It Is Finished

Three days.

That is how long the disciples waited; probably feeling disappointed, confused, and crushed. Their savior was gone, just like that. How could the one they saw heal lepers and restore vision to the blind be killed and buried, just like any other man? Can you imagine the thrill of walking beside Jesus everyday and then suddenly, nothing? I feel for those disciples, because I know something they didn’t yet know. I know about the Sunday. I know what happened three days later.

 I have never had to wonder if Jesus will stay dead. But I do know of a hopelessness that comes from a life of running from God. I do feel Peters pain as he must have imagined how Jesus could possibly forgive him after he had fallen so far.


John 20:1 “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.”

I love how Mary Magdalene gets up while it is still dark out and goes to be with Jesus. She saw him crucified, she expects a body to be in that tomb, and yet she just needs to be near her savior. Even buried, He is her hope.

It reminds me in John 6 when Jesus asks the disciples if they too would leave and Peter replies, “Lord to whom shall we go?”

Even with Him supposedly dead, they had nowhere to be but with Jesus.

“Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying…. At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” 
 

Mary stood weeping because her Lord’s body was gone, the last thing that she had left of Him. I love that though Jesus knew why Mary was weeping, He asked her how she was feeling and why.

Jesus’ relationship with Mary was intimate and He called her by name. Isn’t it so true that all He has to do is say our name and we KNOW that it is our Lord? I imagine His eyes tender, full of love and compassion as He says her name. In the same way, the Lord calls me by my full name, “Kaitlyn,” and I feel safe and loved. 

I can relate to Mary when Jesus tells her not to hold onto Him. After watching Jesus crucified and finally having Him before me, I would not have been able to restrain myself from throwing my arms around Him and weeping.

Mary’s hope has returned.

Your hope and my hope has returned.

The tomb was empty, Jesus is alive.

Jesus’ words three days earlier on the cross, “It is finished,” had proven true that morning.

Three little words that change everything.

 Because of Jesus’ death on the cross we are FREED from the penalty of our sins. We are not only freed from the penalty of our sins, we are also freed from the POWER of our sin. And because He rose again three days later, hopelessness is finished. Our guilt, our shame, it is finished.

Never again will we wait three days for our savior. He is here now. Death has been defeated. Chains and bondage and consequences of our sins and sins committed against us, THEY.ARE.FINISHED.

Jesus won us victory on the cross. How often do we not walk in that victory?

When He said, “It is finished,” He meant for you to drop all of the things you are trying to finish, to fix, and all of the ways you are trying to save yourself. Drop them all at the foot of the cross where He finished it for you. All of your burdens, everything you are carrying, they are finished. Lay them down. 

To swim to Jesus

Here’s a revelation I am being reminded of:

GOD DOESN’T JUST LOVE US ON OUR GOOD DAYS. Crazy right? Jesus doesn’t smile and pat us on the back on the days when we are patient and kind and honest and shake his head in disgust when we are bitter and inpatient and afraid.

Logically this makes perfect sense based on the all loving, kind father that we know God is. But sometimes I forget to live out this truth.

When I fail, after I repent and ask for forgiveness, I often hang my head in shame and refuse to meet my Father’s eyes. After a day my head slowly rises as I feel I have beaten myself up for a long enough time.

Letting our circumstances control our emotions is like being on a boat in a storm, with us bobbing up and down with every new trial.

It’s enough to make anyone a little seasick.

We NEED to be anchored in God’s truth. We have to be, there’s no other way.

And the truth? We are loved. God does not condemn us, he convicts us with the intent to quickly forgive and restore us. We need to be constantly aware of the father’s tender heart toward us.

One disciple who knew Jesus’ heart was Peter.

Peter denied Jesus not once but THREE times. There is no denying that he blew it big time. Peter promised that he would lay down his life for Jesus but instead he denied even knowing His savior.

So after the resurrection when Jesus called to the disciples Peter hid behind the others and averted his eyes in shame, right?

Nope. Instead, Peter jumped out of the boat into the cold water and swam all the way to Jesus. I imagine that a dripping wet Peter fell down at Jesus’ feet and threw his arms around him. Because Peter walked with Jesus and had seen firsthand how Jesus LOVES to forgive.

