Jesus’
death is not where it all ended.
One
would, one might think it so, but it is but a chapter.
In
the next chapter, 3 days after his body lay buried,
Jesus arose. Up from the grave He rose.
He
conquered death.
Satan,
with all his pathetic promises and conniving schemes
did not, could not and cannot defeat The One who is above all.
Jesus
took upon Himself all our shame and guilt, all of our sins.
“It
is finished,” Jesus says. But it is not the end.
It
is only the beginning; the beginning of a new life.
Jesus
gave up His spirit, took upon Himself our every sin to
bring us to The Father. Jesus became the peace offering, our peace. His blood for
ours. Through Jesus we are accepted.
Through Jesus all is made right.
It is Finished.
Jesus did the will of His Father.
How about you?
Can you say the same?
Have you finished …. Have you turned away from a life that has only caused
heartache and pain for yourself, for your family, for all your loved ones?
Have you turned away from misery and abuse, remembered
promises that did not come true, lies?
Jesus
died for you. Each and every one of you.
Can you come to Him and die to your old self?
We all have something that imprisons us or has at one time or another. Something
that oppresses us, hinders us from moving on, forging ahead. We want to
conquer, to destroy those walls that keep closing in tighter and tighter on our
homemade prison, that bring physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual anguish.
We don’t know
how.
Is it so hard?
Or is it so easy?
Some say it is.
Just do it.
Make the choice and do it.
God hears our cry. He hears our distress. Every day,
every minute He sees what we undergo, how the prison we have built draws us
into ourselves and we try to hide from our misery by finding another misery to
wallow in.
We want to be free, but how?
Jesus gave His life to save yours. Why oh why do we
insist on destroying the life He so lovingly yearned to be one with Him? He
gave His all and we … What do we do? What do we give?
Have we accepted His love?
Do we seek His guidance?
Do we believe ….
He
is Jesus Christ, Son of God, Son of Man?
Born of the the Virgin Mary?
He died for our sins?
He gave His life for ours?
He was buried?
He rose again after 3 days?
He lives?
Do
we pray?
Do we ask for His forgiveness?
Are
we studying His word?
Are we gathering with others who follow the teachings of Jesus -- follow and
obey?
Do we friend ourselves with others who build us up, encourage us, show us how
to live the life God desires for us?
Do we say NO!
to that which brings us done, which undermines our worth, drags us down into a
pit of sewer mud?
Do we say NO! to online pornography?
NO! to homosexuality and promiscuity?
NO!
to husbands and wives cheating on each other physically and/or emotionally?
NO! to verbal and physical abuse?
NO! to abortion and other senseless murderous acts?
NO!
to relentless putdowns?
NO!
to overindulgence in food and drink?
Do you think food and drink help build you up? Think again. It’s a mechanism we
use to hide from our fears, but it doesn’t work. We get sick and then sicker.
Our life is not going up, not improving, but going down. We are destroying
ourselves and those around us.
Do you think it doesn’t matter? Does another say “It’s okay. I still love you.”
But it’s not okay. And do you love yourself?
The
decision to change lies within yourself.
You
alone have to determine what is right, but remember it is not just you and your
life, but those around you that factors in with your decision.
You
can’t straddle the fence. You can’t have it all. You can’t keep what you have
and look for something else too. Life on
the other side of the fence is not always as green as you fathom it to be. It
can be quite muddy.
So
your mind wanders and then it stops and sits awhile and you remember other
times with other people and you start thinking that was good and you want it
again.
You
can’t go back. If it was meant to be, then that chapter of your life would not
have closed.
No,
you can’t go back. You may stop briefly, you may remember, but you shouldn’t
stay there. You need to bring yourself back to the present, back to reminding
yourself what you have now and how your life is so much better.
You
have a new life … and if you open your
heart to Jesus and accept His gift of eternal love, eternal salvation, He will
create in you a far better life.
No one is perfect. We have all sinned. We have all wandered down paths that
caused undeniable pain and heartache. But none of us have to stay on the path
that leads to destruction. We can move past the thoughts that keep us captive.
We can ask God to help us. We can confess our need to be rid of this agony. We
can surrender our lives to Him. We can rid ourselves of the desire to sin and instead
live in the way of Christ. We can follow the path Jesus chooses for us. We can
be free.
