Charles Stanley (April 18, 2025) Daily Devotional: Living Expectantly.
Because of Christ's sacrifice, we can live with a sense of hope and anticipation.
Mark 15:42-46 - When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead. 45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
After the crucifixion, a wealthy Jewish leader named Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for Jesus’ body (Mark 15:43). Not only did Joseph understand the risk of requesting Rome’s permission to bury a criminal convicted of treason; he also knew his reputation and status in the religious community would be jeopardized. Why did he have the courage to come forward while the Lord’s closest friends stepped back in fear? The reason is that Joseph had been living expectantly, on the lookout for God.
Christ’s sacrifice changes everything—it affects both our eternal destination and daily life, allowing us to live with a sense of hope and anticipation. Yet sometimes we don’t recognize God’s presence and fail to live expectantly in “the already but not yet.”
Consider Peter, John, and the women who saw the empty tomb. Though Jesus had told them what to expect, they didn’t anticipate His death. Their shock and disbelief tell us clearly what they had thought would happen. Like them, we must remember that where Jesus appears, how He thinks, and what He says may not always be what we expect.
Without Christ’s sacrifice, there would be no hope. Though it may not be easy to live expectantly between present and future realities, it’s the best approach to the Christian life.
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