Most Monday night's this Summer finds me playing softball for our church in a church softball league. Some of our younger, lady members call it "Old Man Softball" and to that there is some truth. It is good that us "old guys" have those young whippersnappers to rely on or it would be a very long night.
Anyone who knows me understands that sports has been a huge part of my life. I am one of those sappy old-timers that thinks sports is a great analogy for life and we can learn many things about living from the playing field.
This has been an interesting softball season for me. Mentally, I am still that young kid that can make all the plays and run the bases with reckless abandon. Realistically, I have pulled my hamstring in both legs this Summer trying to make all the plays and run the bases with reckless abandon.
After the latest "hammy"I whined to my wife as we were driving home from the ball field "I don't understand? This has never happened to me. I have never had these leg issues!" And she placed her hand gently on my leg and said "But, honey. You are getting older."
Which bring the older me back to the softball field this past Monday. My legs felt fine, not great, and I determined to use wisdom as I played. Of course, my wife is in the stands saying "Be careful, Babe." One of my younger friends says "Hey now, don't run too fast today. One base at a time."
Old Man Softball.
Well, I do hit and I hit well. Hit line drives all night with a couple towards the fence that in my younger days would have been triples but this night they were just jogging-stand-up-doubles. As they replaced me with a faster, younger runner I come into the dug-out.
"Hey, Pastor, nice wheels" one of the young wisenheimers smirks at me. I laugh. And then Z chirps in"You gotta run for Jesus!" Laugher all around. It really is a great bunch of guys and gals.
But in that slightly sarcastic, little dig at his pastor there is a lot of truth.
Christ would say about his mission to this planet "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." John 4:34.
Paul would tell the Colossians "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." 3:23
In other words, run for Jesus. We need teachers, doctors, actors, housewives, administrators, plumbers, and (you fill in the blank) who do the things they do as if they were doing them for God. Because in the end, we are. God has created us with talents and gifts not to keep them to ourselves selfishly, but to allow others to benefit and enjoy our gifts as well. We glorify God by doing well what God has put us on this planet to do.
So run for Jesus. Even with a pulled hammy.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
SEEK
I needed a gallon of milk the other day. Skim. So I waited. The gallon of milk never showed up. Eventually I had to get up, head on over to the store and get that gallon of milk. What an inconvenience!
So, I bought a cow. Kept her in a cool place so my milk would be chilled. The first morning after I bought old Bessie I ran out to the barn to pick up my milk. And there she was, chewing and drooling and looking at me with that stupid cow expression.And even though I had the forethought to put a gallon jug out with her, and since I knew she could not read, I put next to it the pink cap so she knew I would want skim, still nothing.
So off to the store again. How frustrating!
John Chapter 4 gives us the great passage of Christ meeting up with the woman at the well. The woman at the well had no idea who this man was or all the speculation surrounding him. She was not aware that over in Jerusalem the signs were pointing to the fact that this man was the Christ. People were conjecturing, gossiping, and talking about Jesus being the Messiah.
John the Baptist had testified to it, proclaiming him the lamb of God, the one whose sandals he was not worthy to untie, the one who would baptize in the Holy Spirit, but Jesus neither confirmed or denied it.
Mary knew her son was the Messiah. She tried to get him to "show it off" by asking him to take care of the lack of wine at the wedding they were attending. Christ would perform the miracle, but no one would know but Mary and his disciples, as Jesus would tell his mother beforehand "My time has not yet come."
The disciples followed Jesus on the strength of his personality, the force of his miracles and the hope that this could be the Messiah after a slew of self-proclaimed messiahs had come across the their path.
Despite all of this, Christ never made a verbal proclamation of his being the Messiah until he makes it to the woman at the well.
The woman at the well?! The women who had had five husbands and now was living with a man who wasn't her husband? A woman who was a Samaritan: a cultural McCoy to Christ's Jewish Hatfield?
Would it not have been best to shout it out at his baptism or at the wedding or to his disciples? Obviously not. How come?
I think the clue is found in verse 23 "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."
