Today
"And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem, where the eleven disciples and the other followers of Jesus were gathered. When they arrived they were greeted with the report, 'The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter!' " Luke 24:33-34....."But go, find My brothers and tell them that I am ascending to My Father and your Father, My God and your God.' Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, 'I have seen the Lord!' Then she gave them His message." John 20:17-18......"We never have to invite the Lord to be present. We need to invite ourselves to be present." Unknown
"And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem, where the eleven disciples and the other followers of Jesus were gathered. When they arrived they were greeted with the report, 'The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter!' " Luke 24:33-34....."But go, find My brothers and tell them that I am ascending to My Father and your Father, My God and your God.' Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, 'I have seen the Lord!' Then she gave them His message." John 20:17-18......"We never have to invite the Lord to be present. We need to invite ourselves to be present." Unknown
Yesterday was Easter Sunday. Most, if not all of us were likely part of
some corporate worship celebration of His resurrection. It's likely
that there was a great deal of emotion, worship and praise, and a real
sense of victory. That was yesterday. Now it's today. Is your "sense" of
yesterday alive in you today?
In the professing church, we tend to put great emphasis on special days and times; Christmas and Easter are certainly the two greatest. The question for us is, does the reality and power of what those days mean with us on a day in, day out basis? Yesterday we celebrated His resurrection. Do we live out the power of His resurrection in the mundane events of today? Do we live it out in the midst of the darkness and unknown of our circumstances, challenges, and seeming impossibilities of today? Does the hope and power of His resurrection that we preached about, sang about, and rejoiced about yesterday, carry us through in victory today? Or, is that something that happened in our insulated "church world" yesterday, but somehow doesn't seem to "work" in our day to day real one? Are we living in the power of His resurrection, or at the mercy of our circumstances, needs, and cares? Who and what is more real to us? The risen Christ and the power of His risen life, or, the pressures, "dangers, toils, and snares" of this present one?
Yesterday we heard the report. "He has really risen." We heard that, but did we "hear" it? Have the eyes of our heart "seen" Him? The message that Christ gave Mary is the message He continues to give us today. He also said, "I am the resurrection and the life." In every place, even the darkest and seemingly most hopeless, He speaks that message to us anew. As the quote from the unknown source above says, He is always present. We don't need to invite Him to be so. We need to invite ourselves to be so with Him. Will we make that invitation today? Right now? And, will we accept?
His resurrection life is not reserved for a day but for all days. For all of life. Your life and mine. Jesus said to Mary that she was to go and tell His brothers, and His sisters, that He was risen, and that in Him, they would have such life as well. He had told them before that "Where I am, may you be also." Not just on Easter Sunday, but every moment of every day. Not just one day, but today. With His Father and ours. With His God and ours. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.
Blessings,
Pastor O
In the professing church, we tend to put great emphasis on special days and times; Christmas and Easter are certainly the two greatest. The question for us is, does the reality and power of what those days mean with us on a day in, day out basis? Yesterday we celebrated His resurrection. Do we live out the power of His resurrection in the mundane events of today? Do we live it out in the midst of the darkness and unknown of our circumstances, challenges, and seeming impossibilities of today? Does the hope and power of His resurrection that we preached about, sang about, and rejoiced about yesterday, carry us through in victory today? Or, is that something that happened in our insulated "church world" yesterday, but somehow doesn't seem to "work" in our day to day real one? Are we living in the power of His resurrection, or at the mercy of our circumstances, needs, and cares? Who and what is more real to us? The risen Christ and the power of His risen life, or, the pressures, "dangers, toils, and snares" of this present one?
Yesterday we heard the report. "He has really risen." We heard that, but did we "hear" it? Have the eyes of our heart "seen" Him? The message that Christ gave Mary is the message He continues to give us today. He also said, "I am the resurrection and the life." In every place, even the darkest and seemingly most hopeless, He speaks that message to us anew. As the quote from the unknown source above says, He is always present. We don't need to invite Him to be so. We need to invite ourselves to be so with Him. Will we make that invitation today? Right now? And, will we accept?
His resurrection life is not reserved for a day but for all days. For all of life. Your life and mine. Jesus said to Mary that she was to go and tell His brothers, and His sisters, that He was risen, and that in Him, they would have such life as well. He had told them before that "Where I am, may you be also." Not just on Easter Sunday, but every moment of every day. Not just one day, but today. With His Father and ours. With His God and ours. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.
Blessings,
Pastor O
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