Buried in the Grave

Buried in the Grave, by All Sons & Daughters, is by far my favorite Easter song right now.
Enjoy!

(lyrics below the video)

 

There was a day we held our breath
And felt the sting of bitter death
When all our hopes were buried in the grave
Our eyes awake our hearts were torn
Between our faith and what we knew
Before our king was buried in the grave

And grace was in the tension
Of everything we’ve lost
Standing empty handed
Shattered by the cross

All we had
All we had
Was a promise like a thread
Holding us keeping us
Oh from fraying at the edge
All we knew
All we knew
Was you said you’d come again
You’d rise up from the dead

There was a day we looked for proof
That you had risen from the tomb
And all our doubts began to roll away
We touched the scars upon your hands
You kept your word
Oh son of man
You buried death by taking on the grave

You came here to save us
Cuz everything was lost
No longer empty handed
Clinging to the cross

All we had
All we had
Was a promise like a thread
Holding us
Keeping us
From fraying at the edge
All we knew
All we knew
Was you said you’d come again
You’d rise up from the dead

It is is won
It is done

All we have
All we have
Is the promise like a thread
Holding us keeping us
Oh from fraying at the edge
All we know
All we know
Is you said you’d come again
You rose up from the dead

A Snap Shot Of Greatness

The lives of great men and women are often recalled by a single moment that defines them — a snapshot that captures their special passion and represents their most lasting contribution.

I just watched "Lincoln" for the second time. It is such a powerful look into the greatest moments in Lincoln's life. We remember Abraham Lincoln for his brief but powerful Gettysburg address, where he envisioned a nation “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

No matter what your oppinions/thoughts on Theologian Martin Luther. He will be forever remembered for nailing his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg’s All Saints Chapel, ushering in the protestant reformation. Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor, but perhaps his best known and most lasting work of art was done from atop a high scaffold, painting the ceiling of Rome’s Sistine Chapel. Winston Churchill captured the hearts of Britain and the world when he boldly declared, as bombs fell on his beloved London, “This will be our finest hour.”

Single snapshots like these can sum up the greatest moments of great lives.

I wonder, if we were to consider our all-powerful, all-knowing, God, what his finest hour would be. Would it be His creation of the heavens and the earth by the very power of His spoken word? Or the creativity He displayed in the crafting of every living thing on the earth? Some might argue that God’s greatest hour was the creation of man from the dust and of woman from man — but I would suggest that there was something even greater than that.

I believe that God’s finest hour began with the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus the Son of God, lived and breathed while walking on this earth. He taught people with His LIFE. He invited people into His life while showing the Love of His Father!

If we are honest with ourselves, each of us would admit a deep longing that cannot be satisfied; a deep inner pain and emptiness that will not go away. Education can’t satisfy it, career and money can’t quiet it, relationships can’t fill it and drugs or alcohol can’t make it disappear. It’s always there because we are made by God and for God, and because of sin we are separated from Him. We know we need Him, and we long to be made right with Him &mash; we just don’t know how.

The coming of Christ was the beginning of God’s finest hour because it addresses this awful separation. God loved us so much that He didn’t leave us separated from Him, trapped in our own sin and its devastating effects. He loved us so much that He came to us! And it didn’t stop there.

The apostle Paul wrote of Jesus, “He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on by the world, was taken up in glory.” I Timothy 3:16

Jesus Christ was God’s finest hour. He was born to us in the flesh, lived a perfect, sinless life, then went to the cross and suffered and died in our place. God placed on Him every sin that will ever be committed, and Jesus willingly took our punishment. Then three days later, the Spirit of God raised Jesus from the dead, breaking forever the power of sin. In Jesus, the price has been paid. In Him, we have forgiveness, and through Him, we are welcomed back into fellowship with Holy God.

So is there a “snapshot” of this great, great hour? I believe there is — and it lies in a story Jesus Himself told: I have been reflecting on the story of the prodigal son for the last month. It’s recorded in Luke 15. A wealthy landowner had two sons, and the youngest demanded his inheritance while his father was still living, left home, and squandered every cent on wild living. When he was at his very lowest, he remembered that even the slaves in his father’s house were well cared for, so he decided to return home, not daring to hope he might be received back as a son, but planning to beg to be allowed home as a slave.

When he returned, his father recognized him from a long way off, and before the son could apologize and plead for charity, the father ran to him, embraced him, smothered him with kisses and said “all is forgiven!” Many, many wrongs had been done by this wayward son, but all the father cared about was his return.

If you could hold in your memory one snapshot of God’s finest hour this season, will you hold this one? The God of the universe loved you so much that through His Son Jesus Christ, He has made a way for you to come back home. And when He sees you coming, He will run to you, wrap His arms around you, and welcome you home, making His finest hour your finest hour.

New Beginnings

We all love to see miraculous transformations. Whether it’s a sports team that goes from worst to first in a single season, a life-saving surgery for a child, a person that loses hundreds of pounds, or even the amazing home make-overs on TV, that takes a home in much need of TLC, and literally transforms it into a beautiful mansion — we all love the ending outcome of miraculous transformations.

Anytime we want to have a change though, especially one that will make our lives better, it requires us to believe that it can happen. We have to make a choice to have hope.

