Easter Thoughts

This past week had been a very discouraging one for me. My devotional life had been lacking and I felt like I was being defeated in every area of my life. God really used both of the messages, and a really good talk with a friend, at church yesterday to encourage me. They were exactly what I needed to hear. In the sunday morning service Dr. Palmeri was telling us about the people in Jerusalem singing and praising God simply because all the crowd was doing it. They were caught up in the emotion of it. Yet when the tough times came,(the times to stand up for Christ) those very ones who had been praising Christ, were the ones who were shouting "Crucify Him!" Those people had never had a fervent love for their King and they wilted and gave up when the hardships came. God used that message to really work in my heart and convict me about not giving up. I don't want to be one of those people who talks the talk but doesn't actually walk the walk. I don't want to wilt when I am being attacked or when the hard times come. And I was reminded this morning, through several things in my devotions, that with God'ds help...I don't have to! First off Rand Hummel said something that I thought was really interesting. "The same wind that can blow out a weak flame, can fan a strong fire." By God's strength, we can either let God's trials defeat us or draw us closer to Him. And then secondly Rand pointed out Matthew 7:24-25 "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." VERY encouraging verses! Then in the evening service, on Sunday, Phil Owens was talking about the servants who gave themselves over to their masters to be servants for the rest of their lives! (I still don't get why they would want to do that! ;) And they did it willingly! He was comparing this to Christ having given His life over for us. And He did it willingly. He did it out of love for us. And then when Phil Owens was describing the Calvary scene I felt really overwhelmed by the love of God. What I really realized (for the first time ever I think) was that God totally forsook His Son on the cross. I know how awful, lonely and miserable it feels when I get out of my relationship with God, because of my own sin, but I also always know that whenever I am ready to turn back to God, He is always there, with open arms, to welcome me back. God forsook His own Son, because of our sin, and there was nothing Christ could do to gain that relationship back until He had conquered death. Wow! Talk about pain and misery! We serve a loving and merciful God and this week especially I want to spend a lot of time thanking Him for His death, burial AND ressurection! God is so faithful and hasn't ever once forsaken me.

Well, I gotta run finish packing before heading off to South Carolina. Please be in prayer this week for Renee's surgery and for me to really be an encouragement to her and Jon. THANKS!

In Awe of Him,
Chrystal