Easter Thoughts
Thought I would share with you all some thoughts I had today as I was at church and have been spending time with God this afternoon...
Ever wonder if Jesus looks down on humanity right now and wonders if the cross was worth it? I know He doesn't and that His plan is being fulfilled in more amazing ways than we will ever know. But today as I sat in a church full of people who come once or twice a year my prayer was that we would see the full effect of the cross and what happened there. The cross in and of itself is a very brutal and horrible thing. It always hits me when we sing about the wonderful cross how it really should be the horrible cross for what happened on that piece of wood and brutality of it all. But my prayer was that all of us there would remember that because of the brutality of that cross the wrath of God was no longer poured out on us but was poured out on His only Son and therefore we are reconciled and called His children and are made whole and beautiful in His sight!
It is such a humbling experience to think on that...We sang the song sweetly broken and one of the lines is "At the cross you beckon me, and draw me gently to my knees, and I'm so lost for words, so lost in love, I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered" My prayer for myself and all of those in the service was that we would allow Jesus to draw us gently to our knees in surrender out of an amazing love for Him. To not think woe is me, but to focus on what was done, that for the love of His father and for the Glory of God Jesus suffered and endured the cross. And we should be humbled and thankful because of His act we are now free.
But this is not a place that we should stay and be stuck at. Yes we are humbled and it is hard to imagine the pain and agony that was there not only physically but spiritually as Christ was separated from God in that time. This is hard for us to imagine just as it's hard for us to watch the Passion of the Christ, I know to me it's like watching your best friend, or your parent be tortured and killed right before your eyes and knowing that in part it is for you. My friend Stef put it the best yesterday when she said as she watched that film she just kept thinking "no...please don't do it...not for me!" But He did...yet that's not the end of the story!
He is RISEN!! He didn't stay in the grave he CONQUERED the grave! This brings an amazing and indescribable joy! I don't serve a God who is shaped out of wood or made up by man I serve a God who is living, A risen King! That's one of the songs we ended with this morning "Mighty to Save" its chorus says "Savior, He can move the mountains, My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save. Forever author of salvation, He rose and conquered the grave...shine your light and let the whole world see, were singing for the glory of a risen king!"
My prayer then turned into one of pleading that we would all understand that Jesus is ALIVE!!! He is not in the grave or still hanging on the cross HE IS RISEN!!! And he can move those mountains, He is still working and performing miracles every day! We are called to be humbled by the cross and amazed at the resurrection. Then to move! To GO and TELL!! As we live our lives and pursue God in our daily life we are called to reflect the glory that comes through salvation. And as we Go and pursue we are to tell others about this amazing gift of love and salvation.
So on this Easter my prayer for myself and for you as you read this is that first you would be humbled by the cross, then amazed by the resurrection and the free gift that is offered to you, and then you would go and share that gift with everyone in your life...and as another song says that "when all those around me have come to touch your hand, I will find another place to stand" That we would never stop sharing and loving those around us and showing Jesus to them.
HAPPY EASTER!!! HE IS RISEN!!!!!
Ever wonder if Jesus looks down on humanity right now and wonders if the cross was worth it? I know He doesn't and that His plan is being fulfilled in more amazing ways than we will ever know. But today as I sat in a church full of people who come once or twice a year my prayer was that we would see the full effect of the cross and what happened there. The cross in and of itself is a very brutal and horrible thing. It always hits me when we sing about the wonderful cross how it really should be the horrible cross for what happened on that piece of wood and brutality of it all. But my prayer was that all of us there would remember that because of the brutality of that cross the wrath of God was no longer poured out on us but was poured out on His only Son and therefore we are reconciled and called His children and are made whole and beautiful in His sight!
It is such a humbling experience to think on that...We sang the song sweetly broken and one of the lines is "At the cross you beckon me, and draw me gently to my knees, and I'm so lost for words, so lost in love, I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered" My prayer for myself and all of those in the service was that we would allow Jesus to draw us gently to our knees in surrender out of an amazing love for Him. To not think woe is me, but to focus on what was done, that for the love of His father and for the Glory of God Jesus suffered and endured the cross. And we should be humbled and thankful because of His act we are now free.
But this is not a place that we should stay and be stuck at. Yes we are humbled and it is hard to imagine the pain and agony that was there not only physically but spiritually as Christ was separated from God in that time. This is hard for us to imagine just as it's hard for us to watch the Passion of the Christ, I know to me it's like watching your best friend, or your parent be tortured and killed right before your eyes and knowing that in part it is for you. My friend Stef put it the best yesterday when she said as she watched that film she just kept thinking "no...please don't do it...not for me!" But He did...yet that's not the end of the story!
He is RISEN!! He didn't stay in the grave he CONQUERED the grave! This brings an amazing and indescribable joy! I don't serve a God who is shaped out of wood or made up by man I serve a God who is living, A risen King! That's one of the songs we ended with this morning "Mighty to Save" its chorus says "Savior, He can move the mountains, My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save. Forever author of salvation, He rose and conquered the grave...shine your light and let the whole world see, were singing for the glory of a risen king!"
My prayer then turned into one of pleading that we would all understand that Jesus is ALIVE!!! He is not in the grave or still hanging on the cross HE IS RISEN!!! And he can move those mountains, He is still working and performing miracles every day! We are called to be humbled by the cross and amazed at the resurrection. Then to move! To GO and TELL!! As we live our lives and pursue God in our daily life we are called to reflect the glory that comes through salvation. And as we Go and pursue we are to tell others about this amazing gift of love and salvation.
So on this Easter my prayer for myself and for you as you read this is that first you would be humbled by the cross, then amazed by the resurrection and the free gift that is offered to you, and then you would go and share that gift with everyone in your life...and as another song says that "when all those around me have come to touch your hand, I will find another place to stand" That we would never stop sharing and loving those around us and showing Jesus to them.
HAPPY EASTER!!! HE IS RISEN!!!!!