I will make this supposition: The woman at the well, despite her reputation and background, must have been an honest and open seeker of the truth. And Christ spends time with honest, seekers of Truth.
He does not waste his breath or time on those people who are just in it for the show. He does not open up to those who come seeking self-gratification or that attainment of spiritual stature. He seeks out those who seek the truth. And since Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, he seeks out those who are seeking him.
Think of Nicodemus. As a whole the Pharisees were a dastardly lot but Nicodemus came seeking the Truth and Christ opened up to him the plan that God the Father had put in place: "For God so loved the world...".
Zaccheus was given an audience with Christ for one simple reason. He so wanted to just see Jesus that he climbed into a tree. Christ sought out the seeker.
When Christ says that he comes to seek and save the lost, we understand that he comes to seek and save all the lost. But those who get found by him are those who realize they are lost. He seeks out the seeker.
Too often we treat Christ like the cow in the barn. We expect the milk to be waiting for us when we get there. We expect the milk to pop up on our door step, ring the bell, come into the kitchen, pour itself in a glass and say "Drink me." Yet there is a condition to finding Christ, and growing in Christ...we must seek him.
We must seek him for the Truth. We must seek him to worship the Truth.
We must not just sit and wait. We must seek. Christ says to seek the kingdom of God. Scripture says when we run to him he runs towards us and when we call to him he answers us. James says "We have not because we ask not."
So let us be seekers of Christ. Scripture shows us that as we seek we shall also be found by whom we are seeking.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
WISDOM
ACTS 5:17-41 (Read this whole passage to get the full effect)34. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men [Peter and John] be put aside for a little while. Then he addressed them: "Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men..."
Gamaliel, was not a follower of Christ. Far from it and he did not hold much respect for those who were. Yet he was a student of God and God's ways. Gamaliel had wisdom and he used it here.
Wisdom is a rare commodity. Wisdom calms a heart, slows down a rushing brain. Wisdom does not use force, but it is powerful. Wisdom is not all dressed up, but it is attractive. Wisdom does not cajole, but it does persuade.
As you read through this passage, look at the counsel of Gamaliel.
1. Think before you act.
Gamaliel has seen rabble rousers before. He has seen things done in the name of God that were not of God at all. Gamaliel advises to wait it out... 36."Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing."
So wait.
2. Know the pattern, know the precedence
There are patterns. There is precedence. Gamaliel reminds them they have seen this all before. And it died out as the leader died out. Since Christ has just been crucified, Gamaliel says "See if the pattern we know continues. This may die out with out us lifting a finger." Remember Theudas and Judas.
3. Understand God will not fail
38-39 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."
For the moment, the Council listened. But as a whole the religious class did not. They fought the disciples tooth and nail. Martyred them. Did all they could around the region to stamp out Christ but the words of Gamaliel proved true: They found themselves fighting God, and God does not lose.
I find myself in the position of relying on the wisdom of God and it finds its way into my prayers with phrases like "Your will be done." and "Lord, I leave it in your hands." When I pray this, I have had to learn God's will and mine may not be one and the same; Leaving it in God's hands is harder than I think when things do not turn out the way I would like. The question I have to ask myself is do I Trust God or not? Do I rely on the wisdom of God or not? As painful as it sometime is...I must.
Oh Lord, help me to rely on your wisdom, not just when it suits me, but because you have declared it so. Help me to search your Scripture and your precepts as I traverse this life for you. Help me to keep the things I have put in your hands, in your hands. Amen.
Gamaliel, was not a follower of Christ. Far from it and he did not hold much respect for those who were. Yet he was a student of God and God's ways. Gamaliel had wisdom and he used it here.
Wisdom is a rare commodity. Wisdom calms a heart, slows down a rushing brain. Wisdom does not use force, but it is powerful. Wisdom is not all dressed up, but it is attractive. Wisdom does not cajole, but it does persuade.
As you read through this passage, look at the counsel of Gamaliel.
1. Think before you act.
Gamaliel has seen rabble rousers before. He has seen things done in the name of God that were not of God at all. Gamaliel advises to wait it out... 36."Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing."
So wait.
