Mark 16:9-11 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
Imagine the excitement that must have filled Mary's heart when she saw Jesus alive again! The excitement she must have felt as she shared the good news that she had just seen Jesus! Imagine the disappointment she must have experienced when the disciples, who walked with Jesus, responded with unbelief. Sadly, this is what happens to many of us. We have excitement when we first encounter Jesus in our lives, but soon thereafter get discouraged because of the rejection we feel when others do not believe as we do. We experience disappointment when we encounter other Christians who do not seem as excited about the fact that Jesus rose again and has given us eternal life, when we believed and called upon His Name. On this day we celebrate the foundation of our faith...Resurrection Day! A day we observe as the day that Jesus defeated death and the grave! A day when we, who have trusted in the finished work of Jesus, celebrate our victory over the grave and the fear of death, in Christ Jesus! Will we allow the unbelief of others to discourage us from carrying out our mission? Will we allow the unbelievers and mockers to silence us, or will we use this day as an opportunity to proclaim the Good News that Jesus lives! He has risen, and He is alive! He sits at the right hand of the Father and offers eternal life to all who believe! How can we keep such a precious and awesome truth to ourselves! Let us not just gather together as our way of celebrating. Instead, let us gather together, praise God for such a wonderful gift; but then, let us go out and find someone to tell, and let us not be discouraged by those who do not believe. The more people we tell, the better our odds of reaching that one person who just might believe.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
No comments:
Post a Comment