WALK — Thursday, May 23, 2024

It would have to be extremely hard not to have what Jesus did for us on our minds as we are constantly bombarded with images of Jesus’s death here at the Great Passion Play. There is a particular memory from last year’s trip that has stuck with me. 

We were sitting at the top of the seats for the play, and all were facing the set. It was quiet, and we were tired (which you are likely more than a little bit of this morning). The sun was setting but the beams of light coming through the trees were magnificent. Everything seemed so serene and peaceful, but there right at our eye level at the top of the set was the cross. We were taking requests for which songs to sing, and the song that became our song last year was requested: “What He’s Done”. Those words hit differently that evening:

See, on the hill of Calvary
My Savior bled for me
My Jesus set me free
And look at the wounds that give me life
Grace flowing from His side
No greater sacrifice!

As John drew our attention to the empty tomb part of the set, I found myself overwhelmed with awe and gratitude. Now, I know that it was just a set and not the real deal, but Jesus really died for me. The wrath of God due for my sin was really poured on Jesus. Thankfully, Jesus really rose from the dead! 

That is a lot of really, which leads to the point I really am making. If Jesus’s death and resurrection are real and He saves people, bringing them from death to life, shouldn’t this affect our real, everyday lives?

To a certain extent, it is easy to live out our faith publicly in another state on a mission trip and surrounded by our brothers and sisters in Christ. What happens when we get back home? If Jesus really has “good works” prepared for us to “walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10) like we have been studying about this week, doesn’t He have plans for us at home, too?

Think about the chorus of “What He’s Done”:

What He’s done! What He’s done!
All the glory and the honor to the Son!
My sins are forgiven, my future in Heaven!
I praise God for what He’s done!

What better way is there to praise Him than by walking with Him and our lives being a testimony to what He’s done?

Application:

• Pray and ask God to help you see His plan for you to be on mission when you get back home.

• Pray for two other students and two adult leaders by name and specifically ask God to show them His plan for them to be on mission when they get back home, too.
• Think of someone back home who does not know Jesus that you are going to see regularly. Ask God to save them and to prepare you to get to show Him to them.

Check out today’s Refresh & Restore Bible Study — “Adorned with Thanksgiving to Jesus in All of Life”!

Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

Christ Has Come – Week 3Episode Title: The Promised King & His Gift of JoyLuke 1:39–56In this Advent episode of Christ Has Come, Keith Harris turns to Luke 1 and invites us to slow down and listen to the joy that begins stirring before Bethlehem. Long before angels sing to shepherds, joy breaks the silence in the hill country of Judea—through a Spirit-filled confession, a leaping child, and the worshipful song of a young woman who trusts the promises of God.Together, we explore:What biblical joy is—and what it isn’t, distinguishing it from fleeting happiness or emotional highs.How joy appears before the word is even spoken, as John the Baptist leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of the unborn Messiah.Why Mary’s joy is rooted not in circumstances but in God’s mercy, as she magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God her Savior.The meaning and message of the Magnificat, a Scripture-saturated song that celebrates God’s great reversal—lifting the lowly, filling the hungry, and humbling the proud.How Mary’s joy points beyond herself to Jesus, the promised King who fulfills God’s covenant promises and secures lasting joy through His saving work.This episode reminds us that joy is not something we manufacture—it’s something we receive, and it grows wherever Jesus is trusted. Advent teaches us that true joy is found not in having life figured out, but in the presence of Christ and the mercy He brings.If you would like to see a written version of this study, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.

1. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025) 26:00
2. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of PEACE (Advent 2025) 22:47
3. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of HOPE (Advent 2025) 24:58
4. Thankful: Learning to Number Our Days (Refresh & Restore) 21:21
5. "Strengthen What Remains: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Sardis" (The KING is Coming) 20:30