Jesus Lives Today!
We found out last week that Jesus came up out of that grave! Yes, He is alive! Jesus came to this earth, sent by God, and born of a virgin. Why do y’all reckon He came? After all, He was already in heaven. He has been around since before the beginnin’ and He’ll be around ‘til awhile after eternity.
John writes: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:1-5 nasb)
Now, I don’t know about you, but if I had a spread of several thousand acres on a thousand hills, and it’s stocked with say several thousand good beef cows, and they’ve got all the grass they’ll ever need, then I’d be hard pressed to want to go over to the other side of the divide and try to straighten out a bunch of no count rustlers and horse thieves. But Jesus did that. He left heaven and came down here for you and me. But why? Because He wanted us to be able to have a relationship with Him and to receive an inheritance on His home ranch called heaven. Adam and Eve proved that, on our own, we will sin!
Jesus told us right there in John 14:1-4, "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going." (nasb)
Jesus said all of that and more as He was preparing to go to the cross. I reckon I’ll just keep thankin’ Him every day!
But what if the stone had never been rolled away? What if Jesus had never conquered death? To steal a line from a good ole’ Oklahoma song. It would have “left a pretty good cowboy with nothing to hold on to.”
But folks, I’ll tell you, Jesus did everything that the gospels tell us. Up from the grave He arose! He is Lord! Now, that might seem like last week’s news to some of y’all, but it is news that never grows old.
He told His 12 original cowboys to get up and follow Him! And they did! They had the roundup and the brandin’ to do. But they quickly left their chores with others and rode for Him!
They didn’t understand why He had to die after they had been workin’ together for only three years. But before He went back to prepare the home place, He told the 11, “All authority has been given Me on Heaven and 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."
(Matt 28:18-20 nasb)
Now, I will tell you, on my own, I fall short, but I choose to follow Christ! How about you?
Choose Jesus, choose life and let your light shine! And find a Bible believin’ church where you “fit in” and know, grow, and follow Christ! Tell others! See y’all at church and keep PRAYIN’ for HIS HARVEST! Pray for the rain! Amen.