Showing posts with label Easter Sunday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Easter Sunday. Show all posts
Apr 18, 2019
Mar 24, 2016
Apr 8, 2012
HAPPY EASTER! CELEBRATE WITH A LOUD NOISE, HE HAS RISEN!
Matthew 28:1-10
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (NIV)
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (NIV)
HAPPY EASTER SUNDAY!
CELEBRATE WITH A LOUD NOISE!
JESUS CHRIST HAS RISEN TODAY! HALLELUJAH!
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
To read this author's personal testimony please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html
Apr 7, 2012
Easter Sunday, Another opportunity to purify my heart!
1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 "For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit." (NKJV)
At times, when bills would pile up, I'd offer to get a job. But, during these times, my husband would assure me that he was making enough money to afford our living expenses.
Then, as time passed, I found myself selling many of our family's sentimental possessions to make ends meet. I even sold my wedding ring. All along, I shared with my husband the burden I faced regarding money. At the same time, I watched as my husband impulsively purchased many personal items. He bought a second flat screen T.V. for his new 5th wheel, golf accessories and expensive food for himself.
Then, one day I shared with my husband that I had accepted a donated box of food from a neighbor just to feed myself and our youngest son. Looking back now, I would have thought that this moment might have been a turning point for my husband. Yet, at the time, he responded by accused me of having poor money management skills.
As a person who proclaimed to be committed Christian who deeply loved the Lord and usually spent much time in prayer, in His Word and in serving others, I was unprepared for what was to come. It all started the day I offered to file our joint income tax return. For the first time, I had access to my husband's pay stubs and was able to see how much God had blessed our family concerning money! God had provided a way for me to evangelize full time while caring for our young son as a stay at home mother. However, somehow along his journey with God, my husband had traded the truth for the lie that money can buy you happiness. Even worse, I was about to get caught in the same web of deceit. Soon, my actions would cause our marriage to hurl into a downward spiral.
The day I met with the H & R block representative, I confronted my husband about the amount of money he had made. "Where did all the money go? Why didn't you give us more? You knew how stressed I was over money!" I had completely forgotten that God was in charge! The more self-righteous I became, the more my faith faded. Soon, I was left feeling alone and hopelessness. Why didn't I turn to God for strength? Had I completely pushed God aside, taken back control and relied on my own understanding?
Frustrated, I told my husband, "Get help or once and for all let us go!" My husband angrily replied, "I just don't want to be married anymore!" I felt like a failure as a wife, mother and even a Christian! I couldn't understand where I had gone wrong. I cried out to God. But for the first time, i couldn't hear God's whisper in my heart. Utter desperation and confusion set in!
Suddenly, Easter Sunday was upon me. Surely God would provide hope and peace and a way out of this situation! I prayed and sought God with all my might. That's when I felt a sudden urge to list some of the chapters God had led me to read over the past few weeks. I made a list.
- Ezra 1 Those who feared God, repented and surrendered to the will of God.
- Isaiah 15 Divine judgment about to come.
- Psalm 105 A solemn call to praise and serve the Lord.
- Psalm 78, Learning From Our Past.
- 2 Chronicles 7 Respond by humbling yourself, praying, seeking My presence, and turning your backs on your wicked life.
- 1 Kings 13 The importance of unswerving obedience.
- 1 Samuel chapter 6 Sinners lengthen out their own misery by refusing to part with their sins.
- Deuteronomy chapter 2 Do not compass the same path going round and round again, but go northward with hard fighting and great victory. Keep from what God forbids and you will not lose by our obedience.
- Zephaniah chapter 2 Repent while there is still time.
I grabbed hold of the spine of my bible and let the pages fall open. As the pages settled, my eyes were drawn to 2 Samuel 24. I started to read, and was I surprised! http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=10&c=24. I had completely forgotten that God was by my side through my issues with money. Perhaps He was even teaching me how to budget more faithfully. Maybe God was simply teaching me to rely on Him.
Next, I silently gazed out of my bedroom window as I reflected over the past year. God had provided more than I needed! My eyes returned to the pages below and my eyes caught King David's prayer. I tearfully prayed along. “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 2 Samuel 24:10 NKJV. I wept as I felt peace from the Holy Spirit filling my heart once again!
The next day, God confirmed His presence through the sweet sound of a dove cooing outside my apartment. Oh, that beautiful sound! I ran outside and looked up at the dove. Tears of hope overflowing! I put my two hands over my mouth, kissed the tips of my fingers and threw my hands up in the air towards the heavens. I saw how I had taken a detour from the path of righteousness. I began to pray, "Father, forgive me for my sinfulness. Thank You for using this situation to refine my heart. Please guard me from Satan's temptation to compare my lifestyle with those around me and remain by my side always so that I may live a life that honors You. Thank You Lord for Your unending saving grace. In Your Holy and Righteous Son's name, I pray. Amen."
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
To read this author's personal testimony
please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html
Mar 23, 2012
How an Easter Egg hunt made me feel closer to God!
John 3:16-17 (NKJV)
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
It was the day before Easter Sunday. I had taken my youngest child to the nearby park to participate in the annual Easter egg hunt with his friends from school. We arrived at the exact time of the scheduled hunt. Consequently, we had to scramble to find our place in the correct line. Large areas of the field had been taped off to separate the differing age groups. Yet somehow, there were no signs posted to know exactly where the six-year-olds should stand. Uncertain of where to wait, my young son and I simply stood in back of several rows of anxious children and their parents. Then, my son quickly spotted a few of his friends in line. He moved to stand next to them. Within minutes, another parent standing next to me, said, "Did you know this section is for 3-5 year-olds?" We were standing in the wrong age group!
Still, additional parents and children had arrived and they were now scrunched behind us. I wondered, "Should I take my son to the correct area?" Just then, a woman with a small megaphone began to direct all parents to wait for their children at the other side of the enclosure. The other side was thirty feet away! If I left my child, I would later have to find him among the hundreds of young children who were free to roam in a space half the size of a football field.
Confused and faced with a quick decision, I let my son remain by his friends and I ran to other side of the field. The whistle blew just as I approached the other side. I immediately began to visually scan the marked off area for my son. I couldn't find him! Where was my son? Panic pierced my heart and I began to pray, "Please Lord Jesus, I don't see my son. Please help me see my son. Please Lord Jesus!" Sweat poured off the sides of my brow while I ran around frantically trying to locate my child. Suddenly, a crowd of children and parents ran down the field, under the taped off area, and rushed past where I stood. “That’s it,” I thought. I stepped over the yellow tape and ran towards where I saw my son last. Then, I stopped. I began to pray earnestly and fervently. “Please Lord reveal my son!” When I opened my eyes and looked up, I instantly saw his green shirt. My son and I made eye contact. Then, I ran directly to his side. Relief! My son was safe in my arms again! Thank You Jesus!
Later, when my son and I started to walk towards our car, I began to reflect about the feeling I had experienced. I thought, "What an frightful feeling for a parent to lose a child, even for one second!" Instantly, I felt incredible gratitude towards God the Almighty Father! I began to humbly pray, "What must it have felt like to endure the Cross? I am truly sorry it took me so long to devote my life to Your will God, please forgive me! Thank You for Your sacrifice and the gift of the Cross. Where would I be without You Lord?”
John 10:14-15 "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."(NKJV)
Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
To read a written and published Christian Personal Testimony
please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html
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