Devoted to sharing the Word of God - in uplifting, informative and encouraging posts.
" It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63

Sunday, 9 April 2023

Happy News day = Resurrection Day!

 Well, YESS! today is a day of great rejoicing as my title shares. 

Today is Resurrection Day!

Can you imagine the depth of their sorrow among the women and disciples upon the first day of that week so long ago? 
They thought all was lost - Jesus dead upon the cross of Cavalry, then buried in stone tomb.
 
BUT INSTEAD - their grief would roll away as surely as that giant stone did at the tomb's door!
Sorrow - turned to joy!
 This is picture for our troubles today - tell them ALL to Jesus.
 
 He is the Burden Bearer, He will uphold us in our every care!
"Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
And they remembered his words," Luke 24:1-8 (emphases mine)                               .

The STONE rolled away - what was unseen in the purpose of the cross is now seen! The same with our burden today - one glorious day the purpose of these trials will be revealed and as it says in 1 Cor 4:5 ".. every man shall have praise of God."  🙏💙🙏  What a day to look forward too, dear ones!
   
 I think this image of an empty tomb encapsulates Resurrection Day.  
The work of the cross  - the death, burial and resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ, the Son of God our sin-bearer on the cruel tree.

May our Father God help us to walk every single day in the glory of resurrection day!
Satan is the defeated foe, for evermore the victory is in Jesus, as we rest and trust in Him alone! 
This hymn came to mind, I serve a Risen Saviour... may it bless your heart as it did mine.
I serve a Risen Saviour by A J Ackley
I serve a risen Saviour, He's in the world today;
I know that He is living, whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him, He's always near.

Refrain:
He lives, He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart!


2 In all the world around me I see His loving care;
And tho' my heart grows weary, I never will despair.
I know that He is leading thro' all the stormy blast;
The day of His appearing will come at last. [Refrain]
 
3 Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King!
The Hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find,
None other is so loving, so good and kind. [Refrain]

To Him alone be all the glory, honour and praise, with much thanksgiving for Resurrection day!
Shaz in Oz.x

Hymn sung below by Mennonite Youth choir. (link here if missing)

 
 PS.A special shout out for a very dear blogging  sister - Diane Ronzino of Hadarah - link here. Diane has issues in that her latest posts aren't showing on my sidebar feed - but locked on one from two years ago.
I've thought she wasn't posting. 
But she is, and it's invisibly for some time as she says none comment so I'm thinking others may have the same issue in finding her.
If you've followed her, please go give her some love. I will chat next week with her, hopefully, and see if we can fix it - I've a couple of ideas.  Praying one works, please LORD.
 

PPS. If you haven’t I'd love it you to join as a wonderful encourager of this blog ...  link HERE.  Thank YOU to those who have done so already. It really encourages me to keep on. 😁

If you'd like these posts in your inbox, you can add your email to email link option on side bar. If you're on a mobile device on which there is no sidebar, then scroll down and select "View Web Version" at very bottom of post. This will bring up sidebar and "follow by email" link, which is on the top of sidebar. 😊 thank you! 

Friday, 7 April 2023

God's Goodness on Good Friday

 Hullo there everyone! sorry for the very long silence, health is the usual reason. Since today is one of the most important days of the year, I had to pop in with this post.

  This is an April Illuminated calendar for 2014, from the Hong Kong Christian Book Room. They sadly don't make them any more, but I learnt from their book how to do my texts (see - here it is) is written by the founder of this Book Room. 
 
Isn't it a beautiful verse? 
It is the true reflection of what occurred on Good Friday all those years ago. On a rocky hillside, in sorrow and pain, a young Man shed His blood on a cross - a shameful, sinful death.
WHY?
Years ago (over 50) I well remember my sister's teacher asking me on a hillside (here near the beach) if I knew why Jesus had died? 
I said, " No."
.. and so she told me He had died for my sin, and the sins of everyone. 
Now I was a child.. and you may wonder - how a child can have sinned?
.. but believe you me, there was not argument at all from me on that point.
I knew I had done wrong.. and that was sin.. but that Jesus had died to take away my sin totally blew me away. 
That memorable day, when I saw Jesus on the cross for my sin, has lived evermore for me in these words of this hymn. (or see link here)

                                      There Is A Green Hill Far Away
                        There is a green hill far away, without a city wall,
                        Where the dear LORD was crucified, Who died to save us all.

                        We may not know, we cannot tell what pains He had to bear,
                        But we believe it was for us He hung & suffered there.  

                        He died that we might be forgiven , He died to make us good,
                        That we might go at last to Heaven, saved by His precious blood.

                        There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin,
                        He only could unlock the gate of Heaven, and let us in.

                        Oh, dearly, dearly has He loved, & we must love Him too, 
                        And trust in His redeeming blood & try His works to do. 
By C.F. Alexander
 
Jesus is our Living Redeemer, Saviour and Friend.
Or He is LORD Jesus once I have believed on the LORD Jesus Christ as my Saviour. 
 
"God sent His Only Begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him."
1 John 4:9
This is why Good Friday is Good.
 
By faith in the LORD Jesus we have the certain hope of life for evermore with Him. 

The Easter story = The gift of His transforming love.
  Jesus' sacrifice brought us life.

There is sadness in the story. 
There is pain in the story. 
There is death. But there is more. 
The whole story includes the beauty of Easter. 
The triumph. 
The joy.
I would dearly love that all who read this might know or already KNOW that Beauty, Triumph, and Joy.. in Jesus.

I would like to close with a very early Illuminated text done in the early 1990's. 
(sorry, it is very poor "best-can-do" enhanced image - bad flare from old camera, etc. not digital.)
 The observant among you will realise it's the verse done on the header of my craft blog. 
It is also on the very first post I did on my blog, back here.
(I have done it four times now, three different colours, and one was duplicate of one on the header.
This, the original is the one and only one done in Aluminum leaf - very hard to work with but will not tarnish like silver leaf.)
 
May we all take time to ponder the importance of these words of the Lord Jesus.

"What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36
 
Zip, zero, zilch is the answer... 
The whole world will profit us nothing.
  YES, this is the whole key to Easter... 
Eternity... and what counts for eternity. 
May we live this truth.
 
Truth will help to keep a real perspective on life -  is it ETERNAL?
 
 May God richly bless you wherever you maybe and thank you SO much for poppng over and saying hi, I trust this blesses your heart!
Shaz in Oz.x

PS. If you haven’t I'd love it you to join as a wonderful encourager of this blog ...  link HERE.  Thank YOU to those who have done so already. It really encourages me to keep on. 😁

If you'd like these posts in your inbox, you can add your email to email link option on side bar. If you're on a mobile device on which there is no sidebar, then scroll down and select "View Web Version" at very bottom of post. This will bring up sidebar and "follow by email" link, which is on the top of sidebar. 😊 thank you!