My Redeemer

Oh, that my words were written!
Oh, that they were inscribed in a book!
That they were engraved on a rock
With an iron pen and lead, forever!
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;
And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself,
And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!

Job 19:23-27

Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, Christ Jesus. What would His crucifixion have meant without His resurrection? I don’t know. This is what I know: the grave couldn’t hold Him, He conquered death, and proved that we too can enjoy an everlasting life, free from death’s curse.

God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Matthew 22:32

Separation from God is death, and eternal separation from God is Hell. When you understand that disobedience of God’s commandments is what separates you from Him; and when you understand that as hard as you try you can never obey Him as completely as you want, or need, to; then you might lose all hope.

You reject all those who stray from Your statutes,
For their deceit is falsehood.

Psalm 119:118

But God knows our weakness, and provides the means of salvation for all of us.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6

The meaning of Easter is so profound and so broad that I simply can’t do it justice here. It is the essence of the Christian faith, and it is the real source of the Christian’s hope.

Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

Mark 15:38

There is no longer any separation between man and God. Man only has to reach out and he finds God’s hand is there, grasping his tightly. Safe, solid, loving, healing hands.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

John 14:6

Only Jesus can pay my debt, heal my wounds and give me life. Thank you Jesus.

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The Trust Test

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3)

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” (Matthew 4:7)

Know the difference between trusting God and testing Him.

You can trust God to heal you, but don’t test Him by refusing to visit the doctor He has made available to you.

You can trust God to provide the spouse you pray for, but don’t test Him by waiting for them to come and knock on your door.

You can trust God to provide the finances you need to live, but don’t test Him by sitting at home rather than looking for work.

You can trust God to comfort you when you hurt, but don’t test Him by turning away the friend He has brought into your life to be that comfort.

You can trust God to grow your church and its ministries, but don’t test Him by making promises to your congregation that He hasn’t made to you.

Yes, in Malachi 3:10 God does offer to be tested, but that is in a particular situation regarding tithes.

In all things, examine your heart, as He does, and be sure that you are putting your trust in Him, and not trying to pull His strings.

I’ve known people say that they don’t need anything except Jesus, but their eyes are so firmly fixed on Him that they don’t see the blessings He has surrounded them with. Don’t be one of those people.