Because He Lives
I hope you had a wonderful time with family this past weekend. Last week, as I was anticipating Easter coming up, I thought about what it must have been like that Monday after the very first Easter Sunday. There is an old Bill Gaither song called, “Because He Lives” and it has been playing on repeat in my mind. Which isn’t unlike most weeks, this is one of my favorite songs. I love the truth in the lyrics. The chorus goes like this:
“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know, He holds the future.
And life is worth the living, just because he lives.”
The first thing that this song reminds me of is that Jesus is alive! In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (NIV), the Apostle Paul writes, “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, He was seen by more than 500 of His followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then He was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw Him.”
Can you imagine what it would have been like for those disciples the Monday after Easter? I would imagine they said, “He lives! Now what? How do I now live?” Two thousand years later, we are still asking that same question.
“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.”
As I was preparing for this devotional this week, I thought about everything that has happened since last Easter in my own life and in the lives of folks at Simmons that our Chaplain team cares for. Many of us have experienced health issues personally or with those close to us, there has been grief and loss, challenging circumstances in life or at work, and many other things. Some days the thought of facing tomorrow brought much heartache and restless nights. Yet, because He lives, we have been able to face whatever tomorrow has had in store.
Scripture encourages us not to be anxious about tomorrow, or about anything really. In Matthew 6:33-34 (ESV) Jesus says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
I don’t know what tomorrow holds for you and I - but I know Who holds tomorrow. There will certainly be more challenges ahead. But, Because He lives, let’s continue to keep our eyes and perspective on Christ as we face whatever tomorrow holds.
Also, don’t let your worries about tomorrow make you miss out on today. Today is a gift. One of my favorite quotes is from William Arthur Ward, who said, “Today is a most unusual day, because we have never lived it before; we will never live it again; it is the only day we have.”
“Because He lives, all fear is gone.”
“You can worry or you can trust God, but you cannot do both.”
Through belief and faith in Christ, in His life, His death and His resurrection, our greatest fear of spending eternity in Hell is no more. Because Christ was the perfect sacrifice for our sins, the perfect sacrificial Lamb, we can boldly live and love and lead to the glory and honor of Christ - without fear.
The reality is, though, we often still live in fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of war, fear of (insert yours). Scripture is clear to us that fear is a liar. Fear and anxiety are well-worn tools of Satan used to take our eyes off of Christ. These two verses are good ones to keep close:
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) - “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 23:4 (ESV) - “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
You can worry or you can trust God, but you cannot do both.
“Because I know He holds the future.“
Jesus knew that we would experience hard times. Even as believers, we are not exempt from experiencing the challenges of life. Through our faith, these challenges often bring us closer to Christ and to know Him at a much deeper level as we experience His grace and peace in ways never imagined. Jesus was talking to his disciples when He said this in John 16:33 (ESV) - “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Sometimes, believers seem surprised and confused when challenges and grief come, as if we were supposed to have some kind of special immunity. Jesus set the tone for what our experience would be like. He tells the truth, that WE WILL have trials and troubles. It is only IN HIM that we can experience peace. And, He encourages us to take heart, or to find encouragement for our souls - He has overcome the world.
When it comes to hard seasons of life, we each have a “What” and “When” that we will have to navigate through. The challenge is, we don’t know what, and we don’t know when. Some of you have just gone through it. Others of us are in the middle of it. And for the rest, our challenge lies ahead of us. Whatever you are facing, God can be trusted. He is faithful. Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
For some reason, I started a journal sometime in high school. I’m not consistent or daily by any means, but I still try to keep up. Most of my writings start with, “Well I need to catch up on the last 3 months…” but typically I wrote when times were challenging or I was discouraged. To this day, I often use it as a prayer journal. Following those tough seaesons, I always tried to follow up and write about how I saw God work in and through those challenging seasons. It is amazing to have so many examples and memories of times when I was afraid, exhausted, uncertain, or unclear (sometimes all at once!) - and how God was amazingly, always in the details. I now have a couple of these journals full of reminders of God’s sovereignty and grace in my life. Scripture does the same thing for us as we get a front row seat to how God faithfully walked with His people all throughout history. He wants to walk with us today as well.
“And life is worth the living just because He lives.”
Through faith in Christ, we have the incredible promise and hope that death is not a period at the end of our life, but rather a comma. A comma signifies that there is a pause, and yet there is more to come. Thoughts of what Heaven will be like for believers should fill our hearts with an incredible amount of joy and anticipation!
And, Jesus wants us to experience this life, right now, to it’s fullest. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
As a Chaplain I get to walk with people at the end of their life multiple times every week. I can tell you that when a person knows they are going to die, how much money or stuff they own literally means nothing. There’s actually a lot of grief and regret around the amount of time and energy they spent on things that have no eternal significance. What will matter is your walk with God, the relationships that you’ve built, and the legacy and impact your life has had on others.
Think for a moment about the people that God has intentionally placed in your life. We are called to love and care for the family who sits next to you today. We should go all out in our love for our spouses and our kids. They are one of God’s greatest blessings that we should steward well.
Think also about the people that you work with, or who work for you, folks you interact with on a weekly basis? What if God strategically put them in your path so that through your life and relationship, they might either come to know Jesus, or experience His love and grace through you in a way that might draw them closer to God?
The reality is though, that just as God has a vision for your life, so does Satan. As a believer, Satan may have lost the battle for your soul, but his desire for you is destruction, fear, and zero peace or joy in this life. Jesus tells us that in John 10:10 (NIV) - “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”
This life is worth living. This life matters. It’s worth living to the fullest. It’s worth living for Christ. We are told that as believers, we will stand before Christ at the end of our lives and give an account. It’s not a heaven or hell discussion, He already secured that for us. But there is a conversation that will take place. We see this in 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV) - “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
REFLECTION
I’ll close with this thought. When that day comes and you are standing before the Lord - What is the story you want to tell? We are all writing a story. Some chapters are going to be a joy to discuss with Christ. Other chapters will bring grief to Christ and to us. Lord willing, we all still have chapters to be written in our story. What will the remainder of your story be? Here’s an even better question to reflect on today: “God, if you had your way with my life, what story do YOU desire to write with my life?”
I am thankful for His grace, for even a sinner like me. I don’t deserve the relentless love and the amazing grace He gives so freely. I want to live my life in response to this love and reflect Christ in my home, in my work, and in every opportunity and relationship that God brings my way - all becuase He lives.