Easter time is very special for those of us who know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It’s better than Christmas in many ways although they walk hand-in-hand. Christmas is promise. Easter is the fulfillment.
Far more than colored eggs, Easter baskets and too many chocolates, like there could ever be too much chocolate, is just the seasonal celebration. Yet the power of Easter is in the promise fulfilled. From the fall of man in the Garden of Eden we needed a Savior. We needed a sacrifice that could do what we could not do ourselves. The promise of a Savior was given and He arrived in a manger. He grew to manhood and had a ministry that touched lives. Then the world thought they had the victory when He was crucified on a tree and placed in a borrowed grave.
Of all the things in this world that do make sense, using a borrowed tomb for Jesus made sense. He would, after all, only need it for three days and nights. He arose. That’s why we have salvation. God loved men, women and children so much that He gave His only Son to shed His blood for our sins. It would have been a great sacrifice if He died for us. Yet, it is a perfect love and gift because He didn’t just die, He conquered death, Jesus arose from the tomb in three days and nights. Just like He said.
He’s coming back for those who have asked for salvation. Will He? The answer is simple. Yes, just like He said… He is risen… He is risen in deed!
Copyright 2009 Charles Lyons
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Dig a little deeper and it is great!
This morning during my quiet time I was reading in Romans and found this little verse that drew my attention, Romans 12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;” This nugget from the book of Romans offers on the surface what seems to be a simple instruction. We are told to rejoice in hope, to be patient in tribulation and to be continuing instantly in prayer. On the surface it is good. Dig a little deeper and it is great!
A quick review of the Greek words give us a richer meaning to enjoy. Rejoicing comes from a word that implies to be glad to even thrive in the moment. Hope refers to a confident expectation of our eternal salvation. Patient speaks of enduring, to remain, not to recede or to flee. Tribulation refers to being in distress or oppression. Instant, to show one’s self to be courageous, to give unremitting care to a thing. However here is the big surprise, prayer, in this verse speaks of the place uniquely set apart for or well suited for the offering up of prayers.
All of that to say this, we as believers in Jesus Christ should thrive out of a confidence that comes because of knowing we have eternal salvation. We should endure and not to run from times of oppression or distress. We can and should be courageous during this time of distress by giving unremitting care to keeping ourselves in a place well suited for praying.
I don’t believe that it would be over spiritualizing to say that this does not mean that we have to live in church. However we should not neglect our time of worship with the local body of believers. None the less we should keep ourselves equipped to intercede wherever we are. We should keep ourselves, the temple of the Holy Spirit, in such a state that we would always be ready for His presence and to communicate with Him. We cannot use words that are not fit for His presence on our lips or in our mind. We should not store up visual images that may be comfortable in this world but not in our mind as we would go to God in prayer.
Holiness is too often mocked or misunderstood in the day in which we live. Yet how can we go boldly to God in prayer and not set our hearts and minds separated to Him? We live in this world as believers. We witness and share our faith with others. But we can never be comfortable with sin. We have been bought with a price, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who died and resurrected. Is it really so much to set a standard of separating ourselves to His service in school, work or home?
As we face the start of another week, let’s take time to worship, to praise and pray. Let’s also take that relationship we have with Christ with us the rest of the week to be the best that we can be. Let’s keep our mind, heart and body in such a way that we are ready to be in prayer and give unremitting care to serving our Lord wherever He leads.
Copyright 2009 Charles Lyons
A quick review of the Greek words give us a richer meaning to enjoy. Rejoicing comes from a word that implies to be glad to even thrive in the moment. Hope refers to a confident expectation of our eternal salvation. Patient speaks of enduring, to remain, not to recede or to flee. Tribulation refers to being in distress or oppression. Instant, to show one’s self to be courageous, to give unremitting care to a thing. However here is the big surprise, prayer, in this verse speaks of the place uniquely set apart for or well suited for the offering up of prayers.
All of that to say this, we as believers in Jesus Christ should thrive out of a confidence that comes because of knowing we have eternal salvation. We should endure and not to run from times of oppression or distress. We can and should be courageous during this time of distress by giving unremitting care to keeping ourselves in a place well suited for praying.
