This week I want to start off with some verses from God’s word, “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.” Luke 24:1-12
Today is Easter, the day we celebrate Jesus rising from the grave. It was the greatest miracle of all time and it gives us hope for eternity. The basis of Christianity is that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and then God wanted to restore His relationship with mankind (His’ creation). So He sent His one and only son to die on the cross for our sins to bridge the gap between God and mankind, raising Him from the dead showing that He defeated death. One day He will come back and all believers will go to their heavenly home with Him. He will make a new heaven and earth that is to His original created intent. He is calling everyone to Him that none should perish, but have eternal life with Him. He appeared to over five-hundred people including people who did not know Him before He died. Today He uses the Holy Spirit and Christians to reach people for Him. So this week, if you would like to know the person who loved you so much that He was willing to die for you and take the wrath for all of your sins on Himself, then all you have to do is to admit that you are a sinner, believe that He died on the cross for your sins, and confess Him as Lord of your life.
Sometimes where we think God is moving, is not always where God is working. Just like with the women who went to the tomb, they expected to find Jesus’ body, but instead they found the tomb empty. Sometimes we have such finite thoughts about where God is moving that we do not remember God’s ways are higher than our ways. So many of us expect God to only be moving in our church lives and not in the other areas of our lives, but God is moving just as much outside of the four walls of the church as within them, if not more. This week I want to encourage you to look for God moving where you do not expect. Jesus came and broke down the barriers between us and God and now He lives in all the believers through the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ own words “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7 Remember that the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives inside us. Remember that Jesus is alive and moving, we just have to pray and be expecting for Him to move.
So today and this week I want to encourage everyone that reads or listens to this to take time, sit down and thank God for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins and for raising Him from the grave. Also, this week remember that God does not always move in the way we expect, but no matter how He moves, know that He is the God of love and that His ways are higher than our ways.