An Easter Thought

It is the morning after Easter & I am still blown away by yesterday's events. I had the privilege of baptizing Nicole and celebrating Easter with my church family. Then this morning I received an E-mail from John Eldredge. Obviously this wasn't addressed to me personally (although Jack (for you Cliff) & I go way back)...I am on the intercessory prayer team for Ransomed Heart. Enjoy his thoughts. I hope they will encourage you like they did me. Here it is... I hope you had a wonderful Easter. As I was praying and reflecting on the resurrection this weekend, I felt what Jesus would have us hang onto was this: His resurrection is our resurrection. The great work God is up to in the world is this: the restoration of mankind. From before the foundation of the world, this is what he had in mind. When he created us, he created us for life and for joy, he created us with his own glory. And when he lost us, he already had a plan in mind how to get us back. And not only win us back, but restore us from all the damage sin and evil had done. He would take on humanity. He would absorb sin into himself, and destroy it. Through his death he would free us from sin's consequence, and from sin's power over us. Through his resurrection, he would raise us to a new life. He would give us his own life. He would restore us from the inside out. “God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun” (Romans 8:29-30 The Message). The way he did that was to include you in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You have been raised with him to a new life (see Romans 5:10-18, and 6:4-11). His resurrection is your resurrection. There’s a prayer we pray to help us enter into the Life of God, receive the life he has for us through the resurrection of Christ. You’ll find a copy of it at "Tell Me More" (www.ransomedheart.com/tellmemore).