Because Of the Resurrection

Yesterday we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  In thinking about what this means to my every day life,  I was inspired to write the following poem.  Enjoy and know that our Redeemer lives!!

Because of the Resurrection…..

My faith is not made up of mere words that simply reflect positive thinking, but rather, my faith is grounded in the One who rose again and is seated in heaven with the Father.

My heart has become the dwelling place of God himself, represented by the Holy Spirit.

I am a new creation.  My old, cold, stony heart has been replaced with a new heart made of flesh, tender towards the things of God.

It is no longer I who lives, but rather it’s Christ who lives in me.  I no longer live for self-fulfillment, but live to fulfill His plan for my life.

I am no longer enslaved by the power of sin.  Although the presence of sin is all around me, the power of sin over me has been canceled.

I can love others with the love that God has for me.  I can be a giver of grace because I have been a recipient of endless grace from the grace giver Himself.

God’s presence in my life is an on-going event, not in the physical presence of Christ, but in the glory that is revealed through me as I become His feet and hands to a broken and hurting world. I can tell a drug addict and prostitute there is hope for a better tomorrow.

I can make Him known to people by pointing out where He working in their life.   People change when they see the face of God in fresh, new ways.

I can look into the forest of trees that borders our back yard in the middle of nuclear winter and in the contrast to the brown and barren branches, notice a beautifully bright red robust cardinal.

I know God has created that cardinal and cares for the cardinal, as He does for all of his creatures.

I know for certain God cares for me even more than He does for the birds of the air and provides everything thing I need to live on this earth.

I can trust God with my deepest disappointments, knowing that he rules over them all with a loving, compassionate and often unseen hand.

Desires are a part of the human experience, but because of the resurrection, I can hold my desires in an open hand in submission to a greater purpose: the desires of God for His kingdom.  ( Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands)

I can say thy Kingdom come, instead of my kingdom come.

I know that today is a day that he has created and every event, every encounter, every phone call and e-mail has been filtered through His pre-determined plan for my life.  He determines the times and places in which I live.

I wait with eager anticipation for the coming of the new heaven and the new earth where sin and suffering will be no more, but only joy and peace will fill people’s souls.

I will one day leave this broken and wounded body and enter into the presence of the living God.  I can stand before Him because the blood of Jesus has bridged the gap that once existed and kept me apart from God.

God will look at me and instead of seeing someone whose heart has been prone to wander and stray time and time again, He will see me as forgiven and invite me into His presence for eternity.

Because of the resurrection, I can say:  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!