HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! Christ the Lord is risen today, Hallelujah!! The meaning of these words is intimately personal and yet exponentially all-powerful. The fact that Jesus became our Savior, Redeemer and Lord is so nice, but the POWER behind all of this is simply incredible. May His Glory be felt, seen and known this very day as the world’s christians unite in one voice of PRAISE for JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR AND LORD!
May the Light of Jesus’ Glory shine into the darkness of this world today and ignite within those who have not come to know Him so their only desire is to get to know Him! Today, may the Light of Christ’s Glory be brilliantly seen! AMEN!
So long ago this was a day of genuine mourning. The king who would rescue us is gone/dead. What happened? We get to know today what was taking place. What an amazing plan God put into place as He, Jesus and The Holy Spirit mapped out our redemption. We can never praise Him enough.
I know I often say I love this time of year. Today our oldest grandson flies in for the weekend, Kathy’ sis is flying back from visiting her family in California and all will be with us tomorrow for a family moment on Easter. Along with this, today I will plant potatoes, onions and my first planting of corn. The other early plantings are already done. I just can’t put into words how much this time of year means to me. Life is coming about all around us!
I would certainly encourage everyone to take a moment today and reflect on the gifts of God He has provided. Set aside for a moment all of the angst one might be facing and simply give Jesus our praise and worship for the Gift of Redemption He has provided for you and me. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
Today Christ paid the price for our redemption. What a price He paid, but only God and He knew Sunday was coming when the price of today would turn into GLORIOUS VICTORY! The darkness of today and tomorrow would be gone forever!
For so much of my life I thought the glorious light of Christ’s resurrection would be found at my death when I’d enter heaven. There was a song that Steve Green sang years ago entitled, “When His Kingdom Comes”. I would sing this song at the time and choke up when I’d get to the 2nd verse. Its words were, “Oh, that I would be His perfect dwelling place. Oh that my King would fill up the empty space; then flood every room, every part, sanctify this temple, then build His throne in my heart.” I’d always lament at this time wishing somehow Christ would do this but I knew that empty space of mine was too polluted. Today, however, “my King” has done this for me! That empty space of mine is flooded today with the truth of what Christ did so long ago to redeem me. This is not just true for me, it is true for every single one of us! All we have to do is accept Him–Jesus Christ into our lives confessing our sins–no matter what they are–to Him. His work so many years ago buried them never to be remembered again.
On March 22, last Friday, I wrote about the devotional that day I had read. It’s title was Power in Identity. There were 7 different points it brought out about the truth in our identity through Christ Jesus. The third one of these points is what I just have to write more about today. The point is REDEEMED.
This third point is supported with the scripture Galatians 3:13 which reads, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us; for it is written, cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” As I have been counseling these past days I have been using the document I created from this devotional and the 7 points. All of them are very meaningful to me, but because of this time of year, it is tomorrow that the truth of REDEEMED took place.
I can’t fathom a father sacrificing his son (with the son’s cooperation) so that others could live and be free. In my flesh I could never do this and I doubt any other man of flesh would. It couldn’t have the impact God knew He and His Son would have. So, they were willing to pay the price we could never pay. And because they did we were made capable, worthy, wanted, and able to complete God’s assignments for us. I just can’t get over what this love of God looks like that He would do this for you and me! “How can I keep from singing His praise? How can I ever say enough–How AMAZING IS HIS LOVE!”
Tomorrow night I will be teaching the lesson ADMIT to our Celebrate Recovery group. The previous lesson was CONFESS. It has always puzzled me why these two lessons need to be taught side by side when the two words seemingly have the same meaning. This morning I’ve been looking deeply into the two lessons to see just what the authors had in mind. The confess lesson is all about prepping to do one’s inventory. In order to do a thorough job in preparing for it, one must be honest and complete in their willingness to tell all. It then goes into the benefits of doing this. Much of the admit lesson goes into the benefits of sharing this inventory, but it also goes into helping the one admitting choose the person one will admit to–their sponsor.
Over the years of Celebrate Recovery I’ve given my inventory several times with the first time doing it only out of obedience. I had to do it so I could “be a leader” in the ministry. I was still in great bondage to my past which my sponsor at that time helped me see. Only after my 2nd time of doing it did I begin the journey of my 3.5 years of counseling/therapy. It was then that the components of this lesson began to come true–the promises of scripture. The idea that “when Christ sets us free, we are free indeed” hadn’t meant at all what i wanted it to mean. I wanted my freedom to look like NO MEMORY of my past. Instead, today, my freedom looks like using my story to help others find their freedom from the bondage of their own past. Freedom, when we finally turn everything over to God, now looks looks like our past in God’s hands being used as another one of His tools.
Not only do I no longer hide my past, I now rejoice that God had me confess, and then admit and then–FIND HIS FREEDOM just as His Word promises.
I use to think muscle aches were bad when I was younger. Well, the ones that come with this age make the younger ones seem pretty small! Yesterday was a day to get the last of the major yard work done with a great deal of pruning, rototilling and planting as well as hauling all the pruning to the dump. It’s done and my back pains are my celebration reminders! I had asked God for help with yesterday and He certainly did. It’s amazing how much He cares about the little things of life.
