Empty!

Easter is not just a holiday,
nor a spectacular event that happened a long time ago,
but a life changer.

Because the tomb was empty,
you can lead a life that is not.

But the angel said to the women,

"Do not be afraid;

for I know that you seek Jesus

who was crucified.

He is not here,

   for He has risen,

as He said.

              Matthew 28. 5-6

He is risen.

He is risen indeed.

Because He lives,

   that changes everything.

     

Not Plan B

I read recently the story of a middle aged woman who was overwhelmed by the inability to rewind her life, to go back and do life differently, burdened by regrets of past choices and the heaviness of guilt that haunts and handicaps.  She looked at her peers.  How did her friends handle it?

She discovered that her friends fell into two categories:  the first group like herself carried regrets and guilt around like a too-heavy suitcase, the second group surprised her.  They were what she would consider "religious."   And so as an unchurched, non religious person, she was curious about what coping mechanisms religion provided.  She attended a church service with a friend.

And she was totally astonished.  Because church was not about covering up and coping, nor about laying on even more guilt for being imperfect, but all about forgiveness.

Her believing friends were not smoothing over the guilt of their lives; they sought God's forgiveness.  Forgiven, released and free to live.

"I had no idea that forgiveness is what God is all about."

Very suddenly, that what she had considered a vague and meaningless term, "Jesus saves," translated into a profound reality.  She has no ability to rewind regrets and wounds and every terrible action, but Jesus can save her from drowning in those wrongdoings.

That is why He came to earth:  to save us quite literally.  

The word sin in today's culture has been misused and abused.  The meaning is still the same, but if you substitute the word "selfishness," it is translated into a language everyone of us can understand.  We are all selfish.  We have all been wounded by the selfishness of others.  And there is something terribly wrong in the world as a result.  We all know it.

And that is why Jesus came.  His death on the cross was not plan B.  

"The cross did not happen to Jesus," says Oswald Chambers in his book My Utmost for His Highest. "He came on purpose for it."

But that is not the end of the story.

That is what Easter is all about.

Stay tuned for tomorrow.

For God sent the Son

into the world,

not to condemn the world,

but that the world

might be saved through Him.

                  John 3.17

Business as Usual

There are some businesses closed for Good Friday, and some schools closed for vague reasons.  But for most, it is business as usual.  It is one holiday -- "holy day" -- untouched by commercial enterprises.

It is viewed by most as a day to get prepared for Easter, organizing the menu, buying the food, setting the table, and trying not to consume all the jelly beans.

And yet in a very real sense, it is a day of preparation, because without Good Friday, there would not be Easter.  Without Christ dying on the cross for our sins, there would not be a Resurrection.

For by a single offering,
He has perfected
          for all time
those who have been sanctified.
...Where there is forgiveness of these,
there is no longer
     any offering for sin.

                     Hebrews 10. 14, 18

Christ took care of it all.

And for that,
    we can thank Him today.

But He was wounded
    for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
upon Him was the chastisement
          that made us whole,
and with His stripes
                  we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray,
we have turned each one
            to his own way,
and the LORD has laid on Him,
the iniquity of us all.

                   Isaiah 53. 5-6

God loves us
                that much.
Business as usual.

The Real Deal

I was looking at Target for an Easter card to send to our young grandkids.  Chicks and rabbits and "lots of fun" didn't quite convey what I want to tell them about the Resurrection.  And then, when I spotted the Ninja Turtle Easter card, I moved on.

It reminded me of an experience, now about twenty-five years ago.  Grant, a little neighbor boy, was spending the afternoon with our kindergarten-age daughter and me while his mom ran some errands.  After lunch, we sat on the couch to read some books.  Our girls' Beginners Bible was sitting on the coffee table.  I began to read to these two five-year-olds the Biblical account of Easter.  The stories are written with few words, but the meaning is translated to the level of a young child.

Quite suddenly, Grant sat upright and said with an astonished voice, "I had no idea Jesus had anything to do with Easter!"

Make no assumptions.  Make sure those in your life -- children as well as adults -- know that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the real deal.  It is not just another "story;"  it is the truth on which God's love was shown, the final sacrifice for our sin, and the hope on which we stake our lives.

Jesus said to her,
"I am the resurrection and the life;
he who believes in Me,
         though he die,
yet shall he live,
and whoever lives and believes in Me
shall never die."

                 John 11. 25-26

15 minutes can save you 15 percent

We have seen and heard the little gecko so often speak about insurance quotes that the commercials now say, "Everyone knows 15 minutes can save you 15 percent on car insurance."

As I go about my own day, I realize my own need for God's guidance into it.  There is a clear difference to my day and its outcome when I take the time to listen to the LORD and read His Word first thing.

That time alters my thinking and refocuses my eyes on God.  And as a result, well, even 15 minutes saves me a lot more than 15 percent of my day.  What if I was 15 percent more efficient in my use of time, what if I slept 15 percent better, what if I was even 15 percent more sensitive to God's guidance as I go through my tasks?

I cannot count how many times that God has impressed my thoughts with what I have forgotten -- before I leave the house.  A thought from the LORD turns me in a different direction, and I avoid the traffic jam.  What I consider a delay or an interruption actually turns out to be the most fruitful part of my day.  Oh, the things I would have missed.  Oh, the time I would have saved if I had listened first.

Where did that thought come from?  I never thought of it that way.  I didn't see that before.  Something came on my radar.  I would have missed that entirely.

I am not alone in this.  God's Presence changes everything.

Your Word is a lamp to my feet,
and a light to my path.

              Psalm 119. 105

I am not a mathematician, but in a 24 hour period of time, 15 percent is 3 hours and 36 minutes.  Even in a 12 hour day, 15 percent is 48 minutes.

What if I was able to add just 48 minutes to my day?  God can do even more than that.

It is not a matter of "read these verses, get a prize."  But seeking the LORD, and He will do a lot more than saving you time.  He will change your life.  And impact everyone around you.

My times are in Your Hand.

                  Psalm 31.15