It's the close of another day and here I am, alone in my bedroom. Alone with my thoughts. Reflecting back on the day.
Today was Easter Sunday. The day that as believers, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Hope of Life that we have because of His work on the cross.
Less than a week ago, I came back here to Georgia from spending three incredible months living and serving in Hawaii. And in that time, the Lord did a lot of work in me. He healed some areas. He helped me put some things to rest and let go of some things and people. I tore pages out of my journal, ripped them to shreds, and threw them away in the public trashcan when walking downtown. I wrote down the name of someone I was struggling to forgive and I literally set fire to his name and symbolically burned away the bitterness I was holding into. I was rebaptized. The Lord brought forth new fruit and new boldness and new gifts.
I experienced so much freedom.
So this Easter Sunday as night creeps in and we sit back reflecting on the day, I just wanted to pose this simple challenge to those who are reading this tonight: What in your life needs to be laid to rest and buried in the grave? Maybe it's guilt and shame from the past. Maybe it's a toxic relationship or a friendship that you've held onto for too long. Maybe it's bitterness toward another, toward yourself, toward God. Maybe it's a pattern of thinking or a habit formed.
Whatever that looks like in your own life... Let it die. Nail it to the cross and let it die. Put it to rest. The price has already been paid for it. The work is finished. The victory is already won.
Let it go, let it die, and bury it. Don't pick it back up again. It's a thing of the past. The resurrection could not have happened without the crucifixion. Resurrection Sunday would not be were it not for Good Friday. And the fullness of what God wants to do in our lives must be preceded by the death of our former selves and the things of old. Allow God to bring forth new LIFE and restoration today in your hearts and minds as we move ahead into this new week. For "therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2Corinthians 5:17
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10
Happy Easter. We praise Him for He is SO worthy of our praise.
"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. Come, see the place where he lay.'" Matthew 28:5&6
"He is not here, for He has risen." 🌾
