God at Work

Hello there and welcome. Our Daily Bread would like to encourage you today with a reading titled God at Work and it was written by Arthur Jackson. God is crying. Those were the words whispered by Bill Haley's 10 year old daughter as she stood in the rain with a group of multi-ethnic believers in Jesus. They had come to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley to seek God and make sense of the legacy of racial discord in America. As they stood on the grounds where former slaves were buried, they joined hands in prayer. Then suddenly, the wind began to blow and it started to rain. As the leader called out for racial healing, the rain began to fall even harder. Those gathered believed that God was at work to bring reconciliation and forgiveness.

And so was it at Calvary. God was at work after the crucified Jesus breathed his last. Matthew chapter 27 says, The earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs broke open.

Though some had denied who Jesus was, a centurion assigned to guard him had come to a different conclusion. Verse 54 says, When the centurion and those with him saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and exclaimed, Surely he was the Son of God. In the death of Jesus, God was at work providing forgiveness of sin for all who believe in him. Second Corinthians chapter 5 declares, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And what better way to demonstrate that we've been forgiven by God than to extend forgiveness to each other.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from the book of Matthew chapter 27 verse 50 through 54. And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.

They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and exclaimed, Surely he was the Son of God. Now let's pray. Loving God, thank you for reconciling the world to yourself through the work of your Son on the cross. Thank you for bridging the gap that we could not cross and for making the way back for us and for giving us for our sin. We pray that through the work of your Spirit we may live lives that honor you and reflect our love for you. And may we be bold in proclaiming your love and forgiveness to this hurting and lost world. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.