You
may feel a certain way and sometimes that feeling makes us think negatively,
but it doesn’t have to. We don’t have to
stay in that feeling. We can change our thinking and the thinking will then change
the feeling.
For
example, you are hurt over something someone said … that’s a feeling …. So you
start thinking you’ll resort to your usual method of dealing with pain – and
that might be excessive eating of chocolate or some other sweet or drinking an
alcoholic beverage – but then you remember how you feel afterward – and decide
it would be better for you to do something else less detrimental to you. We changed the thinking of our original
feeling and turned it to good. That is what we must do with every negative
feeling – think positive and change the feeling. Become free.
Face
forward, put one step in front of the other, search for positive ways to go
forward.
“It
is Finished.” Jesus’ final words before He died. But like I’ve said before,
life was not over. For Jesus conquered death. He overcame the powers of evil
and sin. He overcame death. Hope remained.
He
said He would be back. He would return.
In
the tomb 3 days, and then the tomb was empty. Jesus was alive!
Through
Him you can be alive – you can overcome that which holds you back and holds you
down.
Jesus
lives! He sits at the right hand of The Father. He is our mediator. He lives
within us – as Spirit when we accept Him as Lord and Savior.
Unhappiness
comes because we forget where we are and what we have. We become remorseful
over a past life that seemed so promising yet was going nowhere. We miss what
we had. What did we have? What indeed? Was it better than what you have now? Is
your life today lacking something that you had before – whether it be a person
or an activity?
Have
you allowed the feeling of happiness you thought you had in a previous life
supersede what you have now? Is what you have now not better, not more filling,
not more loving, not more satisfying?
God
will help you. He is not a cop out. His love is eternal. He will help you. He
seeks only your best, never your worst. He offers you calmness, quietness,
peace.
Only
the enemy – the mindless wandering – beats on you, berates you, makes you think
you can do better, have better. You are already there. You have better. You are
better.
Come
to Jesus. His love endures forever. His love is perfect. His love is
sufficient.
Come
to Jesus. And if you have come and wandered off (again), return to Jesus.
Listen for His voice. Return to His word. Return to His fellowship of
believers. Return to His promises. Live in His promises.
He
saves us. He heals us. He rescues us. He revives us. He loves us.
Don’t
go back to selfishness, to the pit of deep despair.
Lift
your head, lift your eyes, your soul, your heart, give your all to Jesus, who
will fill all the empty places, all the unmet needs.
It
is not easy. Nothing in life that is worthwhile is easy. It takes work,
perseverance. Focus on Him. Believe and Trust in Him, Meditate, study, consider
His word. Pray, ask for answers He alone can give you. He is there. Always. He
will never leave you.
We
must surrender all parts of our lives to Him. That does not always come all at
once. Sometimes it takes many years. But the end result is very much worth it.
Invite
God into your heart – invite Him to fill the empty places. Do not listen to the
reasoning that you need others to fulfill you or that you need their approval.
Jesus
is
the
answer.
Jesus
Come to Jesus
and Be Free.
In conclusion, I give you this poem I wrote Oct. 29, 2012, titled “Choose … Believe … His Love”
failure to thrive
we die
failure to believe God's unfailing love
we die
death surrounds us
within and out
There is death
We don't know how to live!
it is sin
it is sickness
it is disturbing
we feel it
we think about it
yet we don't understand it
we don't recognize the problem
for what it truly is
we remain burdened
trapped within our bodies
and our minds
unable to break free
and get past
our hurts, our anxieties,
our unbelief
For God so loved the world
the world of you and me
the world of people burdened
and lost, roaming here
and there, seeking,
searching for love
It is there, here
in our midst
God has said it
We must turn away from all
that comes against us and
turn to The One who brings us
truth and hope and love
and believe.
The freshness of life
and goodness
cascading upon us
Christ overcame the darkness
to bring us to the light
because of God's love
given
today
tomorrow
and forevermore
Choose to accept
Choose to believe
Choose to be His child
Choose to be loved
Choose to know His love
or
Choose not
and remain shackled
in the chains
of unbelief.
(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
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