2. Know the pattern, know the precedence
There are patterns. There is precedence. Gamaliel reminds them they have seen this all before. And it died out as the leader died out. Since Christ has just been crucified, Gamaliel says "See if the pattern we know continues. This may die out with out us lifting a finger." Remember Theudas and Judas.
3. Understand God will not fail
38-39 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."
For the moment, the Council listened. But as a whole the religious class did not. They fought the disciples tooth and nail. Martyred them. Did all they could around the region to stamp out Christ but the words of Gamaliel proved true: They found themselves fighting God, and God does not lose.
I find myself in the position of relying on the wisdom of God and it finds its way into my prayers with phrases like "Your will be done." and "Lord, I leave it in your hands." When I pray this, I have had to learn God's will and mine may not be one and the same; Leaving it in God's hands is harder than I think when things do not turn out the way I would like. The question I have to ask myself is do I Trust God or not? Do I rely on the wisdom of God or not? As painful as it sometime is...I must.
Oh Lord, help me to rely on your wisdom, not just when it suits me, but because you have declared it so. Help me to search your Scripture and your precepts as I traverse this life for you. Help me to keep the things I have put in your hands, in your hands. Amen.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
OUT OF DARKNESS
2 SAMUEL 22:29 OR PSALM 18:28 "You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light."
I try not to write anything in the darkness.
You know the darkness. For some it may be depression. For others it may be a spiritual battle or a time when life has been harsh. It is amazing how we can function just enough in the darkness to get by but not enough to get out.
My recent bout of darkness left me unable to sleep. Sundays, as a rule, drain me. I am not sure those who do not stand behind the pulpit on a weekly basis understand the battle that goes on spiritually when one preaches. And the battle always takes its toll on the body.
The fact I love to preach does not mean it is any less draining. It is even more so if you are carrying the darkness with you.
There is something awesome that happens when I preach. The darkness lifts for that 30 minute window. I feel the best I feel all week, darkness or without darkness, in the pulpit.
But if you are battling the darkness it returns, for me, one step from behind the pulpit. And it did so in full force this past Sunday.
But God turns my darkness into light! This is my testimony today.
I woke up Monday from a fitful night. The darkness kept me awake, I slept in fits. My mind racing, my heart heavy. Today was going to be a dark day. So dark that I did not have the strength to apply God's Word; so dark that my journal for the day consisted with one sentence about how dark it is. I get through the day, trying to be as normal as possible but the darkness prevails.
Finally, as I crash into bed at 6:00, I find I can't even read the darkness is so heavy. And then I do the first right thing all day. Instead of lamenting the darkness, I pray to God to take the darkness. Why didn't I think of that before? I prayed for the cause of my darkness. And then I slept the heaviest sleep in years. It was three hours of dreamless sleep, awakened by the phone as it rang and rang.
It was then 9:00. I had slept so hard I did not notice my wife had gone out of bed and to the store. But I did notice my darkness was turned into light. I was a totally different person. After a weekend of darkness, God's lamp was before me.
It was one of the most exhilarating moments of my walk with Christ. I am not prone to darkness, you see and so I rarely experience the light that comes after the darkness. Everything had changed. I was assured of God's love and strength. I was ready for the day ahead. And now I have written out of darkness.
Those who read this and suffer from depression, please do not think I am making light of depression or implying that all it takes is a simple prayer and all is well. I know that is not the case. My darkness was more oppressive than depressive. The source was well known to me.
I only know that God again made his word true, to me. The source of darkness still exists. I will still have to deal with what brought the darkness on. But God has turned my own personal darkness into light. Amen.
I try not to write anything in the darkness.
You know the darkness. For some it may be depression. For others it may be a spiritual battle or a time when life has been harsh. It is amazing how we can function just enough in the darkness to get by but not enough to get out.
My recent bout of darkness left me unable to sleep. Sundays, as a rule, drain me. I am not sure those who do not stand behind the pulpit on a weekly basis understand the battle that goes on spiritually when one preaches. And the battle always takes its toll on the body.
The fact I love to preach does not mean it is any less draining. It is even more so if you are carrying the darkness with you.