Most of us have found ourselves in a place where we were on the edge of loosing something very precious to seemingly everything.
Whether you’ve lost your job, your mortgage is in risk of foreclosure, your relationships are struggling, or you or a loved one needs healing, I want to encourage you to never give up!
It all begins with a choice; the choice to never give up. God always completes in us what He has started; His good work and good plan.

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phillippians 1:6)

I love the story of a man named Ira. His story is the perfect example of what happens when you never give up. By the time he was 12, both of his parents had died. He and his brothers had no choice but to take care of themselves. So they got jobs working at a ranch.

Through hard work and refusing to give up, Ira eventually got married and saved enough to buy a small ranch of his own. He kept dreaming, staying focused and making good decisions.

He bought a small grocery store, which turned into a big success. But he didn’t stop there either — he then sold the store to purchase a large 20,000 acre ranch in West Texas.

Not long after this big move, the Great Depression hit with full force and Ira fell behind on his payments. The bank threatened to foreclose and take away everything he’d worked so hard for through the years. At the last moment, just days before Ira lost everything, massive reservoirs of oil were discovered on his ranch!

Instead of losing everything, Ira received more than enough resources to bless his entire family and many more throughout his area. He provided jobs for people in need, built schools, children’s homes, Boy Scout camps, Salvation Army centers and developed a town that still exists today.

I love this story because his life was suddenly transformed.

Now I’m not saying that you’re going to find oil on your property or instantly become a millionaire! But what I am saying is that no matter how dark things look, God can turn things around in a single moment.

We all just enjoyed the changing of seasons, from winter to spring. Spring symbolizes new birth, a fresh start. No matter how cold and harsh your winter might have seemed, or even been, Begin to see your new fresh start in God. This spring, let this truth take root in your heart and mind: In a single moment, God can make all things new for you.

It all starts with your mind and attitude. Even if you don’t physically see this change right now, God can transform your heart and thinking, giving you peace that the world can’t give you. It’s a sustaining peace. It’s hope. Hope carries you through as you wait for your completing moment.

Ephesians 1:19–20 says: “I pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead...” (NLT)

Think about it! The Bible says that God gives the same power that raised Jesus from the dead to those who believe Him.

He triumphed over every force of darkness, disease and destruction. And He’s promised to give this same victory to everyone who puts their trust in Him!

God’s incredible power is available for you, but you have to do your part and believe in Him and by faith, receive what He is offering and persevere in your hope!

When you face challenges and tough times, do you focus on the negative and begin to complain about how unfairly you are being treated? When you give in to those thoughts, you stop the transformation process.

When you are filled with doubt and unbelief, God’s miracle for you is put on hold. And it stays on hold until you begin to walk again in obedience and put your complete trust in Him.

When you stay positive, full of hope, and do not give up on God, He can take any situation in your life, any circumstance, regardless of the economy or what the world might say, and turn things around in a single moment for your benefit. Your life can change in a moment just like Ira’s and just like the disciples — who went from being alone and afraid to boldly proclaiming the message of Christ to every nation, making an impact on the entire world!

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “...anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (NLT)

No matter what you are facing today,
When you decide to not give up and put your whole trust in Christ, you pave the way for greater things to happen for you, in you and through you!

We are all hearing the negative reports about the current economic conditions; I hear them too. But in order for us to overcome these challenges, it’s important to know what God’s Word says about it.

His Word promises us in Philippians 4:19: “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (AMP). God promises us that He is able to meet every need.

Remember, no matter what challenges you’re facing, God will make all things new in your life!

But it’s up to you and your choice! Keep choosing to stay in hope, believing for God to make things new, in His time. Remember, if we don’t give up, in due time we will be richly rewarded!

The Foundation for Community

Fellowship is the foundation for Community. In fact, Fellowship is the foundation on which the church was built. Fellowship is why we walk thru the doors of a church every week and a lack of fellowship is the reason that the world is filled with people who have never considered the church as a place to find the missing ingredient in their life.

Fellowship is more than friendship, it is the sharing of life.

No other example of fellowship has been greater than Jesus. He was able to take 12 men from extraordinary backgrounds and unite them together underneath a common bond. This was nothing short of spectacular!

The disciples were given every reason not to connect with one another. Their backgrounds could not have been more different, yet these 12 men united together under this common bond. They came together under a mutual respect and admiration for Jesus. This uniting force was the reason they were able to experience fellowship and ultimately community. The disciples became the original model for a community of life. Even though they were tax collectors, fisherman, zealots, liars, and cheaters...still, uniting under the leadership of Christ, they became a community that shared every moment of life and love for well over three years.

The disciples became a community because they were initially forced to have fellowship with one another.

The case could be made that community could exist without a common bond, but community cannot exist without fellowship.

A collection of individuals that exist without fellowship are nothing more than a group. I have no desire to be the member of a group.

Communities accept -- groups avoid.
Communities love -- groups loathe.
Communities are deep -- groups are surface.
Communities are united -- groups are easily divided.

I long to be the member of a like minded, loving, united, accepting, community of people who are deeply in love with Jesus.

Communities and their members are so committed to one another that they have learned to share life.

Acts 2:42 says "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, at to sharing meals, and to prayer."

Great communities meet together, eat together, and pray together.

If the leaders of the church will find a body of believers that care and share, it will exist because of genuine fellowship. If you, as the leader, have examined your organization and found a hole where relationships should be being formed, look at the opportunities for fellowship.

                                      Where fellowship is encouraged community will  follow.