The Night After

It was a sleepless weekend. Their eyes heavy and dry, with no more tears to loose. Bodies physically drained of energy and unable to move. Knees burning from endless hours spent in prayer. Hands frozen as if locked from begging for what seemed to be an eternity. Their minds raced as they lay in their beds that night. With questions still on their breath and thoughts flying around from the tornado of events they'd experienced. One thing remained true for each of them...Christ was risen!

What emotions were felt by the disciples on the fearful and wonderful evening after Christ ascended to Heaven? What must they have felt as they were about to drift into the most amazing sleep they've collectively ever enjoyed? Each muscle was relaxing, each joint unstiffening, each eyelid being drawn together like a magnet. But the words were still ringing in their ears, as if they had been adjusting to the bleating decibels following a rock concert. The words "GO" and "MAKE" and "BAPTIZE" and "TEACH" were echoing through the valley of their mind.

And then...silence. Moments passed without a though. An overwhelming sense of peace covered like a blanket. Then a still, small voice could be heard...warm and welcoming, as if Christ was right there in the room. Seated in a chair beside their beds, He once again gentle reminds them of His final words:

"All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)

The words were being written in their minds like fire. They were burned in the memory like the vision of a child being born, or a husband seeing his bride walking down the aisle. The fear of the unknown was overtaken by the loving sacrifice Christ endured on the cross and the picture of His nail-pierced hands after His resurrection. Christ's words would lay down the path for them to walk out for the rest of their earthly days. And what great things tomorrow would bring.

For tonight, we rest. We rest in the arms of the resurrected Lord, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Father and yet ever-present in our souls. May tonight bring visions of the miracles Christ will perform tomorrow. May tonight restore our souls, to do His will and follow His commandments. And may tonight bring assurance of salvation and life-eternal with our King.

The Right Direction

C.S. Lewis clarifies a misnomer amongst many believers, stating:

"People often think of Christian morality as a kind of bargain in which God says, 'If you keep a lot of rules I'll reward you, and if you don't I'll do the other thing.' I do not think that is the best way of looking at it. I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow-creatures, and with itself." (Taken from Mere Christianity, p87)

I love the picture that the sum of your decisions leads you either one way or the other. We're not judged by the imperfections of the moment, but by the summation of our life choices.

Here's to changing into a heavenly creature daily. May Christ be glorified in all. Happy Good Friday. Sunday is coming!

The Shack

When life is shattered by tragedy, where is God? This has been a question that has never found a home in the mind, but one that is known deep in the recesses of the soul. The Shack is a fictional exploration of this difficult question. Author, William Young, takes the reader though a minefield of emotional bombs that could destroy the strongest character. The story unfolds the freewill given to man and the sovereignty of our loving God. In the end, the question of God’s presences is gloriously and profoundly revealed. It’s a must read.