From darkness and death into LIFE: Joy comes in the morning!

by the Reverend Canon Anne Moore

It is said that on one occasion Michelangelo turned to his fellow artists and said with frustration in his voice,

“Why do you keep filling gallery after gallery with endless pictures on the one theme of Christ in weakness, Christ on the cross, and most of all, Christ hanging dead? Why do you concentrate on that passing episode as if it were the last word, as if the curtain dropped down there on disaster and defeat? That dreadful scene lasted only a few hours. But to the unending eternity, Christ is alive; Christ rules and reigns and triumphs!”

Lent, and especially Holy Week, are a preparation time of denial to ensure that Easter is even more glorious by comparison. Jesus’ death on the cross finished his work of sacrifice to take away our sins. We must remember that terrible Good Friday and try to understand his suffering. It may be helpful to do that in the company of others at worship. We also must joyously celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and victory over the grave every day—but especially at Easter. Christ is alive and so are we, forever.

Alleluia!

God will use it ALL for good

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."
―Romans 8:28

by Jon Walker

Joseph’s life was anything but peaceful. He was sold into slavery by jealous brothers and later thrown into prison on false charges. Yet, he remained free of bitterness or regret and saw God as the 'Great Engineer' behind even the worst of circumstances.

In a final confrontation with his brothers, he graciously noted, “You meant it for bad; God meant it for good" (Gen 50:20).

“God meant it for good” says:

You can accept the past. No sin, no action, no choice on your part is too big for God to handle or too big to be worked out for good. Just ask Joseph! Better yet, ask his brothers who ended up relying on him for their survival.

You can embrace the present. There’s no need to play the 'what if' game. The past is forgiven and gone, and the future is in God’s omnipotent hands; so you’re free to focus on the present: “Wherever you are, be all there,” says Jim Elliot. God wants you in the present because that’s where His grace will flow.

You can look expectantly toward the future. Even if you make mistakes today, God still controls your future. Walking in the Spirit, you can live life to the fullest, without fear of making mistakes that take you out of God’s control. Even when things appear to be terrible, you can trust that God is still working out His divine plan for your life.

Jon Walker is editor of the Daily Hope Devotionals and author of Costly Grace.

Commit to regular exercise

"Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT)

As a long-time proponent of the huge importance of physical well-being if we're to be all we're designed to be, this recent Purpose-Driven posting hit home.

One of the ways we train for godliness is by maintaining our physical health. The truth is, your body was not designed for inactivity. God created you to be active. Even a daily walk will make a difference in your physical and spiritual well-being. And even while I've been away in Australia these past few weeks, I've done my darnedest to keep up my 'prayer walks': my physical/spiritual exercise combo.

Most of us are convinced but not committed. We know exercise is good for us. We are convinced, but that doesn’t mean we are committed to exercise.

What is the common excuse? ‘I don't have the time.’

Let me ask, do you have time to be sick? If you don't make time for exercise, you'll probably be forced to make time for an illness. Is that how you want to spend your time?

What is the common mistake? We overdo it at the start. We have the philosophy that if something is good, then more is better. We’ve been out of shape for several years, but then we try to get in shape in one week! And so we work ourselves to death, get totally exhausted and, as a result, we wear out quickly and give up.

The key is training not straining. If you want to get in shape fast, exercise longer, not harder. And that will help you stay committed to a consistent, regular exercise program.

As mentioned, I find simple walking works the best. Proven one of the best, easiest, most natural and least-expensive exercises, it fits easily into almost any life or environment. You get to know your neighbourhood and neighbours (new or old) as you walk, and can pray for them,  for others, for your own concerns, for whatever.

A goal for all churches

"This was the work of Jesus himself: to heal the sick, feed the hungry, give sight to the blind, care for the poor; give righteousness to the scandalous and scandalize the self-righteous; give hope to the hopeless and love to the loveless. And he's not done yet."

These final lines in an article by John Ortberg published earlier this year by the Christianity Today organization sum up what needs to be the prime work of those who now represent Jesus on earth, the Church.

Ortberg, a pastor, writer and editor, begins by ruminating on Paul's words in Colossians 1: “We proclaim Christ, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this reason I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me."

“If your church is looking for a big hairy audacious goal,” he continues, “this will do for starters."

The piece wanders through concepts of maturity, even touches on the movie Avatar, before coming to the conclusion "the church must be in the compassion business." You can read the original article here.