Because He Lives...

This weekend, we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour! It seems, I've been humming this little tune all week -

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future.
And life is worth the living just because He lives!

I remember singing this song at church growing up. It seemed that my Madea and the other older 'saints' would just wear it out! LOL! I'm grateful that I've come to know and understand what these lyrics really mean. We have promises because HE lives!

I’m sure there are times in our lives where we don’t want to face tomorrow. We don’t know what the next day or even the next minute is going to hold for us. But the Bible assures us in Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And if Jesus is alive, that means He hasn't changed in two thousand years. That means the same Jesus who went about healing and teaching and preaching and ministering, the Jesus that opened blind eyes, the Jesus that raised the dead and the Jesus that touched the lepers and the Jesus who told the wind and the seas to cease..yeah Him...is alive and operating in our lives/on our behalf! Because He LIVES…I know that I receive what is to come. I can face tomorrow.

The next promise says that all fear is gone. The Bible actually talks about 2 types of fear. The first type is fear of the Lord; it’s beneficial and is to be encouraged. Fear of the Lord brings with it many blessings and benefits. Proverbs 14:26 states, “In the fear of the LORD [is] strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.” In this verse, we see that fear of the Lord provides life, security for our children, protection from evil, confidence, and satisfaction.

The second type is a detriment and is to be not only discouraged, but overcome. This is the “spirit of fear” mentioned in 2 Timothy 1:7 where it says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Thus, we see right from the beginning that this “spirit of fear” does not come from God.

God tells us not to be afraid of being alone, not to be afraid of being too weak, not to be afraid of not being heard, and not to be afraid for our physical necessities. Because He LIVES…the detrimental fear is gone.

Another promise in this tune reminds us who holds our future. It doesn't matter what your present looks like, if you know He holds the future. You can make it through dark times, if you know the daylight is going to dawn. You can go through a lot of deep waters if you know you are not going to drown. And that is what we have as Christians, we don't fight for victory, we fight from victory! Hallelujah! Jesus has won the victory for us; we know how it is all going to turn out, no matter how bleak it may look at the present time. Though those traveling with Paul chose to venture on in Acts 27 despite Paul's instructions, Paul knew who was on their side. They thought their lives were over as a result of the shipwreck, but God!!!!!

I really like this last promise...life is worth living JUST BECAUSE He lives!!! Whew glory! Someone may be thinking - "I know my life is worth living. No one has to tell me that." Well, everyone hasn't always been in that 'place'. If we take a moment to take our spiritual "coat" off, I'm sure many of us have been there - things were so difficult 'til we didn't think life was worth living. We've had our Elijah moment (1 Kings 19:1-4) when you said, "Lord I can't take it any more," "Lord the pressure is too great, the problems are too many," "God I want out, just get me out of this mess I am in, if you have to take my life, Lord, then take my life, it is enough."

You see there are some people who have the mistaken idea that if you are a Christian, it will exempt you from discouragement and depression. But no…the Bible says we are going to suffer. Philippians 1:29, KJV, that it is “given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.”

I want to leave you with this - I’m so glad that He got up. He didn’t just get up, but He got up with all power in His hands. Power over the enemy, power over death, power over calamity. I know in His resurrection that nothing is too hard for God. He does not sleep nor slumber. He knows me in my most inner parts. That’s the kinda God I serve – we serve. So know today that because He lives, we have hope…because He lives, we can face another day…because He lives, we have no need to fear…because He lives…life IS worth living.

Be blessed today and always,
~Tee