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Editor’s note: This post originally published March 31, 2018.
After Jesus died on the cross and was buried, before Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples were hiding out of fear they might meet the same fate. All they knew was that Jesus was gone. They had yet to experience his resurrection. This was a period of fear and doubt, the time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
To live without salvation through Christ is to be caught between Good Friday and Easter morning. It is an eternal darkness without the hope offered by the resurrection of Christ. It is a place of constant night with only the fading light of a man-made lamp to illuminate the way. It is a state of hopelessness without any chance of salvation from sin. Yet because of God’s love for us we do not have to remain trapped between Good Friday and Easter.
Salvation is ours through faith in Christ. This Easter embrace the hope of the resurrection. Leave behind doubt and disbelief and run with Peter to see the strips of linen lying in the empty tomb (Luke 24:12). Share the joy of the women who saw the risen Lord and ran to tell the disciples (Matt. 28:8). 1 Peter 1:8-9 tells us, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls (NIV).”
My prayer is that the dawn of this Easter morning will dissipate the darkness of night with the radiant light of the risen Lord. May we express the joy of our salvation with the proclamation, “He has risen!”
© 2018 CGThelen
The material wrapped around me, clinging tighter with each twist. I felt restrained by the world, restricted to my old self. But praise God that he gave me Christ Jesus, that he saw fit to save me. The old cloth of death has been removed and left in the tomb. I have been raised into a new life in Christ. My sin no longer weighs me down; no longer conceals me in the tomb.
I praise you Lord Jesus that you rolled back the stone, that you set us free with your death and resurrection. Thank you for bearing the burden of our sin so we can have eternal life. Praise God for his love and grace, that he sacrificed his son for us. Praise God for the blessing of Easter morning — for the empty tomb where the burial cloths of death were left behind. Praise God that we too can leave behind the burial cloth of certain death and have new life in Christ Jesus.
“Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.” – John 20:6-7 (NIV)
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” – Romans 6:4
© 2019 CGThelen
At the bedside, in the hospital we wait. Tubes and monitors hooked up to our loved ones, we wait for good news. We wait on God to bring healing; from the depths of our sorrow, we cry out to God for healing. Yet all we can do is wait; wait for the broken and ravished body to heal.
While doctors monitor our loved ones as they lay in the hospital bed, God monitors us; he knows our pain, our suffering, our sorrow. His one and only son Jesus was crucified, willingly sacrificed so that he could redeem us; so that we can be saved from the grip of sin and death.
We wait at the bedside of our ailing loved ones. We feel the pain of watching them suffer. We may even cry out, “God, why have you abandoned me?” But God is there. He is always there right by our side. Reach out to him and take his hand. Find strength and comfort in the one who knows your pain, the one who created you.
Dear God fill us with your hope, your strength, your peace. As we worry about the unknown, the future, may we find comfort in you. May those this day who are waiting at the bedside of ailing loved ones feel your peace surround them. May they know that God knows their pain. May they feel the hand of Christ Jesus upon them, the one who knows suffering and pain. May they find rest as they keep vigil over their loved ones day after day. In Jesus name we pray.
If you desire, share your joys and concerns in a comment so we can lift them to God in prayer.
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NIV)
© 2019 CGThelen
The pain is deep
It eats at my soul
My heart stiffens
I ache for relief
My body tightens
Muscles tense
Tendons strain
I can’t move
My brain swells
Turbulence within
Emotions swirl
A whirlwind inside
Tears well up
Eyes close
Salt water streams
Touch my lips
Body crumples
Folding in half
Whimpers break
The silent room
Darkened window
Broken shade
Beam of light
Upon the floor
Tear drops glisten
Reflecting light
Sparkles of hope
Deep in my soul
“I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.” – Psalm 6:6
“Why, my soul, are you downcast?Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” – Psalm 42:5
© 2019 CGThelen
I sat on the floor with my back against the wall in the dark room. It seemed opposition surrounded me on all sides. I only wanted to share the joy I felt, the peace in Christ that I was so generously given. I did not anticipate such hatred of such good news. Who would turn away from eternal hope? It was discouraging to me.
I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold on. “Stand firm.” His words echoed in my mind. “Hold fast to the teachings.” I knew I was called to this. I remembered the Spirit of God coming alive in my heart: my parched soul was quenched. It was humbling to think we could share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. I only wanted others to share in this glory.
“Hey,” my brother in Christ said as he entered the dark room illuminated by a lamp. “There you are.” He sat down next to me and placed the lamp on the floor between us. “What are you doing here? You look so worried.”
