"...if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved"-Romans 10:9-10 (NIV).

He is risen!  He is risen indeed!  That will be the call response at many Easter services tomorrow morning.  For many, the moment is traditional...an automatic response.  Imagine the emotions Mary felt when she exclaimed, "He is risen," to His grieving disciples, Peter and John's report, "He is risen," when returning from the tomb, the emotional report of the two who walked with the risen Lord on the road to Emmaus, "He is risen."  Yes, it's true!  He has conquered death!  Let the whole world proclaim...HE IS RISEN!  HE IS RISEN INDEED!

"When He had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit"-John 19:30 (NIV).

Good Friday is such an emotional day.  We weren't there; yet, Jesus was sacrificed for us all.  We can identify with some who were there: Peter; who denied knowing Jesus; Mary, who grieved the loss of her Son; Pilate, who caved to the demands of his job; disciples who had abandoned Jesus in Gethsemane; Judas, who couldn't live with what he had done; the Roman centurion, who realized he was standing at the feet of the crucified Son of God; Simon, who was ordered to carry Jesus' cross up to Golgotha; the guilty criminal, whom Jesus promised paradise; Jerusalem citizens, who didn't even know what was going on; Pharisees, who thought that it was finally finished.  The Godly propitiation was completed, the price costly (Psalm 49:8).  Praise God, we are redeemed!   

"And His affection for you is all the greater when He remembers that you were all obedient, receiving Him with fear and trembling"-2 Corinthians 7:15 (NIV).

The song "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" was written, before 1865, by an anonymous lyricist.  It takes you through Christ's crucifixion: "Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?" "Were you there when they pierced Him in His side?" "Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?"  Each verse holding the heartfelt, passionate lyric: "Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.  Were you there when they crucified my Lord?"  We demonstrate our love for Jesus by being obedient (John 14:15).  Let us receive Him with trembling.         

""So if anyone tells you, 'There He is, out in the wilderness,' do not go out; or, 'Here He is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it.  For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man""-Matthew 24:26-27 (NIV).

We eagerly await the return of Jesus, but the Son of God gives us a warning in Matthew.  We are not to allow our curiosity to mislead us.  What harm to go see?  What harm just to hear? There will be many deceivers, not just one...up until the day Jesus returns (2 John 1:7).  Do you want to be found in the presence of an Antichrist?  The Lord's return will not come from a secondary source...Jesus is the Primary Source...the First and the Last.    

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you.  When a believing person prays, great things happen"-James 5:16 (NCV).  

Reflecting on our sins is uncomfortable, but to confess them to others is like showing our dirty laundry; however, the Bible instructs us to share with each other our shortcomings and then to pray for each other.  The most intimate relationships we ever have are those in which we share deeply, uncovering layers we've kept hidden, fearing judgment...rejection.  There is no doubt written in this Scripture; no "maybe" or "probably."  "So" and "when" are faith and trust that confession and prayer bring us before the Throne of Grace...where great things happen! 

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus"-Philippians 4:19 (NIV). 

I spoke to a Muslim friend on the phone last night.  It's interesting how easily we spoke of God and His provision in our lives.  She spoke of her needs, present and past, some of which have still not been met...but, she continues to trust God.  I've known her and her family for almost thirteen years and she has never wavered in her Islamic beliefs...and I will never waver in mine.  We are God's LCD projectors (Living Christ Displays).  I pray my life reveals the Lamp for her feet and the Light for her path, because God, my God, would meet all her needs...in Christ Jesus.  Pray she wavers one day.  

"He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher Who has come from God.  For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with Him""-John 3:2 (NIV).

Some of Jesus' most bitter opponents, Pharisees, were beginning to believe in His message.  Pharisees were the most vocal and influential leaders in Israel.  They were considered to have Mosaic authority to interpret scripture and create additional laws.  Nicodemus, a Pharisee, secretly came to Jesus...and notice he said, "We" know.  There was a movement within the Pharisaical group.  Some were beginning to believe, but they believed secretly. Do you know who buried Jesus?...two Pharisees!  One, already secretly followed Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus, who purchased myrrh and aloes, secretly joined Joseph in burying the Son of God that night (John 19:38-39).  Ha!  Their secret didn't remain secret.  In fact, it's very public!  We know!  

"A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of"-Luke 6:45 (NIV).  

Solomon said the prudent hold their tongues (Proverbs 10:19); therefore, we need to use it less and listen more!  There is wisdom to be gained by listening.  James 3 says you can determine an earthly heart from a heavenly heart by the words a man speaks.  Earthy speaks evil: envy, selfish-ambition, disorder, unspiritual, demonic...every evil practice (v.14).  But, Heavenly speaks good: purity, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, good fruit, impartiality, sincerity...every good practice (v.17).  By listening you can determine if a person's heart is good or evil..but, you have to listen.  Shhhh!  

"Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years"-Deuteronomy 8:4 (NIV).

It was a four-decade long test, through desert heat, rocky terrain, venomous snakes and scorpions and homelessness...God tested the Israelites (v.2;16).  The correct response was to seek God and not worry about clothing, food, water, nor any other physical comfort...God would and did provide.  Jesus reviewed and reiterated that our lives are more than food and our bodies more than clothing (Matthew 6:25).  Look at the birds (v.26) and flowers (v.28).  Creation testifies to God's provision.  The correct response to the test is still the same; seek God...His kingdom and His righteousness (v.33)...and don't worry about your needs.  How well do you test...do you rely on God or your own efforts?  

"The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thought of the human heart was only evil all the time"-Genesis 6:5 (NIV).

