not rise from the dead as there were too many witnesses who saw Him after His resurrection. Jesus defeated His enemies, He defeated death and the grave. He is alive forevermore! Up from the grave He arose with a mighty triumph o’er His foes! He arose! He arose! Alleluia, Christ arose!
Thank God for the 40 Days of Discipline which have intrinsically motivated me to grow deeper in Christ, especially in studying His Word at a much deeper level, including knowing references (my weakest area) which I’m striving to improve drastically. Thank you for all you’ve done to enhance my spiritual growth. Happy Easter & Happy Discipline!
March 26, 2016 at 10:55 pm
For every single day of this 40 Days of Discipline journey the comments have been nothing short of inspirational. A huge THANK YOU to all contributors! Without your involvement the journey is not the same and I know that many participants looked forward to comments. We have learned a lot from all of you. God bless you
March 27, 2016 at 3:34 pm
Thanks to everyone for making this possible.