It was a day of rejoicing.  A day of proclaiming Jesus’ victory over Satan, sin, and death.  A day of innumerable “He is risen / He is risen indeed!” exchanges with “Marco?  Polo!” precision.

You know, all the things that we appropriately do on Easter to give praise, honor, and glory to our amazing God and risen Savior.

It’s Tuesday.  Now what?

We read that after Jesus’ death, the disciples hid at first, then waited for the Holy Spirit to come as Jesus told them to.  Hopefully you are not in hiding today and we receive the Holy Spirit when we accept Christ as Savior…no waiting.

So, now what?

Well, similar to the catch phrase of a certain fruit-named company:

“There’s a verse for that!”

Actually there are many verses…but here are few that come to mind:

“…God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.” Romans 12:1 [MSG]

“Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” Colossians 3:17 [The Message]

“Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.” 2 Timothy 2:15 [MSG]

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.” Hebrews 13:15 [ESV]

Just to clear up any confusion we might have:

[Jesus] gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. Titus 2:14 (NLT)

Ummm, and just to bring this home for you and me:

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:17 (NLT)

So, CHRIST IS RISEN!  Now what?

LET’S WORSHIP!

READY.  SET.  GO!

x

Happy Resurrection Day!

This hit hard:

“Sin is dishonoring God by preferring other things over Him.  Sin is not small, because it is not against a small Sovereign.  The seriousness of an insult rises with the dignity of the one insulted.  The Creator of the universe is infinitely worthy of respect and admiration and loyalty.  Therefore, failure to love Him is not trivial—it is treason.  Since God is just, He does not sweep these crimes under the rug of the universe.

‘[God] loved us and sent his Son to be the [wrath-absorbing] propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)’”

-John Piper

I took this picture a few months ago as I was running some errands – I was at a stoplight and it just caught my eye. Now, every time I pass it, one of my favorite Vicky Beeching songs – The Wonder of the Cross – comes to mind.

Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all!

x

The Wonder Of The Cross
Lyrics by Vicky Beeching

O precious sight my Savior stands
Dying for me with outstretched Hands
O precious sight I love to gaze
Remembering salvation’s day
Remembering salvation’s day
Though my eyes linger on this scene
May passing time and years
Not steal the pow’r with which it impacts me
The freshness of its mystery
The freshness of its mystery

Behold the God-man crucified
The perfect sinless Sacrifice
As Blood ran down those nails and wood
History was split in two
Yes history was split in two
Behold the empty wooden tree
His Body gone alive and free
We sing with everlasting joy
For sin and death have been destroyed
Yes sin and death have been destroyed

May I never lose the wonder
The wonder of the cross
May I see it like the first time
Standing as a sinner lost
Undone by mercy and left speechless
Watching wide eyed at the cost
May I never lose the wonder
The wonder of the cross

From Acts chapter one:

⁷He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

¹⁰They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ¹¹“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Christ is risen!  Has ascended!  Christ will come again!

I love this simple Charlie Hall song and how it expresses just that – especially the use of the words sanity and clarity in describing Jesus.

Sanity: Soundness of judgment or reason.
Clarity: clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity.

BTW – I’ve been know to wander around my house playing guitar (sometimes serenading my wonderful wife!)…guess I’m not alone!

x

Mystery
Charlie Hall (From The Bright Sadness)

Sweet Jesus Christ my sanity
Sweet Jesus Christ my clarity
Bread of heaven, broken for me
Cup of salvation held up to drink
Jesus, Mystery

Christ has died and
Christ is risen,
and Christ will come again

Celebrate his death and rising
Lift your eyes, proclaim his come
Celebrate his death and rising
Lift you eyes, lift your eyes
Celebrate his death and rising
Lift your eyes, proclaim his come
Celebrate his death and rising
Lift you eyes, lift your eyes

Christ has died and
Christ is risen,
and Christ will come again
Sweet Jesus Christ my sanity