Happy Wednesday!
Today, our linkup features the winner of this month’s Guest Contributor contest, Karen Woodall. Karen is one of the faithful participants of our weekly linkup and is a talented writer. Her beautiful post made me pause to think about the meaning of Easter all over again, and it will certainly bless you as well. You have probably read Karen’s work before, even if you did not realize it. Check her bio below and you will probably agree. Enjoy her post, visit her blog and encourage this sister in her ministry!
And, as always, thank you for Recharging with us!
Love,
Patricia
I just dropped one of my dogs off at the vet for unscheduled surgery to (hopefully) correct a condition we’ve been trying to overcome for almost two months. This comes after a night when I was up way too late making sure the projects due after spring break were completed. More end of the year homeschool assignments and finals are bearing down on my children, and at the same time, I’m desperately trying to help my son navigate the convoluted admissions and documentation process for the college he will attend in the fall. There are deadlines approaching at my job, and my husband is stretched thin across too many deadlines of his own, and in our “leisure” time, our garden needs to be planted, a mini-construction/renovation project demands to be finished, and some serious yard work must be attended to before one of any number of dead trees fall on our house.
As I was driving home, my stressed-out, frustrated, and over-tired mind was redirected by the radio host’s account of his family’s activities last week during Easter.
“Easter? Why, yes. That was only a little over a week ago,” I reminded myself.
But in almost the same instance, another thought crowded into my mind… “But what difference does that make now?”
Sure, like most believers, we did a lot of commemorating and reflecting during Holy week … but are special family gatherings and once a year worship service the only way we should celebrate the resurrection of our Lord? If less than two weeks have passed since the official observance of Easter and we’re already angst-filled and smothered by the normal attitudes, responsibilities and routines of life, could it be that we’ve missed the point of His resurrection altogether?
Maybe what we really need to do is to keep reading the story…
If you flip over a few pages from the end of the Gospels and to Acts in your Bible, you’ll discover that by verse 9 of the first chapter, Jesus is not only resurrected, He’s ascended back into heaven where He (as Paul later tells us) is “seated at the right hand of God.” (Col 3:1) Sitting at the right hand of a king meant that the person acts with the authority of the ruler and is equal in power, honor and position. So this designation places the risen Christ as governing over all of creation. No longer the meek and mild suffering servant of the Gospels, He’s now exalted as the King of kings and Lord of lords! (Rev. 17:14)
And that positional change for Jesus should change us as well.
[bctt tweet=”If we know Jesus through faith as Savior, we should also boldly count on Him to also rule as Lord.” username=”PatHolbrook”]
That means when stress builds, emotions escalate, and obligations threaten to overwhelm us, we’re not helpless, nor do we have to default to using our own (limited) power to ‘do the best we can.’
Keep moving on in the New Testament and you’ll find Peter’s emphasis in chapter one of his first letter. Verse 3 says “In his great mercy (God) has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”
This verse unmistakably links our confidence today to the certainty of Christ’s triumph over death and the grave. But the kind of hope the New Testament writers emphasized goes beyond the desire to have circumstances turn out the way we plan. Even if our situations don’t change (or worsen), we can be confident that our living Lord dwells with us and in us so that through His Spirit, we can be changed… resurrected from our old and dead ways of living, and daily resting in a brand new hope that’s centered in who Jesus is – our victorious King!
[bctt tweet=”While the calendar may say that Easter has passed, the impact of this pivotal event should never end for believers. He IS risen … and He Reigns! And that’s a truth we should never stop celebrating! @Switchbaxx” username=”PatHolbrook”]
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at his right hand in the heavenly realms
~ Ephesians 1:18-20
Karen is a writer and editor at InTouch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley, has contributed over 50 articles and sidebars to The Jesus Bible (2016, Zondervan), and continues to help develop and write the discipleship materials for Flourish, the women’s mentoring program at Passion City Church (Louie Giglio). She contributes to Bayside Community Church devotional ministry (Florida), writes for an international teaching ministry directed toward impoverished Christians, and posts a weekly Christian discipleship article for her own website. She continues to lead in the study of God’s Word with the hope of helping others see how our great God is always at work in all situations to draw us more deeply into relationship with Him.
