He Has Risen, Indeed!
April 8, 2012 Bible Reading
Deuteronomy 32:10-52
Luke 12:35-59
Psalms 78:46-58
Proverbs 12:24
Happy Easter
Enjoy this day the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it. For He has risen…
He has risen indeed!
I started Easter with a little tradition of my own. I like to watch the sunrise on Easter Morning. Listening to the Word this morning, I noticed a few things that “tied” the passages from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs together. It’s pretty cool how God can speak to you through his Word about what is going on in your life right now.
Old Testament
First, in the Old Testament he says:
It is mine to avenge; I will repay.
In due time their foot will slip;
their day of disaster is near
and their doom rushes upon them.” The Lord will vindicate his people
and relent concerning his servants
when he sees their strength is gone
and no one is left, slave or free. (Deuteronomy 32:35, 36 NIV)
That makes me think about Jesus and what He came to do during this Holy Week. It makes me think He is talking about those in Hell that He went to take His keys from and those He led out of hell after He conquered death, hell, and the grave.
In Luke Jesus Says:
“Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” (Luke 12:57-59 NIV)
This passage is about forgiveness. Jesus is telling us to settle matters on our own with forgiveness as He modeled with Easter. If you are held back by un-forgiveness then you are held back. You cannot be truly free to experience the life God gave you if you are anchored to an incident in your life that has spurned un-forgiveness. He is telling us to go to each other and settle these matters.
Cancel the petty debts for sure. Are you fussing back and forth? Are the “little things” on your nerves with someone? Do you want let those things keep you from freedom? Settle the petty things first, work on the big things, and be ready. That’s what I feel like the Lord is saying to me today.
Isn’t that exactly what Jesus did for us with Easter?… Canceled our debts of sin.
Psalms
Then in Psalms the Lord brings me back to a vision of his ascension. Remember, Psalms was written hundreds of years before Jesus’ ascension.
But he brought his people out like a flock;
he led them like sheep through the wilderness. (Psalm 78:52 NIV)
Proverbs
The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute. (Proverbs 12:24 KJV)
Be diligent in your work of forgiveness. That’s what I’m getting… After all, Easter is about forgiveness, right?