Eternal life

Hope of Victory

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But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ                       1 Corinthians 15:57 ESV

Sometimes when we are facing a crisis the whisper comes in the dark of night that there is no longer any hope. We feel like a rowboat caught in the tidal wave of serious illness, family turmoil or the death of a loved one. That is exactly the situation which the disciples faced as they accompanied Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus had asked them to pray with him for one hour but the Bible tells us that

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And when He rose from prayer He came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow. Luke 22:45

They were overcome by sorrow, but not their master. Jesus had prayed till His sweat fell like drops of blood. Jesus had continued interceding even when they felt defeated. In the same way He is interceding in heaven for you and I today. Neither our sorrow nor our despair will cause Him to abandon us. He will come and awaken us. He will carry our burdens. He chose in that dark garden to pay the full price for our sin to give us hope. It is that hope which lies behind the cry:

O Grave where is your victory? Death where is your sting? 1 Corinthians 15:55

Meeting Jesus

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His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire.         Revelation 1:14 KJV

On the first Easter Sunday, Mary Magdalene met Jesus outside of the tomb. Jesus was right there, but until He revealed himself to her she thought He was just the gardener. What is Jesus really like? What would it be like to meet with Jesus? How can we relate to a God with flaming eyes that see into the deepest places of our soul? When John first saw Jesus he tells us that he fell down in a dead faint! It was too overwhelming seeing Jesus even for a moment! But Jesus came and put out his hand to touch John and said:

… Fear not; I am the first and the last: Revelation 1:17 KJV

Jesus knows every detail of our lives, and He wants us to know Him. Easter Sunday means finding Jesus is not only alive, but alive and wanting us to know Him. Are you waiting outside a tomb of dying hopes and wondering where Jesus is today? The message of Easter is that He will come just when we least expect. He knows all about us and He is waiting to come and change our lives forever! What a wonderful Risen Lord! What a Savior we have waiting for us again this Easter!

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Heaven’s Treasure

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I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living    Psalms 27:13

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I dreamed I stood at heaven’s door

and heard its hinges creak

Around its frame a light shone out

As it opened for the King

“What have you brought?” He asked

“From your time on earth now through”

I didn’t know what I could say

I just had to tell the truth

So I talked about the mission’s trips

And how each day I prayed

And how I often read His word

And all the tithes I gave

When I finally stopped – He paused

And then He gently said

“Those were not from your truest heart

But just rituals instead”

“But the forgiveness you gave your parents

When divorce left you alone

And love you shared with strangers

When you opened up your home

And sorrowful repentant tears

And confessions in the night

Those are the things I treasure here

And are precious in my sight!”