Easter: guardian of our souls

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. 22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. 23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. 24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. 25 Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.

That phrase, guardian of your souls, digs deep in to my heart. But lets begin with our understanding of humanity. Each of us has a soul. The question is have we allowed God to fill our souls.

Easter is coming. Just a few days from now our calendars, our churches and even our thoughts will be help by what God has done for us. The suffering was real and not fiction. Walk through those verses for a few minutes. Hear the exchange, His life for ours. Feel the pain, His wounds for our healing. Notice the gravity of the punishment of sin like a huge mortgage, making our debt paid in full.

His suffering, leading to Christ’s death on the cross, was cruel and extraordinarily painful. History recounts and the Scripture reminds us of how gruesome his beating and death was. One verse says that His body was so beaten that He could not be recognized. Why was that?

For me. He died for me and for you. He exchanged His perfection for our imperfection. His death led to His new life and ours bringing about the possibility of becoming the guardian of souls, now and for eternity.

A guardian is one who looks after another. It is something like a bodyguard but much more important. A guardian looks the well being, the growth, the emotional stability of the one they are set to guard.

Jesus chose to be our guardian now and forever. As you celebrate Jesus this Easter spend time realizing how important it is to have a guardian of our souls!

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

Search This Blog