“Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”Matthew 28:1‭-‬7

Sunday morning had FINALLY come! The past week had been grueling but it also, at least to some extent, validates our questions about where God is when we’re going thru trails and facing problems!

Lastly, just before dying, Jesus
Jesus called out “It is finished!” We may not understand as Americans, the implications of this statement, but Hebrew people there recognized those words to be those uttered annually by the High Priest after the atoinment sacrifice was completed! For us, this statement is HUGE! When Jesus said, “it is finished”, it meant SIN was FINISHED! DEATH was FINISHED! The CURSE of sin was FINISHED EVERY EVIL and EVERY ILL that had been passed to us because of sin, whether our sin or someone elses, ALL OF IT WAS FINISHED! Jesus had won the victory!

For the discipes, today didn’t feel too victorious! Their Leader, their Teacher, their Lord was dead! Day 2, Saturday morning, they woke up to realize the nightmare was real! But FINALLY, Sunday came! At sunrise, they ran to His tomb to discover that Jesus was not there–HE HAD RISEN, defeating death forever!

Celebrate today! Celebrate the Risen Christ! Celebrate the defeat of sin and and death!

Walk in the Life that Jesus died, rose again and lives forever to give you! Surrender EVERYTHING you are today to Him!

Think about it!

“Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity.”
John 12:23‭-‬25

This passage of Scripture mark the consummation of what the bible was written for. From the start of time, when God created us, as people to have a relationship with Him, this plan was in motion. The Old Testament predicted it, the Law modelled it, the story of God’s people forshadowed it and many of the events and people of the Old Testament demonstrated our absolute need for a Deliverer! In this verse, Jesus announces, “Now the time has come . . .”

God was right on time too! All of events of human history had led to this time! The right leadership was in place. The people were ready for it-Messiah despirately needed to come, so here He stood, right before their very eyes and most of them missed it and missed Him! While they expected a military end political take-over, Jesus’ Kingdom was MUCH bigger than that! He had come to defeat death, darkness, sin and the grave itself! Ultimatly, Jesus had come to defeat satan! The time had finally come!

What Jesus knew that His onlookers didn’t was that to defeat death, He would have to die! Jest like a wheat seed, falls into the ground, is buried, dies as an individual wheat kernal and cracks open and become a wheat sprout, then plant, reproducing itself a hundred times over, just like that, He’d have to die and rise again to defeat death! And now it was time!

Jesus warned us that to be too in love with our present life would lead to losing that life altogether, but to be willing to lay down our lives for each other and for the sake of His Kingdom would lead to ETERNAL LIFE within that Kingdom and that the time had finally come.

Time itself split when Jesus died on the cross, taking our sins upon Himelf that day and dying in our place! The time became NOW, so NOW is the time!

NOW is the time to BE His Church! NOW is the time to bring His KINGDOM! NOW is the time to BRING people to Him! The time NOW!

Think about it!

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord , whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me? I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.”
Psalm 56:3‭-‬4‭, ‬10‭-‬13

Psalm 56 is a Psalm or rememberence and of thanksgiving. Labled a “Miktam” (probably a musical term), to the tune of “A Dove On Distant Oaks”, it was written during the time the Philistines had pursued and siezed David at Gath (I Sam 21).

David was running for his life and was afraid. He doesn’t beat himself up for being afraid. He doesn’t mock his readers here, for being afraid. He does however, make a conscience decision in the midst of his fear to trust God!

Fear is a response-trust is a choice. David choose to trust God! We can make that same choice ourselves. He follows with, “what can mere mortals to to me”? He understood that NOTHING could happen to him without God’s permission and that IF SOMETHING DID HAPPEN TO HIM, God was in control!

In conclusion, David states his determination to fulfill his “thank offering” vows. During this time with the Philistines, David had made a vow that if God rescued him, he would openly give a thank offering before the entire congregation and tell of God’s goodness, kindness and might! Here, he’s prepareing to do just that and is, in fact, DOING JUST THAT!

David LOVED God. David TRUSTED God! David FOLLOWED God! Who are you loving, trusting and following today?

Think about it!

“I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” Psalm 145:1‭, ‬8‭-‬9‭, ‬13‭-‬14

Once again in Psalm 145, David the king, exalts the King of kings! He begins in vs 1 with “I will exalt You, MY GOD, the King . . .” David’s relationship with God was very personal in nature. He didn’t speak of God in general terms, he spoke in personal terms. He also gives God His rightful place-He’s the King! He then speaks of many attributes of God. He is . . .
-graceous(full of grace
and mercy)
-compassionate
-slow to anger (patient)
-rich in love (unlimitted
love)
-good to all
-King of an everlasting
Kingdom
-unending dominion
-trustworthy to keep His
promises
-faithful in all He does
. . . All of attributes are indicative of a faithful and wonderful God. However, to me, verse 14 is the most touching-“The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” God holds up those who fall and we all do! And He lifts up all who are humbled or bowed down.
God’s word is clear that He doesn’t crush the bruised and broken (Isaiah 42:3), but restores them instead. That, to me, is the greatest attribute of a great and awesome God! In all His power He could crush, yet in His compassion, He choses to restore the broken!

Do you need restoration today? I do!

Think about it!