Risen Lord

…“The Lord is risen indeed…” 

(Luke 24:34, NKJV)

Easter Sunday as observed in the Christian family is a time for celebration, it is the time that we parade the reason for our faith.  We cheerfully greet each other with the words “Christ is risen” and the response “He is risen indeed”.   As we acknowledge this as the reality of our faith, we are reminded that we have not believed in vain, but that what Christ had said when He was on earth was all true.  When the Jews asked Jesus to give them a sign, He told them that He would destroy the temple and in three days raise it up again (John 2:18-19).  To the listeners, this was unrealistic, arguing that it took forty-six years to build the temple and there is no way it could be rebuilt in three days.  This was mind-boggling given the natural abilities as we know, and listeners failed to understand that Jesus was referring to His death and resurrection (John 2:22).

Resurrection of our Lord was an affirmation of His work on earth, a seal of His redemptive work in those who believe in Him.  We use the present tense “Christ is risen” from the awareness that this is a continuous declaration of the victory that we got on the cross.  In this we speak the power of resurrection and Paul reminds us that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead still lives in us too (Romans 8:11).  The question by Paul in this verse provokes us to think of how we live.  Beloved, I am challenging you even as I challenge myself. It is one thing to declare that our Lord is risen and dwells in power, while we ourselves live defeated lives.  Many times we speak of the miracles that Jesus did and they are great, yet we behave like we do not believe God can do the same today. A quick example is the faith for healing, Jesus healed all who went to Him, the power of healing was also manifested in His disciples as they preached the gospel.  We read of John and Peter healing a lame man as they went for prayers (Acts 3).  The power they used is the name of Jesus.  James also tells us to lay hands on the sick and they will be healed by the prayer of faith (James 5:14-16).  Question is, are we doing this by faith and seeing results or are we doubtful that people would get healed?  James reminds us that a doubtful man will not get results (James 1:7-8).  Faith and doubt do not work together.

Beloved, today I am calling us to think of how we live our faith.  We cannot continue to live defeated lives, where the law of sin has power over us.  We are called to turn a page as we look at our risen Lord and live in the power that He manifested.  We are called to do what He did on this earth and Jesus Himself tells us that by having faith in Him, we shall do greater things than He did (John 14:12).  May we be those who exercise their faith and power in the God who not only owns all that there is, but also who has called us His own.  May we be people who ask of the Lord for the wisdom and revelation that we need so that we can live in the power of Christ’s resurrection.

Thoughts:

How victorious is my walk of faith?

In what areas have I failed to live in victory?

What will I need to do to manifest the power of the risen Lord?