You can connect with Karen at www.switchbacks.org
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[bctt tweet=”LINKUP Party is open! Today, Karen Woodall reminds us to keep the joy of Easter in our hearts every day. Join us? @Switchbaxx” username=”PatHolbrook”]
Karen,
Just as Christ was given “new birth”, so have we been given that gift. We have Christ’s resurrection power living in us and so we don’t have to go it alone in our own power. Yes, we need to keep turning back to the climax of Easter and live like Jesus is Lord and we can call on His power in our lives.
Blessings,
Bev
Yes Bev! I was just reflecting on 1 Corinthians 15 where Paul said Jesus’s resurrection is ‘the first fruits of those who are asleep.” (vs 20) Because He arose, we know that we too shall rise to a transformed body to live forever with Him! Hallelujah!
Hi Karen, I didn’t know that you work for Dr. Stanley’s ministry. What a wonderful opportunity! His teaching has had a formative impact on my faith, and I’ve enjoyed the magazine for many years. Blessings to you!
Hey Sarah, Working at InTouch has been one of the great joys of my life! I’m so grateful and humbled to have been a part of the ministry team for so many years. I am glad that your life has been impacted and that the overflow continues to yield fruit in others through your ministry! Blessings to you as you serve Him! k~
Karen, I’ve been thinking along the same lines this spring as the snow hangs on and keeps falling from the sky almost every week, in spite of the March 20 “deadline” for spring. So thankful that resurrection truth is not captured in any way by those heavy dark lines on my calendar. Looking at the world through the lens of resurrection truth changes everything!
So grateful that the resurrection isn’t just a once a year celebration but that it can change the way we look at even the most difficult time in our lives. We always have hope because He Lives!
I am a longtime fan of Karen’s writings! Her messages are always rich with truth and conviction. She knows how to weave fresh perspective out of peculiar analogies, that never cease to inspire me!
But my! Karen, I had no idea you had SO much going on! Wow.
You are truly an inspiration! 🙂
Thanks Rachel! I’m constantly humbled by how God opens doors that I could never had dreamed or imagined! But then that’s exactly what Ephesians 3:20 says, right? I appreciate you reading and following along as I share what I’m learning too! Bless you on your journey with Him!
Yes, we need to live the resurrected victory each day through our Savior! Great post!
You’re very welcome to drop by for a cup of inspiration anytime.
Jennifer
Thanks Jennifer! Love dropping by for ‘tea time’ often! Keep up the great work!
Beautiful post, Karen! I am so grateful for your words and work for the Kingdom! Thank you for accepting the invitation to be our guest today! May God continue to further your reach as you point others to Him!
Blessings,
Thanks for having me as guest on your site! I’m grateful for the opportunity to share with your followers. I appreciate your heart for the Word of God and how you lead other women with your beautiful words so well! Be filled with God’s Spirit as you serve Him faithfully!
Karen;
What a pleasure it is to meet you! This post resonates in so many ways. Because he Arose, we can rise when our situations threaten to drown us. We have in Him a living hope.
Thanks for sharing what God has placed on your heart.
And that, Nylse, is the hope we all have. We don’t flounder. We aren’t oppressed. We don’t have to wonder what happens. He triumphed. So we do to, because the Risen Christ lives inside us! Amen!
Karen,
It was so nice to find you on Patricia’s site today! I too am a longtime beneficiary of your great work with words! Thank you for the inspiration both in your post today and all of your other inspired work. I have read your blog for years. And I regularly enjoy walking and listening to Dr. Stanley’s Today on the Radio, which you help edit, so Thank You!
Terri
Thanks Terri! I appreciate all the support and encouragement! It’s such a joy to know that you (and others) are challenged and spurred on by the things God has given me the privilege to be a part of. Grateful for how I’ve been blessed by your walk with the Lord for many years and hopefully for many more to come!