He is Risen...

...He is risen indeed!  This is the typical New Testament greeting from one brother or sister to another.  What impact does that statement have in my life?  Does it really make a difference?  It all boils down to belief, and more than an intellectual assent but a deep-seated belief found in the inner recesses of my heart and soul.  I can claim a born-again experience, but is it evident in daily living?  Thoughts, behaviors, and actions will quickly tell how true this may be in my life.  As I see how life has turned out, am I still trying to wrest my will out of the Hands of God instead of allowing Him to have unfettered access to all that I am?  As you can see, there may be more questions than answers; however, that is where faith comes in.  Many of the heroes of the faith couldn't see the larger picture of the puzzle as the pieces were getting put into place during the course of life.  Soren Kierkegaard said it best, "Life is best understood backward but must be lived forward."  (Author's paraphrase.)  Ah, how true that is!  Sometimes I consider myself a modern-day Jacob as I continue to wrestle with Jesus.  Many times I beg and pray for Him to "touch my hip" in order that I may never walk the same again.  As I petition for this in my life, do I continue to resist or do I humbly surrender in love and faith?  I must daily, often moment by moment, give up any claim to the life I have been given so that Jesus may shine forth.  Most days I wallow in resentments and bitterness, but I realize this is not the life yours truly has been called to live.  At the end of my life, will it look like the masterpiece or symphony God could have made it, or am I still fellowshipping with the swine in the pen sty?  By that time, it will probably be too late.  As I reflect on Easter and the new beginnings it brings, the choice is mine.  Living the Christian life is hard work, especially in a fallen world that is getting worse by the day.  Thankfully I have been given a Helper in the person of the Holy Spirit.  I pray God will give me pause to reflect before I think, speak, and act.  He is risen...He is risen indeed!  May I live out this fact inwardly and, as a result, the outward "man" will take care of itself.  I believe it was the Gospel of Matthew which states, "From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks!"  (Again, author's paraphrase.)  Happy Easter!