He Is Risen! So What Does That Mean to You and Me?

These words from Hillsong United's song The Stand summarize the response of a heart touched by God's grace, 

"So what can I say, what can I do, 

but offer this heart, O God, 

completely to You."

When Jesus died on the cross, eternal life was made available to all. His sacrifice was perfect. His self-giving love unmatched. 2 Timothy 1:10 tells us that, on the cross, Jesus "destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." In 1 Corinthians 15:26, the apostle Paul calls death "the last enemy to be destroyed." What Jesus did for you and me on the cross impacts everything. His unequaled sacrifice deserves a response.

As I reflect on the depth of Christ's love,  Paul's prayer to the believers in Ephesus intrigues me,

"I pray that out of His glorious riches 

He may strengthen you with power 

through His Spirit in your inner being, 

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 

may have power, 

together with all the saints, 

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep 

is the love of Christ, 

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

(Ephesians 3:16-19)

According to Paul, we need power to grasp Christ's love for us! Perhaps he means that, if we grasped it fully, it would blow us away. We couldn't take it. If we could assimilate the magnitude of Christ's love, it would surpass every experience we've ever had and all the knowledge an eternity of books could hold.

Christ's love is a river of mercy and grace - precisely what we need most! Because of His sacrifice on that lonely cross two thousand years ago we can live free from the grip of sin and safe from the power of death. Christ's love is stronger than death itself. And His love endures. His love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). His love never ends (Psalm 106:1).

So what can I say to that? And what can I do? I can give Him this thankful heart - completely, surrendering all to the One who is trustworthy and good.

When I open my heart to Christ's river of mercy and grace - by the Spirit - His enduring love pours in like a flood. When I say yes, He moves in. Even death could not hold Him and, since He now lives in me, that means death cannot hold me. That means sin has lost its grip on me. That means I have a new life.

Indeed, when I say yes to Him, I am born again!

Jesus is risen! With Him and because of Him, we can rise and walk out of every grave unto new life. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Because of what He has done, I am a new creation! Alive. Made new. Loved.

And so are you.

He is Risen, that we may have life! Hallelujah!

May we all have a blessed and meaningful Easter celebrating our Savior and our Lord!
Dr Mari

For more Holy Week reflections, read What's So Good About Good Friday?

Truth for Today: Believe!

"He was in the world, 

and though the world was made through Him, 

the world did not recognize Him. 

He came to that which was His own, 

but His own did not receive Him. 

Yet to all who received Him, 

to those who believed in His name, 

He gave the right to become children of God — 

children born not of natural descent, 

nor of human decision or a husband’s will, 

but born of God." 

(John 1:10-13)

"Born of God," says John.

If it is possible to be born of God - a spiritual birth that follows our physical birth - I want that! I want to be made new.

What if, beyond their beauty, John's words are true? Beyond the poetry, what if this Gospel leads the way to Truth.

What if?

Believe!
Dr Mari

* For more Truth for Today, visit Introducing a New Segment and The Light of the World. I intentionally keep my reflections short, hoping that more time will be spent meditating on God's Word, which has power to heal souls and transform hearts.

Dr Mari's Health & Hope Corner (featured in Hope Matters)

Hope: An Anchor for the Soul

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. 
 Hebrews 6:19

One of my earliest journal entries as a teenager declares, “I don’t want to be a healer; I want to be a giver of hope.” Thirty years later, I am now a family physician. Although I love to help the sick and those in need, I recognize that I am not a healer. God is the healer who bestows upon us the knowledge, skills, and compassion to extend healing to others. I am, however, a giver of hope, and those of us in medicine who aren’t have missed the point of our calling. 

One of my favorite definitions of faith comes from Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Faith is confidence and assurance, not wishful thinking, and hope is a fruit of faith. In uncertainty, hope yells, “Believe!” and whispers, “You’re not alone.” It reminds us of possibilities we’ve not considered and equips the soul with pluck.

We can learn about hope and faith by observing trees. J.W. Von Goethe said it this way, “Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it.” I would add, “And then we see it.”  

I have discovered that the most powerful gift I possess is my faith - a storehouse of tangible hope. Over the years I have met countless people who have lost hope and, in the process, have lost their connection to their deepest desires, to God, and to others. What joy it brings to rekindle their faith and hope by sharing mine! Then I notice small buds begin to form on the branches of their hearts as joy returns, followed by the full blooms of Springtime. It’s as if they’ve come back to life. 

Hope restores purpose and vision to the soul. It is an anchor to the life within fueled by the Giver of life. When we share hope, we extend ourselves for the sake of others, helping them find greater purpose and meaning in the midst of their struggles. So plant seeds of hope in someone’s heart today, and watch for the harvest of healing, of joy, of life! 

Faithfully,
Dr Mari 

Dr. Mari's Health & Hope Corner is published monthly at Hope Matters.