When we sin, when we fail and mess up and fail to measure up, that is when we must jump out of the boat and swim to Jesus. Don’t wait until the boat reaches shore, jump out and get to your savior as quickly as possible! The quicker you get yourself to Jesus, the quicker your reconciliation and redemption and cleansing can happen.

We don’t bring Jesus our good deeds and hope that they outweigh the bad. We bring Him a repentant heart that’s only longing is to be close to Him once more. I don’t want sin or shame to steal one single precious moment of intimacy with my Jesus.

I frequently find myself falling at Jesus’ feet and confessing my great desire to be reconciled to him.

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Like Peter, I too have walked with Jesus and I have seen His mighty hand working powerfully in my life. I have seen with my own two eyes the way that His gracious kindness is quick to forgive my stumbling little heart.

In my life I have seen Him as one who breaks chains. I have seen Him as one who heals. One who redeems. One who restores. One who loves. There is no one who will love you more or better than Jesus. His love brings freedom and wholeness. God is ALWAYS good and we are ALWAYS loved.

 

Romans 8:37-39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Christmas: Love came down

I'll admit that sometimes around Christmas I feel a bit cynical. I've never been one to get excited about Santa clause, excessive shopping, crowds at the mall, or songs about reindeer.

Since I've become a Christian I have really enjoyed holidays like Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas so much more than I ever did before. Now the holidays actually have meaning and now I actually feel like I have something to celebrate!

We do lots of things to make Christmas special, put your kids on Santa’s lap, sing Christmas carols, drink eggnog, open presents. 

While none of these things are bad, if that’s all you’ve got, the holiday can end up feeling a bit hollow and superficial. At least for me anyway.

Some people get upset, saying that Jesus wasn’t actually born in December. And you know what? I don’t care. Does it matter whether or not He was born in a certain month for us to celebrate anyway? I don’t care when He was born; I’m too busy celebrating that HE WAS BORN! 

But the thing that will take your breathe away? 

The real thing to be in awe of?

The real miracle of Christmas?

The real miracle is that God Himself left the comfort and splendor of Heaven for a cold, smelly manger with scraps for clothes and hay for a pillow.

The real miracle is that the god of the universe wrapped Himself in skin and bones.

The real miracle is that the hands that hung the moon and stars became tiny and childlike.  

The real miracle is that the God who commands the winds and waves allowed his creation to rock him to sleep. 

Jesus didn't have to endure cold nights, sore feet, cruel humans, runny noses, and a  limited body. At any moment He could have snapped His fingers and had angels sweep Him back up into paradise. He chose our world so that one day we might live with Him in His. 

He could have chosen to be born in a mansion, and yet He chose a lowly, dirty manger. In every single circumstance Jesus chose the worst option. Jesus chose to become the least of these in every single situation.

Why did He do that?

One word: LOVE.

Only a love like His, that is perfect, unending, unconditional would choose the very worst for Himself so that we might have the very best for ourselves.

And the very best isn’t a nice house, presents under the tree, or job security. The very best is having Him. It’s nice to have all of those things but the very best for us is to have Him, and that’s enough.

Jesus chose the very worst so that not a single person on this earth would be able to look to God and say, “You don’t understand.” Because He does, He’s the only one who does.

 The reason that Christmas is so holy is because LOVE CAME DOWN. Love Himself stooped all the way down to the dirt and dust and became one of us. Love came down to rescue us. Thank God He did.

Not feeling in the holiday mood? Remember that love came down for you and that enough is reason to celebrate. Don't feel like you have to rush around trying to find the perfect tree, the perfect gifts, or grumbling that you don't have the perfect family. Remember that you have been given a perfect savior. 

Jesus came down to save us and now we must respond to that action. Right after the angels announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds the very first thing they did was set out to worship Him. I love the song lyric, “Oh, Come let us adore Him.” The dictionary defines the word, “Adore,” as, "To regard with the utmost esteem, love, and respect; honor."

The shepherds had hearts that were full of worship for someone that they had not yet met. As Christians, our ENTIRE lives should be lived in a state of constant adoration.

