New Life

In Pennsylvania, each season is so distinct.  Hot sun and lots of fun in the summer, beautiful gold and crimson leaves in the fall, cold snow and ice during the winter, and finally comes the fresh color and fragrance of spring.  I started running last summer so I've officially now run through all of nature's seasonal elements.  Today, I am going to focus on spring.

As I was approaching the top of a hill during an early morning run last week, I noticed the beauty of the new life that sprouts up each spring in a way I never had before.  There were tiny blades of grass and weeds pushing their way up through the weight of the old heavy wet leaves left behind from last year.  Overlooking a large field and forest, the hilltop was breathtaking, as varying shades of bright green began to grow.  Even the WEEDS displayed beauty to me that day.

God spoke to me that morning through all the tiny bright green buds and blades about newness of life.  Nature rests each year as it lies dormant through the bitter cold winter and each spring it gets the opportunity to start over with a new life.  My thought was, how fortunate are we that we do not have to go through the same annual cycle?!?!
(As always, God's timing is perfect!  He inspired this blog post as Easter was approaching.)
Chist died once for us so that we may walk in newness of life with Him forever.  Meaning, because of his great sacrifice on the cross, we only have to die to our sins once in order to live in his glory forever.
Really!  How ridiculously amazing is it that He died for US...washing away ALL of our sins (no matter how big or small in our eyes) with His blood shed on the cross so that we can start over!!!  Seriously, I cannot even conceptualize that kind of love!

Romans 5:8  "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

We are a world of sinners, and yet despite that, He still gave His life for us anyway!
Does that make us lucky?  No, that makes us blessed!

Now, think of yourself as a weed...if winter never came.  When you accept Jesus Christ into your life, the seed is planted in your heart.  God's word and love is like your sun and water.  When you spend time in it, you start to grow and your growth is directly proportional to how much time and effort you put into soaking up these vital elements necessary to support this new life.

If you are a weed in my garden, you are likely to get pulled out and cut back from time to time, and if I get really mad at your growth, I'll use chemicals.  That would be the world/devil trying to tear you down and rip this new life away from you.  Anyone that's pulled weeds knows how hard it is to get the root out.  In my gardens, the roots always remain and two weeks later, I'm pulling the same weed.  When you root yourself in Jesus, you are rooting yourself forever, like my weeds.  No matter how often the enemy tries to destroy you, Jesus will always be there to build you back up and/or forgive you.

By the end of summer, my weeds always win.  Eventually, I get tired of trying...they have won victory over me.  You can be that victorious weed, growing taller and stronger, rooting yourself deeper and deeper in your relationship with Christ until nothing can tear you down.

There's a song that I want to share with you.  It is a very special song for me.  My husband and I were privileged to be used by God one fall to help bring a teenager to Christ.  When we entered worship after, this song was being sang by a room full of teenagers.  To me, it signifies the moment Christ won victory over a special young life!  There is no greater feeling as a youth leader!

The lyrics (and I'll try to attach the actual song- please listen!!)
Hallelujah, You have won the victory
Hallelujah, You have won it all for me

Death could not hold you down
You are the risen king
Seated in majesty
You are the risen king

Hallelujah, You have won the victory
Hallelujah, You have won it all for me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkAREE-h2Dc&feature=related

It is my prayer that this Easter we can all take a step back from our busy lives and remember what an exponentially amazing sacrifice was made on our behalf so that we can live forgiven of our sins...dwelling in his love and mercy forever.

Ephesians 3:17b-19
"...I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, 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."