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Writing From The SpiritResurrection
There is so much to unpack regarding what took place on the first Easter. For Christians who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior—He: paid our penalty, washed us clean of our sins, restored us to a right relationship with God, darkness and death were defeated, resurrection to life took place, Jesus was crowned as King of Heaven and earth, and He secured our future a New Heaven and New Earth with Him… in resurrected bodies. But that is way too much to cover in one sitting; therefore, this article will focus on “resurrection.”
Although Jesus resurrected people from the dead during His ministry, they were resurrected back into bodies that eventually decayed and died. The first Easter was the first resurrection to life! Jesus’ resurrected body was the first body resurrected that will not decay, nor die, nor have disease. He was the first being resurrected to eternal life, and He promises that one day we will be resurrected as well.
With the Nicene Creed we declare, “I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” Let’s take a moment and contemplate what that means.
Romans 8:11 states, “and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”
Jesus himself states, “Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. ‘Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned” (John 5:25-29, NIV).
In a book titled Surprised by Hope, N.T. Wright states, “when Paul speaks in Philippians 3 of being ‘citizens of heaven,’ he doesn’t mean that we shall retire there when we have finished our work here. He says in the next line that Jesus will come from heaven in order to transform the present humble body into a glorious body like his own and that he will do this by the power through which he makes all things subject to himself. This little statement contains in a nutshell more or less all Paul’s thought on the subject. The risen Jesus is both the model for the Christian’s future body and the means by which it comes about.” [1]
I will conclude this article with Paul’s explanation of the resurrection of the body in his letter 1 Corinthians 15:51-57, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
[1] Wright, N. T. 2008. Surprised by Hope. New York: HarperOne, 148-149.
Chain Letters and Chain Prayers: Should I Break the Chain?
[/audio]Have you received a chain letter or chain prayer and felt like it was a good cause or good intention, but yet felt uneasy because you were to send it to a certain number of people and cautioned “don’t break the chain?” Suddenly the “good feeling” about it turned into a “guilt trip.” Perhaps it even caused you to feel fear if you don’t do it. Especially if it is a prayer or a Scripture verse to pass along, you think, “Well, prayer and Scripture are good, so this must be good… but why do I feel bad? Why do I feel trapped?”
Here’s my theory on it.
God is the God of freedom! He gives freely, loves freely, removes chains – He sets people free. His desire is for us to pray and worship Him freely.
Satan, on the other hand, is about binding people up, putting holds on them, using fear tactics to trick people. He puts chains on people. Now when you hear “chain letter” or “chain prayer,” do you have a new theory on the source? Satan can trick good intentioned people to do things his way. Don’t we all know this from experience? Haven’t we been tricked a time or two ourselves? Please don’t be upset with the person that started the chain letter/prayer or the person that sent it to you. They are probably just victims in this “struggle” of good versus evil. The best thing to do would be to pray for them.
Here are some suggestions on how to pray regarding this matter:
Pray for their discernment, that God may open their eyes to the truth and the way He operates.
Pray that any evil attachment from the chain letter/prayer will be broken, so it loses its negative power.
And thank God that by His power, He will work it all for good and that He hears our hearts regarding the prayer intention and calms our fears.
Yes, we should pray as a community. Yes, we should encourage others to pray with us and for particular intentions (like COVID 19) but without compromising personal freedom. Praying as a community should be an invitation to “join in” the prayer intention – without pressure.
God wants us to pray to Him in freedom, in spirit and truth, with our hearts free and sincere.
I hope by sharing what’s been on my heart about chain letters and chain prayers have set some people free!
Christ’s blessings,
Patti Rey
Here are articles by other authors on chain letters:
How Should a Christian Respond to Chain Letters? Got Questions: Your Questions. Biblical Answers. Found at https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-chain-letters.html
The Problem with Chain Prayer by Kathy Lamb. Catholic365.com found at http://www.catholic365.com/article/7198/the-problem-with-chain-prayer.html
Lent – What Is The Purpose
What is the purpose of Lent?
Christians celebrate Lent for the purpose of growing closer to God.
How?
First, through humility. Remembering who we are and Who God is and acknowledging our dependence on Him.
For some Christians, Lent starts with an Ash Wednesday service. The community of believers gather together to acknowledge that they are sinners, repent of their sins, acknowledge that God is a merciful, forgiving, faithful, and loving God. We come before Him admitting our weakness, repenting of our sins, and asking for His forgiveness. As part of the service, ashes are placed on the forehead in the symbol of the cross with the reminder from ashes we came – to ashes, we will return. It is through humility that our hands and heart are open to receive God’s grace.
