He Is Risen!

Daily Gratitude Year 5- Day 106: Today, I am grateful that He is risen. He is risen, indeed!

This is a truth that resonates so deeply in my soul that the words... sometimes... are hard to find. 

Awe.
Joy.
Grief.
Hope.
Joint heirs.
Chosen not rejected.
Whole.
Scarred but beautiful.
Sacred not scared.

We are no longer children condemned to the grave by our sins... we are set free from the sting of death. We are Easter People.

Today... I am relishing the elaborate redemption plan that God put into place so many years before the victory on the cross. So many elements... puzzle pieces... that fit just right. No accident of fate but a faithful father who could not bear to abandon even one child who wished to return to him. He made a way. He became the way. He is the way, the truth and the life. 

The darkness cannot help but flee from the light. 

How I love my death-kicking, nail scared Jesus. His scars are beautiful - as he wears them as a testimony of his love for everyone who calls him Lord. For me and for you. He looks at us... our scars and brokenness... and he sees beauty rising from the ashes as we allow him to refine and define us according to His purpose. 

A plan is different from a purpose. 

Pastor Andy asked the question today, "When do we think Jesus really knew what suffering was ahead?" Of course, we don't really know. 

Jesus always knew His purpose... God's purpose. But, God granted us free will and that certainly can possibly create plot twists. (It happened for Ninevah.). Jesus spoke of what was to come, so we know he knew and understood. How long did Jesus carry that head knowledge... and when did his heart accept that to fulfill the plan, he would lay down his life? God's special forces.

God's purpose would not be thwarted. Jesus was the key. When the time was right... the prophecy became history. It is without a doubt... awesome. He still makes our case, advocating for us before the father. It is our challenge to live in such a away... loving him and loving each other... so that he has a solid case for our faith.  

Today, I am grateful that He is risen.