There is something awesome that happens when I preach. The darkness lifts for that 30 minute window. I feel the best I feel all week, darkness or without darkness, in the pulpit.
But if you are battling the darkness it returns, for me, one step from behind the pulpit. And it did so in full force this past Sunday.
But God turns my darkness into light! This is my testimony today.
I woke up Monday from a fitful night. The darkness kept me awake, I slept in fits. My mind racing, my heart heavy. Today was going to be a dark day. So dark that I did not have the strength to apply God's Word; so dark that my journal for the day consisted with one sentence about how dark it is. I get through the day, trying to be as normal as possible but the darkness prevails.
Finally, as I crash into bed at 6:00, I find I can't even read the darkness is so heavy. And then I do the first right thing all day. Instead of lamenting the darkness, I pray to God to take the darkness. Why didn't I think of that before? I prayed for the cause of my darkness. And then I slept the heaviest sleep in years. It was three hours of dreamless sleep, awakened by the phone as it rang and rang.
It was then 9:00. I had slept so hard I did not notice my wife had gone out of bed and to the store. But I did notice my darkness was turned into light. I was a totally different person. After a weekend of darkness, God's lamp was before me.
It was one of the most exhilarating moments of my walk with Christ. I am not prone to darkness, you see and so I rarely experience the light that comes after the darkness. Everything had changed. I was assured of God's love and strength. I was ready for the day ahead. And now I have written out of darkness.
Those who read this and suffer from depression, please do not think I am making light of depression or implying that all it takes is a simple prayer and all is well. I know that is not the case. My darkness was more oppressive than depressive. The source was well known to me.
I only know that God again made his word true, to me. The source of darkness still exists. I will still have to deal with what brought the darkness on. But God has turned my own personal darkness into light. Amen.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Finish the race. Complete the task.
ACTS 20:24 I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
Paul is saying good-bye to the Ephesian church after having been ministering to them for three years. His purpose, his goal is quite clear. Finish the race. Complete the task.
Everyone one of us has a race to run and a task to complete. Both given and ordained by God. In the course of life we may run many mini-races with God or perform many small tasks for God but we also have the race that does not end until we see Christ and the task that is never finished but passed on to someone else.
Big or small, finish the race. Complete the task.
I look at the task of raising my kids. A God-ordained task if there ever was one. It was not the easiest of tasks but I look at my kids today and I can say the task has been completed. They have a lot of growing to do but it is no longer my task to raise them. Now I get to run the race alongside of them.
I look at the task of being a Pastor. Planted our church in 1997 and more than once I thought our time was done, the task complete and ready to move onto another place of ministry. But God continues to give me new tasks in the same place. In some ways, I am running this race in place. And what a race it is as God continues to make it exciting and new despite coming close to 15 years here.
I wonder what it would have been like in those very dark moments if I had chosen to not finish the task: The Sundays when it was just my family and I and the kids asking if I had to preach. The days as I cut my teeth in ministry I inadvertently bit some of the very flock I am called to shepherd. The times when the money was low and I was even lower. I could have quit before the task was done and no one would have blamed me. Yet I did not, thanks to the strength of a very wise wife and the patience of a very wise God.
If I quit the task too early I would never have seen the blessing of those who have come to know Christ as Savior. I would not have seen God move in miraculous ways in regards to buildings and facilities. I would not have grown as a preacher, a man, a husband and father.
I have come to the conclusion that any task God gives us, he equips us with what is needed to finish the task. Or at least our part of the task. There will come a day I leave this church. It may be feet first, it may not be. But I hope I can say I have been faithful to the task that God has given me.
Paul would use the race metaphor more than once in his teaching and ministry. He uses it last in his famous passage in 2 Timothy 4:6-7 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.
By all accounts I have years of ministry for God ahead of me. So do many of you reading this blog. There will be formal ministry tasks to finish and life tasks to complete. Paul's good-bye to the Ephesians gave seed to his good-bye to Timothy and us all. In Acts he hopes to run the race and complete the task God has set before him. In Timothy he can look back with assurance that he has done just that.