Secondly, some Christians use a spiritual discipline called fasting to draw closer to God. I have found the best way to benefit from this discipline is to let the Holy Spirit guide on what to fast from. He will guide you to fast from something that is pulling you away from your dependence on God and putting your dependence on “it.” Some traditions fast for six days of the week and on Sunday, The Lord’s day, feast or allow themselves that item or activity as a celebration – since Sunday is considered a mini Easter celebration – celebrating the Resurrected King Jesus.
The following are examples of ways to fast and how you may draw closer to God through the fast:
Fast from a meal and spend the time you would have spent eating – reading the Bible, meditating on the Lord, or praying.
Fast from caffeine. When your energy drops turn to the Lord and ask for His Holy Spirit to give you the energy you need to get through your day. You are acknowledging that God is the Provider of all things.
Fast from nervous eating. When you feel the compulsion to use food to cope with a situation – stop – turn to the Lord in prayer – ask Him to carry your burden and give you grace.
Fast from electronics (TV, phone/computer games, etc.). Spend the time you would have spent on these activities in prayer, the study of Scripture, meditating on the Lord, enjoying God’s creation through nature, etc. – any activity that helps you grow closer to Him.
Why do some Christians fast for forty days?
“Forty Days matching the number of days for which the Spirit had led Jesus into the wilderness after his baptism and before the start of his public ministry in the synoptic tradition” (Connell, 2006 p. 75).
During those forty days in the wilderness, Jesus fasted. (Matthew 4:2)
“The number 40 generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation” (biblestudy.org)
In conclusion, Christians participate in Lenten practices to draw closer to God. Jesus asks us to “remember” Him. He said, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19, NIV). Lent is a duration of time where we are preparing our hearts and minds – meditating on the incredible gift we receive from God through Christ Jesus! It’s a time of self-sacrifice, commitment, growth, and anticipation for the upcoming joyful celebration of Easter.
References:
Connell, M (2006). Eternity Today. On the liturgical year. Vol. 2
New York, NY: The Continuum International Publishing Group.
Bible Study Meaning of Numbers in the Bible. Retrieved from html: https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/40.html
Love
LOVEWoW! Relationships, right?! Not always an easy thing to navigate. How do we go about the business of giving and receiving love? Well, the following is the guidance I have received from the Lord. I hope this information will be a blessing to you the way it has been for me:
1. Put yourself in a “space” to receive love. (“space” meaning attitude as well as environment) Attitude = be open to receive love from others, including and especially from the Lord. Environment = don’t isolate yourself. You need to be with others to receive love from others. You’ll see in step 5 the importance of spending time with the Lord. Take everything to the Lord and open your heart to Him so He may send His healing love to you. It is the most therapeutic thing you can do.
2. Put yourself in a “space” to give love. St. Francis of Assisi stated, “For it is in giving that we receive.” God has used this in my life several times. When I feel depressed and drained – the Holy Spirit will prompt me to give love to another. It may be a simple act of kindness – and it works! It helps turn my mood around. Giving to another is a reward in itself. Not only are we designed to receive, but also to give. When we look to our Lord, what do we see? Self-less giving. We are to model after Jesus – and when we do, His love shines through!
3. Take the opportunity to give and receive love. You can move out of opportunities – don’t do that. For example: avoiding love, looking elsewhere for love, chasing after someone for love. Be in the moment — love who’s in front of you. (I’m not talking about romantic love, but love in general. We are called to “love one another”). Are you fully loving the people who are currently in your life?
4. Take advantage of the opportunity you have been given to love. Don’t let distractions keep you from love. For example, the loss you’re feeling from a friendship that has become distant. You allow your mind to continue to focus on your loss – in doing so; you miss the opportunity to experience love in the present moment. Other distractions may come from “the world” like being more tuned in to your email, videos, sports scores, social media, etc. – that make you miss out on the people who are right in front of you.
5. Fill your “cup” with God’s love. To have love to pour out, first go to God and fill your cup. If you pour out love without first receiving love from God, you can get depleted. Keep returning to God, continually filling up so that you have love to pour out to others.
How do you fill-up? A few suggestions: go to Him in silence. Be still. Experience Him in quiet reflection. Connect with Him through music, art, dancing, or praying. Connect with Him through your breath (meditating on breathing in His love) or connect with Him through nature. There are many ways to connect, and some methods may suit you better than others. Do whatever helps you “get there.” We are all built differently, so we may connect with Him and fill up with His love in different ways, and that is entirely okay.
What does Jesus have to say about love?
