JUNE 13, 2016

“God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes, to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners.” 
― Søren Kierkegaard

EZRA 3-5

Time goes by and once Cyrus is no longer King Artaxerxes halts the building of the temple...however once King Darius is on the throne an appeal is made through letter to resume building the Temple.

17Now if it pleases the king, let a search be made in the royal archives of Babylon to see if King Cyrus did in fact issue a decree to rebuild this house of God in Jerusalem. Then let the king send us his decision in this matter.

JOHN 20

Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection...

15He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

 

JOURNAL 

I love how Jesus speaks to Mary and tells her to go tell his "brothers" and that he is ascending to "my Father and your Father, to my God and your God".  The beauty of the Gospel is here in these very words. We have kinship with Christ...we are redeemed and have fellowship with God, just as Jesus does. 

We are part of the "Kingdom"...when we believe, we are grafted into the bloodline of Christ.  How amazing and how comforting to know that we cannot be stripped of our lineage. We are now Heirs with Christ.

14For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.^f And by him we cry, “Abba,^gFather.” 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. ~ Romans 8:14-17