By Paul Alberts
Recently I read the May 20th devotion of the Day By Day, Fourth Year by Jean Koechlin. The Day By Day is a five-year series of daily readings, covering the Bible book by book. I recommend reading it. Copies are available for purchase from Believers Bookshelf USA and Canada (their contact information is in this magazine on page 33). It is not available from Grace & Truth.
The passage Mr. Koechlin listed for this particular day was Luke 9:18-36, as he wrote:
The crowds believe the Lord Jesus to be a prophet, not the Christ, the Son of God (v.19). This is what leads the Lord to speak about His pathway of rejection and sufferings, along which He invites His own to follow Him. This pathway involves self-denial, not simply of one thing or another, but denial of one’s self, of the whole of one’s own will. Christians are dead (Gal. 6:14) to the world and its lusts, but they are alive to God and to heaven. On the other hand, those who want to live their own lives down here have eternal death before them. Our soul is at risk in this vitally important choice; our soul is worth more than the whole world.
As well as opening up this difficult pathway where the cross must daily be taken up, in order to encourage His own the Lord wishes to show them where it will end: in glory with Him. What will be the great subject of conversation up there? The death of the Lord Jesus. He talks about it to Moses and Elias, since He was not able to do so with His disciples (Lk. 9:22; Mt. 16:21-22). But despite the greatness of these Old Testament witnesses, they must fade away before the glory of the “beloved Son.” The law and the prophets have come to an end; from now on God is speaking through His Son. May we listen to Him! (Lk. 9:35; Heb. 1:2).
As we have come again to the once per year remembrance of our Savior’s death and resurrection, let us not limit our recalling simply to this time. Scripture encourages us to remember the Lord, showing forth His death collectively from week to week (1 Cor. 11:23-26; Acts 20:7). Individually, consider those things daily, as you take up your cross at the beginning of each day (Lk. 9:23). Remember Him!