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Encouragement for this LORD's Day: 'Set your mind on the things above'



By Bill Hornbeck - Posted at Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions:

God “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” – “Set your mind on the things above”

Today’s devotion comes from John 20:11-18.

“But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she *saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She *said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” When she had said this, she turned around and *saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene *came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.” John 20:11-18.

—————-

Jesus did not only rise just a little, so to speak, from the prone position of being dead to the standing position of being alive.

Jesus kept rising, ascending, to the heavenly position of being with God the Father in heaven.

That is why Jesus said: “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father”. Jesus did not say it to be cold to His mother. Jesus did not want to be stopped from rising. Jesus also did not want Mary to believe that He would be physically with her much longer (only 40 days).

For us too, there is more involved when we were made a alive after being dead in our transgressions. We also did not rise just a little. We too were “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ”.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7.

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:2-3.

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