When I was younger and had someone ask for prayer I would commit to doing so. Sometimes I’d feel a little overwhelmed with the needs if there were 3-6 requests. Today, I’m understanding what my grandma use to say to me. She’d say, “I can’t remember all of my grandkids’ names but Jesus knows them all and so I pray with that assurance.” I often get prayer requests emailed or text to me and I don’t have a way of writing them down. Remembering grandma’s statement helps. Some people at this age say that prayer is “the only thing” they can productively do. Well, now that I’m at this age I not only appreciate the statement but it needs a little tweak to the wording. It needs to be “the thing I GET to do”.
Living through this much life helps one see the immensity of God and intimacy of Him too. There is nothing in our lives He doesn’t care about but we all too often want God to help our selfish thinking rather than having our thinking be to complete God’s purpose for us. That’s a lifetime commitment which at this point I’m wondering if I’ll ever get there!
As my grandson and I met yesterday afternoon for dinner (what I mentioned in yesterday’s entry), I was able to share with him the material I’d brought supporting the message I was wanting him to hear about his identity in Jesus Christ. When we were done he asked if he could keep the material? Of course I’d brought it with that purpose, but it was so nice to know the message had brought Light into the darkness he was experiencing. He hugged me several times before we departed.
Being able to share Christ’s promises in His Word with others is something God wants us doing. I use to fear this not knowing when the right times were for doing such. I was thinking we were all to do it just like my grandma did. She knew no stranger when it came to sharing Jesus Christ and His desire to be their Savior and Lord. What I now realize is that grandma was obeying Christ’s nudges. That is exactly what Christ wants me doing and each one of us. My eyes were on grandma and how she followed Christ’s nudges rather than on Christ Himself. Today I can know the joy of following Christ’s nudges rather than the frustration that I didn’t do it like grandma.
It is important to know that Christ made us the way we are and He wants to use us just that way. Lets remember to keep our eyes on Jesus and follow His nudges.
The curriculum being used with our Saturday morning small group of men is dealing with our role as husband, father and grandfather. Three of the 5 men are not married but wanted to go through it in hopes they will be. Yesterday’s lesson’s focus was parenting and grandparenting. An assignment is to meet with one of your kids or grandkids and have a nurturing time with them. I’m taking that time later today with a grandson who recently graduated from barber college and is now ready to enter the workforce. Problem–He’s scared. I don’t mean nervous. I mean scared of genuine failure.
In the last couple of years having stepped into this biblical counseling role, I’ve found such great material supporting one’s belief in their identity in Christ. The most recent one I wrote about a few days ago is one I want to share with him.
This grandson and I have always been very close. Today I am praying he can see just how much Jesus wants to not just be his Savior, but now his Lord. The joyous side of living truly comes about when we can trust Jesus enough to surrender our fears to Him and follow the steps He wants so much to put before us. God is so GOOD!
Today is my sis Bonnie’s birthday. We’ve talked a couple of times already this week. She is in S. California. She is just older than me and the two of us have been very close our entire lives. She was one who in our childhood years was my encourager and cheerleader. She saw things in me that I could never see. The things my dad would criticize me for were things she’d praise me for. She is now 76 and I will soon be 74. I didn’t know it then but I sure do now. Bonnie is a gift God gave to our family, but more purposely, God gave her to me. I thank God for her!
Two days ago I got a phone call from my Oklahoma granddaughter. It was a facetime call. I don’t recall I’ve ever had a personal call from her. As I opened the call I was greeted with her bubbly smile and I asked what brought this treat about? I was instantly shown a beautiful engagement ring and the fiance was standing right behind her. I knew they were getting serious and this was a genuine confirmation! We are going to Oklahoma the end of April for this granddaughter’s mom’s graduation from seminary. Then, after last night I find we will be going back again for a wedding on June 22.
The gifts God gives a parent and grandparent are so touching! I can hardly wait to see just how God will use these two for His Kingdom!
Today I’m going to write something that I find to be a powerful piece of writing, helping ones who struggle with self-esteem. It was in my devotional reading this morning and I’ve recreated it for ones I counsel. It’s entitled POWER IN IDENTITY. Here it is:
Power in Identity
“Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us…We are His people.” Psalm 100:3
Our understanding of who we are is the rudder that directs nearly everything we do. Therefore, we must believe the truth about who God says we are: A NEW CREATION, II Corinthians 5:17; HIS CHILD, I John 3:1; REDEEMED, Galatians 3:13; CAPABLE, Philippians 4:13; WORTHY, I Peter 2:9; WANTED, Romans 8:15-16; CREATED TO COMPLETE GOD’S ASSIGNMENTS, Ephesians 2:10.
Working through each of these scriptures and to believe each one of them for oneself is a miraculous step. God has done this for me and it is truly my heart’s desire to help others find their own truth in why God created them. God never made a single mistake!
Earnie Lewis 