April 21
Song
God sent His Son, they called Him Jesus;
He came to love and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives!
Chorus:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is a worth the living, Just because He lives!
What a joyful moment in the lives of the beloved of the Lord. What a moment of great transaction in them that put their trust in the Lord. Father, we grateful unto You for this noble exchange. He took my place; He went for me. He set me free. Alleluia!!! Praise the Lord.
Beloved, do you know that the death of Christ was an “exchange”. He took our place; that we may live! God pitied Him not when He took our place though He was made sin, because God has no delight in sin. So when His Son took our place He could not look upon Him. Till He went to the cross.
His crucifixion brought justification to us. It also brought to us freedom. O! what a freedom in Christ Jesus. Don’t forget that this is our month of “Triumphant Entry” when Christ overcame death, He took the keys of hades and loose as many as are under the spell of Satan and its agents.
He gave us freedom to be what we want and desire to be in life. Am so excited; I hope you are also. Death has been swallow up and its stings destroyed:
The Risen Lord
His head and hair were white like wool—white as snow, His eyes like a fiery flame,
His feet like fine bronze fired in a furnace, and His voice like the sound of cascading waters.—Revelation 1:14–15
At times it is tempting to conclude: “If only I could have walked with Jesus, as the twelve disciples did, it would be so much easier to live the Christian life!” This thought reveals that we do not comprehend the greatness of the risen Christ we serve today. The Jesus of the Gospels is often portrayed as One who walked along the seashore, loving children and gently forgiving sinners. Yet the image of Jesus that we see at the close of the New Testament is far more dramatic! He stands in awesome power as He rules all creation. His appearance is so magnificent that when John, His beloved disciple, sees Him, he falls to the ground as though he were dead (Rev. 1:17).
We grossly underestimate the God we serve! To ignore God’s word or to disobey a direct command from Him is to ignore the magnificent nature of Christ. Our fear of other people proves that we do not understand the awesome Lord who walks with us. The Christ we serve today is the Lord of all creation. He is vastly more awesome and powerful than the gentle rabbi we often imagine.
If you struggle with your obedience to Christ, take a closer look at how He is portrayed in the Book of Revelation. If you are succumbing to temptation, call upon the powerful One who dwells in you. If you have forgotten how great and mighty the Lord is, meet Him through the vision of the beloved disciple. The encounter will dramatically affect the way you live!
True talk. The risen Christ is not like the gentle rabbi we do imagine Christ is. All powers and authorities are in His hands now therefore we should not be afraid any longer. Not of death nor its adversities. Glory be to God in the Highest. Because He is risen; we can face tomorrow. And I also know that my King, my Redeemer is not dead, ‘cos He risen and He liveth forever. Yes He is not in the grave He is alive. He lives forever more. Our Christ is risen and He lives forever more. Alleluia! Praise God.
“I know that my Redeemer liveth.” Job 19:25
The marrow of Job’s comfort lies in that little word “My”—”My Redeemer,” and in the fact that the Redeemer lives. Oh! to get hold of a living Christ. We must get a property in Him before we can enjoy Him. What is gold in the mine to me? Men are beggars in Peru, and beg their bread in California. It is gold in my purse which will satisfy my necessities, by purchasing the bread I need. So a Redeemer who does not redeem me, an avenger who will never stand up for my blood, of what avail were such? Rest not content until by faith you can say “Yes, I cast myself upon my living Lord; and He is mine.”
It may be you hold Him with a feeble hand; you half think it presumption to say, “He lives as my Redeemer;” yet, remember if you have but faith as a grain of mustard seed, that little faith entitles you to say it. But there is also another word here, expressive of Job’s strong confidence, “I know.” To say, “I hope so, I trust so” is comfortable; and there are thousands in the fold of Jesus who hardly ever get much further. But to reach the essence of consolation you must say, “I know.” Ifs, buts, and perhapses, are sure murderers of peace and comfort. Doubts are dreary things in times of sorrow.
Like wasps they sting the soul! If I have any suspicion that Christ is not mine, then there is vinegar mingled with the gall of death; but if I know that Jesus lives for me, then darkness is not dark: even the night is light about me. Surely if Job, in those ages before the coming and advent of Christ, could say, “I know,” we should not speak less positively. God forbid that our positiveness should be presumption.
Let us see that our evidences are right, lest we build upon an ungrounded hope; and then let us not be satisfied with the mere foundation, for it is from the upper rooms that we get the widest prospect. A living Redeemer, truly mine, is joy unspeakable.
I believe it a sure way to go, ‘cos from the upper rooms we get the mind of God. May we forever live in the liberty and freedom Christ got for us. Never to go back to our vomit. Let us abhor sin as we do pains and sorrow.
Thank God for the week ahead of us. This is a resurrection week and everything dead in us that needs life must be quickened by the same Spirit that quickened Christ from death. Alleluia!!!
Once again from us @ overcomer-faith ministry Int’l. we say Happy Easter.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
Evang. Ifeoma Ohondu
