No Where—Never From Our Being!
Hello.
Welcome to the most-beautiful time of the year.
Come with me, walk with me, sit with me, lay down to rest beside me, & ride with me—into the sweetest portion of every year.
EASTERTIDE.
“Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
(The Gospel According to Mark 16: 2-6 NASB)
They were saying to one another,
“Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.
Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a robe;
and they were amazed.
And he said to them,
“Do not be amazed;
you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified.
He has risen;
He is not here;
behold, here is the place where they laid Him.”
Easter Monday is a day that will forever remain in my heart. What was at first just another day off from work, one when I was not asked to teach a class, has now become a sweet memory where I was afforded the great opportunity to share Jesus, teaching the VERY BEST LESSON of ALL!
- What do you listen to as you drive down the road?
- What do you think of as you walk across the lawn?
- What do you ponder as you place your head upon the pillow?
- What do you speak of as others sit with you at your table?
- What do you teach your children?
- What do you share with your guests?
- What do you whisper into the ears of your grandchildren as they sit upon your lap?
Over the weekend, I was blessed to share my time with many others:
- Four students where I am afforded to teach.
- Family members who grew up in the home, same as me.
- My best friend and her precious red-headed daughter.
- Extended family members (by marriage) who I now consider ‘My Family’ too.
- Church family members who praise and worship God with me.
Yesterday, I was given the blessing to drive the young students back to campus, and as we prepared to leave the house, I dug into my collection of CDs, hoping to find a classic Fleetwood Mac, a nice, easy-listening list of songs that we could enjoy as we drove an hour due west. My CD that I sought was nowhere to be found.
“That’s okay, Ms. New. Well just Bluetooth some music in the car.”
Normally, the station K-Love is my genre of music I choose, but yesterday, on Easter Monday, I thought, ‘Why not give them something different to listen to.’
As I drove down the highway, driving to reach the parkway that would lead us back to campus, we chatted about insignificant topics, ones I do not even remember; however, as I signaled and turned right onto the parkway, Sarah’s first question was raised, coming from the back seat, coming from behind my head. Unable to make eye contact (which now I have come to believe was much easier for Sarah and the others), I began to answer ‘GOSPEL’ questions as I maneuvered the car across the parkway for the miles that separated my home and the university campus.
“Do you believe that everything happens for a reason?”
That was the first question.
- Never once did we Bluetooth any music into the interior of the car.
- Never once did we sing along to Fleetwood Mac or any other band.
- Never once did we speak about any other topic, other than the quest to understand this man called JESUS CHRIST the MESSIAH and SAVIOR of the world.
This was a most-holy car-ride, one I will never forget for as long as I live.
- Many questions pertained to the Easter service they attended with my church family and me.
- Several questions focused on the differences, the rituals of the Catholic church and where I attend & what I believe.
- Some questions were purely ‘faith-driven’ voiced out of the sheer innate desire God places inside every person alive—to know HIM!
- The last questions asked focused purely upon the ‘HOPE’ found in knowing Jesus Christ as our Savior.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
(The First Letter of Peter 1: 3-5 NASB)
who according to His great mercy has caused us to be
born again to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable
and undefiled
and will not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you,
who are protected by the power of God through faith
for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
In the Bible, we are instructed to understand EXACTLY WHO WE SHOULD SEEK TO SHARE IN EVERY LIFE-SITUATION WE FIND OURSELVES!
“You shall love the LORD your God
(Deuteronomy 6: 5-9 NASB)
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your might.
These words, which I am commanding you today,
shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your sons
and shall talk of them when you sit in your house
and when you walk by the way
and when you lie down
and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand
and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house
and on your gates.”
From Easter Sunday until Pentecost Sunday, we are given Eastertide. This season began on Sunday when we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and the season will end as we celebrate for the next fifty days. On Pentecost Sunday, we will celebrate the coming of God’s Holy Spirit sent to the church, to the children of God.
- The TRUTH of Jesus’ Resurrection matters every second of every day!
- The TRUTH of the Gospel message matters every moment!
- The TRUTH of our Salvation experience, of our Testimony, matters to every conversation, every life-event we are afforded to live & breathe.
God is still God—Despite the year, Despite the circumstances, Despite anything!
God is still God—Saving Souls, Faithful, Forgiving, Unchanging, & Always Seeking!
No Where—Never From Our Being!
No Where—Are We Ever Apart from Almighty, Holy Father God!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
(The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians 1: 3-9 NASB)
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
in Christ,
just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself,
according to the kind intention of His will,
to the praise of the glory of His grace,
which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of His grace
which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight
He made known to us the mystery of His will,
according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him”
[Thank You Father for sending Your Only Begotten Son.]
[Thank You God for sending Jesus to die upon the cross.]
[Thank You God for resurrecting Jesus Christ to new life.]
[Thank You. Yes—Thank—YOU GOD]