Celebrate

After a short hiatus, I am back with another word for our week: Celebrate.

There are reasons and occasions to celebrate all throughout the year, but Easter is a time of our greatest rejoicing! Jesus Christ is risen from the grave; He is risen indeed! The tomb is empty, death had no hold on Him. He is now seated on the Throne! He willingly went to the Cross of Calvary to pay for sins and set us free from the enemy. He rose victorious and so will we. Our hope is found in His resurrection. We will live with Him in glory for all eternity. This is our future hope and confident expectation.

For now, though we live here on earth, and although things may not be perfect, we still have reason to celebrate:

·       Jesus has overcome the world.

·       We delight in our salvation.

·       We celebrate new beginnings at weddings and births.

·       We celebrate the New Year and every day thereafter.

·       Birthdays are celebrated with gifts, balloons, and yummy cake.

·       At funerals we celebrate the lives of those we dearly love and lost.

·       We celebrate sunrises and sunsets.

·       We thank God for our breath and our heartbeats.

·       Each day is a gift from God that’s meant to be opened.

Psalm 118:24 NKJV, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

No matter what day it is, we can make up our minds to rejoice and be glad. Let’s choose to thank God for every brand-new day. Before we hop out of bed and place our feet on the floor each morning, let’s praise His Name.

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Here is a short devotion from my book, "Worship and Wonder: Faith-Filled Devotions."

Party Clothes

If Jesus came to give us abundant life, why are there still days when we walk around feeling numbly dead on the inside, appearing to be in mourning on the outside? I believe it is because we are forgetful of the fact that we have been set free from the curse of sin, and that we have been called out of the grave into new life and freedom. In light of our newness of life, we should be filled with hope, tearing off our old grave clothes, replacing them with a garment of praise (Isaiah 61:3). Reflecting on what the Lord has done for us should change our somber outlook into a countenance of grateful celebration. The unpleasant stench of death should no longer surround us, rather the sweet aroma of joy should be our new fragrance. We once were dead in our sins, but now we have been made alive in Christ.  Jesus has rolled the stone away and has called us out of the dark; I think it is time we put on our party clothes and dress the part!

John 11:43-44, “When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’”

Have you taken off your grave clothes and put on your new life in Christ? Are you living in the reality of your liberation?

This is The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. I went inside and it is truly empty! Jesus is risen! Halleluia! And I am alive in Christ!

Worship and Wonder