Happy Easter!

God sent His Son,
They called Him Jesus.
He came to love, heal and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon.
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future.
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

Bill Gather

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.  I love those words and that song.  If you follow CTB&Me on Instagram, you will have seen a photo of the sign my daughter-in-law bought as part of my Christmas gifts.  It has those words painted on rustic wood and sits on a table in the study.

I know I am stating the obvious once again but we are living in unprecedented times.  Not only is it the first time in recent history that most of the world is shut down... perhaps it is the first instance in the history of the world.

What is God speaking to us?  I doubt anything of this magnitude can happen without a lesson to be learned.  From what I have seen and heard, I think a lot of the lessons have been personal as people are forced to stop what they have been doing and may have time to listen.

For those who believe in the return of Christ and that it is soon... whether that be in months, decades, or years... then we see it as another birth pang among many.  The strongest and longest and for many the most painful birth pang, yet. 

We may have not personally experienced earthquakes, tsunamis, locusts, wars, and other signs of Christ's return... but all of us are experiencing the pandemic one way or another.   Some are simply inconvenienced while others have lost jobs, important travel plans, educational opportunities, weddings, graduations, and yes... even loved ones.

Could it be that God is trying to get our collective attention?  It was C. S. Lewis who stated in his book The Problem With Pain,  “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

A world wide pandemic is certainly a megaphone!  The only question is, how will we react to it?  I want to be doing what Jesus said we should do when we see the events leading up to His coming.  We are not to start having a nervous breakdown or an anxiety attack.  We are to look up and rejoice!

I admit that life is hard.  Very hard at times.  I think all of us have moments when we are weary from the trials and tribulations of the present world.  Yet, Easter offers us the promise of the Resurrection.  Each year when we celebrate Holy Week, we are reminded that Jesus redeemed us by his death and resurrection.

Because He lives, we can not only face today and tomorrow, we can look forward to an eternity with Him where there is no pain or sorrow.  If we have asked His forgiveness for our sins and confessed that we believe He is God's son who came to redeem us... no matter what we go through in our time in this world... the Bible says we cannot imagine how wonderful it will be when we go to live with Him.

On Easter Sunday, the disciples were still in hiding.  They were afraid and not sure of what their future would become.  Then something would happen after the Resurrection, after the Ascension, when they were all together as Jesus asked them to be at that time.   Pentecost arrived and with it the Holy Spirit to give them everything they needed to live each day at a time and take the Gospel to the world.

If we have accepted the salvation Jesus offers, then the Holy Spirit lives within each of us.  He gives us peace beyond all understanding.  He provides the words we need at just the right time. He helps us understand God's Word.  He gives us those nudges now and then to go here or there and keeps us on the right path before God. 

That same Holy Spirit that helped the disciples gain courage is helping us face today with courage... and peace... and faith.  He will be with us until that day we arrive Home.

Happy Easter and Maranatha!