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Scripture for the day: John 20:19-20 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were [e]assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
Thought for the day: I want to share with you a common thread that seems to wind its way through the Word of God from beginning to end. We find an instance of this thread in today’s scripture reference. Jesus had risen from the dead; He had shown Himself to some of the women and a couple of disciples. Now ten of them were hidden away in a locked room somewhere in Jerusalem for fear of being arrested and killed, just as He had been. Suddenly, and without warning, Jesus stood there “in the midst.” 
 Now, if we pause long enough in our headlong rush through the Bible, we discover that this idea of Jesus in the midst is a major theme from cover to cover. At creation, when there was not much more than mist hanging about, Jesus was in the midst of it all.
 Exodus 8:22 – “I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.”
Deuteronomy 23:14 – “The Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you.”
 Jeremiah 14:9 – “You, O Lord, are in the midst of us.”
 In Daniel 3:25, Daniel reported that Jesus was in the midst of the flames with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
 As a babe, He was in the midst of shepherds and, later on, wise me.
 As a boy, He was in the midst of the theologians in the Temple.
 As God the Holy Spirit, Jesus is in the midst of His people. Matthew reminds us that He said, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I amin the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20.
 At Calvary, Jesus was in the midst of sinners. “They crucified Him and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the midst” (John 19:18).
 In Revelation we see Jesus in the midst of the throne of God.
 As our resurrected Lord, Jesus is in the midst of the churches, and on the evening of the first Easter Sunday, Jesus stood in the midst of His disciples.
 Now, I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even I can recognize a major theme when it’s presented as this one has been. Even I can see how important His presence is to the function of the Body. His presence is the key to the Christian life, to the fellowship of the church, and to the success of our own journey. Our deepest desire ought to be that Jesus will be in our midst, regardless of circumstances. 
 Picture in your mind, if you will, an old-fashioned wagon wheel with as many as 10 or twelve spokes radiating out from the center hub. When we put two spoke in the wheel, we create a compartment we call employment. Add another spoke and create the compartment called family. Another may be called school, hobbies, church, or any number of aspects of our life. Finally, we add one last spoke and create the compartment called Jesus. The problem is, Jesus can’t be just another spoke in the wheel; He must be the very hub, intimately involved in every aspect of our life, in the midst of our home, our office, our family, our recreation – everything. The question becomes: are we allowing Jesus to reside “in the midst” of our lives? We’ll talk more about this tomorrow. In the meantime, let’s allow Him to remain in the midst of our lives.
Now go take on your world.  -  Bill