Happy Easter

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

With quiet and complete confidence that his Father would resurrect him, Jesus calmly walked to the cross. At the cross, Heaven and Earth intersected. At the cross a doorway was opened for us to enter into God’s perfect, holy, righteous Kingdom. At the cross a way was made for God to have fellowship with us. 

There is nothing in this world that can separate you from Christ’s love.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God..(John 1:12-13 NASB)

When in faith we believe in Jesus, His shed blood cleanses us and frees us from the bondage of sin. Because Jesus died for us, our shame is gone and our dignity is restored. God’s perfect love drives away our fears.

Now we are God’s children, and welcomed into His holy presence. Now we are free from the chains of this world to serve the living God in the way we were created to. Now everything we do is Kingdom work because we our motivated by God’s love, and are united with Christ.

Anticipate with hope Christ’s return

Jesus has temporarily returned to His Kingdom. He promises to return! When He returns we will get to enjoy perpetually and completely all the blessings Jesus obtained by his sacrifice.

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes,that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” (Rev 22:12-14)

Rest

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) 

This is the way Eugene Peterson translated these verses in the Message 

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

What does it mean to rest? 

Do we really grasp the rest that Jesus is offering us? Have we learned to live in the unforced rhythms of grace?  

Jesus invites you today to take his yoke. In farming a yoke is a wooden bar or frame which is used to join two oxen together for pulling a plow or wagon. To be under a yoke is to be under service or obligation to someone.  

We all have a yoke that we bear.  

We all have a yoke that we bear – we can choose to bear God’s yoke, or one that world puts on us.  

The paradox of the Christian faith is that when we exchange the yoke of to do lists, the yoke of people’s expectations, the yoke of our ambitions or the yoke of religious activity; and put on the yoke of Christ, we find rest.  

Christ’s yoke fits us perfectly because he knows us perfectly. When we take Christ’s yoke and learn from him we are learning from the author of wisdom himself.  

When we rest we move from focusing on our hopes and desires, our to-do lists, our crowns and our ambitions to being loved … to accepting love … to being in the vine … to abiding in Christ.  

Rest is a safe place!  

Rest is a safe place … when we are resting in God no evil will harm us!  

Consider the alternatives - resting in our self, our own abilities, our own strength … how good a job do you do in taking care of yourself? Resting in other people – will they really take care of you?  

Rest allows us to re-connect with God. “We will never be able to connect with other people if we are not connected to ourselves. And we will never truly connect with ourselves unless we are connected to God”[1]. 

When we rest in God we demonstrate to a watching world that the Father has sent Jesus. When we rest in God we are proclaiming that the Father loves us just as the Father loves Jesus.  

When we rest in God we demonstrate to a watching world that Christ is risen!  

Do you hear God’s invitation to rest?  

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of life, there is a living voice softly whispering in your ear, “Come unto me, and I will give you rest”. This is the voice that spoke creation into being. This is the voice that spoke in a bygone era to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is the voice of Yahweh, the voice of the “I am that I am”. This is the voice of the living, risen Savior speaking to you today. This is the voice of the one who governs your workplace and who rules over the country where you live. In him is life, and that life is the light of all mankind. His light shines brightly in your workplace so that you can rest. Will you listen to his voice?  

In the midst of the joys and frustrations of life, there is a voice actively crying out to you, “Come unto me and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” This voice knows the condition of your heart. This voice knows the condition of the hearts of those you work with. This voice is alive today transforming lives, healing broken hearts and setting captives free.  

You can rest today for the living, effective, all powerful word of God is accomplishing what God desires, and the purposes for which God sent it to proclaim.  

Will you listen to his voice? Will you take his yoke upon you and find rest for your soul? 

Never Alone

There's never been a moment when you have been alone since you put your faith In Jesus. Each and every day is a new day to enjoy experiencing God’s love. Your redeemer lives! Your redeemer protects and keeps you from stumbling! Don’t lose heart, for by your faith you have overcome the world! One day soon you will stand before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy!

Through faith, we are God’s holy people, distinct from all the sin in the world around us because we enjoy the divine presence living in us. We have the privilege to participate in an intimate relationship with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are embedded in relationships with all believers throughout eternity. Relationships that don’t destroy our personal distinctiveness; but enhance our personal identity as we love, live and work together in unity.

We are God’s sacred people, commissioned for holy service to reflect God’s glory and share God’s love in the world that God created and loves.

Yes we face struggles in this world. Yes the world hates us since we are not of the world, even as Jesus was not of this world. We experience conflict at work. We suffer from illnesses. But none of these can separate us from God’s love. In John 17 Jesus doesn’t pray that we would be removed from this world, but rather that God would protect us from the evil one. God who defeated Satan on the cross is more than able to protect us from all evil.

Seek to live in this world in obedience to the light of God’s word. This way Jesus is glorified in you. Know that God has chosen you out of the world, and that you are his, and he is yours. In each new day and in every circumstance may you experience God’s love in a fresh way! Through the Holy Spirit Jesus will continue to reveal the Father to you, and to teach you all things so that your joy may be full.

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! (Jude 24-25).

Prayer

Thank you, Father, that you are protecting us from the evil one. Continue to sanctify us by your word. For your word is the source of truth. Thank you for how much you love us. Help us to love each other as you have loved us. Fill us with your Spirit so that we can live and work together in unity. May the watching world see your love in us, and our love for each other so that the world may know that you are God. Amen

Moving Forward

How do you find joy and peace for today and for whatever comes next in your life?

In John 17 we have the privilege of eavesdropping on an intimate conversation between the Son and the Father just days before Jesus goes to the cross. In this conversation we catch a glimpse of how Jesus prepares himself to move forward into the most stressful period of his life.

Jesus prayer in John 17 provides us with a model of how we can find the strength and peace we need for today, and for whatever comes next in our lives.

Jesus prayed from a place of confidence, knowing that he had overcome the world (John 16:33).

We can pray with confidence, knowing that we pray to the one who has overcome the world.

Jesus prayed from a place of confidence, because he knew that his life had glorified God, and he had completed everything God had asked him to do (John 17:4).

You may read this, and look at your own life and feel like you haven’t always glorified God, or you haven’t completed everything God has asked you to do. There is good news! Anyone who believes that Jesus died on the cross for their sins can pray with confidence because the blood of Christ washes away all our mistakes, selfishness, and lack of love. Jesus loves you … no strings attached!

Because of the cross God sees us as righteous and hears our prayers.

Jesus prayed with certainty, knowing that His Father was a promise keeper. Jesus prayed with assurance, knowing that his identity rested in his relationship with His Father. Prayer reorients our focus to God.

Prayer is a privilege, where we can claim God’s promises before we move forward. Prayer is an opportunity to remember who we are in Christ before we quietly and faithfully go about our day. Prayer shapes our lives, so that everything we do will bring to glory to God.

Jesus prayed with faith because he knew that what lay before him would happen exactly according to his Father’s perfect will.

We can pray with faith, knowing that unless we deliberately choose to sin, whatever comes next will happen according to our Heavenly Father’s perfect will.

Having prayed, Jesus moved forward to the cross with joy! (Heb 12:2)

Having prayed … with your eyes fixed on Jesus … go with joy!

Go, and be the best employee you can be! Go, and be the best parent you can be! Go, and be the best student you can be! Go, and be the best friend you can be! Go, and bring glory to God!

Read John 17:1-5 on BibleGateway