He is Risen!

2000 years ago on the first Easter Sunday, a few ladies went to the tomb where Jesus was buried. They must have been both curious and anxious; curious to see whether Jesus had risen from the dead, and anxious to witness the Resurrection of the Son of God. Upon arriving at the tomb, it was opened. With great expectancy and anticipation, they entered the tomb, piercing through the darkness they didn't see the body of Jesus Christ, rather they saw an angel of the Lord. The angel spoke the words that have been repeated by millions of Christians on Easter Sunday; He is Risen! Jesus Christ, the Son of God is not counted among the dead, He is alive! Because He LIVES, YOU can come ALIVE! All that Jesus did on the cross was for our benefit: He is hope for the hopeless, He is strength for the weak, He is wisdom for the learned, and He offers everlasting life. Life has a way of placing people in tombs. A tomb is built to whole the dead. A tomb couldn't keep the Son of God, and life's tomb shouldn't keep you from coming alive!Christians shouldn't be dead, because He lives we should live. Everything that life throws at us don't whole a candle to the power of the Holy Spirit of God who re energize believers day after day. As Christians, we must learn to shake off the deadness; we should learn to prune the dead branches attached to our lives, and when we encounter life's tombs that have overwhelmed us and sealed us end with stones of worry, doubt, fear, failure, and disappointment, remember that Jesus still roll back the stones. The greater the stone, the greater the power of God to roll back that stone. The power of the Holy Spirit is the power to capture the spirit of Easter. The hope of Easter is the power of the Holy Spirit at work in you. Celebrate it!

The Cross of Jesus

Our English word for the Cross that Jesus bore is not the same word for Cross in the original manuscript of the bible. Why? Because bible translators couldn't find a word in English that adequately conveyed the true meaning of the Cross. A Cross 2000 years ago was something to be feared; it was to be something dreaded. Why? Because anyone condemned to be crucified would suffer a death that was both painful and slow. The condemned prisoner would be nailed to the Cross; the nails would Pierce the veins, and crush the tendons in both hands and feet. The arteries in the head and stomach would swell because of the surge of blood. The wounds would quickly become infected. The pain of Crucifixion was so great, that the victim would desire a quick death more than anything else. As you can see, the Cross that Jesus bore was no cheap Cross. Jesus bore His Cross in obedience to God and He has appointed Christians to bear their Cross in obedience to Himself. Anyone unwilling to bear their cross can't be a follower of Jesus! BUT, Christ supplies the grace that's equal to the burden of the Cross. Bearing the Cross identifies you with Christ in His suffering; what I mean is this, bearing your Cross includes suffering loss, damages, and injuries in your service to the Lord. But here is the kicker, it don't have to only hurt. Jesus showed the world and Church that through the pain is hope, possibility, and peace. I am a shameless cross-bearer! Admittedly I don't like pain, but it's God's will that I bear it from time to time so that through my life, His purpose might be fulfilled. Strangely enough, every cross bearer has the same story. Now here comes the riddle, what's your story?