“He is not here: for He is Risen, as He said.”

 First of all, thanks to all who care enough to pop over  and say Hi. Things are very topsy turvy health wise this past month and look like being that way for a while. Sorry I won't perhaps be as active at returning comments.

  

Dear Ones, well today is a day of great rejoicing as my title shares.

Can you imagine the great sorrow of the women and disciples upon the first day of the week? 

They thought all was lost - Jesus was dead upon the cross of Cavalry, and buried in a stone tomb!

 "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. 

² And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
³ And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
⁴ And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
⁵ 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?
⁶ He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
⁷ Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
⁸ And they remembered his words," Luke 24:1-8 (emphases mine)

I think this image of an empty tomb encapsulates 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 at Calvary - there the LORD Jesus died for you and me!
How rich we are in Jesus if we truly know Him as our own Saviour from sin and love and serve Him.. 
A hymn came to mind as I think upon today, Resurrection Sunday, and as verse 2 says the day of Hus appearing will come at last - one glorious day He’s coming back again! for He promised (John 14: 1-6)! I so look forward to His coming AGAIN!

 It is 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 not showing 

Why is Good Friday Good?

Hullo there everyone! 

Hanging on my bedroom wall is a printed Illuminated text. A lot of my texts are similar to it as  is the book I learnt from see - here it is. 

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 and I were on a beach hillside near where I live now, and she asked 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.

 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

 

Link here to video or see below

 

Jesus is our Living Redeemer, Saviour and Friend - if we have sought salvation in Him, the Lord Jesus.

"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 Him we have the certain hope of life forevermore with Him. 

For more see here - Who or What is a Christian? or see sidebar.

The Easter story. The gift of His transforming love. The reminder of what Jesus has done for us.

His sacrifice brought us life.

Taken from a Dayspring e-card

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 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 craft blog, back here, better photo there too of different one.

(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, as He speaks to each of us - it will help to keep life with a real perspective. 

"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.

This is the whole key to Easter... Eternity... and what counts for eternity. 
May we live this truth.

 May God richly bless you wherever you maybe and thank you SO much for  making my day - being real encouragers!
Shaz in Oz.x

 

Personal update:

This post was originally done here here on my other blog, I'm not well so I'm not up to writing new posts at the moment. When I am quiet that is the usual reason. 

 

 However when we look at what Jesus suffered for us at Calvary, none of our suffering, though severe at times, can compare to those moments when (in the garden of Gethsemane) Jesus "sweated as it were great drops of blood, saying, "If it were possible ley this cup pass from me, nevertheless not My will but Thine be done." 

 

AND when Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, WHY hast Thou forsaken Me". 

 

It was at that moment our sins were on Jesus on the cross, and God the Father turned His back on God the Son. 

Depths of spiritual and physical suffering none but Jesus know.(see Isaiah 53 for prophecy of all this)

All for us!