Be in peace.
Witness my hands and my feet.
Touch me, and verify my resurrected body; for a ghost does not appear having flesh and bones.
Because you have seen me, you believe.
More blessed are those who come after you, who having not seen me, believe."
--Jesus
Learning To Believe.
You may not have noticed, but Humans are a strange lot! With every reason to believe in a loving, beneficent Creator who only has our best interests at heart, we act like inconsolable victims at the mercy of Capricious Forces bent on our suffering! Sadly, because of our unbelief, we become the Capricious Forces bent on ensuring that other Humans suffer!
Believing in the Resurrection To Life is critical to understanding the work of Jesus on this planet, that is, to teach us to behave as if we believe in the Love and Power of God!
Three times the New Testament writers retold accounts where Jesus revealed God's power in bringing back human beings from death:
The last incident was particularly vexing to the Lord when he was met by the sisters, Martha and Mary, who were perfectly knowledgeable about Jesus' demonstrations of power over death, yet chided Him for not preventing their brother's early departure from this planet. They "wept as those who believe in Death not in Life" in the very presence of Life!
The fact that Humans have the ability to make the heart of the Lord sad with hopeless tears should give us pause and hope that the death of unbelief is His great delight!
So let us, as friends and family pass on from this life, be grateful we don't have to call them back from the splendor and ecstasy of reunion with those who love them as much (or more) than we do, just to convince our faith! For if we are convinced that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life it is the naughtiest of childish faithlessness to lament, moan and refuse comfort for those who, to be sure, are extraordinarily thankful to be where they are!
It would be a shame, at this point, to let doubt fill our minds and not the joy of belief He gives to all who put their trust in Him!
So let us live without fear! Let us live with confidence that those we love are alive to Him, the Good Shepherd, feeding His flock in a different pasture! Lost, momentarily to us, but not to Him who is preparing our place, departure time and grand reunion!
Now that is a faith worth dying for!
You may not have noticed, but Humans are a strange lot! With every reason to believe in a loving, beneficent Creator who only has our best interests at heart, we act like inconsolable victims at the mercy of Capricious Forces bent on our suffering! Sadly, because of our unbelief, we become the Capricious Forces bent on ensuring that other Humans suffer!
Believing in the Resurrection To Life is critical to understanding the work of Jesus on this planet, that is, to teach us to behave as if we believe in the Love and Power of God!
Three times the New Testament writers retold accounts where Jesus revealed God's power in bringing back human beings from death:
- A young man who's funeral procession happened to cross paths with Jesus on his Teaching Truth Tour;
- wading through scoffers and skeptics at Temple official Jairus' house in order to call back his daughter to the wonder and delight of her parents;
- and calling to his personal friend, Lazarus, to leave the splendor of heaven to come console (and convince) his sisters of the Truth of what they thought they believed.
The last incident was particularly vexing to the Lord when he was met by the sisters, Martha and Mary, who were perfectly knowledgeable about Jesus' demonstrations of power over death, yet chided Him for not preventing their brother's early departure from this planet. They "wept as those who believe in Death not in Life" in the very presence of Life!
The fact that Humans have the ability to make the heart of the Lord sad with hopeless tears should give us pause and hope that the death of unbelief is His great delight!
So let us, as friends and family pass on from this life, be grateful we don't have to call them back from the splendor and ecstasy of reunion with those who love them as much (or more) than we do, just to convince our faith! For if we are convinced that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life it is the naughtiest of childish faithlessness to lament, moan and refuse comfort for those who, to be sure, are extraordinarily thankful to be where they are! It would be a shame, at this point, to let doubt fill our minds and not the joy of belief He gives to all who put their trust in Him!
So let us live without fear! Let us live with confidence that those we love are alive to Him, the Good Shepherd, feeding His flock in a different pasture! Lost, momentarily to us, but not to Him who is preparing our place, departure time and grand reunion!
Now that is a faith worth dying for!
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Comments are welcome. You can post them here or send me an email: clyon2msu@gmail.com. Thanks for reading, hope you are encouraged, blessed, challenged and grow stronger in your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Charlie