April 1, 2013
“What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven — and the future starts now!” 1 Peter 1:3-4 The Message
We’ve never recovered from what happened two-thousand years ago: Jesus walked out of his grave. You were never supposed to recover. (That’s the great secret to tell the world!) No one who trusts in The Crucified One is supposed to recover. He made your life brand-new. He still makes brand-new lives. You’ve been given a resurrection life through Christ. Everything about you is different. You have to learn how to live this new Life-in-Christ. It’s not meant to be lived privately .. tucked away .. conforming to everyone’s definition. This Jesus is out in the open .. alive .. making life where there was death. And for many men and women, death is just about going through the motions .. trying to hold on .. trying not to fail .. trying .. trying .. trying .. trying right into death. The world you step into today may not want to recognize what is “new” about you. That’s okay. It’s not up to you to convince them. You been given a new life. Christ is your life. He’s opening doors and rooms inside of you, maybe for the first time, and maybe it’s just the right time. He’s inviting you to quit worrying .. quit fighting .. quit facing today out of fear .. quit faking life and start learning to love His Risen Life in you. You don’t have to keep breathing all that stale past. It’s time to breathe the future-present of Christ-in-you. You don’t have to have all the answers today. You can be sure that this world doesn’t want you to trust and depend on Jesus being faithful and true. What happened 2000 years ago hasn’t changed .. but .. a lot of lives have .. and yours is one of them. For Christ to lead you into this day … it only takes a moment …
“The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it down — each word dependable and accurate.” Revelation 21:5 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Risen Fools following The Nail-Scarred Fool and friends of Priority One (KchesterP1@gmail.com)
