1 John 1:7
If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
My niece Jasmine, said that when Zola put on her Easter dress, she twirled around in the floor with excitement. Her older brother Timothy told her to “Stop that! You are NOT a hula girl!” Zola quickly replied, “Yes I AM! I AM a hula girl!” Trust me…this is not the first time that Big Brother has told Little Sister how to act…and it certainly won’t be the last!
The thing is…more than a few of us could use a “big brother or sister” to tell us to “Stop that!” We have claimed the name of Jesus…then gone right back to behaving like we always did. Nothing really changed. Many people made their annual “Easter appearance” at church on Sunday…and that will be about as “spiritual” as it gets for them until at least Christmas! A friend of mine calls these folks “Christmas-and-Easter-Christians”.
I still recall when one of my best friends was baptized into her husband’s church. We were both so excited for her new-found faith, and I asked her, “So what’s next?” She replied, “What do you mean?” I explained that I was wondering if there was going to be someone in her church family who would nurture her and encourage her as she studied the Bible and grew in her discipleship. She did not know of any such person. So we studied together and shared in our faith walk for the next few months/years…and I’m sure her husband and other family members encouraged her, as well.
But it did make me wonder…are we in a “numbers game” of sorts? Are we so focused on winning souls to Jesus that we fail to nurture and encourage them afterward? Where DO we go from the cross and the tomb? What really does happen after Easter? I pray that you will not put away your Bible and go back to your old ways. I pray that this will be the year that you truly find God…that you fully grasp that Jesus came to earth and taught us about love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion…about the power of Almighty God and the lasting presence of His Holy Spirit…about the tremendous sacrifices that He made to wash away every one of our sins.
I pray that you will really internalize Jesus’ commandment to “Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you.” It is my hope that you will know without any doubt His promise that “I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.”*
Easter is a time when we think of a rebirth…new life…a fresh start. Will this Easter season mark the beginning of your intimate journey with God and a shared life in His light? Has the blood of Jesus truly transformed you…or are you twirling like a “hula girl” and “playing Christian” when it suits you? Isn’t it time you became the “real deal” for Jesus? What are you waiting for?
©2014 Debbie Robus
*Matthew 28:19-20
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