death - the five letter word that we think means the end. the end of a life, the end of a companionship, the end of a life. while the earthly side may change, the spirit of the person lost will remain forever. "now death where is your sting, our resurrected king has rendered you defeated" were the words I heard tonight while laying in bed, listening to music, and it hit me. God sent his son to earth to rule over all earthly things, knowing that he would see him in heaven again. he was not afraid of death. Mary was not afraid of death when she gave birth to Jesus, knowing that he would be taken from her much before his time. death is not something we should be afraid of, because we all know that it is coming at one point or another. easter and death go hand in hand as a celebration. Jesus had to die in order to rise again on the third day, and he was not afraid of death. he hung there on the cross, not afraid of what would happen to his body, but excited to see his Father once again. we celebrate the fact that he rose from the dead, and now lives in each one of us. he's not physically here with us on earth, and though it would be different, he lives in our hearts, guiding us on the path towards him, knowing that we will soon see him again. we should not be afraid of death. none of us are immortal, but we have the best thing waiting for us at the finish line - Jesus.
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we all know that Jesus died on the cross for us. that's the first lesson taught to us in sunday school. but i don't think we completely fathom the degree to which he loved us. everything he did was in the name of love - so that we may pass it on to each other. washing the feet of the twelve disciples was a dirty job, yet he did it out of respect and love towards them. he didn't think twice about someone when they messed up, and he welcomed every believer with outstretched arms.
so often now we worry about the mistakes we've made. but the truth is that we're all broken. by forgiving each other in the name of Jesus and in love, we become a little less broken and a little bit more full. we become more like Jesus. at first, these words sound pretty nasty. they're not words that you would typically use in everyday conversations, until you put them with another thing. get out of your comfort zone, leave your bubble, exit the known and enter the unknown.
in Bible class this week, we focused on prayer. as a way of communication with God, thanking him for his gifts, it doesn't have to be fancy, and yet so often we forget that. we got out of our comfort zones by walking around the classroom, silently reading the prayer requests of our classmates and friends, praying for each one. those prayers weren't fancy, but they weren't rushed. we each took the time to pray for our friends, and thanked God for putting them in our lives. it wasn't something I was used to, but it taught me that prayer comes in many different forms. in fact, no two prayers are the same, just like people. there is no exact replica of me on planet Earth, and there is no exact replica of you. God doesn't care how scripted your prayers are, or how well-worded they are. He just wants you to know that He's listening. |
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