II Corinthians 4:5-7
"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."
April 19th
"The Lord is risen indeed...." Luke 24:34
UNDOUBTEDLY as beautiful an account as ever written of a gloriously thrilling event IS THE REPORTING OF THE RESURRECTION.
WELL have word masters plied their art for centuries, yet today Christendom is more lukewarm than ever! No doubt every reader has heard masterful orations about Easter, BUT HAVE SUCH TRANSFORMED YOUR LIFE? "Ah," said she on returning, "the service was so BEAUTIFUL!" He: "What did he have for the flock?"... (An awkward silence.) "He spoke about the resurrection: really, it was beautiful – but don't ask me what he said"! SUCH are the orations of our day: BEAUTIFUL words of little value and almost empty....
"HE IS RISEN" – swells the chorus, but HAS HE ARISEN WITHIN YOUR HEART? Do YOU glory in the glamour of an EVENT, yet do you have the "Old Man" guarded in your heart? Do you rejoice in the risen LORD OF LIFE yet live subserviently to the Prince of DEATH? How blessedly sweet is BEAUTY, but who wants her around when dead? The resurrection master-drama – no matter how beautifully told IS DEAD – unless within the human heart CHRIST BE RISEN TO REIGN TRIUMPHANTLY!
EASTER is our spring of the year when nature erupts into a profusion of LIFE and color-beauty to bear fruit in season. THUS MUST THE RESURRECTION INTO A NEW LIFE TAKE PLACE WITHIN YOUR SOUL. Otherwise, you are still in the DEATH of winter.
VICTORIOUS over death and TRIUMPHANT over the grave and the Dark Domain on resurrection morn He spoke first to humanity's grief-stricken SOUL (the symbolic meaning of "Mary") which would solicitously care for the DEAD, in grief at having lost the Lord of compassion YET BLIND TO THE RESURRECTION-GLORY BY HER SIDE.
"Touch Me not – but go and tell My brethren" (Jn. 20:17).God's Signature (continued tomorrow...)