28 April 2012
08 April 2012
Here it is!
The beauty of the Cross is that it's not the end of the story. I'm sure that line has been repeated throughout history, but that doesn't make it less true. Resurrection Sunday is the holiday for me. The only day worth celebrating. This day said, "Hey Death, you just lost! Sin, forget it! Your slaves have been freed!" It's like the Emancipation Proclamation times a billion. We none of us are slaves anymore! I don't know if you ever felt enslaved, but I have. When a sin becomes a constant patterns without end, that is slavery. Until you claim the Victory and Freedom that the Cross and the Empty Tomb offer, you will continue to be enslaved.
I have been set free because God is alive!
This is why this topic is the subject of so many songs. This is what people can't understand. We are dead in sin until we take Jesus at His Word, embrace His Promises and live in Freedom!
I count everything else as lost compared to the surpassing joy that comes from Christ Jesus. Why would I choose anything else? Why would I live in bondage and misery when I can choose freedom and joy? Too much emotion and not enough words. This post is rightly short...
Lord, in spite of myself, I pray that You would help me to live in the Freedom You've so freely given and help me to see Your Mighty Hand outstretched in Victory. I praise You for the Cross. I praise You that the tomb is still empty. Amen Amen Amen
I have been set free because God is alive!
This is why this topic is the subject of so many songs. This is what people can't understand. We are dead in sin until we take Jesus at His Word, embrace His Promises and live in Freedom!
I count everything else as lost compared to the surpassing joy that comes from Christ Jesus. Why would I choose anything else? Why would I live in bondage and misery when I can choose freedom and joy? Too much emotion and not enough words. This post is rightly short...
Lord, in spite of myself, I pray that You would help me to live in the Freedom You've so freely given and help me to see Your Mighty Hand outstretched in Victory. I praise You for the Cross. I praise You that the tomb is still empty. Amen Amen Amen
07 April 2012
Where is the Victory?
It seemed like Death had won. And Death had won. Jesus was dead. Not just thought to be dead but genuinely no longer a part of the living. There are so many perspectives and so many ways to view these days, my favorite days. The most holy of days if you ask me. There's Friday: the day when the most perfect thing to ever be on this Earth said "I am going to let you kill me because I love you. Your sin must be paid for. You cannot do it on your own. You will never know my Father if there is no sacrifice. I will be your sacrifice. Not because I'm guilty. Not because you earned it. No. Because I have been a part of the plan from the beginning. I am changing the parameters."
Friday redefined the world, but Sunday changed history.
But what about Saturday - the Sabbath. Having no choice but to sit around and feel defeated. Though Jesus left the disciples with the promise of resurrection, they didn't know what He was talking about. Maybe some did. I like to think John did, but in reality, they all had scattered and were only meeting to discuss how they could avoid getting captured and killed. Too bad nobody's interested in the disciple of a defeated savior.
Too bad He wasn't defeated.
Jesus meanwhile was in hell. Suffering still for us. Living the punishment. Away from the Father. Can you imagine? Knowing all the Good and all the Evil, He choose to subject Himself to the evil. How many angels could and would have taken His place? How many did? None. Jesus, Creator of everything, became a victim to all the evil this world has to offer. From my experience, that is a lot. I can't even imagine.
Praise the Lord!!
I don't want to make light of the resurrection by focusing on the Cross. Nor do I want to make light of the Cross by focusing on Sunday.
That's why I said: Friday redefined the world, but Sunday changed history.
Until Good Friday, nobody's god had ever been that loving and that good. That wasn't even imaginable. We can imagine it because we live on this side. But then, Islam didn't even exist really. Mythology was fun of vengeful gods out to play tricks. There was no such thing as a loving God. Even the Jews didn't fully grasp that God would, could or should die for them. This is how Jesus redefined the parameters.
Then on Sunday, the completely changed the world. He changed history. It went from battle to victory. No longer were we subject to sin but Love had won!!!
Hallelujah!
Lord, praise You for what You did on Friday. What I could never repay. Praise You that you fulfilled all the promises and didn't leave a single one undone. There is so much Hope in Your promises!!!
Amen Amen Amen
Friday redefined the world, but Sunday changed history.
But what about Saturday - the Sabbath. Having no choice but to sit around and feel defeated. Though Jesus left the disciples with the promise of resurrection, they didn't know what He was talking about. Maybe some did. I like to think John did, but in reality, they all had scattered and were only meeting to discuss how they could avoid getting captured and killed. Too bad nobody's interested in the disciple of a defeated savior.
Too bad He wasn't defeated.
Jesus meanwhile was in hell. Suffering still for us. Living the punishment. Away from the Father. Can you imagine? Knowing all the Good and all the Evil, He choose to subject Himself to the evil. How many angels could and would have taken His place? How many did? None. Jesus, Creator of everything, became a victim to all the evil this world has to offer. From my experience, that is a lot. I can't even imagine.
Praise the Lord!!
I don't want to make light of the resurrection by focusing on the Cross. Nor do I want to make light of the Cross by focusing on Sunday.
That's why I said: Friday redefined the world, but Sunday changed history.
Until Good Friday, nobody's god had ever been that loving and that good. That wasn't even imaginable. We can imagine it because we live on this side. But then, Islam didn't even exist really. Mythology was fun of vengeful gods out to play tricks. There was no such thing as a loving God. Even the Jews didn't fully grasp that God would, could or should die for them. This is how Jesus redefined the parameters.
Then on Sunday, the completely changed the world. He changed history. It went from battle to victory. No longer were we subject to sin but Love had won!!!
Hallelujah!
Lord, praise You for what You did on Friday. What I could never repay. Praise You that you fulfilled all the promises and didn't leave a single one undone. There is so much Hope in Your promises!!!
Amen Amen Amen
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