I don’t believe that it would be over spiritualizing to say that this does not mean that we have to live in church. However we should not neglect our time of worship with the local body of believers. None the less we should keep ourselves equipped to intercede wherever we are. We should keep ourselves, the temple of the Holy Spirit, in such a state that we would always be ready for His presence and to communicate with Him. We cannot use words that are not fit for His presence on our lips or in our mind. We should not store up visual images that may be comfortable in this world but not in our mind as we would go to God in prayer.
Holiness is too often mocked or misunderstood in the day in which we live. Yet how can we go boldly to God in prayer and not set our hearts and minds separated to Him? We live in this world as believers. We witness and share our faith with others. But we can never be comfortable with sin. We have been bought with a price, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who died and resurrected. Is it really so much to set a standard of separating ourselves to His service in school, work or home?
As we face the start of another week, let’s take time to worship, to praise and pray. Let’s also take that relationship we have with Christ with us the rest of the week to be the best that we can be. Let’s keep our mind, heart and body in such a way that we are ready to be in prayer and give unremitting care to serving our Lord wherever He leads.
Copyright 2009 Charles Lyons
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Time to Review and Plan. . .
As the New Year begins I take the time to review the past year and make plans for the new. Seems basic enough but don’t confuse this process with New Year’s resolutions. They seldom last and usually have little meaning because they focus on a finished byproduct rather than the change that is needed. For example losing weight is the byproduct of improving our eating and exercise patterns.
Some years ago I set aside a weekend to really nail down those things that were really important to me. To verbalize them in a way that I could pen them down and use as a point of focus. Having done that, I review them consistently and take a hard look at them each year at this time. The main thrust is this, those things that I spent my time on in the past year and accomplished – was it in harmony with those items most important to me. I ask the question, “Did these unrecoverable points of time draw me closer to being a man who lives those key elements that I determined that I value.” If the answer is yes, then I have cause to celebrate. Where the answer is no, I look at how to purge those activities from my daily schedule.
Finally I set the goals for the year that are in harmony with what is truly important to me. I put dates on those activities. Perhaps most important, I set key measurements to know when those goals have been effective. For example, has the change in diet and exercise resulted in planned weight lose and an increase in energy. That was the measurement. By the way, the point that is important to me is not to weigh a certain weight. The goal that is important is to have the energy level to be in the workplace, to go out witnessing, to meet the opportunities that help me to serve my Lord.
Let me challenge you to do the same. Regardless of what we do, if the Lord tarries and we live another year, we will use this time. We can either waste it or invest it. Watch it go by, blame the byproducts on other’s influence on us or take charge of our destiny by choosing our focus throughout the year.
Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Copyright 2009
Some years ago I set aside a weekend to really nail down those things that were really important to me. To verbalize them in a way that I could pen them down and use as a point of focus. Having done that, I review them consistently and take a hard look at them each year at this time. The main thrust is this, those things that I spent my time on in the past year and accomplished – was it in harmony with those items most important to me. I ask the question, “Did these unrecoverable points of time draw me closer to being a man who lives those key elements that I determined that I value.” If the answer is yes, then I have cause to celebrate. Where the answer is no, I look at how to purge those activities from my daily schedule.
Finally I set the goals for the year that are in harmony with what is truly important to me. I put dates on those activities. Perhaps most important, I set key measurements to know when those goals have been effective. For example, has the change in diet and exercise resulted in planned weight lose and an increase in energy. That was the measurement. By the way, the point that is important to me is not to weigh a certain weight. The goal that is important is to have the energy level to be in the workplace, to go out witnessing, to meet the opportunities that help me to serve my Lord.
Let me challenge you to do the same. Regardless of what we do, if the Lord tarries and we live another year, we will use this time. We can either waste it or invest it. Watch it go by, blame the byproducts on other’s influence on us or take charge of our destiny by choosing our focus throughout the year.
Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Copyright 2009
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