O Lord, my God, help us to finish the race and complete the task. Amen.
Paul is saying good-bye to the Ephesian church after having been ministering to them for three years. His purpose, his goal is quite clear. Finish the race. Complete the task.
Everyone one of us has a race to run and a task to complete. Both given and ordained by God. In the course of life we may run many mini-races with God or perform many small tasks for God but we also have the race that does not end until we see Christ and the task that is never finished but passed on to someone else.
Big or small, finish the race. Complete the task.
I look at the task of raising my kids. A God-ordained task if there ever was one. It was not the easiest of tasks but I look at my kids today and I can say the task has been completed. They have a lot of growing to do but it is no longer my task to raise them. Now I get to run the race alongside of them.
I look at the task of being a Pastor. Planted our church in 1997 and more than once I thought our time was done, the task complete and ready to move onto another place of ministry. But God continues to give me new tasks in the same place. In some ways, I am running this race in place. And what a race it is as God continues to make it exciting and new despite coming close to 15 years here.
I wonder what it would have been like in those very dark moments if I had chosen to not finish the task: The Sundays when it was just my family and I and the kids asking if I had to preach. The days as I cut my teeth in ministry I inadvertently bit some of the very flock I am called to shepherd. The times when the money was low and I was even lower. I could have quit before the task was done and no one would have blamed me. Yet I did not, thanks to the strength of a very wise wife and the patience of a very wise God.
If I quit the task too early I would never have seen the blessing of those who have come to know Christ as Savior. I would not have seen God move in miraculous ways in regards to buildings and facilities. I would not have grown as a preacher, a man, a husband and father.
I have come to the conclusion that any task God gives us, he equips us with what is needed to finish the task. Or at least our part of the task. There will come a day I leave this church. It may be feet first, it may not be. But I hope I can say I have been faithful to the task that God has given me.
Paul would use the race metaphor more than once in his teaching and ministry. He uses it last in his famous passage in 2 Timothy 4:6-7 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race.
By all accounts I have years of ministry for God ahead of me. So do many of you reading this blog. There will be formal ministry tasks to finish and life tasks to complete. Paul's good-bye to the Ephesians gave seed to his good-bye to Timothy and us all. In Acts he hopes to run the race and complete the task God has set before him. In Timothy he can look back with assurance that he has done just that.
O Lord, my God, help us to finish the race and complete the task. Amen.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Little old ordinary me
ACTS 20:9-12 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed" he said. "He's alive!" Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
Despite the obvious miracle here, I am hard-pressed to understand why God would put such a passage in Acts. It is transitional and does not seem to hold any great theological nugget that we can chew on. Until I got to thinking that this might be another passage that God shows that his people are just ordinary, every day people.
Paul is speaking at this house because he is going to leave the next day. They have broken bread together, which can mean one of two things: They shared Communion, or they shared a meal and fellowship. Or both.
Paul is speaking very late because of his departure. People want to hear everything they can from their teacher and friend. Haven't you done this at the end of a vacation or a visit with family? You try to squeeze in as much time as possible, spend as much time with family before you leave?
I love the verse that says Paul "talked on and on". Even Paul gets infected by the preacher's disease of going on and on. Even Paul talks enough that it might bore someone. Though I have never killed anyone by my preaching, I have certainly had people fall asleep on me.
God uses ordinary people to do his extraordinary.
Sometimes, I get stuck in my ordinariness. God wants to use me for some extraordinary things but I get a little Moses syndrome going: "Lord, send someone else." The reality is if we were capable, we would not need God. If it is something that we could do without God's intervention and power, may be it is not something God wants done in the first place.
Being next to Christ means we get to go on some terrific adventures. Adventures we would not go on if we were to lag behind out of fear or uncertainty or jumped ahead out of pride. It is Christ and the power of his Holy Spirit that does the extraordinary through us.
Paul has been elevated in our minds as extraordinary. Rightly so. Yet he is extraordinary because of Christ. Paul was ordinary in many ways: He was stubborn at times. Got into arguments with his friends. Was rash in some of his decision making. He enjoyed the company of friends. He was hurt when people would say things against him. He expressed thanks and disappointment. At times, when he prayed, God did not answer the way Paul would have wanted. Ordinary. But he allowed God to use him extraordinarily.
