The New Day

“Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

Friday, the disciples of Jesus thought their lives were ending with His. They had invested everything they had in Him and it seemed like all was lost. The pain and shock their Leader’s execution must have left them physically and emotionally worn, feeling abandoned and without hope. Their glorious future in the coming Kingdom lied lifeless in a cold, still grave. Or so they thought.

But what a difference three days can make. By the close of Sunday, they had compiled stories, true stories, of a risen Savior. Some met Him at the tomb He was placed in. Others while walking along the road. Still others in their meeting place behind locked doors. Their darkest night had been followed up with a bright new dawn. What they thought was the end was actually the beginning of something far greater than they could comprehend.

Have you ever felt like your circumstances were so dark that you could never find your way out? Maybe you’re there now. This weekend we celebrate the most memorable and dramatic turn of events ever to take place on planet earth. The Creator of heaven and earth, the Great I Am, died in painful horror and was raised in extravagant glory. Yes, He was God. But if He is your God and you are His child, be sure that His glory is your future. All that He did, He did for you.

This moment in life is not the end. It may seem painfully difficult, and we may need to endure through the night before we see our sunrise. But know with certainty that the new day is coming. As Jesus has been risen, so have we and so will we be even more. We are becoming a people made anew in the image of His glory. We are a people changed forever by His grace.

Have a blessed and glorious Resurrection Sunday!

The Power of the Cross

As Good Friday approaches, I sit contemplating the love of this God who would give up everything for my salvation. When I do this, I am strongly confronted by the odd, yet undeniable power of the cross. This is a power sadly missed by many Christians who prefer to skip past the reality of Good Friday and go directly to the joy of Resurrection Sunday. Yet, without the death that occurred on Friday, there is no Sunday morning joy.

The drawing power that hooks us into the heart of God comes strangely from the cross, more so than any other expression of who God is. Jesus said, “’But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.’ He said this to show the kind of death He was going to die.” (John 12:32-33) It is this gruesome sight, rather than that of resurrection glory, that draws us in forever to the fellowship of love available through Jesus.

Let me clarify in this discussion that the resurrection is absolutely necessary to complete the picture of who God is and what He has done for us. If the cross is truly the end, then while Jesus may have been an amazingly righteous man, He was not and therefore, is not the Messiah that He claimed to be. But He was raised, and His resurrection makes Him God and imparts to us the power of new life through Him.

Yet the fact remains that it is the cross that separates Jesus and Christianity from all other gods and religions. Unprecedented power should be expected of anyone claiming to be God. A god, no matter what name you give it, should be able to form planets with its bare hands, raise dead people, and heal any disease. A god should also be able to perform or restrain natural phenomena at its will. As great as these things may be, history has proven that such miracles are quickly forgotten.

But only our God, being all of that, looked upon His people with love and mercy so great, that He would surrender His divine power to come to earth and die this horrendous death so that we can be with Him forever. The fact that He is all powerful, all knowing, and completely sovereign over all, yet would stoop so low to wrap us in His arms; this is the wonder of the cross. This is the power that draws me to His side and will never let me go.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

Have you ever tried to do something and found every step to be drudgery? I have, and I can't think of a single time I did that and actually succeeded. Yet, the opposite is also true. When moved by God's Spirit to do something, I find myself patiently fixated until it is completed. It is difficult to tear myself away from that thing I must be doing.

I started a project four years ago, and completed phase one in about two months time. Since then, God had me set it aside while numerous other projects came about. I knew my original project was of extreme importance, yet I could not bring myself to attend to it. Every time I tried, it was like drudgery. Many other things had to be set in place first. Beginning this year, God has led me back to that project. I am now completely fixated on seeing it through to completion.

Our greatest fixation, and that which drives all we do, should be on Jesus Himself. His Person, His Life, His Love, are all amazing. When I think about all of this, I wonder why I am not more fixed on Him than I am. What in this world can really compare?

Somewhere in this train of thought I begin to realize that what keeps me focused on doing His will is His drawing. This is also what gets me into His presence and keeps me there. I am both woefully and delightfully dependent on Him to draw me. So I make it my prayer to be desperately drawn to Him. I want His Spirit to make me crave His presence more than any earthly thing. I cannot, and therefore, will not, do it myself. Jesus, help me fix my eyes on You!