Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Philippians 3:9-11 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Numerous modern critics of the Bible say the resurrection of Yeshua (Jesus) is simply a myth based on pagan stories of “resurrected gods” from around the world, and that the authors of the New Testament borrowed from these myths and incorporated them into the Bible. But the similarity of two stories proves nothing about their origin or truth content. The Jews of Yeshua’s time were steeped in Old Testament monotheism which had a well developed tradition of resurrection believed and taught by the Pharisees. Polytheistic pagan ideas would have been abhorrent to men who understood and practiced the Judaism of the apostles and New Testament writers.
But the strongest evidence for the historical truth of Yeshua’s bodily resurrection comes from the testimony and lives of its eyewitnesses. Eleven of the twelve apostles suffered violent deaths for simply refusing to renounce their conviction and stop preaching the message that Yeshua was alive, that he was the Son of God and savior of the world. People don’t generally give their lives for something which they know to be untrue. But they had seen him, and touched him, and eaten with him after his crucifixion; and they were filled with wonder. And because the apostles lived in the power of the resurrection their message went out to the whole world, not as a pagan myth, but as a deep revelation of life-changing truth and hope, for which they were willing to suffer and even give their lives.
King Solomon wrote: “He (God) has placed eternity in the hearts of men…”; [Ecclesiastes 3:11] The resurrection stories of ancient pagan civilizations point to this deep desire in the hearts of men…to be resurrected and to live forever. Is it such a strange thing to hope that there is a life after death?
We know that the resurrection of Yeshua is true because it has been revealed to us by God Himself, and because of what it has accomplished in our own lives. Our faith is a conviction centered in this one, historical fact, and evidenced by the undeniable effect it has upon us. Resurrection of the dead is not a myth or a fable; and resurrection power from God’s Holy Spirit is the very source of our new life. Live in the real power of the resurrection. It will transform everything you are and everything you do…especially knowing that you too, will soon obtain the resurrection from the dead, a glorified body just like the Lord’s!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Before God’s servants can stand in high places before men, they must first bow low before Him. Elijah, fresh from proclaiming God’s judgment to Ahab, might have felt indispensable to God’s plan. Yet the following command was unexpected: “Hide yourself.” The brook Cherith became Elijah’s place of humbling, where pride was stripped away, self-reliance was broken, and his soul learned the sweetness of depending on God alone.
God’s servants must learn to walk by faith–one step at a time. This is a simple lesson, yet one that challenges even the most faithful. Consider Elijah: before he left his quiet home in Thisbe to stand before King Ahab with the word of the Lord, how many questions must have stirred his heart!
As we continue our journey through the life of Elijah, let us take heart in this: Elijah was a man just like us. He was not born with heroic strength or unshakable resolve. He knew weakness, fear, and moments of failure—the same struggles we face. And yet, this one man, by faith, stood alone against a tide of sin and idolatry. By faith, he turned a nation back to God.
Over the past few years, some leaders who once inspired many have fallen into scandals that have brought harm and confusion to the body of Christ. In moments like these, it’s easy to feel disillusioned or lost, as if the work of God depends on human vessels who have failed us. But I’m reminded of how Elisha responded when Elijah was taken from him. His eyes were not on the departing servant but on the living God. “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” he cried — not, “Where is Elijah?” That cry holds a lesson for us today: our hope and strength are not in human leaders, but in the God who works through them—and who remains faithful even when men falter.
The day before Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood before the ancient stones of the Western Wall and placed a prayer in its crevices. He chose Numbers 23:24—a verse that declares a timeless truth: God calls Israel and His people everywhere to rise with strength, purpose, and courage, no matter what challenges they face.
When we read the Beatitudes, we catch a glimpse of Yeshua’s heart and the values that define His Kingdom. His words unveil the kind of life that God calls blessed—marked by humility, mercy, purity of heart, a hunger for righteousness, peacemaking, and faithful endurance in the face of suffering.
We often celebrate beginnings—new chapters, breakthroughs, divine appointments. But in God’s economy, every true beginning requires a holy crossing. Before the Hebrews could enter the Promised Land, they had to leave Egypt. Before they entered the Promised Land, they had to cross over the Red Sea. And before Abraham could receive God’s promises, he had to obey a single command: “Leave.”