Charles Stanley Daily Devotional 18th April 2025 (In Touch) Friday Message
TOPIC: Living Expectantly
SCRIPTURE: Mark 15:42-46
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.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Kings 13-14
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we can live with a sense of hope and anticipation.
Dr. Charles F. Stanley was the founder of In Touch Ministries and a New York Times best-selling author. Throughout his ministry, he demonstrated a keen awareness of people’s needs and provided Christ-centered biblically based principles for everyday life.