The Easter weekend every year is always a powerful time to remember Jesus, His cross, death and resurrection.
But it seems like at this time of world-wide lock-down, fear and uncertainty that this moment couldn’t have come at a more vital and needed time. In the midst of all our normal sources of security failing us and leaving us in states of depression, disillusionment and doubt, our hearts and the world at large are desperately searching for something that will never fail us.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” Ephesians.1:7
IN HIM
In our seemingly never-ending pursuit of enlightenment, better yourself principles and spiritual highs, we have come up empty handed and unsatisfied. But this profound one verse of scripture above offers us a very different perspective. It starts with Jesus, ends with his grace and in the middle linking the two, is His blood. Maybe the first thing we need to take great note of is that it doesn’t begin with your sin or your effort! It does not say, “IN YOU” or “IN CHURCH” or “IN YOUR GOOD WORKS.”
What the Corona Virus and it’s far-reaching economic, political and health effects have shown humanity is that we are not “the captains of our souls and destinies” that we first thought we were. And as this scripture starts to reveal to us, maybe the greatest gift for us now is to actually be set free from ourselves, and to realize that we can’t do it!
Because until we know how enslaved we were, we won’t know how free we are.
For way too long we have been inebriated, drunk and intoxicated on our own false sense of goodness and the temptation is to cover up our short-comings and weaknesses, mask our fears and insecurities with just trying harder (works) or just giving in to our flesh (sin).
Often life can feel like the moments when a child is tasked to tidy their room, and after surveying the toys, books, dolls and miniature race tracks strewn everywhere, the kid tries to squash and squeeze all of them into a cupboard. We can all picture the scene. The parent coming to check up on the progress only to find the child huffing and puffing, putting their full weight on a heaving cupboard door that is just moments from exploding outwards.
Again I’ll say it, life often feels this way, no more so than at this particular time and period of our existence. The seemingly endless demands of bills to pay, kids to be home-schooled, relationships to be maintained, businesses to be run, social distancing to be adhered to, all on top of the relentless wave of fear, guilt, anxiety and discouragement that the enemy hurls at us, makes our lives feel like we are just only managing to hold it all together and that we may be just moments from the whole proverbial pack of cards coming tumbling down!
At this time, all of heaven is longing for you and I to be set free from the exhausting treadmill of trying to prop up our own stories and futures.
Our lives are still determined by Him! Not by trends, forecasts, news reports, governments, economics, humanity’s frailties or the best efforts of man, but totally and utterly “in Him!”
This Easter, step off the never-ending tread-mill, and step into Him.
Blog written by Gabe Phillips
Gabe and Fiona lead the Life Changers Milnerton and City congregations