Do not cling to me - 09

Well, it feels good to find that one of my all-time favorite authors agrees with my assumptions about this scene. In out text from John 20:11-18, we see Mary weeping and the searching for Jesus. There is a sense that she is not only morning the death of her master, but also the life she experienced over the past three years. It's good to rejoice in the things God has done in our lives. We should take time to mourn, but then get up and be ready for the next season. In this text from The Place of Help, Chambers give us a glimpse into the mindset of Jesus' disciples in this moment.

"The End of the Three Years . . . sitting over against the sepulcher. (Matthew 27:61) Those years had been a time of marvelous delight and joy, but they are finished now, and there is the pressure of pain in the termination of them. No greater sadness than that of the disciples can be imagined. They owed everything to Jesus, and now “He is not here,” and life has nothing more to hold out for them. We have all had the equivalent of those three years, a time of great joy while it lasted, but it is finished now, and we too have sat “over against the sepulcher.” * 
In my experience, one of the strongest indicators that it's time to move on is when you find Jesus is no longer in what you're doing. One day you wonder where the joy and sense of favor has gone. You feel you no longer fit in that place as you once did. Then you start searching for Jesus and find he is not there. He is waiting for you in the new season as he was for these disciples. Moving on is not a failure, it's not a lack of faith on your part. When God has something new in store for you, receive it, rejoice, and step up.
Matthew 27:59-61 (ESV) "And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

* Chambers, O. (1958). The Place of Help. Marshall, Morgan and Scott. 


Popular posts from this blog

Thoughts on Easter

Easter is always a good time for reflection and examination. The thought of what Jesus Christ has done for me is overwhelming and brings me ultimately to the foot of the cross. What more can be done in the face of such holiness and great sacrifice? All I can do is lay my life down there as well, surrender myself, my life, all I have, and all I am or ever will be. There can be no fruitfulness or fulfillment of our purpose until we lay our life down unto death. We spend so much time striving, building ministries, making better plans, and working harder. We don’t see that from Jesus. In his essay In Him and Over Him: The Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus John O’Donnell says Jesus had to accept the failure of His human mission. He says “Jesus who came in the power of the Spirit to proclaim the Good News had to accept that because of the hardness of hearts of His people the kingdom could only come through the cross. And so Jesus goes to His death, tested to the utterness of His obedience,
Read more

More on Erasing Hell

I can defintely relate to this quote by Francis Chan from his book Erasing Hell . This is such a difficult topic and it's easier to just not think about it and move on.  I believe we are entering a season when God's people will feel an urgency to step up and speak the truth in a loving and firm way. Don't speak out of ignorance or your own thoughts. Know the Word . We are all surrounded by opportunities to learn the Word and allow it to transform our lives. There is no excuse for not knowing. Speak out of that transformation. Let the Holy Spirit speak for you. Know Christ deeply and allow Him to take control of your life fully. "What causes my heart to ache right now as I’m writing this is that my life shows little evidence that I actually believe this. Every time my thoughts wander to the future of unbelievers, I quickly brush them aside so they don’t ruin my day. But there is a reality here that I can’t ignore. Even as the conversations of people around me fill my
Read more

Obeying God's Voice

Image source The Bible makes no distinction between hearing and obeying God's voice. Hearing Him is the first step, but hearing requires us to obey. The writer of Hebrews warns us to not harden our hearts if today we hear God's voice (Heb. 3:15). There is no rest or peace in disobedience to His voice. When we harden our hearts to His voice, we reject the life that He is offering. I like to think of these times of obedience as continual alignment of my life with God's Word. As the Holy Spirit speaks we obey by yielding our will to His. Obedience brings transformation which makes us more and more like Christ. Doesn't a student who continues to yield themselves to the process of learning soon experiences changes in their thinking and behavior as a result? So a disciple (a learner) becomes more and more like the Master as they yield to His teaching. God's Word and His voice cannot be separated. God's voice, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the Biblical messag
Read more

Intervention

I saw this picture on msnbc  today which was linking to a news video concerning Pakistanis who are desperate for aid.  My heart breaks for kids like this all over the world who go hungry every day.  I've fed hungry people in India, and its overwhelming to see people desperately grabbing for a bread roll and a small banana.  I want to see the church of Jesus Christ rise up and take the authority given to us by Jesus Christ and intervene in these situations.  We are not on this earth to make it a better place, but to share the good news of Jesus.  When people know Him, we will see better living conditions where all people are loved and treated with respect and dignity.  We can end hunger and poverty and poor drinking water conditions.  My good friend and warrior in the kingdom Suresh Kumar likes to quote William Booth "Give them soup, soap, and salvation".
Read more