The greatest news ever told:

Luke 1:8

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

God is my father

One thing that I love about God is that He is always exactly what I need Him to be whenever I need Him to be it. I was always kind of wary about the song, "Friend of God." I thought, 'Is that disrespectful? He is King of the universe, should I not give Him such a title as friend?' God is so many things, friend, father, lord, savior, that its hard for me sometimes to know how to act towards God. I don't want to make Him too small but I also don't want to think of Him as a big powerful God who has no concern for little Katie down here on earth. I mentioned that to someone and they said that God is whatever we need Him to be at the moment. And that just made so much sense to me. Sometimes I'm scared, and God is my fierce protector. Sometimes He is my gentle, loving dad. Sometimes He is the almighty counselor, and He always understands. Sometimes I'm anxious and He is my prince of peace.

Someone once told me that when we pray, we should first praise God, repent, ask for things, and then yield. So I was laying in bed and I couldn't sleep and I was worrying and thinking and sulking and I was just a mess. I decided to pray and so I first started by praising God, but my heart wasn't in it. My heart was hurting and I didn't feel like praising God. I know with absolute certainty that God is the king of kings, my savior, and a million other wonderful things. But at that moment, I just needed Him to be my dad. I just needed Him to be my friend. My comforter. And when I prayed and said, "I don't have any words right now, I just need you to be my dad," I felt an overwhelming peace and was so comforted.

Romans 8:14
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.” 

I knew that God didn't want me to choke out half hearted praises. He wants me to be real. He knows my heart completely and He just wants me to pour out to Him everything that I'm feeling. I have found such a joy, such a comfort in being absolutely real with God. I struggle with being open and vulnerable and real with other people, its something I'm working on. But with God, being vulnerable with Him brings so much healing to me. It's better than anything in the world.

Its such a relief to not have to hide behind big words or eloquent prayers. I love talking to God as my father, because He is. Thinking about the fact that I have a perfect father who cares for me, always brings tears to my eyes. Because I am so grateful for Him. I am so grateful for His care, His love, and His provision. I don't deserve it, but I so desperately want it. Its hard for me to accept his love, because it seems so unbelievable to me that He would choose to give it to me. But I know that He did choose me, He chose me as His daughter. And so I will ask Him to help me believe and accept His free love, when my doubting heart tells me I need to earn it.

And this is the song that I have had on repeat for a long time :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXsiWoyjw60

A brand new life is calling and I owe it all to grace

I just finished a book where the author was telling a story about a hike she went on. She said the trail through thorn bushes, swamps, and mud was a difficult one, but it was all worth it when she reached the her destination. She ended up on a cliff overlooking her whole journey, and the view from the top was incredible.

That story hit me like a ton of bricks. Because that’s my life. My life before Christ was a journey through mud and thorns and swamps. But finally accepting Jesus as my savior, looking back over the long hike, it was all worth it.

At the time, those difficult situations seemed like swamps, looking back, they were stepping stones. Its funny how time can really change your perspective. Years back, in the midst of hardship I only felt despair, from where I am now I no longer feel shame or guilt.

Because I’m on the other side, I see how God has beautifully worked everything together and I feel hopeful.
 Hosea 6:1

“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

Because I know the ending point is beautiful, I can look back on the journey with peace. Now that I see Gods redemptive power in my life, the past no longer seems so daunting.

The darkness of the past no longer matters because the future is so much brighter than I ever could have imagined. Because of the brightness that surrounds me I can look back and laugh where I used to cringe.

Jeremiah 30:17

For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’

God is full of promises and He will never ever ever break a promise. My God is a God of restoration. What a beautiful promise.

Looking back is reassuring. You can say to yourself, “Look how faithful God has been to bring me this far. How could I doubt that He will carry me the rest of the way through?” He has been faithful before, He will be faithful again.

God has brought me so far, but there is still so much further for me to go! Sometimes its hard to see that I’m standing in victory, sometimes all I see is defeat. But I know that God wont leave me here.

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

I no longer look back and see regret

Now I look back and see God creating beauty out of chaos.

I see God supplying love where there was none
I see God softening the hardest of hearts
I see God bringing strength where there used to only be fear
I see God bringing peace and driving out worry and anxiety.

But most of all…

I see God bringing healing where gaping wounds lie
I see God making whole what was shattered
And I see God restoring and redeeming all that had been lost

Out of the ashes we rise.

Song Recommendation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd9VEgsM2G4