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
Redeeming Love
Jesus’ death on the cross was an act of redeeming love. To understand this better, let’s first look at the definition of redeem.
redeem (Merriam-Webster):
1) to buy back (repurchase), to get or win back,
2) to release from blame or debt (clear)
3) restore
4) to remove the obligation of by payment – to make good (fulfill)
5) to atone for
Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17, NIV). Dying on the cross was part of the fulfilling of the Law for us.
“This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all” (1 John 1:5, NLT). Since God is pure light, we need to be pure to be in His presence. Before Jesus died on the cross animals were sacrificed to atone for people’s sins so they could be in relationship with God. “The priests then slaughtered the goats and presented their blood on the altar for a sin offering to atone for all Israel” (2 Chronicles 29:24, NIV).
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us… we have now been justified by his blood… we were reconciled to [God the Father] through the death of his Son” (Romans 5:8-10).
The parable of the prodigal son is a great story that captures the essence of God’s love for us and His desire to be in relationship with us. No matter how far we’ve roamed away from Him, no sin is too great that His love cannot cover. He welcomes us with open arms to return to Him. It is His greatest desire that we are in relationship with Him.
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” 2 Peter 3:9, NIV).
Jesus’ death on the cross paid our debt, restored us to God, atoned for our sins. Why? Because His love for you is that great!
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Are you ready to be in right relationship with God but don’t know what to do next? The first step is repentance. You can repent and turn to God through Jesus in your own words or use this prayer written by Billy Graham:
Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.
CHANGE
Change…
How did you feel when you read that word?
What went through your mind?
Why did that word cause a reaction?
Because… you have a history with it and what it means!
Why do you have a history with change?
Because you are a being of evolution!
You have been evolving since the day you were born.
As an infant you began evolving – you grew into a being that learned to identify language, spoken and body language, you learned emotions (probably more significant evolution was in your teenage years 😉) !
We evolve academically – growing in intelligence – perhaps primarily through formal education.
But one thing we cannot deny is that we are continually evolving! And that’s GREAT! Why?!
Because you can be MORE tomorrow than you are today!
There is always room for growth. . . . and growth
. . . . requires CHANGE!
So my encouragement today is to LEAN INTO CHANGE! Roll with it! Embrace it! Why? Because there is a greater you waiting to emerge! Feed it, water it, nurture it… grow the YOU that craves to be more!
What does the other side of this coin look like? Resistance.
What happens when we resist change? It:
Stunts growth
Discourages us
Makes us depressed
Delays evolution or shuts it down
Do you know anyone that has chosen to settle? To not push themselves? To stop growing? Are they your role model? Most likely they are not!
Who do we look to for encouragement?
Those that “take the bull by the horns”
Those that “live life to the full”. Those that live out their dreams!
When change comes to them. They don’t fight it. They don’t try to go around it. They embrace the opportunity to GROW, to become more!
Change allows us to experience LIFE! To be fully alive. . . be ready to learn something new.
How do we embrace change?
It needs to begin in our MIND and with our ATTITUDE.
Develop positive thoughts around change.
Know and remind yourself…. CHANGE IS GOOD!
There is a Holocaust survivor named Viktor E Frankl and he views our attitude as a freedom! He declares it is a freedom “to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” WoW! Of all people that has a reason to have a bad attitude… but he CHOOSES to have a good attitude!
We are designed to make choices… and this is a freedom! Meaning: it’s up to YOU!
Your attitude is your first choice. So choose wisely!
When change comes your way…. Lean into it! Allow it to be. Accept it…. Roll with it. Grow, Evolve, CHANGE!
CHANGE IS GOOD!
To Bless
I love to bless people!
People probably think I’m weird.
Sometimes I talk like I live in the days of Jesus and the disciples…
but blessing is such a powerful act!
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue” Proverbs 18:21
and to bless someone is to speak life.
What exactly are we doing when we bless someone?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary shows 7 definitions for bless!
The definition for bless I’m referring to is
“to invoke divine care for”.
I’m entrusting them to God. He knows what they need.
We humans think we know what each other needs… but let’s face it…
we could be wrong.
God truly knows what will help His children.
So, I believe, by blessing them I am asking God to “care for” them.
To give them exactly what they need. Trusting the Author of Humanity,
our All-Knowing God to provide for them.
In my prayers I ask Father to bless them richly, wonderfully, and abundantly.
Scripture says: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” Ephesians 3:20.
So I choose to ask for more than I can imagine. Our God is a God of abundance!
Who loves to give good gifts!!!
“How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him” Matthew 7:11
And to really pack a punch I like to bless in the name of Jesus!
The name above all names!
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name” Philippians 2:9
So powerful is His name that
“at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:10-11
So if people think I’m weird or outdated – that’s okay
because what’s important to me… is speaking LIFE!
Blessings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Patti Rey