Resurrection Day took on different meaning to me courtesy of Bob Gass ministries. I watched The Passion of the Christ last night (again!) and the last 2 episodes of The Bible… simply to remind myself of the price that Jesus paid for my screw-ups! Then I read my devotion this morning on the “day after” and it reallllllllllly opened my eyes to how BIG a win it was— for Jesus and for US— to go to the grave but then be brought back to life through the power of Holy Spirit! See if the following doesn’t wham you the way it whammed me:
“How hell must have celebrated the day Jesus was crucified! He had just died a brutal death on a cross. But, Satan’s big party ended abruptly! One author writes: ‘In the most ironic twist of history, what Satan meant for evil, God meant for good. (Think about that for a second.) Jesus’ death bridged the gap between a perfect God and a fatally flawed humanity. On Good Friday God defeated sin, routed death, triumphed over Satan (Satan didn’t even know it yet!), and got His family back… He took the worst deed in history and turned it into the greatest victory. No wonder Jesus commanded us to never forget. Because of the cross we have hope. It’s through the Servant’s wondrous wounds, not His miracles, that we are healed (See Isa. 53:5). And if God can wrest such triumph from the jaws of apparent defeat… what might He do with the apparent failures and hardships of our lives?'”
Our pastor preached on The Gap yesterday… that “gap” between what our expectations are for a situation or relationship and… reality! He pointed out that sometimes we miss the blessing that God wants to offer us because we are too frustrated/emotionally charged to see what God is trying to do for us! Those disciples were so deflated that when the women returned from the Tomb to tell them, “He’s not there! He’s risen… just like He said” that they couldn’t accept it.
Folks: Jesus WON!!! He won the biggest victory in the history of mankind. I want to encourage you to walk in the victory that God has provided. As Pastor Gass closes, he writes: “In the transformation of redemption, the most villainous crime becomes our healing strength. The fatally wounded Healer came back to life on Easter Sunday. That day gives us a sneak preview of how all history will look from the vantage point of eternity… hurt and disappointment will be seen in a different light. Faith begins where it might have seemed to end. Between the Cross and the empty tomb hovers the promise of history: hope for the world and hope for each of us who lives in it.”
Our “team” just won the Super Bowl yesterday!!! Enjoy it today and… every day!!! HE’S ALIVE!!!
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