Scripture reading: Genesis 1:31
I have been thinking and meditating on Mary Magdalene. She was very close to Jesus in her whole heart and soul. Her heart leaned toward Him so much that when she saw Him crucified, she couldn’t think of herself. A lot of the disciples ran away. Peter cursed and lost it. Mary Magdalene was with the other Marys, maybe about five Marys; they stood right there. They didn’t care if there were any there that wanted to kill them. Did you ever think of it? They stood, right there, beneath the cross. They never thought about whether they would lose their lives or not.
After He was crucified, they were the ones that remembered He had said that He would resurrect on the third day. So, they took ointment and spices to the tomb. I personally believe that they used that as a pretext to go to the grave and see what they could see. The Bible says that when they got to the gate, there was an earthquake accompanied by an angel of a very bright countenance (Matthew 28:2). That was the time of the resurrection – you know the whole story. Mary Magdalene wouldn’t leave there. She wanted to see Him. She saw a man and she went to talk to him. She talked with who she thought was the gardener, but it turned out to be Jesus Himself. The message He gave her was the first resurrection message that was given to the Church (John 20:17). It was given to a woman whose heart and soul was totally sold out to God. She took the message to the disciples, but they didn’t believe her.
She said, “He is risen, as He said” (Matthew 28:6). He is risen as He said, and we, when we think of Jesus Christ, we think of our risen Savior. He appeared to them many times, but there was only one time He appeared with wounds in His hands and in His side and He only appeared that way to convince the doubters (John 20:25-29). Amen?
Now, it is 2,000 years since that has happened and Jesus has been coming closer and closer and closer in the revelation of Himself to the church. His plan is not to reveal Himself to you so that you could go and preach. His plan is to reveal Himself in you, so that when you see Peter, you see Jesus, so that Jesus would have many faces, millions of faces. We will all look the way that we look, but it will be Jesus Who will be seen. That is, your mind will be the mind of Christ. Once your mind becomes the mind of Christ, you begin to think like Christ, you begin to act like Christ, you begin to walk like Christ and you begin to behave like Christ!
Now, for last 2,000 years, we have been working on the church, and if God wasn’t God, He would be disappointed. You know, I look at God sometimes and wonder why He isn’t disappointed. Do you know why? Because He is seeing something that I am not seeing and He is hearing something that I am not hearing.
God made this man, a magnificent creature, and He let him loose to walk. And as the man walked along, God said, “It is good” (Genesis 1:31). Now, God said, “It is good,” and God saw you. God saw what Adam would do, and God said, “It is good.” What is good? Deterioration from a magnificent, mighty creature down to little people like we are now? We deteriorated not only in the body but we have deteriorated in mind. We have deteriorated in every way from Adam, except in Christ. And Christ’s intention is to come forth in Adam.
(Excerpt from Keeping in Touch, December 2007, pg. 4)
Thought for today: Once your mind becomes the mind of Christ, you begin to think like Christ, you begin to act like Christ, you begin to walk like Christ and you begin to behave like Christ!
Sonlight Devotional 