Easter, everyday!

We act today in ways, consciously and unconsciously, to own our dreams and avoid our nightmares! That is why it is so important to plant the right seeds of truth in the soil from which our dreams grow.

For example, if I believe that I need a lot of money to be happy, my aim will be to create wealth.
If I believe that success is defined by ownership, I will increase my pile of possessions.
If I believe that 'clothes make the man' I will make certain to buy prestige labels.

People do amazing things in attempts to make their dreams come true! Disciple, what do you dream? Think your dreams just happen? Ah, you’re mistaken. You can create vision! How? Know the Truth. Let the Word of God fill your mind. Invite the Spirit to keep a conversation going with you.

Two days ago, Christians ‘round the world declared -"He is Risen!" Those can be the most transformative words ever spoken if …. if we really believe. John ran with Peter to the Tomb, saw the empty grave clothes and believed. Peter was there, too, but he went back to Galilee to take up fishing again, not really believing until He met the Master on the beach by a fire. Thomas scoffed when some of the disciples told him, 'we have seen the Lord!' But days later he was with them when the Risen Lord appeared and said to him, "Touch my scars; see and believe!" Those men were radically changed by what they believed, traveled far and wide telling the Story. The world was changed by their message. That’s not hyperbole, exaggeration, or a sales pitch.

"He is Risen!" Will you translate those words into action by how you live today?

What we do today will show if we really believe the words. Paul's summation of the truth of the Resurrection of Christ insists that it is the keystone of our faith.
"And if Christ weren't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever." (1 Corinthians 15:17, The Message)
"There is a nice symmetry in this: Death initially came by a man, and resurrection from death came by a man. Everybody dies in Adam; everybody comes alive in Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:21-22, The Message)
So, "with all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort." (1 Corinthians 15:58, The Message) When that Truth owns your heart and mind, it’s Easter, everyday. Every decision is made in light of eternal life, not simply just as a means of surviving this day. Large vision and great dreams are born out of the truth that Christ lives and we live in Him.

Don't let the daily grind of life rob you of the amazing truth of Jesus' Resurrection. When you’re confronted with anger, fear, cruelty, or apathy think about the amazing fact that Christ triumphed over it all, that because He is alive you are a eternal being, a person of destiny. Soak your mind in the testimony of the Scripture and invite the Spirit to make the proclamation that Jesus lives a fact you own for yourself.

"He lives! He lives!
Christ Jesus lives today.
He walks with me,
and talks with me,
along life's narrow way.
He lives! He lives!
Salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart!

- Alfred Ackley, public domain