Words of Hope Daily Devotional
Faith’s Foundation
Read: Luke 24:1-9
Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. (vv. 5-6)
Have you ever doubted the gospel stories of miracles? Start with just one. On this morning, when the women came to a tomb in a garden cemetery, they knew that Jesus was dead. Most historians think so too, affirming that Jesus really lived, and that the Romans really killed him. But Scripture tells us more than historians can. The women were not prepared for what they would actually encounter. The stone covering the tomb’s opening was rolled away. There was no body inside. They were greeted by two men in dazzling clothing—angels—who immediately challenged their assumptions.
These women faced an empty tomb, but they would soon meet a living Savior. And his disciples would be witnesses to his life, his death, and his resurrection. In his resurrection, Jesus performed the greatest miracle, in which he not only revealed his identity, but his power—a Savior who could abolish death forever, the one miracle that matters most.
“I delivered to you,” Paul told Christians in Corinth, “as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). Read, study, and discover all things that lead Christians to place their trust in Jesus. Jesus himself is at hand to help you.
As you pray, ask Jesus to reveal his life in you, so you may show that to others.
About the Author
Fred Van Dyke is a conservation biologist dedicated to the care for God’s creation. In this role Fred has served government agencies, private consulting firms, and academic institutions doing research, management, and teaching in conservation science. He is also the author of two books on faith and environmental stewardship.
The Foreshadowing Miracle
Read: John 11:17-44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (v. 44) Death can feel like
Grief to Joy—Life from Death!
Read: Luke 7:11-17 He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” (v. 14) What is it like to lose the person you most depended on? Your grief may be exceeded only by your loneliness, your loneliness only by your loss,
A Miracle of Transfiguration
Read: Matthew 17:1-9 Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead. (v. 9) When people think of the miracles of Jesus, they don’t usually think of the one in our reading today. That’s because
No Sign but Jonah
Read: Matthew 12:38-42 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. (v. 39) When I read this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees, I’m at
Miraculous Compassion
Read: Matthew 14:13-21 They all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. (v. 20) What is less fun than balancing a budget—at home, at the office, at church? The world shows
Claimed by Jesus
Read: Mark 5:25-34 She said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” (v. 28) Have you ever felt like the woman in today’s reading? Or do you know someone who has suffered much, spent all they have