Resurrection Life

Photo by Abby

We just celebrated Easter, the defeat of death, sin, and the grave!  The victory of life, grace, and redemption!  Increasingly so, I love this time of year.  It is a powerful, sobering, life-giving time.  Here are some of my recent meditations on the death and resurrection of Jesus and what it means to us as Jesus followers:

~Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4  (Romans 5-6 is one of my very favorite passages of Scripture! I could read it and think on it day after day!)

~He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to dins, might live to righteousness... 1 Peter 2:24

~And that well-known, but never too often read passage in Philippians 2:5-8 about how Jesus humbled himself to become a human, then to death on a cross.  "Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

He did die, all for love and mercy and justice, and glory to God, He did rise "on the third day."  And with every passing year, I long more for the day of His triumphant return, to watch and be part of the sea of people who will bow in worship to Him as He deserves.  His death and resurrection give abundance, purpose, and joy to life now, and hope for life forever with God and without the hindrance and snare of sin and the pain and sorrow of death and loss.  How my heart overflows with praise to Jesus!  

Sarah getting a flower crown by Abby's friend.  She loved it so much.  Also, she has been talking about Jesus "raised up on the third day" a lot the last couple of weeks since one of her Awana memory verses was from 1 Corinthians 15 and included those words!  Amazing and beautiful.  Out of the mouth of babes!

We had the privilege of hosting these 3 of Rachel's friends from U of L.  They are so great!

Just look at these two!  God has done great things!  And continues to do so!

Finally, I have to include this.  There are not many pictures of these two together since she doesn't live here anymore.

Rooted and Grounded in Love

       "And I pray that God would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the width, and length and depth and height- to know this love that passes knowledge..." Ephesians 3

I've been thinking over these words for years! God's Word never gets old!  Yes, there are times I am tempted to say to myself that I have read this story or passage soooo many times, there can't possibly be any reason to read it again.  However, when I go to Word with fresh eyes and a heart yearning to know Jesus, I am not disappointed!  So when I read this familiar prayer again a few weeks ago and spent some time pondering it, a picture of a flowering plant rooted in deep, rich soil came vividly to mind.  And I said to God, "What if we did that?  What if your people were so strengthened in you (strengthened with might through His Spirit) and Jesus was so at home in us (Christ dwell in our hearts), that we were like plants with our roots so deep in Your love!!"  And I began to ask God to make me and make His Church to be rooted and grounded in His love.  That we would receive our nourishment, our sustenance, our strength, our everything from God's great love.  What would the fruit of our lives look like if we were truly rooted and grounded in His love?  Wow!  So I drew this (kind of sorry) picture in Bible to remind me.  It was a vivid image from the Lord and not one I want to quickly forget.  Rooted and Grounded in His love.  Drawing it up into me; Being held firm by it; All my thirst quenched by it; It becoming what flows out of me- my scent, my beauty, my color, my characteristics. The soil makes all the difference. No matter the season around me, all I need is found in Jesus!  
More and more I am convinced that we as the Church are living low!  We are not living as God intended, not stepping into the place bought by the extravagant love of Jesus by His blood.  Let us stop living by our own strength, for our own glory, fueled by lust and worldly passion.  Let us stop being distracted by the details of life, wooed by the praise of others, allured by fleshly desires.  Let us be rooted and grounded in His love... so that together (that word is implied in this passage, but its meaning is clear!!) together, we can know, comprehend, experience what is truly unknowable, surpassing our ability- just how high and how long and how wide and how deep is the love of God.  Let us not be content to know a little, to stick a finger or a baby root in His love.  Let us, together, dive into His great ocean of goodness, mercy, and love.  Let us take the time to let our roots sink deep in Him.  Let us become "oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord."