March 31, 2013

Good  morning all-

This morning as we woke up something special should have crossed your mind.  He is risen!  That should have been your first thought and hopefully, it's a thought that crosses your mind more than just today.  I know that for me, it has become a staple of my life.  I have tried to keep it at the forefront of my mind, especially when I'm getting in my own way.

Easter Sunday has so many good memories for me.  Although I know my mom believed in Jesus, we didn't go to church.  We were allowed to go to whatever church we wanted to and no one kept us from exploring our faith.  I was blessed in that because I didn't just go to church because it's what my parents did, it was because I sought it.  During my youth, my mom had beautiful traditions of coloring Easter eggs together, getting up on Sunday morning and getting our baskets and I can still remember the joy of that day.  She wanted us to remember that Jesus was the reason and give us memories that would last a lifetime.  I hold them dear.  My three brothers and I would pick up our baskets and go through them with a fine tooth comb.  We were not wealthy and so every piece of candy was a treasure.

Today, my focus is more on what is holy.  I did all the same things my mom did over the years and my sons loved Easter, they still do.  The difference is I want them to know that Jesus is the reason.  He bore our stripes and our sins with His life and He gave us life without anything in return.  People are talking about the instruments that were used in the crucifixion and as you know, they were barbaric.  The torture was profuse and it was intended to scare those from doing bad.  I'm sure it did.  Prison is a palace compared to what they went through back then and yet, our Lord, who was innocent, took the punishment and gave His life.

I am always humbled during this time of year.  As I watch the flowers pop up from the earth, the grass become green and the birds begin to flutter from tree to tree, it reminds me that this beauty was given and we get to be apart of it.  Our lives have turmoil.  We also experience profound loss, anguish, anxiety and instability but through it all, our lives are easy compared to one man's sacrifice for us.  There will always be beauty and there will always be pain but in the end there will be victory.  Why?  Because Jesus took the cup, drank it and died for it.  He stood between us and death and He won.  Wars will come, famines will flourish and the land will be dry until the day that our Lord comes back and takes His seat, eliminating evil for eternity.

Until then, we must stay faithful.  We must walk and pray and repent.  We must teach our children and others about the power of the cross and we must remain, not in our own strength, but in His.  I can only imagine the horror that took place on that fateful day.  It must have felt like a complete and utter loss.  And then, miraculously, two woman went to the tomb to find no body.  Imagine it?  An angel comes to them and awakens them with the power of the cross.  He is risen!

I have found joy in many things in my life but none compare to the day I found Jesus!  I am humbled to be in His army.  Believe me, I don't deserve it and I will never be perfect but I am His and He is mine and together we are one.  Life holds no meaning if we don't believe that He was resurrected after death.  If you don't believe it, you don't believe in the story of the cross.  But to date, no one has ever found the body, there is no burial tomb and we all know there never will be.  He is in Heaven, one with His Father and we are His, forever!

I hope today is full of great memories, stories of Easter egg hunts and dinners full of family.  But if none of those are available and you feel lonely, remember that Christ is with you.  He died for you and you are His.  I'm grateful for family but I'm more grateful for Him!

Luke 24:6 NKJV:

     He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,

My prayer today:

O, Lord, My Father, How Great thou are!  I come before You today with gladness and joy in my heart, not for the blessing you have bestowed on my house but for the sacrifice You made thousands of years ago.  We are in Your debt for what You did for us and we are kneeling before You asking You to bring forth people unto Your kingdom.  The world is crazy right now and the future is unknown but You are real, You were here, You bore the world's sins and You died for each one of us.  You rose again and we are healed through the stripes that You wore for us.  We are far from perfect and come today asking You to take our sins, hold us accountable and bring forth renewal to our hearts and souls.  We are Yours, You are ours and together we are part of History.  I pray that many would come to church today and find the love that is there.  I pray that strangers would be kind and that Jesus would be seen all over the world.  You are our King and today we thank You for being our lamb.  May God walk with His people today giving them wisdom to do the right things and to love randomly.  Be with me today and help my husband and my sons to see You the way I do.  May You continue to guide us toward Heaven and away from our own selfishness.  Give us a message today that resonates and help the pastors all over the world feed Your people.  I pray for the lost and lonely and believe that You are near.  Forever and ever You are my King.

Until tomorrow...