On that Resurrection Sunday they found the stone rolled away and the tomb where they had laid Jesus empty…and somehow we tend to forget the power it took for that miracle to happen. We forget the magnitude of Jesus taking every sin ever committed by mankind on Himself. We downplay the sacrifice He made for us while we were yet sinners. So the next time you’re racked by fear and doubt…remember the tomb’s still empty. When discouragement and anxiety try to take over your life…remember the tomb’s still empty. When the world seems in turmoil and paranoia…remember the tomb’s still empty, and God’s still in control…and if you had been the only person on earth, Jesus would have died for you.
Tag: name of jesus
Isaiah 61:1 ” The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…”
In the fourth Chapter of Luke, Jesus has come home to Nazareth for a visit and on the Sabbath goes to the Synagogue. There the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah is handed to Him and He reads this passage out loud. In doing so, He announces His mission and purpose here on earth. For as everyone waited for Him to speak, He said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” He honored not only His family, but His home town by officially starting His ministry in Nazareth.
Matthew 16:26 ” What good will it be for man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? “
In this passage Jesus is being very blunt…we can’t work our way into heaven. No amount of riches we’ve amassed will do…no worldly commodity, can be exchanged for the gift of salvation.
Revelation 3:11 ” I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
In John’s letter to the church in Philadelphia, he urged the Believers to hold fast to and maintain their saving faith in Jesus Christ. That still holds true today. The world and its strong lure is ever trying to take us down a path of destruction and death. But we are more than victors…having been given the crown of life…the symbol of triumph and eternal life.
Psalm 88: 2-3 ” May my prayer come before You; turn Your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave.”
There comes a time in everyone’s life when anguish, grief and heartache takes over our body. We truly feel that we are approaching death…the pain is that intense. But we can’t allow the pain to overwhelm and consume us…rather, we need to allow the Lord and others to help pull us from the abyss…until the darkness subsides.
Mark 1: 16-18 ” As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow Me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed Him.”
There was not a moment of hesitation…not one look of disbelief or word of doubt that came from the brothers when Jesus approached them with His request. Rather, they left all, giving up any claim to their property…turning from everything they knew to follow a stranger. And with that decision, began a journey for them of fellowship, faith, and eternal life.
I Kings 8:27 ” But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain You. How much less this temple I have built! “
This verse is part of King Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication for the temple he had built for the Lord. He doubted that the Most High would live in something made by mortal men…for God’s magnificence can’t be limited by time and space. While the Lord may not be able to fit inside a building…you’ll find He fits just perfectly inside your heart.
Matthew 11:28 ” Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Do you find yourself burned-out and apathetic with life …”Come to Me.” He says. Do problems have you laden down and broken in spirit…”Come to Me.” He’s saying to you. The Lord is there to lift those burdens off your weakened shoulders and allow you to settle in to rest. He wants to support and sustain you through those tough times…He doesn’t want you to go it alone. The Lord is calling your name…”Come to Me.”
Psalm 107: 10-11 ” Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains, for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.”
I want, what I want ,when I want it! That sentence pretty much sums up the human mindset. And if you add to that our penchant towards arrogance and rebellion…no wonder we find ourselves living with the circumstances of really bad decisions we’ve made. So we sit…bound up in chains of addiction, deep in the blackness of depression and self-loathing, wondering how we got there. We got there because we wouldn’t listen to authority…we defied and resisted God’s plan for our life, and instead ran ahead with no regard for anyone else but ourselves. If you find yourself in this type of self-made prison today…there’s only one way out, and only one person with the keys…and His name is Jesus.
Matthew 9:2 ” Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’ “
Hopelessness can take on many faces, and be caused by many different reasons. But regardless, that bitterly piercing anguish of losing hope takes our spirit to the very depths of despair with seemingly no way out. The paralytic had lost all hope…there was nothing left for him to do but die…but then Jesus spoke hope back into him. You too may be facing hopelessness today…allow Jesus to speak hope back into your life right now…and believe.
Safetypinlove 