“I’m discouraged,” I replied. “It seems pointless to try to tell people about Jesus.”
I watched him smile as he pulled out the letter and opened it. “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself…,” he read. “… and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”
Paul’s words stirred my heart. I smiled and nodded.
“Remember where our strength, our encouragement comes from,” my brother in Christ reminded me.
#WednesdayWalk through the Bible. What unknown people experienced in the Bible, based on 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17.
© 2019 CGThelen
The day dawns
Fear rises from the east
Daylight emerges
Overtaking the darkness
The day is ahead
Yet I hesitate to enter it
Anxious thoughts
About a future yet to be
Sunlight spreads
Moving across the floor
Cold feet
Immovable as I grip the chair
Sunbeam advances
Warmth touches my toe
Distressed thoughts
Released as light moves along
Nervous body
Calmed as sunlight blankets me
Joyous praise
As the Lord Jesus takes my fear
New resolve
I rise and step into the day
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”
⁃2 Thessalonians 3:16
© 2019 CGThelen
The alarm pulls me out of a deep sleep. I drag myself out of bed. I am disoriented as I slowly awaken. My brain starts to engage, as the day’s schedule slowly comes into view. I hesitate, seating myself down before I am overwhelmed by another packed day; before God is crowded out of my day; before I leave Jesus at home. Psalm 143:8 emerges from my thoughts. I whisper the passage to myself as I close my eyes:
“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life (NIV).”
© 2019 CGThelen
Where can we find joy in life, true joy that lasts? Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 1:6 that even though the Thessalonians suffered, they had “joy given by the Holy Spirit (NIV).” This joy was born out of their embrace of the gospel not just as words, “but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction (verse 5).”
Because of their devotion to Jesus Christ, The Thessalonians were motivated not by human desires, but a desire to serve Christ. Paul wrote that it was evident their “work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Faith, love and hope in Christ motivated their actions.
The Thessalonians found true joy in serving Christ despite hardships and trials. They did not do things grudgingly or because of guilt. Paul wrote how word spread throughout the region about how they “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God (verse 9).” People knew their faith was real, that they held eternal truths, not words based on idle human wisdom. May we realize our joy in the Lord. May it motivate all we do so others will see the living God in us.
© 2019 CGThelen
I recently thought about the people in my life who mentored me in the early years of my Christian faith. I am thankful for their patience and interest in me. I was immature in my understanding and perhaps a bit too zealous, yet they poured into my life and encouraged me to go deeper in my relationship with Jesus.
I recall how a dear friend of mine opened my eyes to the concept of a personal relationship with Jesus. It changed my life. I remember how years ago our pastor encouraged me to preach a sermon while he sat in the pew and listened. “I’m can’t do that,” I objected. He smiled and told me, “I love it when people get up from the pews and do things the pastor usually does while I’m sitting in the pew.”
When I read 1 Thessalonians 3:7-9 I think of these people in my life. Some are still dear friends and others have moved on to other places and ministries to mentor others in the faith. At times we have encouraged one another as we faced struggles in life. Like Paul, I am so thankful for the faithful Christians God has placed in my life. I can’t thank them enough for the joy in Christ Jesus they have given me. It is a joy I now share as I watch other people in my life grow in their faith.
Who are the mentors in your life who have given you the joy of the Lord? Who are the people you are currently mentoring who bring you joy? If you are so inclined, share those experiences in a comment. Thank you for reading and the joy you bring me through your interaction on this blog. May you continue to experience the joy of the Lord.
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you.” – 1 Thessalonians 3:7-9 (NIV)
© 2019 CGThelen
David had it in his heart to build a dwelling place for God. Psalm 132:3-5 expresses this desire:
“I will not enter my house or go to my bed, I will allow no sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob (NIV).”
Yet David never built the temple. God left that task to David’s son Solomon. It reminded me of the deep desire I have to build a temple for the Lord within the people I know who have not accepted Christ Jesus.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:16: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst.” I want them to experience the joy of the Lord; to experience the peace that comes from the Spirit of God dwelling within. Yet like David, sometimes God tells me “no,” that someone else will build it and I will not see it in my lifetime.
That does not stop me from praying for the people God places in my life. I continue to try to sow seeds, praying at some point they will sprout and grow with deep roots, yielding “a crop, a hundred times more than was sown (Luke 8:8);” hoping they will build a dwelling place for the Spirit of God within their heart.
“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 3:10-11
© 2019 CGThelen
