Down here in Florida we have finally settled into the normal rainy season. Summer days are noted for hot and humid mornings and early afternoons with thunderstorms popping up later and lasting into the early hours of darkness. The result on the following day is a misty morning, upper level fog is slow in breaking up and the ground mist hangs around for several hours. This Sunday morning is just one of such days.
It is kind of a mixture of beauty and spookiness all in one. One can picture strange silhouettes in the fog as it starts to lift and remembrance of stories like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow can easily fill your thoughts. But there is another thought filled with hope and love which drives all others out of my consciousness. It is the thought of that misty morning so many years ago when Mary and her entourage found the tomb open and the body of Jesus gone.
Just picture the scene. A craggy hillside containing His tomb is engulfed by the early morning mist rising in the rapidly warming sun peeking through. The large boulder which served as the tomb's doorway has been rolled away and the centurions are gone. While it is very peaceful and quiet, that changes quickly when Mary finds the evidence of His resurrection and the group emits loud shrieks of joy and wonder. Jesus Christ is alive; He has risen from the dead and has left the tomb.
Since we humans are just poor mortal sinners, our life previously was over upon facing death in this world before Our Lord and Savior sacrificed Himself for us. His death on the Cross with such suffering and agony was His gift to us. By dying for us, He gave us the keys to the Kingdom, all we have to do is take Him up on His offer. When he walked out of that tomb fully alive and functioning, yet also in a godly state, He presented Himself on numerous occasions for examination by those who doubted. Once He was seen and touched in the small community of His followers and had talked and supped with them, He had completed His mission on earth. From that point going forward the heavy lifting for Him and His Kingdom was left in the hands of those who followed Him.
With the arrival of the Holy Spirit like a wind blowing through the night, His devoted followers were engulfed with it and embarked on a journey for the rest of their lives, a journey to spread His word to people throughout the world, Jew and Gentile alike. By accepting His grace and following his Way, they drew large numbers of new believers to the cause, a cause which continues on today and will continue until the end of this world comes. And no matter what those non-believers might do to discourage or ban His message, through persecution and suffering as well as ridicule, they will not be successful. For the message of hope and love which He gave to mankind can't be destroyed by man. It is much too powerful and strong to ever be silenced for long.
So as I sit here in my beautiful setting watching two white egrets sitting in the golden rays of the sun on a still misty fencepost, I know that not only is He alive, He will be back to claim the earth and end all evil and suffering at God's appointed hour. But, remember, He expects us to accept His gracious gift of salvation and it is up to us personally and individually do so. And the time in which we have to do this is limited and we don't know when it is up. So open your heart to the Holy Spirit now and ask for His guidance in turning your life into a living devotional to God through His only Son. He is waiting patiently for you to come to His altar and declare your allegiance and, in return, He will open your life to wonders and beauty that are beyond imagination: a permanent seat at His table for Eternity.
Have a wonderful Lord's Day with that promise in your heart.
It is kind of a mixture of beauty and spookiness all in one. One can picture strange silhouettes in the fog as it starts to lift and remembrance of stories like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow can easily fill your thoughts. But there is another thought filled with hope and love which drives all others out of my consciousness. It is the thought of that misty morning so many years ago when Mary and her entourage found the tomb open and the body of Jesus gone.
Just picture the scene. A craggy hillside containing His tomb is engulfed by the early morning mist rising in the rapidly warming sun peeking through. The large boulder which served as the tomb's doorway has been rolled away and the centurions are gone. While it is very peaceful and quiet, that changes quickly when Mary finds the evidence of His resurrection and the group emits loud shrieks of joy and wonder. Jesus Christ is alive; He has risen from the dead and has left the tomb.
Since we humans are just poor mortal sinners, our life previously was over upon facing death in this world before Our Lord and Savior sacrificed Himself for us. His death on the Cross with such suffering and agony was His gift to us. By dying for us, He gave us the keys to the Kingdom, all we have to do is take Him up on His offer. When he walked out of that tomb fully alive and functioning, yet also in a godly state, He presented Himself on numerous occasions for examination by those who doubted. Once He was seen and touched in the small community of His followers and had talked and supped with them, He had completed His mission on earth. From that point going forward the heavy lifting for Him and His Kingdom was left in the hands of those who followed Him.
With the arrival of the Holy Spirit like a wind blowing through the night, His devoted followers were engulfed with it and embarked on a journey for the rest of their lives, a journey to spread His word to people throughout the world, Jew and Gentile alike. By accepting His grace and following his Way, they drew large numbers of new believers to the cause, a cause which continues on today and will continue until the end of this world comes. And no matter what those non-believers might do to discourage or ban His message, through persecution and suffering as well as ridicule, they will not be successful. For the message of hope and love which He gave to mankind can't be destroyed by man. It is much too powerful and strong to ever be silenced for long.
So as I sit here in my beautiful setting watching two white egrets sitting in the golden rays of the sun on a still misty fencepost, I know that not only is He alive, He will be back to claim the earth and end all evil and suffering at God's appointed hour. But, remember, He expects us to accept His gracious gift of salvation and it is up to us personally and individually do so. And the time in which we have to do this is limited and we don't know when it is up. So open your heart to the Holy Spirit now and ask for His guidance in turning your life into a living devotional to God through His only Son. He is waiting patiently for you to come to His altar and declare your allegiance and, in return, He will open your life to wonders and beauty that are beyond imagination: a permanent seat at His table for Eternity.
Have a wonderful Lord's Day with that promise in your heart.
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