So How Did You Do Yesterday?

Did you eat a bunch of candy or go to church? Liney and I had a great day yesterday in Fort Worth with some friends named the Clarks and with Hanna Moelle who was staying with them from Germany. We hadn't seen her since she was 18 months old and now she is all grown up. Time flies when you're having fun, huh. It was a blast to get out and goof around some and talk. How are you doing today? I hope better than ever and closer to God than ever before! Did you have fun with the kids and your family yesterday on Easter? For some single friends of mine (not all of them..), Easter was kind of a hard day to get through.

 

It might have reminded them of a time when their entire family was all together celebrating in years long gone by.

 

Some of them are now living far away from their relatives and so seeing other families pose together for pictures at the church house, at a restaurant, or in a backyard barbeque setting (that they might even have been kindly invited to, because someone felt concerned..) can be kind of difficult or sad to experience.

 

Man, I thank God for loving married couples and families, especially Christian ones who open up their doors to single, to the elderly, or to foreign students during the holidays.

 

The first Good Friday was also very hard on Christ’s teary-eyed down trodden disciples.. and even harder on Jesus. I’m the disciples went home crusted and already missed Jesus from the get go ..even that first night away from Him.

 

There was no iffy-ness, no “but maybe..” about it. There were zero questions as to whether He really died. Jesus Christ had physically expired before countless Romans and Jews before they could come break His legs.

 

If that cruel crucifixion as he lifted His body to gasp for a breath hadn’t done Him in, it was clear that the spear of those hardened Roman military guys killed Him dead. And the Jesus-team thought it was all history forever. And it was history—His story! I’m sure they thought death had once and for all finished their dream off totally and they now didn’t know what to do next.

 

But He came out of that cold hole in the ground and lives again! Indulge me here a moment, ‘cause everyday seems like Easter to me! Single person, aged person, orphan, widow.. it can be that way for you too. As long as you are sucking air, it’s never too late to get right with Him. Join us in our Family, by first joining Him.

 

Because Christ has died at Calvary and has also risen again for good, this means that we Christians do not have to ever be religious, empty, lonely, bored, guilty or afraid of death again! How mighty cool is that? Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 15:20, “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also [came] the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming” (nkjv).

 

Yes, Christ has done gone on over to yonder side, but then He returned, and He now has the keys to death and hell. Do you believe this enough to take action and respond? He said, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death” (Rev. 1:18, nkjv).

 

Maybe you already have taken some type of action long ago? Did you do this according to His terms found in the Bible? If so, please don't rest on your past Christian victories and experiences. Many people from my generation ..from the Jesus Movement.. are sadly doing that. They can look back and see that they used to be closer to God in the past. Somehow they got distracted away from their first-love passion. If you feel far away from the Lord, just know that it wasn't God that moved away at all.

Think about this.. Your past spiritual experiences that were good are only of value now as they are translated into your present day relationship with Jesus Christ. Let’s not live in the past! That was then, this is now, let’s all out pursue Christ like never before!

I’ve heard quite a while back that the average American spends something like 15 years of their lifetime watching TV.. and maybe now it’s even more than that, or that more time is spent with video games or on the internet than TV. Lost a job or a house lately? I am so sorry for your loss. I wish I had words to comfort you. God does in His Word. Brush it off, crack it open, pray it in ..into your actions and waiting time and application of the truth. God cares about you and it’s too early to roll over, stay down and die! Fight right! Pray like you mean it! A worn out Bible is a sure sign of a life that is not!

 

Hey, let’s not get hung up on people, on things, on positions, on stuff or on our past defeats, or on our past wins. Don’t let anything get in-between you and your relationship with Jesus! Forget what is behind you, forget all time wasting now and please be encouraged to go forwards with Jesus.
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Let's take hold of all that Christ has for us! Let's also help our friends to find Jesus while we can!