Another evil made the headlines of the paper today.  The condition of sinful man hasn't changed...regardless of what you hear, it's not worse today.  Solomon was correct when he said, "What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9).  Praise God for supplying our need for a Savior, thus reconciling us to God and clothing us in His righteousness.  Bad news will continue to make headlines until the end of days...but, the Good News, the Special Addition, the Feature Story, will be a banner running the entire width of the front page.  The Author of the story has already given us the Who, the What, the Why, and the How...we're only awaiting the When.  It will be a banner day!  

"By Myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is just, for I seek not to please Myself but Him who sent Me"-John 5:30 (NIV).

Jesus says, "I and the Father are One" (John 10:30)...that by Himself He can do nothing.  Jesus also says we are to be one in Him...likewise, by ourselves, we can do nothing (John 15:5).  Jesus acted only as He heard...but there are times when it feels that all we hear is silence.  At those times, a concentrated presence in the Word is necessary...Bible reading and prayer.  That's where we meet and hear from Jesus...in Him, in the Word.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).  Then you will hear and seek to please Him.  

""No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from Me," declares the Lord"-Isaiah 54:17 (NIV).

Whom shall you fear!  God's heritage to us is a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7); He promised to be with us at all times (Joshua 1:9); in darkness and midday; though others fall, evil will not touch us (Psalm 91:4-8).  Chris Tomlin's song "Whom Shall I Fear" says, "I know Who goes before me, I know Who stands behind me. The God of angel armies is always by my side."  God promises to vindicate, to exonerate, the servants of the Lord and He is faithful.    

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me"-1 Corinthians 13:11 (NIV).

  

The "Peter Pan Syndrome" is not the life God has intended for His children.  When you totally surrender to the Lord, you begin to grow in and by the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).  It is God, Who causes you to grow (Colossians 2:19) and your faith and your mission will greatly expand (2 Corinthians 10:15).  God will give you the increase, bearing fruit (Isaiah 11:1) even until your old age (Psalm 92:14).  You will flourish (Proverbs 11:28) and "cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations (Isaiah 61:11).  Remember where Peter Pan lived...Never Never Land.  As J.M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan, wrote, "Never is an awfully long time."  Desire to grow up!    

"The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.  The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you"-Romans 16:20 (NIV).

Satan is the demon of "discord," but he will be defeated by the God of "peace."  If the grace of Jesus is with us...shouldn't we fight our battles with the same type of weapons?  My mother used to say, "Kill them with kindness," when I would lament over mistreatment or injustice.  Romans 12:17-18 advises not to repay anyone evil for evil and, if possible, to live at peace with everyone.  Mother was right about kindness, but victory will only come from the Lord!  Our Scripture says we will stand victorious over the crushed liar, that accuser, that oppressor...Satan himself...soon.  

"Let them praise Your great and awesome name--He is holy"-Psalm 99:3 (NIV).

In a great love story, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare pondered, "What's in a name?"  A Google search came up with 625 Biblical names for God!  Here is a sample: El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty), Yahweh (YHWH, Jehovah, Exist), Adonai (Lord, Master), Yeshua (Jesus, God Saves) , Emmanuel (God is with us), and His own declaration...I AM THAT I AM...And He is holy!  God's never ending praise, heard day and night in heaven, is "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, Who was, and is, and is to come" (Revelation 4:8).  Whether we call Him Abba (Father) or Elohim (God), by whichever name, He is great and He is awesome!  Praise His name!   

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery"-Galatians 1:5 (NIV).

Abraham Lincoln was called the Great Emancipator of the slaves of the South, but after his proclamation of freedom, some remained.  They couldn't fathom life outside of slavery.  Pharisaical laws enslaved mankind by placing the burden of atonement on the shoulders of sinners.  Jesus emancipated us, set us free, through His death on the cross.  Praise God!  However, many still cling to links of the chain of slavery: worry, anxiety, fear, anger, envy, etc ...Each link can be broken with one word...trust...Trust Rests Upon Surrendering Totally in Jesus!  Trust in Jesus!            

"Let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up"-Galatians 6:9 (NRSV).  

The Bible tells us our justification isn't by doing what is right, but by faith in Christ (Romans 3:28).  But, James, in 2:18, says he will show you his faith by doing what is right.  Faith and works go hand in hand...or as Forrest Gump would say...like peas and carrots.  The only way to keep from growing weary, in doing what is right and in faith, is to exercise...spiritually and physically.  Daily Bible reading and prayer strengthen you spiritually and being active builds your physical stamina.  Don't give up!  Think like Forrest...spiritual and physical exercise go together...like peas and carrots...building a muscular temple and a muscular faith.  Then you will be well prepared for the reaping.

"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other"-Galatians 5:25-26 (NIV).

Synchronized marching takes practice, practice, practice.  Your pairing is one-on-one with the Spirit; He alone is your Partner.  If you take your eyes off your Partner, glancing around, comparing yourself to others, you will fall out of step, trip...maybe even fall.  But, the Spirit is patient; waiting to regain your attention; then He begins again.  Your Partner is working out the tempo, the timing, the movement, the direction...creating an original...designed by Him.

"Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord.  I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work"-Philippians 4:1 (NLT).

The crown Paul is speaking of is the reward, the prize, for influencing others to righteous living.  "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? (1 Thessalonians 2:19).  Paul was speaking to the two churches established in Greece:  the church in Philippi and Thessalonica.  The Greeks, famous for their games, awarded victors with crowns...stephanos.  Influencing others to a life of Christianity is the race we, as the family of God, are all entered in as participators   This isn't a spectator sport and it's not a game...it's life or death.  Run thus!