WSR REPORT: RESURRECTION SUNDAY

Good Morning Friends

It is Resurrection Sunday –

It is a day when Christians remember the amazing sacrifice of Christ,

                And celebrate His victorious resurrection

Truthfully, there is not a need to wait for one specific day in a year;

The loving act of Christ is worthy of remembrance, praise and celebration –

EVERY DAY

And while it may not seem like it, this focus on resurrection Sunday,

It fits appropriately with our WSR/When Storms Rage Report series

You see – 

Even though there are twenty-one principles to keep you anchored through storms;

The principles will not work for you if Jesus is not the Captain of your ship,

If He is not at the helm of your life.

Fortunately, because He endured the most excruciating storm anyone could ever endure,

We are able to have a hope and a confidence – in the midst of our storms,

And, we are able to look forward to an eternity spent with Him.

Good Friday was two days ago –

It is the day where the crucifixion and death is recognized,

That day – thousands of years ago – it was a day of unimaginable loss and ;

It was a day of uncommon sorrow, of pain and extinguished expectations

And – although they did not know it at the time – it was indeed a Good Friday,

For it was the day that the plan of God – portrayed throughout  history and Scripture – came to fruition

HE ENDURED THE MOST EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL DEATH THAT COULD EVER BE INFLICTED UPON A HUMAN BEING. HE DID IT ALL SO THAT WE COULD BE FREE FROM THE BONDAGE OF SIN AND DEATH AND BE RECONCILED TO THE FATHER … SO THAT WE COULD, ONE DAY SPEND ETERNITY WITH HIM

‘He [Jesus] was chosen before the creation of the world.’ I Peter 1:20

          ‘… the government shall be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’ Isaiah 9:6

‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’ John 1:29

“He endured the most excruciatingly painful death that could ever be inflicted upon a human being. He did it all so that we could be free from the bondage of sin and death and be reconciled to the father … so that we could, one day spend eternity with Him … Yet even with Him taking on the sin of the world and dying, it would have meant nothing if He did not arise from the dead on the third day – victorious over death, hell and the grave. And He did! He arose and is seated at the right hand of God, desiring for all to choose a relationship with the Father – made possible through the shedding of His blood. He stands ready to be your Lord and Savior, [to be] your Captain and Friend.”

Today – Christ is alive!

Jesus Christ is alive and He is seated  at the right hand of God, interceding for His saints

He has bridged the gap, that mighty chasm, so that all who desire, may be reunited with the Father

He has secured our place in eternity!

It is truly a cause for unending gratitude, a day for joyous celebration!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

stand strong

Good Evening Friends!

I hope you had a fantastic day today –

I have had an interesting day;

One of those days that makes you sit and reflect at the end of the day

Have you ever experienced a situation –

One which should have left you feeling a certain way,

But had the complete opposite affect?

I had one of those moments today –

Two actually

It made me think of a response from three of God’s faithful servants in the Old Testament

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

These three men were faced with persecution and threatened with bodily harm;

And, their enemy, who had heard of their determination to honor the LORD, was furious;

Then, in his rage, the king declared, “Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” Daniel 3:15

The three Hebrew men responded, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16

I love the way the Message Version says it:

“Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn’t, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn’t serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up”

The kings words were meant to instill fear –

However, those very words, words meant to intimidate them,

Those words had the opposite affect – instead it emboldened them!

People in our modern-day society make reference to people ‘doubling-down’

Well, these three had to be the originators of ‘double-down’

Some might refer to them as ‘strong-willed',

But that is what I like about them and their story.

I have often told the tale of my youngest son and his incredible determination:

From the time he was very young, he has had an extremely strong will;

I would even dare to say that it is a quality he possessed before he was born

The pregnancy with him was nothing like what I experienced carrying his two older brothers

And, he was almost two weeks late! He was determined to do things his way, on his timetable

It was a constant struggle, a war of wills, a tango of temperaments;

My son determined to have his way – and me determined to control the situation

HOWEVER – everything changed one day

I was praying about/against that willfulness in my son;

Then I heard the LORD speak so clearly, that it might as well have been audible:

‘Stop praying against that trait … I gave him that characteristic

It does not need to be rebuked. It needs to be trained and harnessed

Because when he wants what I want – HE WILL BE UNSTOPPABLE!’

You see – there is a strength that comes from confidence in self

                In knowing who you are as a person … this is foolishness, vanity and futility

Then – there is a strength that comes from confidence in the LORD;

                In knowing Whose you are … this is true strength, wisdom & power!

When you know the LORD – you are able to walk and talk, a little differently;

‘The people who know their God shall display strength and do great exploits’ Daniel 11:32

So, my encouragement to you this evening – stand strong in the LORD

AFTER ALL –

‘…if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God,

You cannot overthrow it – lest you even be found to fight against God’ Acts 5:38-39

Have a Blessed Evening!