So it is important that I do not say "Lord send some one else" like Moses initially did but to have the response of Isaiah: "Lord send me!" To put it in a more modern vernacular "Lord, send little old ordinary me!" If we do that, get ready for the extraordinary.
Despite the obvious miracle here, I am hard-pressed to understand why God would put such a passage in Acts. It is transitional and does not seem to hold any great theological nugget that we can chew on. Until I got to thinking that this might be another passage that God shows that his people are just ordinary, every day people.
Paul is speaking at this house because he is going to leave the next day. They have broken bread together, which can mean one of two things: They shared Communion, or they shared a meal and fellowship. Or both.
Paul is speaking very late because of his departure. People want to hear everything they can from their teacher and friend. Haven't you done this at the end of a vacation or a visit with family? You try to squeeze in as much time as possible, spend as much time with family before you leave?
I love the verse that says Paul "talked on and on". Even Paul gets infected by the preacher's disease of going on and on. Even Paul talks enough that it might bore someone. Though I have never killed anyone by my preaching, I have certainly had people fall asleep on me.
God uses ordinary people to do his extraordinary.
Sometimes, I get stuck in my ordinariness. God wants to use me for some extraordinary things but I get a little Moses syndrome going: "Lord, send someone else." The reality is if we were capable, we would not need God. If it is something that we could do without God's intervention and power, may be it is not something God wants done in the first place.
Being next to Christ means we get to go on some terrific adventures. Adventures we would not go on if we were to lag behind out of fear or uncertainty or jumped ahead out of pride. It is Christ and the power of his Holy Spirit that does the extraordinary through us.
Paul has been elevated in our minds as extraordinary. Rightly so. Yet he is extraordinary because of Christ. Paul was ordinary in many ways: He was stubborn at times. Got into arguments with his friends. Was rash in some of his decision making. He enjoyed the company of friends. He was hurt when people would say things against him. He expressed thanks and disappointment. At times, when he prayed, God did not answer the way Paul would have wanted. Ordinary. But he allowed God to use him extraordinarily.
So it is important that I do not say "Lord send some one else" like Moses initially did but to have the response of Isaiah: "Lord send me!" To put it in a more modern vernacular "Lord, send little old ordinary me!" If we do that, get ready for the extraordinary.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Christ is Risen....Still!
Easter is over. Church Services Are Done. Ham has been eaten, eggs have been found, candy will continue to be eaten. The Easter Holiday is done...but Easter is not.
Easter, and what it stands for and what it means for us, is an everyday thing. Easter is not something to commemorate, it is something to live everyday!
Every morning I wake up I should wake up to the thought "He Is Risen!" His promises, His mercy His grace, His love, His wisdom, His counsel, His correction is still available to us. Those things have no expiration date. In fact, Scripture tells us this:
Lamentations 3:22-24 (The Message)
22-24God's Loyal Love Couldn't Have Run Out,
His Merciful Love Couldn't Have Dried Up.
They're Created New Every Morning.
How Great Your Faithfulness!
I'm Sticking With God (I Say It Over And Over).
He's All I've Got Left.
So we need to live Easter everyday in our hearts because Christ is Risen....Still!
Easter, and what it stands for and what it means for us, is an everyday thing. Easter is not something to commemorate, it is something to live everyday!
Every morning I wake up I should wake up to the thought "He Is Risen!" His promises, His mercy His grace, His love, His wisdom, His counsel, His correction is still available to us. Those things have no expiration date. In fact, Scripture tells us this:
Lamentations 3:22-24 (The Message)
22-24God's Loyal Love Couldn't Have Run Out,
His Merciful Love Couldn't Have Dried Up.
They're Created New Every Morning.
How Great Your Faithfulness!
I'm Sticking With God (I Say It Over And Over).
He's All I've Got Left.
So we need to live Easter everyday in our hearts because Christ is Risen....Still!
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